Expandable hoses uniquely grow in length when filled with water and shrink down to a small compact size when emptied of water. It makes them perfect for garden enthusiasts who need quick, regular access to a hose, but who don’t want the hassle of having to reel it in after every use.
They are perfect for the modern family home, as they require minimal effort. The last thing you want is a hose left out on the floor to trip over.
They also take up very little space.
Once fully shrunk down, they can usually be stored in a small tub, basket or bag, which is very useful if you have a small garden or a small shed / garage to store it in over winter.
The other real benefit is that they are very lightweight compared to regular hoses. They do not need a reel or to be wall mounted either.
A typical lightweight expandable hose can easily be held in one hand and carried – making them ideal for the elderly, or people who would struggle to manoeuvre a heavy bulky hose.
Having done the research, I have rounded up the best expandable hoses I can find on the market.
In a hurry? Here is a quick table featuring our top picks, more detailed reviews and information can be found further down the page.
Flexi Hose Expandable Hose Pipe- Price: £
- Length: 50-100ft
- Type: Expandable
- Well priced, high quality expandable hose
Homoze Expanding Hose Pipe- Price: ££
- Length: 50ft
- Type: Expanding
- Good quality, well priced and durable
Lufeng Expanding Hose- Price: £
- Length: 50ft
- Type: Expandable
- Amazon choice product, good quality brass fittings, durable
Suplong Expandable Hose- Price: £
- Length: 100m
- Type: Expandable
- Well priced, good quality expanding hose
1. Flexi Hose Expandable Hose, 50ft, 75ft, 100ft
This is a great all round expandable hose. Available in three sizes to suit every garden and with brass fittings for added durability.
It comes with a spray gun that has 8 functions, so you can have anything from a concentrated stream spray for powerful cleaning for the car to a delicate sprinkle or mist for your seedlings.
They have spent years refining the product to fix teething problems that used to happen with earlier expanding hoses.
Weighing only 1.32kg for the 50ft hosepipe, it is nice and lightweight.
This hose has a sturdy on/off valve and is sturdy enough to withstand up to 12 bars of water pressure, which is much higher than other expandable hosepipes that have come before such as the King Top.
This hosepipe expands to 3 times its length – reaching 100ft when filled with water;
Ideal for most large sized back gardens and home car washing uses.
Positives:
- Lightweight, and compact
- Robust – redesigned over its years of being for sale to become as good as it can be.
- Available as 50ft, 75ft and 100ft lengths when expanded.
- On Off valve for easy use
Negatives
- Spray gun can be a little stiff at first.
- Hose is a more delicate than traditional hose reel hoses. Must be careful when using on uneven surfaces not to snag or pull the hose risking damaging it.
- Must be stored indoors over winter and kept in shade in summer when not in use.
2. Hozelock 40m Superhoze Hosepipe
I would always lean towards the Hozelock brand, having owned a Hozelock hosepipe for many years with no problems.
The beauty of the Superhoze, although a little more expensive than some over the other expandable hose brands, is that you get a 5 year guarantee.
That is a massive deal for an expanding hose as they have been known to be quite temperamental and not always reliable and long lasting!
So a 5 year guarantee speaks volumes for the quality of this expanding hose.
The hozelock expandable hose is available in 7.5m, 15m, 30m and 40m. So there is one for every garden.
That is the advice from Hozelock themselves – but I would still be cautious..
The Superhoze has a durable outer layer – unlike some other expandable hoses – it has been designed to ‘withstand abrasion on any terrain’.
A polyester woven tough fabric is always going to be more easily damaged than a tradition rubber hose.
Positives:
- Robust and long lasting elastic core – better quality.
- Comes with a 5 year guarantee.
- Never kinks – thanks to the composition of materials inside the hosepipe.
- Available in small sizes as well as large 7.5m to 40m so you only need to buy a hose as big as your garden.
- Lightweight hosepipe.
- Comes in a convenient plastic tub – perfect for easy storage in between uses and over winter.
- Comes with the classic Hozelock spray nozzle – which is what I have used for years – does everything I need it to.
- Easy to use.
Negatives:
- Slightly more expensive than other expandable hoses.
- Comes with a basic spray nozzle, this may not be a downside – it wouldn’t be for me – but some people may prefer a spray gun.
3. Ailuze 100ft Garden Hose Pipe
The Ailuze expandable hose is built with 4 outer layers for increased durability with a natural latex core.
It comes with brass fittings which are known to be more robust that plastic connectors when it comes to expandable hoses.
The one year guarantee is reassuring and says that this is a quality product.
I like the fact it comes with little extras, like a storage bag and hook that you can attach to the wall to coil the retracted hose around when not in use.
This means you are less likely to accidentally stand on it and risk splitting or damaging the expandable material.
I also really like that its one of the only expandable hoses that comes with a two way tap splitter;
So you can still have access to the regular tap even when the expandable hose is connected.
Positives:
- The tap connector piece has a two way water flow valve so you can use the hose on one nozzle and fill up a watering can with the other hole.
- Quality materials – one year guarantee.
- Comes with storage bag and hook for keeping the hose off the ground.
- Spray gun with 8 setting included as standard.
Negatives:
- Only available in 100ft – might be a bit too long and get in the way in small gardens when is expands to 100ft.
4. ‘TheFitLife’ Expandable Garden Hose Pipe
This hose pipe called ‘TheFitLife’ expandable hose comes in 4 different sizes.
Making it more suited to a range of gardens.
It is available in 25 feet / 7.5m, 50 feet / 15m, 75 feet / 22.5m and 100 feet / 30m.
This is great because a lot of the expandable hoses only come in the largest 100ft lengths – (which puts them at risk of ending up coiled on the floor and accidentally getting trodden on!)
The manufacturer claims that is is tested and proven to last for 1100-1200 uses, which is pretty impressive.
TheFitLife hose also has a 180 day risk free service so you can buy, knowing you will be able to test it out and make sure you’re happy without losing money.
Positives:
- Available in different sizes to suit different gardens.
- Piping inside is triple latex reinforced – this means it will be able to expand and contact more times before the rubber wears out.
- Has a tough polyester fabric on the outer of the hose – much better at protecting from rogue thorns or holly!
- Metal fittings.
- 8 pattern spray gun fitted as standard.
- ‘No kink’ technology – so it should get all tangled up when you’re using it.
- Affordable.
Negatives:
- The reinforced inner tubing means you need good water pressure to enable the hose to fully extend – very important with this hose in particular.
- No storage bag or hook – you would need a container or hook to safely store the hose between uses.
5. HOMOZE Expandable Garden Hose Pipe 50FT
The Homoze expandable hose is a cheap and cheerful 50ft hose.
It is very lightweight and perfect for light uses – such as daily watering of potted plants, seedlings and the lawn.
Homoze include a convenient storage bag to safely store your hose inside over winter.
It comes with a standard spray gun with 8 functions – most expandable hoses seem to have a variation on this.
This hose does not have brass or metal fittings but instead a toughened plastic connectors – like the Hozelock fittings.
This expanding hose is very easy to use and can be set up in minutes.
Conveniently, there are different sized tap attachments included, so if you have a threaded outside tap, you will be able to get going immediately without having to order more parts.
Positives:
- Very lightweight – easy to carry and lift.
- Works with most water pressures, even if yours is a bit low.
- Storage bag included.
- Simple but effective spray gun included.
- Easy to use and set up.
- Cheap to buy.
- 50 ft – half the size of many expanding hoses – easier to store.
Negatives:
- More fragile than other expanding hoses – not as robust internally or externally. (You probably don’t want to be dragging it over gravel or areas where there could be rogue thorns or brambles.
- Looks pretty basic, not very fancy.
- Plastic connectors – for me this isn’t a negative, I have always used plastic, but some people prefer metal.
See Homoze Expandable Hose on Amazon
6. LUFENG Garden Hose 50FT / 15M with Strongest Double Latex Core
This bargain magic hose is one of the cheapest priced hoses for the length and strength of the hose and the accessories included.
I like that the hose has a double latex core and a high strength polyester silk on the outer surface of the hose which makes it lightweight but durable.
The tight skin on the outside makes it less susceptible to accidental nicks and pulls from spiky or rough objects on the ground like rose thorns.
Although that’s not to say it’s completely safe around sharp objects, if it caught on a rose thorn for example and then you pulled the hose pipe, it could tear.
It is very easy to use and has everything you need including a bracket to hang it on when not in use.
The spray gun has 9 functions, like most other expandable hoses. So you can delicately water your seedlings but also blast your car.
Unlike other brands of expandable hose, there is not big shout out about a guarantee or product satisfaction period..
This hosepipe is not going to last forever, but for just over £20, to get a 50ft hose, spray gun and all accessories, it is a bargain.
Positives:
- Premium quality – it costs the same for a 50ft hose as some 100ft expandable hoses because it is higher quality.
- Lightweight hose.
- 9 function spray gun included.
- Anti kink and tangle materials.
- Good quality brass fittings.
- Easy to set up.
- Can withstand 3 – 12 bar pressure.
Negatives:
- More expensive that many other expandable hoses.
- No mention of a product guarantee – but their after sales service seems to be good.
- Handle os spray gun is not particularly ergonomic for the higher price bracket – although being rubber and non slip, it may start to make your hand ache if pressing the lever for long periods.
7. Expandable Garden Hose Pipe 100FT
A bargain hosepipe, at just over £20, you get a hose pipe that can extend to 100ft. Which is double the length of the Lufeng hose for almost the same price.
The accessories included are good, including a bracket to hang it on and a bag to store it in over winter.
With a 12 month warranty and 180 day money back guarantee, you know you will be covered if anything happens.I think for such a budget price, this is a generous offer.
This expandable hose has brass fittings, thank goodness that manufacturers seem to have stopped using plastic ones now as they were just never up to job.
Its excellent that there also two adaptors included, one 3/4″ and one 1/2″ so it will fit most outside taps and pressure washers with no problem. You can use this as a feeder hose to your pressure washer.
Positives:
- Tough high strength polyester helps to aid in stopping the hose from kinking and tangling.
- Brass connectors.
- Rubber handle is non slip and ergonic.
- Bracket and storage bag included.
- Good warranty and money back guarantee.
- Can be connected to a pressure washer input.
- Two adaptors included. 3/4″ and 1/2″
Negatives:
- Not the most durable inner rubber tubing, compared to others available.
- You need to look after this hose, keep it out of harsh summer and winter weather or it will get damaged and split.
- Only available in 100ft size. Might be too much excess hose if you have a small garden.
See 100ft Expandable Hose on Amazon
I hope this article may help you in your choice of expandable hose. I did a good few hours or research trying to figure out the best ones that are currently available.
I think as long as you avoid the ‘X-hose’ you will be okay!
The main things to consider when buying an expandable hose are:
Price – This reflects the quality dramatically. Sometimes, when we have a rainy season and people are not buying hose pipes, the really cheaply made expandable hoses go down in price, sometimes to like £10, which is crazy cheap an they generally break quite quickly.
If you can – go for a good branded expandable hose, like the Hozelock Superhoze or the recently updated ‘Flexi Hose’. That way, at least you have a guarantee to cover your hose purchase and anything that could go wrong with the product.