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The best garden hoses for a lush and beautiful lawn
Make watering your garden a breeze with our pick of the best garden hoses to buy this year.
By Poppy O'Neill | Last updated Feb 27, 2024
Keeping your garden in tip-top shape is much easier with the help of a good quality hose, so it’s well worth investing in the best garden hose to suit your needs, the size of your outdoor space and your budget. Whether you need a long hose to water a large lawn, a flexible hose for hard-to-reach borders or a basic one for filling up the paddling pool on a hot summer's day, we’ve rounded up the best hosepipes to buy in the UK right now.
With the cost of living still at the forefront of many parents' minds, it makes sense to invest in the best outdoor toys and garden equipment that'll get the most use. From the best trampolines to the best hammocks, we've scoured the Mumsnet forums and expert review sites to bring you authentic reviews from real parents, as well as vetted recommendations from industry leaders.
The promise of warmer spring days is now on the horizon, so many Mumsnetters are thinking of making the most of their garden in 2024. We've done the hard work of weighing up the pros and cons of some of the most popular garden hoses on the market, so you can spend less time Googling and more time sipping something cold in your deck chair and enjoying your well-watered garden.
Here’s our pick of the best garden hoses to buy.
1. Best overall garden hose: Gardena Comfort Flex Hose
Price on writing: £74.99 | Buy now from Amazon
Key specs
Length: 50 metres | Weight: 1.5kg | Wall mount: No
What we love
Made from high-quality, durable materials
Flexible
Easy to use click system
What to know
Pricey
Not as kink-resistant as other hoses
What Mumsnet users say
"I have a Gardena Flex Hose. It is the best one I have owned. My Gardena hose is brilliant. It does not leak, drip or burst off the tap" - tried and tested by Mumsnet user, FLOrenze
Our verdict
Fed up of your hosepipe slipping off the tap or omitting a spritz of water from the connector as you manoeuvre it around your lawn? Then try this one for size. Praised by BBC Gardeners' World Magazine, it prides itself on its tough, spiral mesh textile design and its secure attachment to the connector. And it withstands up to 25 bars of water pressure.
It may not come with wall mounting accessories or a fancy cart on wheels, but this hose won’t let you down. Easy-to-use, high quality and reliable with a 20-year Gardena guarantee.
2. Best budget garden hose: Cellfast Economic Garden Hose
Price on writing: £5.36 | Buy now from Amazon
Key specs
Length: 20 metres | Weight: 1.64kg | Wall mount: No
What we love
Great price
Lightweight
Made from durable materials
What to know
Not as kink-resistant as other hoses
Doesn't fit some popular branded hose fittings
What Mumsnet users say
Our verdict
A cheap and cheerful option for your watering needs. If you’re looking for a simple hosepipe to water the garden, then this is a good buy. It’s best for small gardens with easy access to a tap.
If you have corners and passageways to navigate, this hose is likely to kink but for just over a fiver, you can’t expect too much! A decent all-round hose.
Related: The best scooters for kids, tried and tested by Mumsnetters
3. Best quality garden hose: Hozelock 60m Assembled Hose Cart
Price on writing: £70 | Buy now from Amazon
Key specs
Length: Up to 60 metres | Weight: 5.83kg | Wall mount: No
What we love
Holds up to 60m - great for large gardens
Easy to use winding mechanism
Can withstand heavy use
What to know
Expensive
Heavy to manoeuvre around
What Mumsnet users say
"Hozelock are the best!" - recommended by Mumsnet user, BonnyEm
"Love ours- it's the hozelock one" - tried and tested by Mumsnet user, radi8tor
Our verdict
If you have a long garden or a garden with hard-to-reach taps, then this 50-metre-long hose is the best garden hose for you. The hose cart design means you can wheel it to where you want to use it. Think of it like a wall-mounted reel in reverse – the hose unspools as you move the cart down your garden.
The bonus of this design is that you can clip your hose to the frame if you want to water a specific section. The only downside is because of the length of the hose you have to manually wind it up again when you’ve finished as there’s no spring-activated mechanism. But you might see this as an advantage, as it’s one less thing to break!
4. Best expandable hose: Homoze Expandable Garden Hose Pipe
Price on writing: £28.04 | Buy now from Amazon
Key specs
Length: Up to 45 metres | Weight: 1.56kg | Wall mount: No
What we love
Expands to 3 times its original length
Lightweight and easy to manoeuvre
What to know
Some reviewers say the fabric part of the hose is easily damaged
What Mumsnet users say
"I bought one of those expandable ones. It was bloody marvellous" - recommended by Mumsnet user, AlternativeTentacle
Our verdict
If you’re looking for a large expandable hose on a budget, then this Homoze hose is a great buy. It competes pretty well with its counterparts when it comes to quality and design too. The hose expands to up to three times its original size under standard water pressure and stretches up to 15 metres in length. Once drained, it returns to its original size so you can pop it in the nifty storage bag included.
It seems unfair to nitpick at such a bargain price, but if we had to, it would be to criticise the plastic fittings and connectors, although you do get a range of sizes to fit a range of faucets. The plastic spray gun has the usual eight settings and you also get a 180-day money back guarantee and a one-year warranty. A steal!
5. Best lightweight garden hose: Aliuze 100ft Garden Hose
Price on writing: £25.15 | Buy now from Amazon
Key specs:
Length: 30 metres | Weight: 960g | Wall mount: No
What we love
Super long - up to 100ft
Kink-resistant
What to know
Head attachment is lower quality than other hoses
Our verdict
The Aliuze garden hose is a brilliant lightweight and space-saving option. It’s all in the design – a thick latex inner hose pipe combined with a tightly knitted outer fabric enables this hosepipe to withstand pressure while expanding up to 100ft.
You will never feel like you’re lugging or swinging a big rubber hose around the corners of your garden as it’s so light. Nor will you be tripping over the kinks and twists. It doubles up as a great car washer, house cleaner and paddling pool filler for the kids (and/or dog!). This one comes highly recommended by users.
6. Best heavy duty garden hose: Kärcher Hose Trolley
Price on writing: £50 | Buy now from Halfords
Key specs:
Length: 25 metres | Weight: 4.5kg | Wall mount: Yes
What we love
Easy to use
Can be free-standing or wall-mounted
Trusted brand
What to know
Relatively expensive
Our verdict
Karcher is a quality brand and this heavy duty garden hose doesn’t disappoint. It’s made from robust plastic and can be free-standing or mounted on the wall using the included wall bracket. It’s lightweight and the reel is easy to wind in, but you should take care. It also comes with a spray gun – useful for watering the plants and spraying down hot kids!
You’ll find four hose connectors in the pack including a very useful connector which stops the flow if the hose isn’t connected. This is a good all-rounder that comes with a range of useful and good quality accessories.
7. Best wall-mounted hose: VonHaus Hose Reel Auto Rewind Wall-Mounted Reel
Price on writing: £69.99 | Buy now from Amazon
Key specs
Length: 20 metres | Weight: Not stated | Wall mount: Yes
What we love
The auto-rewind function is so helpful
Space-saving wall mounted design
What to know
Capacity could be longer
Our verdict
A messy hose sprawled out over your lawn can be quite the eyesore – not to mention a hazard if your children are running around playing. Consider this 20-metre-long hose with an automated rewinding reel which will put your hose back into a tidy wheel, mounted off the ground on your wall.
The hose is decent quality as are the included attachments and connectors – although some reviews highlight the need for stronger bolts and rawl plugs to mount it with.
8. Best garden hose with a sprinkler: Draper 15m Soaker Hose
Price on writing: £15 | Buy now from Amazon
Key specs
Length: 15 metres | Weight: 1.5kg | Wall mount: No
What we love
Releases water slowly and evenly
Great price
What to know
Some reviewers found the holes needed widening for the hose to be effective
Our verdict
A ‘soaker’ hose is slightly different to your normal hose. It’s designed to lie in your beds or borders to sprinkle water across a chosen area – a rose bed, an allotment or a vegetable patch for example.
This particular brand offers a quality product that will reliably distribute water evenly across a specific area. The hose has a good number of holes to sprinkle the water to give a flower bed or lawn a good soaking. This is a great and reliable bargain buy.
How to choose the best garden hose
Depending on your needs and the size of your garden, there’s a garden hosepipe out there for you. You can buy a bare hose pipe, one with attachments or one in a reel. There’s not a huge difference in price and often it’s worth plumping for a reel so you can store the hose away when not in use in order to protect it.
Most garden hosepipes are a standard size – roughly one cm in diameter, but can vary in length. The main thing dictating quality and price is the construction of the pipe itself. Most hosepipes are made from rubber, but check out the composition as it will dictate how flexible it is, and therefore how easy it is for you to use, but it will also give you an idea of how long it’s going to last (see more details about materials to consider below).
Things to think about:
Length
Storage
Hose pipe construction
Water pressure
What length of hose should I buy?
This is very important as you don’t want dry flower beds at the far end of your garden, but nor do you want excess hose cluttering up your patio or garage. You basically want enough hose pipe so you are within sprinkler range of your furthest watering patch.
What material is best for garden hoses?
The best garden hose pipes have a technical composite construction – layers of vinyl, polyurethane and rubber, often reinforced with a nylon or metal mesh. Are you still with us? Basic options tend to be made mainly from vinyl, and the more expensive options will be constructed with materials which improve their durability, like rubber or strong fabrics that offer anti-kink protection.
It’s worth spending a few quid to avoid annoying leaks and punctures. Bear in mind that although a rubber hose might be a more expensive option with the expectation of durability, it can crack if left in heat and sunlight. So it’s worth thinking through where and how you’re going to store your hose if you want it to last.
What is the best garden hose to buy?
The Gardena Comfort Flex Hose comes out best in reviews. It’s available in a variety of lengths to suit your home and is easy to use. It’s also affordable and durable so it’s a sound investment. The hose features a convenient click system that makes it easy to connect and disconnect from other Gardena components, so you can easily switch between attachments. The hose is designed to be flexible, which makes it easy to manoeuvre and handle, allowing you to reach every corner of your garden easily.
How we chose our recommendations
Because we know that there’s nothing like a real recommendation from a real parent, we first headed to the Mumsnet forums to find out which garden hoses discerning Mumsnet users had bought for their homes. We compiled a list of hoses they recommended for being durable and offering value for money.
We then did some research across the wider web, looking at which garden hose pipes had won accolades or been featured in ‘best buy’ lists across websites and print media, and what customers reviews said about them.
Having collated all that information, we picked the best garden hoses we thought would make the best buys.
Why you should trust us
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