Best Garden Hoses for Your Yard

Garden hoses aren't the most exciting tools. However, you need them to keep your lawn and garden looking green and fresh. Choosing the best garden hose for your home will depend on your usage, climate and budget. Hose flexibility and durability depends on the material it’s made of. The length, diameter and fittings of a hose determine its water flow capacity. 

Here are a few things you should consider when shopping for a hose. 

Hose Materials: 

• Hoses are usually made from vinyl, rubber or a combination of the two. The combo hoses are sometimes reinforced with nylon and rayon. This gives the hoses different levels of durability and flexibility.
• Garden hoses are constructed in layers, or ply. The more ply the hose has, the more durable it is. Some hoses have metal coils or cords between the layers of rubber or vinyl to help keep the hose from kinking.
• Vinyl hoses are an economical choice. These hoses are best for mild climates and lighter watering tasks. Vinyl hoses aren’t as durable as rubber hoses. 
• A rubber garden hose is more expensive. They’re tougher, more flexible and heavier than vinyl hoses. Overall, rubber hoses are more durable.  
• Hoses made of vinyl and rubber are priced in the middle. They’ve got rubber’s flexibility and durability combined with vinyl’s light weight. They may have more ply or an outer mesh layer to protect against snags and punctures.

Hose Length: 

• Hoses come in 25-foot increments up to 100 feet. A longer garden hose isn’t always better. The longer the hose, the harder it is to move it around your lawn. 
• Find the best garden hose length for your yard by simply measuring. Using a tape measure, measure the farthest distance you need to reach from the spigot. A spigot is another name for your outdoor faucet.
• Buy a hose slightly longer than the measurement. This will give you enough room to comfortably move around your yard without having to constantly move the hose. 

Garden Hose Sizes: 

• Garden hose diameters generally range from 1/2 to 3/4 inches. A garden hose size of 1/2-inch in diameter works for most home lawn and garden uses. A few specialty hoses offer a 1-inch diameter, but length choices are limited.
• Larger diameter hoses are for heavy-duty watering tasks. Commercial landscapers are more likely to use lengthy 3/4-inch diameter hoses than homeowners. 

Hose Fittings: 

• The hose fitting, or coupling, is where the hose attaches to the water supply. They’re the end pieces that attach to spigots, sprinklers and nozzles. 
• The main choices for hose fittings are metal and plastic. The shape of the fitting matters too.
• Metal fittings, usually brass, are more durable than plastic. They also come in zinc and aluminum. Metal hose fittings are harder to tighten on the spigot. 
• Plastic fittings may be made of nylon or thermoplastic. They attach easier than metal ones.
• Octagon female fittings are easier to work with than standard round fittings. 
• Hose connectors, or spigot adapters, make it easy to multitask. You can run several hoses at the same time from one spigot. Water a large lawn or a wide flower garden in a fraction of the time.

Hose Nozzle:

• The right garden hose nozzles and wands for will depend on your specific watering needs. 
• Pistol grip nozzles feature pull-style handles that allow you to change the pressure and style of spray as you squeeze. They're sometimes called spray gun nozzles.
• Watering wand nozzles extend your reach by up to 30 inches. They're great for watering areas that are tough to reach. 
• Fan nozzles feature widened mouths that spray a wide, gentle spray of water. They're perfect for gently watering delicate foliage. 
• Fireman nozzles are versatile and can put out a large amount of water in a very short time. They quickly take care of big watering jobs. 
• Pattern nozzles are pistol grip nozzles or wands with many different spray settings. Choose from up to 10 spray patterns, ranging from a fine mist to a strong jet. 

Hose Durability:

As you shop around for the best garden hoses, you’ll see hoses categorized as light duty, standard or medium duty, heavy duty or super duty. 

• Light-duty hoses aren’t as durable, but they’re easier to wind up and store than stronger duty hoses. They work well in small gardens.
• Standard hoses are good for most residential lawn and landscape needs. Take care of general gardening work with a medium-duty hose.
• Heavy-duty hoses have thick walls and are very sturdy. You can leave them outside and exposed to the elements without risking damage. 
• The heavier duty the hose is, the more water pressure it can handle. Use heavy-duty hoses for pressure washer tasks. 

Hose Flexibility: 

• All hoses are flexible, but some more so than others. Aim for a garden hose that’s flexible enough for easy storage and going around corners, but not so flexible that it kinks easily. Typically, aim for a reinforced rubber garden hose for home use. 
• Stiffer hoses are less likely to kink while in use, but they can be heavy and cumbersome. 
• Flexible hoses are easy to move around the garden, but they’re more likely to kink. 

Tip: When shopping for a hose, use the “U” test. Bend the hose into a “U” shape. If it kinks, choose another.