The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Hoses that roll themselves up: automatic hose reels being tested

2020-09-05T15:09:12.391Z


Storing a garden hose after use can be a messy business. Boxes that do this themselves come in many variants. We tested five of them.


Icon: enlarge

Why roll up the garden hose yourself when it can be done automatically?

Photo: Matthias Kremp / DER SPIEGEL

In a hot summer like this year, as a garden owner, you have to use the garden hose regularly if you don't want to run the risk of plants and lawn wither.

Actually, that's not a problem either: you just plug the garden hose into the tap and water whatever you can.

It's just stupid that you then have to roll up the garden hose again and store it somewhere, be it on a bracket on the house wall, in the basement or in the shed.

You almost inevitably get dirty, because one thing is clear: a garden hose often lies in damp dirt.

The solution to this problem are hose boxes that automatically roll the hose back into your stomach after use.

It's clean and convenient, and in winter you simply put the whole thing in the cellar frost-free.

We tested five such hose boxes with hose lengths between ten and 30 meters.

Four for wall mounting and one that can be carried around freely.

We not only assessed the structure and quality of the boxes themselves, but also the hose, accessories and mounting material.

But above all, we unrolled the hose several times for each box and let it roll up again.

Gardena wall hose box 15 roll-up automatic

A special feature of the Gardenas hose box was noticed immediately when unpacking: It is the only one to be delivered in a cardboard box that does not require polystyrene or plastic film.

The environmentally conscious hobby gardener is happy.

The assembly is done quickly, four screws and suitable dowels are included.

The plastic wall bracket looks a bit cheap, however.

The processing of the hose reel, on the other hand, is very good and, in contrast to the bracket, it looks extremely robust.

A fine detail is the drip stop on the back, onto which the connection hose can be attached after use.

A handle is integrated for transport, in the spring in the garden and in the autumn in the cellar.

display

Gardena city gardening wall hose box 15 m: hose reel with 15 m quality hose and shower, swiveling 180 °, short locking stops, automatic hose retraction, for wall mounting (18402-20)

From € 108.99

Price query time

05.09.2020 5:03 p.m.

No guarantee

Icon: Info

Order at AmazonIcon: amazon

Product reviews are purely editorial and independent.

Via the so-called affiliate links above, we usually receive a commission from the dealer when purchasing.

More information here

The 15-meter-long hose makes a very high-quality impression, the Gardena connectors are already pre-assembled, and a garden shower was also included with the test model.

Alternatively, you can order the same model with a syringe.

The unwinding of the hose is completely effortless and is accompanied by a regular crack every 25 to 45 centimeters.

This shows the positions in which the hose can be locked.

Rolling up is also very smooth and quiet, a mechanism ensures that the hose is rolled up evenly in the box.

The hose itself looks very high quality, has a good mix of flexibility and stability.

An extra that goes with Gardena: In the bag with the mounting material there are three differently sized connection pieces for taps.

The company grew up with such small parts.

The connection hose has a length of 1.5 meters.

House yard hose reel

With a length of 20 meters, the hose on this model is at least five meters longer than on the tested model from Gardena.

Nevertheless, the hose reel from Haushof is only one kilo heavier and, at 7.5 kilograms, still easy to carry.

The well-placed handle, which can be easily folded out and then remains in its position until you fold it back in, also helps.

The assembly is uncomplicated, you only need a thick 12-millimeter drill, because the screws supplied are XL.

You don't have to worry about the bracket wobbling.

The well-illustrated instruction booklet is unfortunately only written in English.

display

HAUSHOF hose reel, 20 + 2m hose reel, swiveling 180 ° Wall hose box with automatic reel and wall bracket for the garden

From € 79.99 (€ 156.84 / 100 cm)

Price query time

05.09.2020 5:03 p.m.

No guarantee

Icon: Info

Order at AmazonIcon: amazon

Product reviews are purely editorial and independent.

Via the so-called affiliate links above, we usually receive a commission from the dealer when purchasing.

More information here

The supplied hose makes a good impression and doesn't have to hide behind the Gardena one.

In contrast to Gardena, you don't have to choose between a sprayer and a shower, the manufacturer simply supplies both.

There is nothing wrong with the actual function of the hose reel: both unrolling and rolling up the hose always worked very smoothly in the test, the grid reliably holds the hose in the desired length.

The connection hose has a length of 2 meters.

GF Garden, Rewall 30, wall hose box

The hose box from Rewall is also suitable for large gardens with a hose length of 30 meters.

Although it is very heavy due to the long hose, it does not make a high-quality impression, which is mainly due to the cheap-looking plastic of the housing.

The assembly is quick and easy, but when you've seen the thick screws of the house courtyard box, you are surprised that such thick knockers are not included here, especially since there is more weight on the bracket.

display

GF Garden, Rewall 30, wall hose box, automatic, 30 meters, can be swiveled up to 180 °

From € 87.58

Price query time

05.09.2020 5:03 p.m.

No guarantee

Icon: Info

Order at AmazonIcon: amazon

Product reviews are purely editorial and independent.

Via the so-called affiliate links above, we usually receive a commission from the dealer when purchasing.

More information here

The long hose itself also makes a mediocre impression and has a very thick wall.

This wall also made the connection pieces for the water syringe to create during the assembly.

Pushing it on requires so much effort that there is a risk of bending parts of the hose couplings.

On the other hand, there is hardly anything wrong with the function.

It is probably due to the length that it sometimes takes a little force to unroll the hose completely.

In the test, rolling up was always problem-free, but noisy.

The connection hose has a length of 1.4 meters.

Umi.

by Amazon hose reel

When unpacking the Umi hose reel, I had to stop: the design of the box is a bit different and the color scheme is different, but the basic construction is very similar to that of the house yard reel.

The assembly material is also identical, right down to the fat screws.

To verify the first impression, I placed the Amazon brand hose reel on the Haushof bracket that was already installed.

Lo and behold: it fits perfectly.

display

Umi.

by Amazon hose reel, 25 + 2m hose reel, roll-up automatic, swiveling 180 °, short locking stops, wall bracket, garden hose

From € 86.99

Price query time

05.09.2020 5:03 p.m.

No guarantee

Icon: Info

Order at AmazonIcon: amazon

Product reviews are purely editorial and independent.

Via the so-called affiliate links above, we usually receive a commission from the dealer when purchasing.

More information here

The workmanship, however, is less effective than the mint-colored counterpart from Haushof: The two halves of the case are not put together completely neatly, so that a narrow gap separates them.

The material used for the handle looks cheaper and does not stay in its position when it is opened, as with Haushof.

The rolling mechanism also seems to be different.

When rolling up, blockages often occurred and the hose was often only partially rolled up.

Several times mechanical help had to be given to get the hose back into the box.

The connection hose has a length of 2 meters.

Gardena city gardening terrace hose box 10 m

The only model in comparison that does not require assembly because it is intended for smaller gardens and large terraces.

Accordingly, the hose is comparatively short at ten meters, but of good quality.

At 4.7 kilograms, the box is easy to transport thanks to its large handle.

display

Gardena city gardening terrace hose box 10 m: hose reel with 10 m hose, foldable crank and handle, space-saving storage, for terrace and garden (18400-20)

From € 67.05

Price query time

05.09.2020 5:03 p.m.

No guarantee

Icon: Info

Order at AmazonIcon: amazon

Product reviews are purely editorial and independent.

Via the so-called affiliate links above, we usually receive a commission from the dealer when purchasing.

More information here

An assembly in the actual sense is not necessary here.

All you have to do is put a small crank on the axis of the drum, because nothing runs automatically here: If the hose is to be rolled up again after use, you have to turn it.

Fortunately, it's not difficult.

The handle can be folded in for transport and storage and the two-meter-long connection hose can be rolled up on the back.

Very practical: As with the large Gardena wall box, the connection hose can also be plugged onto a drip nozzle.

Icon: The mirror

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2020-09-05

You may like

News/Politics 2024-03-09T10:08:15.051Z

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.