The 4 Best Garden Hose Reels of 2024, Tested by Real People and Recommended by Experts
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The Gorilla 200 ft. Aluminum Zero Rust Premium Mobile Hose Reel was our overall winner
People / Dera Burreson
A good garden hose reel is an incredibly helpful tool for gardening, car-washing, and filling an outdoor pool. It keeps your neatly rolled hose both within easy reach when you need it and out of the way when you don’t.
Generally, the best hose reel for you comes down to individual preferences and plans for use. “If it’s easy to reel and fits your criteria, you have a home run,” Jerry Gorchels, technical product representative at PanAmerican Seed North America, tells PEOPLE.
Pro Tip
“If you plan to upgrade to a longer hose in the future, choose a hose reel with a slightly larger capacity to accommodate potential future changes.” —Malcolm Walker, merchant, watering and garden tools at The Home Depot
But if you’re not sure which of the many available options on the market is right for you, we’re here to help. Our testers, a mix of editorial staff members and gardeners, evaluated 26 hose reels in our outdoor testing labs for setup times, designs, ease of use, portability, durability, and overall value. We also consulted experts in the gardening world, who helped inform our choices. In the end, we found four “home runs” available to buy now.
Best Overall: Gorilla Aluminum Zero Rust Premium Mobile Hose Reel
Star Qualities
Rubber wheels make it easy to move around on grass
Rubber grips on the reel are easy to crank
Red Flags
Some assembly required
If you're a bit rough on your garden equipment, this reel is perfect for you, and perhaps everyone. It's made of virtually indestructible rust-proof aluminum to combat the elements and daily wear and tear. It also features forged brass connections to prevent leaks, as well as a built-in hose alignment guide to prevent kinking so that your garden hose stays intact.
It took us 17 minutes to get this reel up and running, and it was easy to put together. And it only got easier from there: The rubber wheels maneuver well on both grass and varied terrain, and the rubber grips take the hard work out of cranking.
Caveats: You do need some strength to screw the box together. (If that doesn’t work for you, read on for hose reels with no assembly.) We also didn’t think the leather strap to loop the hose was necessary, though it did help make reeling and unreeling more stable and seamless.
But those are small quibbles in an otherwise exceptional product. We gave it perfect scores in the portability, durability, and value categories.
Hose Capacity: 200 ft. | Material: Aluminum | Maneuverability: Wheels
Best Budget: Suncast Hosemobile Hose Reel Cart
Star Qualities
Lightweight design
No assembly required
Red Flags
Plastic wheels are difficult to move on grass
If you’re looking for an inexpensive reel that’s ready to go straight out of the box, the KLZ model is an excellent choice. It’s got a basic design with simple, easy-to-use features. It’s not the prettiest reel we tested, but it performs very well.
Made of lightweight plastic, this reel was easy to move around, even with a hose on it. The plastic wheels, however, decrease its portability on grass, though it’s okay on other terrains.
Hose Capacity: 150 ft. | Material: Plastic | Mobility: Wheels
Best Retractable: Gardena 100 ft.Wall Mounted Retractable Hose Reel
Star Qualities
Spring-loaded reel automatically locks and retracts without cranking
Wall-mounted unit swivels 180 degrees
Comes with a hose
Red Flags
Couldn’t find any
Retractable hose reels are a newer trend, according to Malcolm Walker, who specializes in watering and garden tools at The Home Depot. Wall-mounted retractable hose reels take up less space than traditional reels, and Walker recommends the Gardena 100-foot option for smaller backyards and gardens.
The spring-loaded hose reel allows you to pull out as much hose as you need and automatically locks at that length. Then, when you’re done watering, it retracts with a light tug, saving you from winding the hose up with a manual crank. The box that holds the hose can swivel up to 180 degrees, which makes it easier to reach every inch of your yard.
One thing to note is that this system comes with a high-density, double-spiral mesh hose, so if you already have a hose that you really like, this might not be the right reel for you.
Hose Capacity: 100 ft. | Material: Plastic | Mobility: Wall-mounted
Best Design: Giraffe Metal Hose Reel Box
Star Qualities
Sturdy metal base
Attractive design
The hose guide helps prevent kinks
Red Flags
Lack of wheels make it difficult to maneuver
The look and feel of this hose reel is certainly high-end, with a rust-resistant metal base that’s a big improvement over traditional plastic hose reels.
With fewer pieces than other models, this reel was easy to set up — it took us just 12 minutes. Once we had it up and running, we were pleasantly surprised by how nice it would look in the yard, even near outdoor furniture. Attaching the hose gave us a little trouble at first, but watching a video on the shopping link clarified the setup. This reel is designed to keep the hose evenly distributed and free of kinks, and it’s super easy to wind up.
We personally didn’t love the lack of wheels, meaning you have to lift up the whole box if you want to move it. Thankfully, even with a hose fully reeled inside, it’s not too heavy. But perhaps you aren't in need of something that's mobile and instead would prefer a stationary box.
This model feels very durable, though we can’t say for sure how the metal will fare in wet weather over time.
Hose Capacity: 200 ft. | Material: Rust-resistant metal | Mobility: Stationary
Things to Consider Before Buying a Garden Hose Reel
Where You’ll Keep It
Consider your outdoor space and the best location for a garden hose reel in evaluating your options. “There are wall-mount, ground-mount, yard set, etc.,” says Jerry Gorchels, technical product representative at PanAmerican Seed North America. “Decide where you want to have it—hidden, convenient, and practical.”
Physical Ability
“Do you have the strength to reel 100 feet of hose?” asks Gorchels, noting that there are motor-driven automatic retractable reels on the market as well. Consider what type of hose you have (or what you’re planning to buy) and how easy or difficult it will be to wrap or reel your garden hose.
Materials
Home and lifestyle blogger Kelli Bateman from My House of 8 suggests prioritizing a metal-based system when purchasing a garden hose reel. “I would look for a sturdy (metal-based) wheel and crank system… it would also need to be matched with a quality hose to avoid the kinking and flimsiness that makes it hard to reel in.”
Pricing
The reels that we tested range anywhere from $30 to $450. Interestingly, a more expensive version doesn't necessarily mean that it works the best. Consider how you'll use the reel and invest in something sturdy and durable so that it won't move around as you unreel your hose or get tarnished by the elements.
Design
A garden hose reel is only as good as its design. “I would want a forgiving opening where the hose enters the reel, and a sturdy metal frame to handle the weight of the hose that may still have water in it as you begin to roll it in,” says Bateman.
Quality
For Bateman, this is a product where the quality should take priority over the cost for consumers. “I recently ditched a plastic box hideaway hose reel," she explains. "I realize now that I had given in to the low-cost appeal of a low-quality combination of hose and reel. I found it hard to crank." She adds, “The hose was a cheaper vinyl hose and not well reinforced, so it easily kinked. The box shifted easily due to the lack of weight, and the hose was too flimsy to stay straight and stiff to slide through the narrow guide into the box.” Consider investing in a sturdier reel as well as a functional and durable hose to add to other garden equipment like your walk behind mower or electric leaf blower.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you connect a hose to a hose reel?
Always start by detaching the hose from the water source as well as any head attachments. Depending on the design and style of your reel, you'll likely need to insert a washer onto the bottom of the hose coupling to ensure the seal is taut once you connect the female end. Carefully thread your hose through the opening of the hose reel, being careful to keep the hose flat so there are no kinks or awkward twists, and connect the female end to the coupling, twisting it firmly into place. Then, you may begin to wind your hose reel, keeping one hand on the hose and guiding it along the reel if needed, to prevent bunching or kinking.
How do you fix a leaky garden hose reel?
There are a couple of reasons your hose reel may be leaking. First, the seal on the coupling may not be tight enough. Consider tightening the connection with pliers or a wrench to see if that helps. Otherwise, you might consider lubricating the washer with silicone grease or, if nothing seems to be working, replacing the washer altogether. Another reason for a garden hose reel leak could be wear and tear of the hose itself. Always be sure to avoid using the hose in freezing temperatures, as frozen water can cause it to expand and rupture. If there is a hole or tear in your hose, use a water hose repair kit to fix it, or buy a new hose entirely.
Are garden hose reels a necessity?
You can greatly extend the life of your hose by investing in a reel. If a hose is stored on a garage floor, on a driveway, or wound up in a backyard, it'll likely undergo damage. Hose reels help to protect your hose while also improving maneuverability for the operator.
People / Dera Burreson
How We Tested
To figure out which hose reels are better than the rest, we had editorial experts and regular gardeners test some of the most popular hose reels on the market for three days in our simulated outdoor testing lab. We evaluated the reels on the following qualities:
Ease of Use: For reels that required assembly, we timed setup. As we assembled, we also evaluated the materials and hardware for sturdiness.
Performance: For each reel, we tried two hoses of different sizes and materials, winding and unwinding each. We took note of how difficult it was to wind up, how smoothly we were able to unwind, and whether the wheel mechanisms moved easily or felt sticky. For pot-style holders, we coiled the hose inside and gave it a push to ensure that it fit securely.
Maneuverability: We wheeled the hose reels with wheels around testing areas that included a mix of grass, pavement, and small rocks.
Each reel we tested was scored on the following criteria: Setup, design, ease of use, portability (for the models with wheels), durability, and — once testers learned the list price of each model — value. Winning traits we kept in mind included durability, long-lasting materials, a smooth-turning mechanism, and ease of movement.
Why Trust PEOPLE?
Rennie Dyball is a former PEOPLE editor and experienced commerce writer with a focus on home and pet products. To bring you this review, she spoke with our testers about a range of garden hose reels and considered their perspectives on various qualities and features, such as size, material, and durability. This story was recently updated by shopping writer Cai Cramer to include the latest technology in this category: retractable hose reels.
Meet Our Experts
Jerry Gorchels, technical product representative at PanAmerican Seed North America
Kelli Bateman, blogger and home influencer who writes about affordable decor trends
Malcolm Walker, merchant with The Home Depot, specializing in watering and garden tools
What Is PEOPLE Tested?
We created the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval to help you find the very best products for your life. We use our unique methodology to test products in three labs across the country and with our network of home testers to determine their effectiveness, durability, ease of use, and so much more. Based on the results, we rate and recommend products so you can find the right one for your needs.
But we don’t stop there: We also regularly re-review the categories in which we’ve awarded the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval, because the best product of today might not be the best one of tomorrow. And by the way, companies can never buy our recommendation: Their products must earn it, fair and square.
In short, PEOPLE Tested provides recommendations you can trust—every day, every purchase.
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