10 Best Hose Reels 2024 in the US

If you have a long, heavy garden hose, it has a tendency to get tangled and totally unmanageable. Once it gets tangled, it doesn't let water through properly, and it can also develop cracks and leak. Also, you don't want the hose being exposed to temperature extremes of hot and cold—unless you want to buy a new garden hose every year. So a hose reel is a convenient way of keeping the hose from tangling, and ensuring that it'll last a few years. Also, a hose reel is a way of storing the hose, ensuring that the hose will not get as dirty as it would if it would be dragging on the ground or floor all the time. But there are a large number of designs of hose reels.  We can categorize them according to their appearance: You can find stationary hose reels, which you can mount to a wall, or keep it on a stand with slip-free legs. There are also portable hose reels, on a cart or even hand-held. There are also hideaway hose reels, where the hose reel stores the hose away in a box. There are also decorative versions, where the reel can be disguised as a planter. There are also various mechanisms for rewinding the hose: you can find spring-loaded hose reels, as well as battery-powered reels, or even hydraulic models that use the water pressure in the hose to pull the hose back.

To help you make the right choice, we have put together this buying guide including everything you need to know about hose reels to make a good investment. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of hose reel,

• See useful tips about that type of hose reel,    

• Read reviews of different brands of hose reels, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of hose reel, and

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

There are a number of styles of hose reels. You’ll see both air hose reels, which are when you need compressed air, and garden hose reels, which are primarily for watering your lawn or garden. It is not recommended to use an air hose reel for a garden hose: The components of the reel may be made of zinc-plated steel, which can rust if exposed to water. (Brass and aluminum plumbing fixtures are recommended to avoid rust.) Also, the hose diameter for an air hose is usually 3/8", while that of a garden hose is usually 5/8". Using an air hose for water will reduce the water flow--but it still may be adequate for your gardening needs.

We can divide hose reels between mounted and portable versions:

• Wall-mounted—This mounts on the wall of the home, near the water spigot. This could be either parallel-mounted (where you pull the hose out along the wall) or perpendicular to the wall (where you pull the hose away from the spool away from the wall). The Eley Rapid Wall Mount and the Strongway 2100427, for example, allows you to store the hose parallel or perpendicular to the wall. (Most brands of hose reels will require you to buy the necessary hardware to mount the unit: anchor sleeves, masonry concrete screws, washers, wrenches, drill bits, a drill, and the like.

• Portable: These are handheld or can be rolled around on wheels. For example:  

  • Hideaways—Here, you rewind the hose by means of turning a crank. The hose winds up on a spool that it totally concealed in a box.

  • Cartwheels—These wind up your hose on a spool that is on wheels—either 2 or 4 wheels. You can hook up the hose to a number of spigots. This is also convenient for storing away in the winter. A cartwheel is handy when you have a large yard, and a long garden hose, such as between 200-300 feet, and you have to move the hose from place to place. For example, the Palm Springs Garden is a reel cart on 4 wheels, which lets you transport the hose effortlessly. Wheels should be solid polyurethane, as in the Eley Hose Reels, for best results--you never have to be concerned that they’ll go flat over time.

  • Hangouts (also called, “Hose Butlers”)—These are decorative wire baskets, designed to support the wound-up hose. The Liberty Garden Products 645 Ornamental 125-Foot Capacity Two-Point Steel Garden Hose Stand is one example of a “hose butler”, which is elegant but at the same time rather sturdy.

  • Pots—These are pot-shaped vessels that can house a rolled-up garden hose. They stylishly imitate the shape of a garden planter.

  • Hose Stand—These are supports on which to place the hose after you have rolled it up manually.

We can also classify hose reels by their rewinding mechanism:

• Manual--These will use a crank that you rotate by hand in order to rewind the garden hose. This is adequate when you don’t have a very long hose to rewind.

• Auto-rewind—This design uses either electricity, battery power or water pressure to rewind the hose. But if it uses water pressure, this causes the hose to discharge another 4-6 gallons of water in order to pull the hose back. This water will go to waste—unless you somehow collect that water in a pail and use it for other gardening purposes. The Suncast Aqua Winder Automatic Rewind garden hose reel converts water pressure into rewinding power--that what it uses to rewind the hose. It has a lever that lets water out in one position, but when you flip the lever, it will start rewinding the hose. This eliminates the need for batteries, electricity, or springs. Most hose reels with the auto-rewind feature will also have a mechanism that keeps the hose from getting tangled over the course of rewinding.

All reels require a feeder (or “leader”) hose—a piece of hose, around 5-6 feet long, that attaches the reel to the faucet. That lets water into the hose reel. You then attach your garden hose to the spigot of the hose reel, and then a spray nozzle to the end.

The most important things to consumers are rugged durability and reliable performance. Based on all the consumers' reviews we've scanned, these are the top things they mentioned about their new stuff:

• Portability: With some hose reels, you’ll prefer that the reel can be carried around as well. The RL Flo-Master is a hose reel that accommodates 65 feet of hose. It has a handle for carrying it around by hand, as well as a wall-bracket to allow you attaching it to a wall. There is also the Liberty Garden Products 703-1 Multi-Purpose Steel Wall- and Floor-Mount Garden Hose Reel. It has a set of rubber "boots" which allow it to sit on the floor without skidding. So you can take it with you to whatever part of your lawn you need to water, and not have to worry about any installation.

• Winding crank: It's convenient to have a crank to rotate the reel, in order to wind up the hose after use. The Liberty Garden Products 703-1 Multi-Purpose Steel Wall- and Floor-Mount Garden Hose Reel employs a removable hand crank to wind up the hose. But, in some models, some have said that the crank handle broke on them—so they would have to pack up the hose the old fashioned way, and use the reel only for storage. The Eley Hose Reels have the option of being compatible for both right-handed and left-handed operation: When attaching the garden hose to the hose reel, you choose the rotation direction according to whether you're right-handed or left-handed.

• Problems with the hideaway design: The hideaway hose reel may seem elegant, but it is noticed to be too delicate and has several engineering flaws. As a rule, try to prefer metal reels (brass, aluminum, or stainless steel) over plastic—plastic tends not to be durable. Customers say that a plastic reel will last around 2 years, while metal hose reels can be expected to last at least 5 years. The wall mount is preferred here, because of the durability of the reel.

• Rubber washers at each connection: At the connection between the spigot and the hose, or between the hose and the spray handle, be sure you use rubber washers, so as to avoid leaking. It is also recommended to wrap all threaded connections with thread-sealing Teflon tape, to ensure no leakage.

• When to use parallel or perpendicular wall mount: Some brands of wall mounted hose reels allow you to mount the hose reel parallel or perpendicular to the wall of your house. It is recommended to mount the reel parallel to the wall if you want one hose to access both the front and back of the house. But use a perpendicular mount if your lawn and faucet are both directly in back of the house.

• Accessories: Some sell an extra capacity kit—it gives the reel a bigger diameter so that it can hold more hose. Also, a number of cartwheel-style hose reels have a basket, to allow you to store gardening tools and supplies if necessary.

• Prepare for winter: Drain the hose before packing it away for winter. If you leave water in the hose, it may freeze when the weather gets cold. Since ice has a greater volume than water, it'll probably damage the hose. Storage in winter: If you live in an area with frigid winters, it's best to store the hose reel and hose in a place which is above freezing the whole year. The cold temperatures will take a toll on the hose. Even if the hose reel is outdoors, many times it's detachable, so you can bring it in the house for the winter. The Suncast SWA100 is a hose reel using such a design.

• Look at length and width of the hose: It's important to look at the thickness and length of the hose when considering a hose reel. There are enclosed hose reels that can accommodate 100 or 150 feet of hose, whereas others say that they can only hold 50 or 60 feet. As for the width: garden hoses are 5/8” in diameter, even though some are 3/4”. The thickness will affect what length of hose will go on the hose reel. Some companies, such as Eley Hose Reels, will supply an extra-capacity kit that extends the amount of hose that the reel can carry by another 70 or so feet.

• Hose Material: The hose material will also dictate the type of hose reel that you’ll use:

  • A vinyl hose (polyvinyl chloride, or PVC) will be lighter and less expensive than a rubber hose (but is also less sturdy). The result is that a reel that holds 100 feet of vinyl hose will hold only 75 feet of a rubber hose.

  • Rubber has the advantage of being flexible, even when submitted to extreme temperatures. It also tends not to kink up, making it easier to rewind. That will spare you the fuss of untangling the hose when rewinding it. Also, if rubber develops a leak, it is easier to repair than with other materials.

  • PVC/Rubber hybrid: These will combine the benefits of both rubber and PVC: Like rubber, it will be easy to coil up, and like PVC, it will be more lightweight.

  • Polyurethane: This will make for a lightweight hose that retains its flexibility even in cold temperatures. They are also easier to repair than PVC.

Suncast—was founded in 1984, as makers of home and garden products. They make storage compartments, furniture, and garden tools.

Liberty Garden Products—is located in Kemersville, North Carolina, and has been making garden products since 1989. They make garden hoses, as well as metal hose reel storage products in a variety of styles.

RL Flomaster—is located in Lowell, Michigan. They make home and garden products for pressurized spraying, both for industry and for agriculture. The sprayers can be used for pesticides, germicides, and herbicides, as well as janitorial purposes.

Best Choice Products—was founded in 2002. Originally they sold pool tables, but then they expanded to musical instruments and patio furniture, children's and household items, and pet products.