8 Best Expandable Garden Hoses for 2024
Updated: Apr. 29, 2024
The best expandable garden hoses are lightweight, easy to store and kink-free — perfect for around-the-house gardening. Here's a list of our favorites.
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Life in a drought-prone area like the Central California Coast teaches you a lot about garden hoses. I’ve learned expandable garden hoses are extremely well suited for around-the-house watering. However, when watering crops, the higher volume of standard hoses saves time and makes the job more efficient. Efficiency counts because watering is an essential daily activity during the hot California summers.
“A standard, or regular, gardening hose is an all-purpose hose for watering and cleaning tasks available in various materials and sizes. An expandable hose is a lightweight option that expands up to three times its length when filled with water,” says Ken Johnson, online merchant at The Home Depot. “The choice between a regular hose and an expandable hose depends on your specific needs and preferences.”
If you think an expandable hose is the right option, we’ve gathered some of the best to make your decision easier.
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Best sturdy expandable garden hose
Family Handyman Approved: TheFitLife Expandable Garden Hose
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Best quadruple-layer expandable garden hose
Expandable Garden Hose
Probably the most durable expandable hose out there, the Expandable Garden Hose features a quadruple-layer core, but it’s still flexible enough to expand to three times its length under normal pressure.
Because of the core, the manufacturer’s specs state this hose can handle an internal pressure of 174 pounds per square inch (psi), much more than it’s ever likely to encounter. It’s also the hose least likely to be damaged if you drive over it while it’s full of water. It isn’t necessarily the most popular hose, but it’s one of the better-rated on Amazon (4.3 stars).
Best overall expandable garden hose
Flexi Hose Expandable Garden Hose
The Flexi Hose has many of the most important features, including a leak-resistant double latex core, sturdy brass fittings, a shut-off lever and a durable flexible fabric coating. When filled, it expands to three times its length.
It’s available in six lengths, including 150 feet, which you don’t often see. It also comes with an eight-pattern plastic nozzle with a rotating head and an ergonomic rubber handle. Although it sells for a premium price, it’s the most popular hose on this list.
Best brightly colored expandable garden hose
Joeys Garden Expandable Garden Hose
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of Joeys Garden Expandable Hose is its cheery bright green fabric coating. There’s no danger of losing it in thick foliage.
This hose offers all the features of a top product, including brass fittings. Due to its double-layer core, it easily expands to three times its size. The manufacturer cut a few corners by making the shut-off lever from plastic and under-sizing the nozzle, and it’s expensive, but it gets high marks from Amazon reviewers (4.4 stars.)
Best sturdy expandable garden hose
Family Handyman Approved: TheFitLife Expandable Garden Hose
If you’re looking for a sturdy hose, check out this Family Handyman approved expandable hose from TheFitLife. It comes with a triple latex core covered by a 3750D polyester coating. The brass connectors attach to the hose with double thread fittings, an upgraded design that prevents leaking.
This hose also has plastic shut-off levers and a smallish nozzle. Instead of a squeeze handle, the nozzle offers an adjustable lever that stays in the position you set it. That allows for more accurate flow control.
Best expandable garden hose with brass connectors
Titan Expandable Garden Hose
What sets the Titan Expandable Water Hose apart is the quality of its brass connectors. Large, robust and easy to grip, they’re leakproof and securely connected to the hose. The nozzle is an updated version of old-style swivel nozzles; you rotate the spout to change the spray pattern from jet to mist.
This hose comes with a triple latex core and expands to three times its length. Available in three colors, it ships with a storage bag.
Best budget expandable garden hose
Xhose Expandable Garden Hose
Marketed as the original expandable hose, the Xhose Pro Garden Hose is one of the few without a nozzle included, which may account for its bargain price. Instead of a woven polyester cover, this hose has a DAC-5 Fiber cover that gives it a distinctive look.
Expandable to three times its length with durable brass fittings, this hose is lighter than most, suggesting a more lightweight core. That may be another reason for the lower price.
Best lightweight expandable garden hose
Zoflaro Expandable Garden Hose
Another workhouse with a quadruple layer core, the Zoflaro Garden Hose is rated for 175 psi internal pressure and comes with a durable, abrasion-resistant polyester cover. It expands to three times its original length, with durable solid brass connectors and a shut-off lever.
Despite its reinforced core, this hose is a little lighter than the rest. The 50-foot version comes in at two pounds instead of 2.7 pounds, a more common weight for this length. It ships with a 10-pattern rotary nozzle.
Best heavy-duty expandable garden hose
Mueller Expandable Garden Hose
The European entry in our list, the Mueller Armorflow Heavy Duty Expandable Garden Hose is manufactured in Austria. It has a triple-layer core, durable 3750D polyester cover and expands to three times its length.
At 3.23 pounds, this 50-foot hose is the heaviest on this list. It features a nine-pattern rotary nozzle, not eight or 10 like almost every other one. It also comes with a storage bag, wall hook and three spare hose gaskets.
What to Consider When Buying an Expandable Garden Hose
There is a lot to like about expandable hoses. Their shrink-ability and ultra-flexibility make them easy to store, reduce tripping incidents and lawnmower accidents and make kinks disappear. Most expandable hoses come with easy-to-use solid brass fittings.
However, because expandable hoses constrict as they expand, pressure from the spout increases and the flow rate decreases. This means you can reach plants farther away, but it takes longer to water them. When the hose shrinks to its normal size, it becomes more manageable, but it will also pull any sprinklers you’ve left on the lawn out of position.
There are several great options if you’re shopping for an expandable hose. Here are some considerations to help you find the best expandable garden hose for your purposes:
- Fittings: Top-quality hoses have solid brass fittings that won’t rust, break or wear out. “Select hoses equipped with high-quality fittings, such as brass, to ensure secure connections and prevent leaks,” says Johnson. “Additionally, consider hose nozzles that offer adjustable spray patterns to enhance versatility in various watering tasks.”
- Shut-off lever: On the male connector, this prevents the hose from discharging and shrinking when the water is off and you remove the nozzle. You’ll find this feature helpful when you need to lengthen the hose by adding a section.
- Number of cores: Some hoses feature double, triple and even quadruple cores. Additional cores prevent bursting, but there’s a tradeoff — the thicker material isn’t as flexible and requires more water pressure to expand fully. If you have low water pressure at the spigot, you may notice inadequate pressure at the nozzle with a thick-core hose. On the other hand, a thin-core hose could burst if you have high pressure.
- Length: Expandable hoses come in 25-, 50-, 75- and 100-foot lengths when fully expanded. Get one long enough but not too long, or you’ll find yourself tripping over it.
- Cost: Expandable hose prices range from $20 to $75. Price doesn’t necessarily correspond to quality, but for the most part, you get what you pay for.
Why You Should Trust Us
I have been building and designing homes, and writing about the process, for over four decades. I have worked as a flooring installer, landscape builder and residential remodeler. Since becoming a writer, I have published or consulted on more than 10,000 articles and served as an online building consultant for ProReferral.com as well as an expert reviewer for Hunker.com.
For this piece, we consulted Ken Johnson an online merchant at The Home Depot. He’s worked with outdoor living products for over five years. He knows how customers interact with products and what separates a quality one from one that isn’t worth it.
How We Found the Best Expandable Garden Hoses
When it comes to gardening, it’s important to choose high-quality products that will last season after season. We looked for products made from durable materials and that fell within a reasonable price range. Then, we narrowed the list by looking through real reviews to see which hoses worked best for real gardeners.
FAQ
What is the biggest downside of expandable garden hoses?
Because expandable garden hoses are made from a lightweight, softer material than a typical garden hose they can tear more easily. If you know that you use your garden hose often or that you’ll be dragging it over rough surfaces, look for models with multiple layers.
Do expandable hoses reduce water pressure?
Yes, expandable garden hoses tend to have reduced water pressure compared to traditional garden hoses. The light material, multiple layers, longer hose length and nozzle type are all factors that can lead to reduced water pressure with expandable hoses.
Can you leave an expandable garden hose outside?
Yes, you can leave an expandable garden hose outside. To extend the life of your hose make sure to drain it after each use, store it in a shaded area or use a storage container or hose hook, protect it from extreme temperatures and disconnect it from the water source if you’re not going to be using it for an extended period of time.
Originally Published: February 17, 2023
