Remember the old painted green steel garden hose reels when you were a kid? They just dont sell ‘em anymore. Go ahead and google your hearts desire, but chances are you wont find one easily online, and certainly not at brick and mortar retailers like Home Depot, Menards, or Walmart.
You’re likely to keep seeing all the stores carry those crappy plastic Suncast reels that leak once you hook them up, or tip over with even the slightest bit of hose movement. You can find a few steel constructed units but they cost anywhere from $130 up to $350, but c’mon now it’s just a damned hose reel.
I diligently looked for an American made metal hose reel that didnt require a small loan or the trading one of my kidneys. The best I found is a Chinese made unit, sold under “Yardworks” shown below, and it is not a common unit sold among stores. My mother bought one at Menard’s for $59 and it only took about 25 minutes to assemble it.
It does NOT leak, nor will it tip over even when tugging at the 150ft of hose I wrapped on it. (It can take up to 300ft of 5/8″ hose). The fittings are made of metal, not cheap plastic.
Normally I would lay down more specs and thoughts, but an excellent review was already posted here : http://www.epinions.com/review/Hose_Reel_Cart/content_480138464900
Epinions will show the wrong unit pictured and the author makes note of it in his review.
The pics above I snagged at Gemplers.com an online supply shop, where this same unit costs $125.
The bottom line is, if you need a garden hose reel, go to Menards and get this one – and get your gardening on.
Ooh mannn!! i basically typed a big comment and as quickly as i clicked post it showed up blank! Please tell me it worked correctly? I do not wish to write it yet again if i do not have to! Either the blog glitced out there or i am an idiot, the last option doesnt shock me lol.
Glenda B. G