The Best Garden Hose for Your Tiny Patio or Giant Yard

If you&#;re lucky enough to have outdoor space and plan to do any gardening in it, you&#;re going to need a hose at some point. But the best garden hose for you will be specific to your situation. It depends on a number of factors, including what you plan to use it for, how much space you have to store it, how long you want it to last, and&#;as I learned testing different types of hoses&#;how much hose wrangling you&#;re willing to do.

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The best garden hoses

Heavy-duty hoses are generally the most durable, but they&#;re also cumbersome both when they are empty and full. A more flexible hose may not offer the same long-term durability, but it&#;s so much easier to manage, whether you&#;re watering your garden, trying to keep a sprinkler flat on the ground, or hooking it up to a pressure washer.

To find the best lightweight and heavy-duty garden hoses, I tested eight promising 50-foot hoses, ranging from fabric-covered expandable models to sturdier hoses made from commercial-grade rubber. Read on for my top picks. To see how I tested and what I looked for, scroll to the bottom.

The best garden hose overall (and the best expandable garden hose): Fitt Force Pro

I noticed the Fitt Force Pro pop up in hardware stores over the past few months and was intrigued by the idea of a &#;commercial grade&#; hose that expands and shrinks for easy storage. Most expandable hoses I&#;ve seen (yes, on TV) are enclosed in fabric. This one is made from abrasion-proof, puncture-proof &#;thermoplastic elastomer santoprene&#;&#;an elaborate term for a soft but durable rubber-like material.

Without gloves or tools, attaching the crush-proof aluminum couplings to my spigot was incredibly easy and disconnecting it was equally effortless. The box says this hose has a water flow rate of 450 PSI and once it was fully expanded to &#; inches (the standard garden hose diameter), the pressure seemed comparable to the heavy-duty hoses I tested. Other than its expandability, the Fit Force Pro&#;s main selling point is that it&#;s a breeze to use, even in cold weather. I walked all around my yard swirling it and trying really hard to get it to kink and only succeeded twice, but each time the lightest tug released the kink. I did find that it performed much better with a hose nozzle than without one, though that is true for most expandable hoses.

Empty, the Fitt Force Pro is as flat as a pancake and it stores very compactly (the box it came in is about the size of a basketball). It took little effort to reel in on my plastic hose reel, but it also comes with a little carry strap with reinforced handles (I used it to hang the hose on a hook in the garage). Because it feels so durable, I&#;d be comfortable leaving this hose outside too. Customer complaints I've read online mostly come from people who tried to use the hose while coiled or stored on a reel, but...that&#;s not how you&#;re supposed to use a hose, especially an expanding hose that shrinks flat.

What we didn&#;t love about the Fitt Force Pro

There&#;s honestly nothing I didn&#;t like about this hose, and I&#;d be happy to have it as my only hose, even though I have a big yard and plenty of storage space for less compact options. Because it performs better with a sprayer nozzle, it would be nice if one were included, but there is a kit option on Amazon.

The best standard garden hose: Flexzilla Garden Hose

If you don&#;t need (or want) an expanding hose, but would rather not wrestle with a heavy-duty hose every time you water your vegetable garden, I recommend the bright green Flexzilla. It&#;s lightweight and flexible&#;even in cold temperatures. As promised, the hybrid polymer hosing material is highly resistant to kinks. I had to try really, really hard to get a full hose to kink at all, and releasing the kink was even easier (just a slight shake). Connecting the aluminum fitting to my spigot by hand was a breeze, too, and coiling the hose onto a plastic hose reel was super smooth.

Garden hoses are an important part of maintaining your home and garden, but before you buy a new hose, there are some important things you need to know. Swan has all the information you need to make a good decision.

Types of Garden Hoses

All garden hoses are not created equal. You'll find there are many sizes, colors and styles. Some hoses are made of different materials and serve different purposes. Some hoses even have water flow control. The type of hose you select will depend on the type of work you plan to do this summer.

Light/medium-duty garden hoses include Swan&#;s WeatherFLEX Hose and other garden hoses found here. These types of hoses are designed for light use in the garden and low-pressure watering needs. Many of them are made of vinyl, but they can last through many gardening seasons when you properly care for them. This is the type of hose you need if you are watering delicate plants or simply filling the family pet's water dish. The standard light-duty garden hose diameter is 1/2", and most are between 50' and 100' in length.

Heavy-duty garden hoses, such as the Swan FlexRITE PRO 100' 5/8" Water Hose and others found here, have a larger diameter, which means more water pressure. These hoses are also made of a thicker construction and more durable materials. They are designed for cleanup jobs in addition to watering your plants. You will also find that many heavy-duty garden hoses include extra features, such as kink resistance and crush-proof couplings.

Premium-duty hoses are made to tackle the large, tough jobs with heavyweight reinforcement to withstand greater water pressure. These hoses are preferred by commercial users and professional landscapers. The Element CommercialGRADE Hose and other hoses found here are examples of hoses in this category. Good for everything from pressure washing to crop watering, these hoses are extremely durable.

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Rubber hoses are built to last under the harshest conditions, with Swan rubber hoses made twice as strong and 40 percent lighter than traditional rubber hoses. Some also remain flexible at extreme temperatures. Look to Swan&#;s Goodyear MAXLite Premium Rubber+ Hose and other rubber hoses found here.

A soaker hose works well when you need to saturate vegetable gardens with a nice, low-pressure form of application. The Element 50 ft. Sprinkler and Soaker Hose is great for getting into those narrow areas where large-scale watering is not an option. These hoses distribute water in a uniform pattern thanks to their design, and many of them feature Virgin PVC construction. You can find all of Swan&#;s soaker hose offerings here.

Garden Hose Sizes

The size of a garden hose refers to its diameter. This is an important consideration when choosing the right garden hose for your project. The wrong size could mean you might not have enough water pressure to get the job done properly.

A 5/8&#; vs. 3/4" hose can mean a vast difference in the amount of water pressure your hose generates. Pressure is something you have to consider, especially if you intend to use your hose for outdoor cleaning projects. A 1/2" diameter hose might be fine for basic watering and such, but you might need a standard garden hose diameter that is larger to cover a bigger area or clean the driveway. Swan offers hoses that come in both 5/8&#; and 3/4&#; diameters, such as the Element ContractorFARM Hose.

Here's the thing to remember about garden hose dimensions: A larger diameter of hose carries more water per minute. A larger diameter hose can also be useful in handling differences in water pressure. For example, if you are pushing water uphill through a hose, it will be more beneficial to use a large diameter hose.

Garden Hose Lengths

The length of the garden hose you select should be determined by your personal needs. You can find hoses in lengths of 25', 50' or 100'. Choosing a hose that is too short will prevent you from getting the coverage you need. Selecting a hose that is too long can yield frustration, especially if you are trying to navigate confined areas.

A shorter garden hose such as the Swan Utility Hose is great for watering plants in containers or filling pet dishes. It works best when you have a small coverage area and don't need a lot of pressure. A longer garden hose is more efficient at covering larger areas and tackling cleaning projects.

If you select a long garden hose, be sure to choose a hose that provides kink resistance such as the 100&#; PROScape Hose. You'll also want to make sure you get a hose that doesn't kink at the spigot, and Swan has many of these available. Most of them use a special hose armor that helps to prevent such kinks.

One important thing to remember: It is much more efficient to get the garden hose dimensions you require than it is to couple multiple hoses together. Using multiple hoses can create more wear and tear, and it also makes the process of watering more tedious and tiresome when you need to move a hose.

These are the considerations you need to be aware of when purchasing your next garden hose. As a final suggestion, remember that spending a little more for a better-quality hose will likely save you money in the long run. All the garden hoses here at Swan have a reputation for durability, and you'll find that they are made by the top names in the industry. We also have a wide selection of garden hose accessories that will simplify taking care of your garden, such as spray nozzles. You can find all of Swan&#;s accessories here.

Now, get out there and make your yard beautiful again!

All content provided in this article is for general informational purposes only. All use of products referenced in this article should be done in accordance with the manufacturer&#;s instructions.

For more general information on hoses, read the following articles:

&#;Understanding Burst Strength in Garden Hoses: A Comprehensive Guide

Garden Hoses: An Essential Tool for Cleaning Up After Natural Disasters

&#;Garden Hose Couplings: The Complete Guide

Get to Know Garden Hose Layers Before You Buy

Drinking From a Hose

The Flow Rate of a Garden Hose

Best Garden Hoses: Our Recommendations

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