2021 test11 productsOutdoor Power Equipment
Which Garden Hose Brand Wins?
A head-to-head test of 11 garden hose options with the measured results for each. See how they ranked and watch the full test video.
Ranked first
Gilmour Flexogen heavy duty
Price shown in test: $16
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Weight | Hose end opening | Flow rate (5 gallon bucket fill time) | Kink resistance (5 coils, 50 PSI) | Drag force (25 ft, pressurized) | Burst pressure | Hose end tear-off force | Puncture resistance | Crush resistance (hose end) | Kink resistance (25 ft measured section, 50 PSI) | Drag force (25 ft section, pressurized) | Kink resistance (50 PSI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Gilmour Flexogen heavy duty$16 | 2 lb 15.4 oz (1,346 g) | about 16.5 mm, tied for the largest of all brands | 44 seconds | 1 kink, described as a very good result for a budget priced rubber hose | 5.5 lb | 725 PSI | 402 lb, third best of all brands | 1,552 g, third best of all brands | began bending around 2,000 lb | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 2Aqua Joe fiber jacket hose$23 | 1 lb 13.2 oz (828 g), a lot lighter than the rubber hoses | about 10 mm | 49 seconds, slower than the rubber hoses due to the smaller hose end opening and construction | 0 kinks, described as a terrific job | 4.5 lb | very close to 1,000 PSI, second best of all brands | 471 lb, the best of all brands | 835 g | began experiencing damage at 3,500 lb | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 3Fildanco expandable 25 ft hose$15, the least expensive hose tested | 8 oz (227 g), the lightest of all brands, about 0.5 lb | very small, around 7 mm | 1 minute 6 seconds, the slowest of all brands | 0 kinks | 4.5 lb | 650 PSI, easily exceeding its rated 174 PSI | 113 lb | 759 g, the lowest of the rubber/flat hoses | began to collapse at 500 lb | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 4Worth$17 | 3 lb 5.4 oz (1,514 g) | about 16.5 mm, tied for the largest of all brands | 42 seconds, tied for the fastest of all brands with Goodyear | 3 kinks | 5.5 lb | 550 PSI, the lowest of all brands | 304 lb | 2,137 g, the best of all brands | began to buckle at only 200 lb, tied for the worst result | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 5Flexon Pro Series$18 | 4 lb 3.6 oz (1,919 g), the heaviest 25 ft rubber hose at that point in testing | about 16.4 mm | 43 seconds | 5 kinks, described as very prone to kinking | 7.7 lb | 600 PSI | 152 lb | 1,342 g, fifth best of all brands | began experiencing damage at only 200 lb, tied for the worst result | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 6AquaPlum hot water hose$22 | 6 lb 12.5 oz (3,080 g), by far the heaviest hose tested | about 11.8 mm | 44 seconds | 4 kinks | 7.2 lb | 750 PSI | 329 lb; the hose end itself outlasted the hose material | 1,329 g | began experiencing damage at 5,000 lb, tied for the best result with Flexzilla | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 7Goodyear Max Light$25 | 3 lb (1,362 g); the transcript describes this as a 25 ft hose while the video description lists it as a 50 ft hose, a discrepancy kept as flagged rather than resolved | around 16 mm | 42 seconds, tied for the fastest of all brands with Worth | 4 kinks | 5 lb | 775 PSI, tied for fourth best of all brands | 313 lb; the hose end itself outlasted the hose, which split into two pieces | 1,089 g | performed very well at 2,500 lb, tied for fourth best | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 8Briggs & Stratton$32 | 4 lb 15.2 oz (2,248 g) | around 11.5 mm | 44 seconds | 2 kinks, described as a good result for a rubber hose | 6.6 lb | 725 PSI | 203 lb (92 kg) | 1,622 g, second best of all brands | began experiencing damage at 1,000 lb | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 9Flexzilla 50 ft garden hose$36 | 7 lb 5.2 oz (3,324 g); this is a 50 ft hose, twice the length of most other brands tested | around 11.5 mm | 45 seconds | not tested | not tested | 775 PSI, tied for fourth best of all brands, with a dramatic failure that blew the entire hose end off | 262 lb (122 kg) | 1,406 g, fourth best of all brands | 5,000 lb, tied for the best result with AquaPlum | 2 kinks | 4.5 lb | not tested |
| 10Zero-G$37 | 4 lb 12.1 oz (2,162 g); this is a 50 ft hose | about 13.2 mm | 52 seconds, 7 seconds slower than Flexzilla | not tested | not tested | 850 PSI, third best of all brands | 419 lb, second best of all brands | 809 g | began experiencing damage at 1,300 lb | 0 kinks | 4.5 lb | not tested |
| 11Bionic Steel$38, the most expensive hose tested | 5 lb 12.2 oz (2,615 g); this is a 50 ft hose | very restrictive, around 7 mm | 65 seconds, barely finishing ahead of the Fildanco expandable hose | not tested | not tested | 1,075 PSI, the best of all brands | 81 lb, by far the worst of all brands, the stainless steel began unraveling early | not tested; the presenter judged the seam-ripper test tool would not be able to puncture the 304 stainless steel material | performed very well at 2,500 lb, tied for fourth best | not tested | 4.2 lb, the best (lowest) of all brands | 0 kinks |
How it was tested
- flow rate: time to fill a 5 gallon bucket
- kink resistance after coiling 5 times and pulling tight, pressurized to 50 PSI
- drag force to pull a pressurized, water-filled 25 ft hose section through grass
- burst pressure test
- hose end tear-off (failure load) test
- puncture resistance test using a seam ripper and downward force gauge
- hose end crush resistance test