I'm seeing them all over now. They seem to be cheaper than regular old fashioned rubber hoses. Are they any good? Advantages? Disadvantages?

I like them, they've gotten a lot better since they came out. I always keep the receipt and box in case they spring a leak

Purchased 2 different brands BOTH SUCKED.Went back to good old rubber hoses..

I use them for the RV, work great and easy to pack up. Takes alot less space than a normal hose.

Tried it, didn’t like them

I'm a fan of commercial grade rubber ones with good brass ends, but for general use I just buy the 100' (now 120') Costco hoses.

RC, if you find and expandable that works well, let us know.

I've had four of them, and they have all failed. I'm back to "up your nose with a rubber hose". You can't splice and repair. Just my experience with them. Speaking of garden hoses, kink free hoses are a load of hogwash, they all kink.

i keep one in the trailer for emergency hook ups when i need an extra hose. used it last week. it serves well in that role.

I was in Costco a few days ago and they had 3 pallets of 100' hoses for $19. I went back today to get a couple and they were gone. I'm betting that some store bought them all, added $10 or 15, and is making a killing.

Hi. Licensed Plumber here with 17 years on the job.

They suck. The restrict water flow. I went to a call for a guy who said he had low pressure at his hose bibs. His hose sprayed out about five feet. I hooked up my standard garden hose and it sprayed twenty feet or so. I also put a pressure gauge on his hose bib and showed him that he had good pressure.

Expandable do not last a season for me. They are susceptible to berry thorns.

I bought Flexzilla hoses for my house and my son's house.

https://www.amazon.com/Flexzilla-HFZG550YW-Garden-Lightweight-Drinking/dp/B003TFE7ZM

Good possibility of that.

Couple of places here make the 3 hr drive to Reno and bring back "Kirkland" stuff to put in their stores at a markup.

I was fighting four kinks in my expensive, supposedly kink free, 50' garden hose this morning. Had the thought I should check out one of the expandable type.
It would be nice to find one that was serviceable.

Failure.

Junk!

Generally cheap and don’t last

Had one fail in about 20 minutes. I wondered about flow too since the couplings seem to be 1/4" diameter.

Hard no.

I bought one for my Mom to water her flowers and pot plants with. Its much lighter than a regular hose and she enjoys it. No, its not going to last as long as a good standard hose.

They suck. Don't get one.

I still see Flexogen hoses in the hardware store. I’ve used them for years, year-round here.

The best there is, IMO.

I've got a flex steel hose for the areas my bird dogs can access. Has lived longer than any other hose I've had there!

Momma is a wild woman.

Don’t leave them hooked up permanently to your brass fitting. Those hoses are so cheap they use aluminum fittings. After a few months, the dis-similar metals cause corrosion and permanently fuse the hose to your bib.

Learned the hard way. Contacted mfg. Their response - too bad, says it right on the box.

Wife bought on and its light duty , wouldn't hold up to much .

My lord the reviews are awful on those

I thought one in particular, was excellent:

Rick James super freak theme:

It’s a very kinky hose
The kind you cant expect to water
And It will always let your garden down
Like a dead snake on the street

It’ll go limp in your hand
It’s definitely not my favorite
And when you try to move it you’ll know its the wrong tool
It never aims to please

That hose is pretty kinky
That hose is super cheap!
I’d really like to return it
Every time I see it.

That hose is pretty mild now
That hose is super cheap!
I’d really like to return it
Every time I see it.

It’s not right
It’s not right
With me....yeah

Super cheap!
Super cheap!
That hose is super cheap!

Used one summer then next summer they blew up on first use. Had them stored in the house for the winter. I had 2 of them.

Have an old Sears rubber hose that must be 40 years old. Still works fine.

They don't make 'em like they used to.
And Sears is tits up.

4.6 out of 5 stars on 31,487 reviews.

What has better reviews than that?

I think it’s an old Craftsman.

I won't use any other kind. They never crimp, weigh almost nothing and contract. Just avoid the cheap ones with aluminum fittings. The will corrode and bind to your faucets. We have lots of high dollar traditional hoses at work. They do nothing but piss me off.

I have Flexogen hoses that are 30 years old and spend most of their time outside year round.

The expandable hose I bought from Ace is in my camp trailer for the past three years and when I used it this fall it worked fine. I don't think they are up to everyday use though....

Since CA outlawed brass, many hose and sprinkler makers have gone to Al. It's crap for this use.

They use too much water pressure to keep sprinklers running at full bore.

So far I use one in my garage to wash out coolers. Throw it back in the corner. So far so good. IMO not really for serious watering the yard

I use one to wash my truck, coolers and kayak. Not heavy use so it has lasted me about a year. I don't have a lot of faith in it to last but it is nice to store. The hardware on it is junk and I wouldn't leave it hooked up to the hose bib or leave it outdoors. I will go back to a rubber hose when this one craps out.

They are great for boomers to use. Boomers’ relentless focus on the cheapness of things make such purchases highly satisfying. If the hose doesn't last you just spend an hour to two driving on over the the Globohomo Depot and back to trade it in for a new one, since you can be sure China will keep making more.

Lol....heavy rubber hoses are the 1911's of gardening implements.

When I read that I thought you were kidding - and yet, I knew you weren't... CA has 'outlawed brass' fittings?????? WTF is wrong with that state (other than everything)??


But I digress - the majority of posts above indicate they're crap... Which supports my overall view that if a product is touted on TV it's usually way too good to be true..

I bought two pair of COSTCO flexible hose 2 years ago and they look brand new and work great.

I have two, and in over a year, with almost daily use, they are still giving fine service. No leaks, no tears, no breaks, no issues.

I always laugh when a product is touted by "as seen on TV". So advertising is supposed to make it better?

My wife bought a 75' a couple of years ago so that she could reach the tomato plants. It's light weight and we leave it out there most of the Summer. The thing that gets me is that when they show them on TV, when you turn it off and open the the nozzle it's supposed to collapse itself into a nice neat little ball. After using it a few times, it'll only suck itself in about 1/4 of the distance. However, it is light weight and easy for her to handle. I can see where these would be good for a boat or a camper.

Do not leave them pressurized when not in use, they will rupture. In other words, if you put a sprayer handle on the end, and leave the pressure on it when not in use it will rupture.

Craftsman still makes the black rubber hoses. ACE hardware sells them.

Or the Gilmour red commercial grade hose is equal.

But for all around use, the Flexogen is hard to beat.

Expandables are a fad

Tried one won't try another. POS!!