Garden hose reel recommendations?

[stickshift]

My plastic garden hose reel cart has outlived its useful life. It's leaking at the plastic fittings (again, after replacing the plastic fitting that connects leader hose on outside of reel to garden hose on inside of reel a few years ago), and the reel mechanism has gotten difficult to turn. These crappy plastic reels seem to last a few years (or several years if you replace parts or just put up with leaks and crappy performance).

Looking for something better. I don't want to screw a reel into brick veneer, and I don't have a good place to install a post to mount a reel and run leader hose to spigot, so I guess I'm still in the garden hose reel cart category.

Looks like Gorilla recently entered this space, and this looks interesting:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Gorilla-175-ft-Aluminum-Zero-Rust-Mobile-Hose-Reel-GRS-175H/314448093

Quite a bit pricier than the usual $40-$50 plastic reel carts, but looks beefier and has brass hose connections. Seems like it might put up better with the temperature fluctuations of 4 seasons.

Thoughts or other suggestions?

 

[CaptPat]

Eley.com

 

[nadogail]

Just last Friday, I purchased the Powder Coated Metal Hose Reel from Home Depot. My Landscaper told me that it is "The Best One".

He requested a new reel because the plastic fitting on the old one was leaking.

 

[cashishift]

Eley

 

[laser3kw]

My plastic garden hose reel cart has outlived its useful life. It's leaking at the plastic fittings (again, after replacing the plastic fitting that connects leader hose on outside of reel to garden hose on inside of reel a few years ago), and the reel mechanism has gotten difficult to turn. These crappy plastic reels seem to last a few years (or several years if you replace parts or just put up with leaks and crappy performance).

Or - you have had a few on Saturday night and you fall on them. They bust up pretty easy and have knife like shards. So my "neighbor" tells me

 

[stickshift]

Eley.com

Eley

Hard to justify $200+ for a garden hose reel, but I guess this is one of those buy once, cry once situations.

Might go with the Gorilla for half the price and still get a good warranty (7rs vs 10yrs for Eley).

 

[16again]

Hard to justify $200+ for a garden hose reel, but I guess this is one of those buy once, cry once situations.

Might go with the Gorilla for half the price and still get a good warranty (7rs vs 10yrs for Eley).

I bought the ELEY. Wonderful product and money well spent.

 

[aeopav]

I bought this hose reel from Northern about 10 years ago.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200640135_200640135

It has held up pretty good. It will corrode some and I did have to replace the swivel fitting in the center of the reel last year. For the money though, I feel it may be about the best bet, especially on sale, and with one of their coupons. I was able to purchase the replacement fitting from their parts department.

 

[AFSOC]

Eley, the best available

 

[leog]

Eley finest ever

leog

 

[hans109h]

Eley. Be done with it.

Sent from my SM-G991U1 using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Sweetcorn]

I've never once heard someone say they regretted buying an Eley.

 

[Elktac]

Eley. Pricy but worth it

 

[Dogmeat]

MOST things in life that are pricey are worth it....
I figger that if I can't pay for it, and needing to finance it, then I really don't need it!
Fortunately, I've been able to pay for everything without any hot damn financing for a number of years!!

 

[Jim1932]

I have 2 Eleys that I bought 5 years ago. still like new.

 

[nicholsmf]

Has anyone mentioned Eley?

 

[laser3kw]

Eley,is nice. Relatively unheard of though

 

[niget2002]

am I the only one that doesn't care that my hose reel leaks?

I turn the water on at the spigot. I walk around with the hose to do what I need. If the reel is leaking water, then that part of the yard is just getting a bit more than where I'm spraying.

 

[Buckaroo5]

Eley - best garden hose reel in the world.....

 

[givemethewillys]

I wish eley made a hose real that looked like the above 'liberty garden' wall mount, if they're really as good as everyone says they are.

The cost isn't the issue for me, it's that my wife won't put an industrial looking reel on the side of the house - she wants it to look "pretty".

 

[HWgeek]

Garden Hoses, Reels, and Watering Tools

Highest-rated hose, reels and watering tools available. Durable aluminum and brass construction. Made with drinking water-safe materials. 10-YEAR Warranty. Midwest family owned.

www.eleyhosereels.com

They look solid, but as others have said, look is important too. Might buy some decorative lattice to hide it I guess

 

[AP514]

I have had my 2 - Eley 150' hoses and reels for 7 YEARS they are the best and are still going strong.
I do see they stopped Selling the " Metal Post " on the Post mounted reels..Hum

 

[bassJAM]

Wish I had seen this last week. I just ordered and installed a cast iron wall mounted reel from Amazon over the weekend. If it fails I'll look at the Elay.

 

[rampster]

I own 2 Eley's they just work.

 

[eastbaysubaru]

I too can now sing the song of the Eley. Just picked up their mobile hose reel and it is the bee's knees. Solid as hell. Should last a looooong time. No regrets whatsoever having looked at the other options from your typical brick and mortars.

-Brian

 

[Voi]

I ordered & just installed an Eley wall mount due to this thread. Thank you. Seems like a great product.

 

[BillK]

Also in the market since my 20 year old plastic one finally had enough I have one question for you guys with the Eley ones. It looks like you can mount it so the hose either pulls straight out or against the wall. If you mount it in the "normal" straight out position how does it act if you are pulling at maybe a 45 degree angle ??

It is "commercial" looking but I really dont have an issue with that. The "pretty" Liberty ones have some pretty crappy reviews as far as quality goes.

 

[The Tool Tyrant]

Eley's are great. I have 3, bought back in the day when they were still made in the USA and came in a plain brown cardboard box. I keep bugging them to add a manual hose coiler as I hate winding in a dirt covered hose while running it through my hand to layer it on the reel correctly. I got spoiled with an old plastic Ames reel that had a hose coiler on it.

 

[ScottsGT]

I ordered & just installed an Eley wall mount due to this thread. Thank you. Seems like a great product.

Quick question. I’m looking at the website and some photos show the copper curved connection and some show the hose directly attached to the center post. Which way does it come?

 

[Voi]

Quick question. I’m looking at the website and some photos show the copper curved connection and some show the hose directly attached to the center post. Which way does it come?

Mine is the standard wall mount. The supplied 5' hose feeds through the center post which then attaches to the hidden end of the curved copper part via a threaded collar. The hose that is reeled up then attaches to the other end of the curved copper part.

I hope that makes sense.

Post pictures from the site if you want & I can let you know what mine looks like.

I'm not home otherwise I'd run out & take a picture.

 

[ScottsGT]

Here’s the copper line
Second pic is hose directly to the center

 

[Voi]

Also in the market since my 20 year old plastic one finally had enough I have one question for you guys with the Eley ones. It looks like you can mount it so the hose either pulls straight out or against the wall. If you mount it in the "normal" straight out position how does it act if you are pulling at maybe a 45 degree angle ??

It is "commercial" looking but I really dont have an issue with that. The "pretty" Liberty ones have some pretty crappy reviews as far as quality goes.

Here’s the copper line
Second pic is hose directly to the center

Mine is definitely the first picture.

 

[mlyonsdc]

I asked the same ? in 2018 got the same answers, cried about price then bought one and now have the same advice. Mine is always on and has not leaked a drip in 3 years.

 

[CSRPenFab]

Here’s the copper line
Second pic is hose directly to the center

That’s where your hose connects and then goes to the reel. There’s a nylon strap you tighten down to secure the hose in place.

 

[16again]

Here’s the copper line
Second pic is hose directly to the center

Just went and took this photo of mine for you.

 

[David Paul]

I believe the difference of where/how the hose attaches is dependent on when the reel was manufactured. I noticed this while researching a replacement part for one that was leaking. Leak was caused by freeze damage.

 

[ScottsGT]

Just an update. My Eley arrived yesterday. Yea, this is a very nice product! Wow! Also went with the extra capacity kit. Hopefully I'll have it installed by this weekend. Now I'm thinking of one for the hose bib in the front yard too.

 

[ScottsGT]

sideways post. Oh well. Eley is awesome!!

 

[Voi]

I've been using my Eley with an inexpensive 50' hose and decided to order a 100' hose. I have a Flexzilla air hose reel and hose that I like and I also have a reddish brown Flexzilla hose at the cabin that I like so my wife ordered a 100' Flexzilla hose in the regular fluorescent color.

When I unboxed the hose I could tell it wasn't the same quality as what we had at the cabin. The swivel end wouldn't fit through the cinch strap and the swivel end couldn't be slid back like on my cheap hose so there was no easy way to try it on the reel.

I decided I probably didn't like the Flexzilla enough to leave it on the reel so I disassembled the cinching strap and fed the female swivel end through the extra slack on the strap. There was still enough slack left to reassemble the mechanism of the cinch strap from the crank side of the reel. I'm guessing a larger diameter, thicker walled hose would still have enough slack in the strap to reassemble it from the crank side.

Thought I'd mention this in case anyone ran into the same problem and didn't want to cut the swivel ends off. If I like the Flexzilla on the reel that's what I'll end up doing.

 

[ScottsGT]

Did you loosen the Phillips head screw on the strap all the way? I used 3/4 hose and it was a bit snug, but it did fit.