Hoses, hoses and more hoses!

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Shortspark

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One of our basic tools is water hoses. Those of us that take pains to insure our car looks good at all times can not get by without hoses. I know due to water rationing and people that live in complexes that forbid car washing have to use other methods such as rinseless and waterless wash but these are the exceptions. As much as we rely on hoses we don't often talk about them at the forum.

I have found the 50' Sears Craftsman black hose on a wheel cart to be the best hose for washing my car. It is heavy duty but not overly heavy in weight. It also resists kinking although it is not kink free (I have not found a hose truly "kink free" although I tried a couple advertised as such).

Newer technology in hoses is moving towards expandable hoses. These are much lighter in weight, easier to store and are naturally kink free. The draw backs I have read are that they often burst if water pressure is high, wear down quickly when used on concrete or black top drive ways and do not provide sufficient water pressure for use with power washing equipment. I don't know if any of these drawbacks are widespread or even true but that is what some folks have noted at review sites.

I am thinking of trying out this kind of hose for the first time and would like to know if anyone here has had experience with expandable hoses as their primary hose for washing cars. What have been your observations?
 
My mom loves them due to there light weight, my concern is durability.
 
Another issue with the expandable hose is when you spray with it , it starts shrinking back to smaller size . This causes it to pull against you.
 
marknett said:
Another issue with the expandable hose is when you spray with it , it starts shrinking back to smaller size . This causes it to pull against you.
Click to expand...

Yea, that makes sense. I never thought of that one. That might not bother you watering a plant but I can see it as a big problem with washing a car.
 
I'm looking at the Griots catalog now... $80-$125 hose. Man.


Sent from my iPhone
 
Shortspark said:
One of our basic tools is water hoses. Those of us that take pains to insure our car looks good at all times can not get by without hoses. I know due to water rationing and people that live in complexes that forbid car washing have to use other methods such as rinseless and waterless wash but these are the exceptions. As much as we rely on hoses we don't often talk about them at the forum.

I have found the 50' Sears Craftsman black hose on a wheel cart to be the best hose for washing my car. It is heavy duty but not overly heavy in weight. It also resists kinking although it is not kink free (I have not found a hose truly "kink free" although I tried a couple advertised as such).

Newer technology in hoses is moving towards expandable hoses. These are much lighter in weight, easier to store and are naturally kink free. The draw backs I have read are that they often burst if water pressure is high, wear down quickly when used on concrete or black top drive ways and do not provide sufficient water pressure for use with power washing equipment. I don't know if any of these drawbacks are widespread or even true but that is what some folks have noted at review sites.

I am thinking of trying out this kind of hose for the first time and would like to know if anyone here has had experience with expandable hoses as their primary hose for washing cars. What have been your observations?
Click to expand...

Bought one a year ago to water trees and rinse my pool area lasted one month the coupler was leaking.maybe they have improved it since then.
 
Used the Sears hoses for years, but they are heavy, the black comes off on your hands and they tend to get twisted if your not careful. My wife tried one of the better expandable hoses (with the brass fittings) out on the patio--lasted just one summer.

Picked up one of the 50' Zero G hoses at Lowes when they had them on sale for $30 and I love it for car washing--very light, doesn't get twisted and doesn't shrink as soon as you turn off the water--really easy to move around the car. After about 9 months it still looks good as new so seems to be sturdy enough--has a 5 year warranty. But, I still use the Sears hoses for work out in the yard where they get the most abuse.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Zero-G-5-8-in-x-50-ft-Premium-Kink-Free-Garden-Hose/999972996
 
I like my Flexzilla hose a lot. It's light, bends easily without kinking, and has held up amazingly well despite my initial concerns about it not feeling 'heavy duty'. I'd buy another one in a heartbeat.
 
Just bought a Camco 50' hose. So far it's good. A little stiff though
 
We use Tricoflex hoses on the boat I work on & brought one of the old ones home 6 years ago. Still going strong. Not sure I want to know the price on them when new but they certainly hold up. They stand up to some really high pressure as well.
 
If you play your cards right:

The cost(s) associated with hose
ownership can often be deemed
as a Business expenditure.

That way:
It makes any hoses that happen
to fall within the fashionable-elite
brackets, a little more palatable.



Bob
 
A hose is a hose....nope.

I bought a couple Flexzillas this year and I am pleased.
After the initial wind relaxes it is easier to deal with. The aluminum ends need a little lube to ease through the grind of the aluminum.

But the those scrunchy hoses can stay with the infomercial watchers(they aren't cheap with people reporting they are bursting with enthusiasm)
 
I like Gilmour hoses and sprayers. They have various grades from garden use to professional grade. American made and I still like them despite them pulling their east coast division out my hometown many many years ago.

I think their spray nozzles are good quality too. Good slim designs and made from actual metal, not cheap plastic. Cheap plastic sprayers break easily. I upgraded my sprayers to these and have not broken them yet despite being dropped numerous times on about every detail I've done since buying. The cheap plastic ones my wife buys don't last a season around the house.

I have not been a fan of the extending hoses. Most have a very small interior diameter.
 
Yes, I know! Anyway, I started this thread primarily to avoid the mess shown in the picture below!
 
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