Pocket Hose Review

I am sure by now you have seen or heard of the Pocket Hose.  The infomercial is on all the time, plus you can see them on just about any end cap of any store.  If you’re not familiar with this hose here is a quick run down.  You can buy these hoses in 25′, 50′, 75′ and 100′ lengths.  The concept behind the hose is they are not as heavy as a traditional rubber garden hose, plus they expand and shrink for easier storage and use.  All you have to do is hook the hose up to your spigot, turn the water on and the hose will expand 3 times its size.  Plus the hose doesn’t kink.  Very cool idea, but as they say on TV, wait that’s not all.  Before you run out and buy one, there is more to this story then the cool concept.

I don’t know exactly what the hose is made of but from what we could tell it’s a cool idea.  On the outside of the hose there is a green braided cloth.  On the inside is a plastic, clear tube, like a balloon.  When you turn the water on, the plastic tube expands with the water.  The green outer cover is what stops the inside tube from expanding too much and bursting.  We found this out when we broke ours open and tried to put a brass fitting on the end.  When we turned the water on, the plastic liner kept expanding bigger because it didn’t have the outside cloth to keep it from expanding too much.  With that said here is the problem.

The cloth is not solid and can allow things to puncture the cloth.  If an object gets past the cloth, the plastic liner isn’t strong at all and can very easily be punctured and there goes your investment.  So for this reason, I don’t see this being used as an everyday hose.  The second issue I have with this hose is the plastic ends.  Plastic is strong, but not as strong as brass fittings would be.  You have to be careful not to over tighten the hose to your spigot.  I have read a lot of people break their ends.  Now I have two 50′ sections attached to each other and so far mine has been fine.  However I do know it is a matter of time before something breaks.  If I don’t get a puncture in the hose, I can see where the two hoses are together, that plastic piece breaking.  My dad has gone through three hoses so far.  Two of the plastic pieces busted and another time he had a small puncture in the hose.

Another item to note is according to the directions, when you’re done with the hose, you have to put it away.  The directions say not to leave it in the sun.  For me this is more of a pain.  I know it sounds lazy, but I don’t want to have to set the hose up each time I want to water, then take it down again.

Okay, on the positive side I do think this is a very cool concept.  The hose does contract and does store easily next to my spigot which I like.  I also like how the hose is lightweight and very easy to maneuver around compared to my rubber hose.  But with that said, with the Pocket Hose I get less water pressure.  Not a huge deal, but if you are using a pressure washer or something like that, you want to make sure you have enough water going through the pump to operate correctly.

Remember how we said the hose doesn’t kink.  Well this can be a good thing, but for me it’s bad.  If I have the water on and the hose is expanded 100′, I have no way of making a change.  If I want to hook up a sprinkler for my kids and then of course they will want me to put a different sprinkler on.  Normally I would just kink the hose and make the change.  Not any more, now I have to turn the water off, wait for it to drain, fight the hose so it doesn’t expand, then I can hook it up and go back and turn on the water.  Yes they do come with shut off valves on the end you can just close so you don’t have to fight with this, but mine was broken out of the box.  When I first hooked it up, it had a small leak that was shooting a stream of water out, so I had to remove mine.

  Pocket Hose

Bottom line, this a cool concept, lightweight, easy to move around, but the quality just isn’t there yet.  If they could figure out a way to make the hose more durable and use brass fittings, then this would be a must buy.  For now this hose just seems good for light work such as your boat or other smaller items, not for everyday heavy use.

We received an email from Bill F who also told us about his experiences with the hose and here is what he came up with.

OK KIDDIES
I purchased two new hoses and have used one for 3 months.

#1 POCKET HOSE $19.99 for 50 foot hose.
PROS
Light weight
Low cost
Does not kink (for the most part). You can actually tie the middle of the hose in a knot & it still works, did for me.

CONS
Do not use any nozzle other than what comes with the hose. I used a different nozzle and a section of the hose blew out, popped. Be careful when attaching the female end to the spigot make sure the hose is straight and will stay straight. If it kinks right at the connection point where the hose goes into the plastic female end, it will build up pressure and blow a hole in the hose. This is still a good hose. I plan on getting more of them.

HOSE #2 HYDROHOSE
Paid $30 bucks for it,

CONS

This is a piece of JUNK. Box says kink resistant–BS this hose kinks faster than the cheapest rubber garden hose. Bought it yesterday, taking it back tomorrow. Has good pressure if you can keep it from kinking every time you move the hose.