Head-to-head · Best Garden Hoses

Eley 5/8-Inch Polyurethane Garden Hose, 50 ft vs Flexzilla Garden Hose with SwivelGrip, 5/8 in. x 50 ft.

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Flexzilla Garden Hose with SwivelGrip, 5/8 in. x 50 ft. comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.5 vs 4.7). The gap is mostly about Anyone who connects and disconnects a hose constantly, or who has limited hand strength and wants a coupling that threads without fighting the hose — read the strengths below before deciding.

Ranked #3 in Best Garden Hoses

Eley 5/8-Inch Polyurethane Garden Hose, 50 ft

4.5

3 sources$113.23

Two outlets that test hoses for a living rate this the best one made. Wirecutter calls it their upgrade pick and reports more than two years of near-daily use without being able to make it kink, plus the fastest bucket-fill time they measured at 55 seconds. TechGearLab scored it 89 out of 100, the highest in their twelve-hose test, with 9.0 for construction. Eley backs it with a ten-year no-leak warranty and a -40 to 165 degrees F range. It costs $113.23, weighs 0.15 lb per foot, and comes in one unlovely grey.

Strengths

— Wirecutter's upgrade pick and, in their words, "the best hose we've ever tested" after more than two years of near-daily use without a single kink
— Highest score TechGearLab recorded in a twelve-hose test at 89 out of 100, including 9.0 for construction quality
— Filled a five-gallon bucket in 55 seconds in Wirecutter's flow test, the fastest hose they timed

Watch-outs

— $113.23 for 50 feet, which Wirecutter notes is a little over twice the cost of a comparable rubber hose
— Only one colour, and a Wirecutter tester's reaction on seeing it was "that thing is kinda ugly"
— TechGearLab measured 0.15 lb per foot and listed "heavy" as one of only two cons

$113.23 · Buy at eleyhosereels.com Full review →

Higher ratedRanked #1 in Best Garden Hoses

Flexzilla Garden Hose with SwivelGrip, 5/8 in. x 50 ft.

4.7

5 sources$42.98

The SwivelGrip collar is the reason to buy this over the plain Flexzilla: a rotating sleeve at each end lets the coupling spin while the hose stays still, so threading onto a spigot does not wind a twist into the last few feet of hose. Gardening Products Review scored it 5 out of 5 and could not induce a kink under pressure across a long-term test. Bob Vila measured it at 8 lb for 50 feet, backed a car over it and made it their bang-for-the-buck pick. The reservations are a black surface film that will not wash off, a warranty with unrealistic return terms, and a hose that has to be depressurised before it will coil willingly.

Strengths

— The SwivelGrip collar lets each coupling turn independently of the hose, so connections thread on without winding up the hose behind them
— Gardening Products Review scored it 5 out of 5 and could not induce a kink under pressure across a long-term test
— Bob Vila measured it at 8 lb for 50 feet, drove a car over it, and scored build quality 5 out of 5

Watch-outs

— Has to be depressurised before coiling; Gardening Products Review found the hose "more difficult to coil" while it is still under pressure
— Develops a black surface coating that does not wash off, which Gardening Products Review flagged as an unresolved complaint with no clear cause
— The limited lifetime warranty requires shipping the entire hose back with proof of purchase and the original retail label, which Gardening Products Review called daunting terms

$42.98 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

How they stack up

Eley 5/8-Inch Polyurethane Garden Hose, 50 ft

The Eley posted the highest raw score in TechGearLab's test, ahead of the Dramm ColorStorm Premium Rubber Hose and the Teknor Apex zero-G, and it carries the longest published warranty of any hose here at ten years. It is also the most expensive by a wide margin and roughly twice the weight per foot of the zero-G. Against the Briggs & Stratton 8BS50 and the Stanley FatMax BDS6650, both of which testers got to kink, the Eley's stiff polyurethane wall is the entire point: it bends into wide loops instead of folding shut.

Flexzilla Garden Hose with SwivelGrip, 5/8 in. x 50 ft.

The SwivelGrip collar is unique in this group: the Dramm ColorStorm Premium Rubber Hose and the Eley 5/8-Inch Polyurethane Garden Hose both use fixed hex fittings that want a wrench, while the Flexzilla threads on one-handed. At eight pounds for fifty feet it sits between the Teknor Apex zero-G and the rubber hoses, and unlike the zero-G it holds usable pressure with no nozzle fitted. Its published pressure ceiling matches the Eley's but falls well short of what the zero-G and the Stanley FatMax BDS6650 are rated for.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Eley 5/8-Inch Polyurethane Garden Hose, 50 ft	Flexzilla Garden Hose with SwivelGrip, 5/8 in. x 50 ft.
Diameter	5/8 in (0.875 in OD)	5/8 in
Length	50 ft	50 ft
Material	Reinforced polyurethane, non-marking cover	Flexible Hybrid Polymer
Coupling Material	Lead-free forged brass, crush-proof, hex	Crush-resistant anodized aircraft aluminum with rotating SwivelGrip sleeves
Working Pressure	150 PSI	150 PSI at 70 degrees F
Burst Pressure	450 PSI minimum at 75 degrees F	—
Weight	7 lb dry, 14 lb filled	8 lb
Temperature Range	-40 to 165 degrees F	-40 to 140 degrees F
Available Lengths	6.5, 12, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200 ft	3, 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 100 ft
Warranty	10-year no-leak, no-fail	Limited lifetime
Drinking Water Safe	—	Yes

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