Last Updated: 23 / 1 / 2023
Our flower shop is located in a fairly well-sized garden in the heart of California. The main challenge for us was to find a retractable hose reel that can survive the hot California summers and get us rid of the mess our hundreds of feet long garden hoses laying around create.
Related: Best Hose Reel
After a bit of research, I've decided on the wall mounted Gardena Retractable water hose reel.
This high-quality, easy to use hose reel is instantly ready for use in the required hose length. Push its convenient hose retraction button when you're done, and the machine will automatically roll up, evenly and securely. No twisting, cracking, or hands covered in mud! It swivels 180 degrees as well, turning to whatever direction you pull from.
If you're short on time, watch our video on it:
My first impressions
I bought two of these 180 degree swivel garden hoses for our nursery; 82 Feet and 115-Feet. Check out on Amazon.
What I like about Gardena wall mounted hose reel is, it comes with this quick disconnect part, which allows me to switch the hose between different hydrants quickly.
The best part for me is, when I give the hose just a little pull far away from the reel, it automatically rolls just right back in! You don't even have to walk to the heel and push its rollback button, which ensures even retraction.
Although it's mostly made from plastic, it still feels solid and ready for heavy-duty work. Mechanics on it gives you the impression that it will last for many years to come.
Compared to my old water hose, it's a luxury item and a bit pricey. But I swear every day it saves me at least ten minutes of rolling uptime. And there are no more ugly looking hoses around the nursery!
The products arrived quickly and safely the next day I ordered it. Both were well packaged and wrapped in protective bubbles. The first thing I noticed when I open the box is that they looked a bit bigger than I expected. Luckily, they're light enough to carry wherever you want (or to install on any kind of wall).
Who should buy it
So what you're looking at here is my old water hose. I know it looks artsy, handmade and beautiful, but of course, the problem with this is, it didn't offer any frost or heat protection. And the hose itself would get twisted and kinked. As much as I want to turn and fix the twist, well, it's shut. It gets stiff, hasn't held up very well, and really a pain in the B to work with. Gardena retractable hose reel, however, rolls back up perfectly. After six months of everyday use, my hose didn't get twisted even once, and all it takes is only a little push of a button.
I've had that aliminum cast reel you see above, and a higher-end Kärcher hose reel before. After a year of prolonged use, it started leaking from the connector. According to my observations and its users online, you won't have any kind of leaking problem with the Gardena.
It comes with the parts required to install it on your wall. You can easily install it yourself, just like I did. But if you're living in a colder environment than California, I'd recommend you grab it and put it away somewhere indoors to keep it from freezing. It's not heavy or anything at all.
One small detail that could be problematic for some of you is; you need to apply a bit more power when pulling the hose than you're used to. But I personally like it. It gives the mechanics a rich, well-made feeling and speaks for the quality of the materials used inside the mechanics. The best part is, as I mentioned, I haven't had any kinks so far!
All in all, whether you're living here in California, or in a cold Chicago environment, need this for your small garden or industrial farm; I'd definitely recommend Gardena hose box to anyone.
What size Gardena Hose comes in?
It comes in three sizes, 50f, 52f, and 115f long, all there comes with wall bracket included. I bought the middle, and the extended versions and hooked them together. It helps keep our nursery organized and clean! Also, I have a backup option in case one of them breaks or something.
Conclusion
So let's finish it up.
I hope it helped everyone. I've been using it for about 6 months now. 6 months later, I'll come back and update you guys on how it holds up heavy-duty work.
Here's a bunch of product images.