Buying A Garden Hose

When shopping for a garden hose, as you do with many other home tools, there are two ways you can go. You can choose to save money and buy the cheapest item at the store or you can choose to spend a little extra and make your pick a lasting choice.

If you want to make sure that your purchase is a good one, whether youíre buying low-cost or opting for quality, there are a couple of things youíd like to look for. The length, make and materials on the garden hose you buy can play into how much you can get out of the purchase.

Uses

For watering the lawn and other general home uses, a regular round-shaped hose should do the trick. For particular functions, there are specialized hoses such as the soaker which leaks water along its length through tiny holes or a patio hose which is intended to attach onto a sink faucet.

If youíre going to use the hose for all your home needs, get one of reasonable length. Take a measurement of potential distance in your home that the hose will need to cover, add a couple of feet and find something of that length.

Cheap Hoses

There are plenty of cheap garden hoses that should be available from most home centers and hardware stores. They are usually lightweight and made from low-cost materials such as cotton canvas. Because theyíre cheap, they will tend to damage easily. They also tend to lash uncontrollably when used with a high-pressure water source due to their weight.

Multi-Layered Garden Hoses

Garden hoses made up of multiple layers are frequently the ideal choice if you want long-lasting equipment that can serve you for many years. Hoses with plenty of layers are often fat and heavier than other varieties. They are also incredibly hard-wearing and strong.

The inside layer is made up of flexible material such as a rubber tube and coated with a middle layer of nylon fabric or mesh. The outermost layer need not be aesthetically good-looking. Would you even bother with a cute pink garden hose with decorative shapes? What it needs to be is tough ñ the skin should hold well over prolonged exposure to sun, moist and other harsh conditions. Often, their outer layer will be made of durable vinyl or a vinyl and rubber blend, resistant to either puncturing or scratching easily.

Multiple layered hoses come in different forms, with heavy-duty versions having as much as five different layers. If you will use it often for high water pressure jobs, try to get the higher ply hoses for longer life.

Additionally, if youíre looking for a high-performance garden hose, make sure to pick out one whose fitting is made from cast brass instead of regular metal. They are sturdier and their snug fit should hold up for a longer time.

Buying A Hose

If all you want is a cheap garden hose for the occasional work with the plants, a lightweight, low-cost unit should do the job. It may not last much longer than six months (even seldom used) but the cost may prove cheap enough that you can replace it painlessly afterwards. If you do intend to use it frequently and for a wider variety of functions, a multi-layered garden hose thatís built-to-last is exactly what youíll be looking for.