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21st May 2022
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Trying to choose the best garden hose can feel overcomplicated, as every manufacturer makes a plethora of claims about a hose's flexibility, manoeuverability, durability and more. Add in anti-kink, anti-twist, anti-crush and anti-algae claims and it's hard to know where to start.
But which garden hoses are actually the easiest to use and will last longer than a year or two before they need replacing?
We put 10 garden hoses from leading brands such as Hozelock, Gardena, B&Q and Wickes to the test, so that we can tell you which ones will last and be a pleasure to use. We also tested 11 hose guns and three lances to the test.
Prices last checked on 29 April 2022.
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Sign up nowOnly logged-in Which? members can view the garden hose test results below. If you're not yet a member, you'll see an alphabetical list of the hoses we tested. Join Which? now to get instant access to our test scores and Best Buy recommendations below.
Only available at B&Q: £10.
Guarantee: 5 years
Weight per metre: 81g
Lengths available: 15 metres
This super-cheap garden hose promises to be easy to install and it has a tempting five-year guarantee. But how well do cheap hoses fare against those costing almost 10 times the price?
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Only available at Amazon: £13.49.
Guarantee: Not stated
Weight per metre: 99g
Lengths available: 15 metres, 30 metres, 50 metres
This Amazon's Choice hose is one of the cheapest we tested and it promises to be kink resistant and easy to clean. But how resistant is this hose to bending and crushing? And how many times did it kink in our tests?
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Only available at Screwfix: £24.99.
Guarantee: 1 year
Weight per metre: 148g
Lengths available: 15 metres, 20 metres, 30 metres, 50 metres
Fitt says this hose has technology that prevents common problems like kinks, twists and folds. But is this what we experienced in our tests?
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Cheapest price: £29.99 available at Gates Garden Centre, also available at Amazon (out of stock), Marshalls.
Guarantee: 20 years
Weight per metre: 146g
Lengths available: 15 metres, 30 metres
This attractive hose has a lengthy guarantee, it's made of four flexible layers of materials and it promises to be resistant to kinks and twists. But how well did it stand up to our durability tests?
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Cheapest price: £45.11 available at Amazon (out of stock), other lengths available at World of Watering (out of stock).
Guarantee: 30 years
Weight per metre: 146g
Lengths available: 20 metres, 25 metres, 50 metres
This expensive hose has a whopping 30-year guarantee. But even though Gardena is confident in its durability, how did it do in our rough crushing, twisting and stretching tests? And can it ever be worth paying this much for a garden hose?
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Cheapest price: £17.99 available at Amazon, also available at Wickes.
Guarantee: 10 years
Weight per metre: 106g
Lengths available: 15 metres, 30 metres, 50 metres
Hozelock says this hose's hard-wearing braided structure guarantees quality and durability. But how did it deal with our tough durability tests?
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Only available at B&Q: £22.
Guarantee: 25 years
Weight per metre: 121g
Lengths available: 15 metres, 25 metres, 50 metres
The Hozelock Ultramax has a longer guarantee than Hozelock's starter hose, but does the claimed extra durability compromise on the flexibility of the hose and how easy it is to use?
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Only available at Amazon: £10.24.
Guarantee: Not stated.
Weight per metre: 91g
Lengths available: 15 metres, 30 metres
Silverline says this hose is kink resistant, durable and easy to use. We put this relatively cheap hose to the test to see how it stacks up compared with more expensive hoses.
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Only available at B&Q: £15 (out of stock).
Guarantee: 20 years
Weight per metre: 130g
Lengths available: 15 metres, 25 metres
This vibrant green garden hose certainly feels sturdy, and it has a lengthy guarantee. But how did it stand up to some serious rough treatment in our durability tests, and does it kink easily?
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Only available at Wickes: £7.
Guarantee: 10 years
Weight per metre: 115g
Lengths available: 15 metres
This is one of the cheapest hoses we tested, bit it still promises to be kink resistant and it has a 10-year guarantee. We put this hose through a range of ease-of-use and durability tests to see if it really is a bargain.
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We tested hose guns from Karcher, Flopro, Hozelock, Verve and Gardena and found two Best Buys. Only logged-in Which? members can view our hose gun test reviews below. If you're not yet a member, you'll just see our scores in the table below but won't be able to see the results. Join Which? now to get instant access to our test scores and Best Buy recommendations below.
Product name | Overall score | Spray pattern (typical water pressure) | Spray pattern (low water pressure) | Performance | Flow control | Ease of use | Resistance to impact | Resistance of moving parts to wear | Overall durability |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
72% | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | |
72% | ★★★★☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | |
71% | ★★★☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | |
71% | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | |
71% | ★★★☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | |
70% | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | |
69% | ★★★☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★☆☆☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★☆☆☆ |
USING THE TABLE OVERALL RATING The more stars the better. Rating ignores price and is based on: overall performance, 35%; ease of use, 35%; durability, 30%. Performance is a combination of the strength, reach and shape of the spray patterns at both high and low water pressure, with higher weighting given to patterns most relevant to gardeners and low or no weighting given to patterns that aren’t relevant.
The best garden hoses should be easy to install, reel up and drag around your garden.
But the challenge for a decent hose is to be flexible enough to be easy to use, but also tough enough that it can withstand many years of rough treatment.
We designed our tests to find the easiest-to-use and most durable hoses.
We rated each hose on how easy it is to set up and attach to a standard reel, Including attaching a spray gun to the end of it and attaching the hose securely to the reel.
We also rated each hose on how easy it rolls onto the reel from straight in front and also from a 90-degree angle. Each hose was rolled onto a reel 10 times in total from various angles.
We dragged each hose from the reel at the back garden of a house around to the front to wash a car.
The hoses were then manoeuvered around an extensive obstacle course that included stretching the hose up and over a raised bed, in between two wheelie bins, around a child's swing and eventually ending with a quick spray of a tree at the bottom of the garden.
All of these manoeuverability tests were completed five times and we noted how many times, if at all, each hose kinked during these tests.
Each hose was bent backwards and forwards 15 times in quick succession and inspected for damage, twisted 15 times and inspected, and then twisted and stretched 15 times in quick succession and again inspected.
Finally, each hose was left to be crushed under a heavy cricket pitch roller for 24 hours. Afterwards, each hose was inspected for damage and rated for how quickly, if at all, it returned to its previous form.
After each of the durability tests, the hose was reconnected to the water supply and inspected for any leaks.
The hose guns were tested for the strength and consistency of each of the hose patterns under six and one bar of pressure. Durability, in terms of how well the hose gun stood up to normal wear and tear with regular use. And Ease of use, where we rated how easy it was to control the water flow, change between settings, and attach to a hose.
You might be surprised to learn there are various types of hose. Here's a quick summary of what they're most suitable for:
While we were testing regular garden hoses, we also tried out an expandable hose from Hozelock.
Which? members can log in to read our thoughts on these types of hoses below. If you're not a member, sign up now.
You've just splashed out on a new Best Buy hose and you want to look after it. Here are a few tips to get you started:
We picked 15-metre or 20-metre hoses from the biggest brands, as well as cheaper alternatives. Prices ranged from £5 to almost £50.
We bought all of the products we tested.