There are many different types of hose reel on the market, and so it is advisable that you have a good idea what you are looking for before you decide to shop, as otherwise you may find yourself overwhelmed by choice. Hozelock in particular are a leading brand who produce high quality hose reels and whose fittings have set the industry standard; a well established company, they are at the forefront of hose reel production and innovation, and many top retailers such as Swell UK.com will choose to stock Hozelock in preference to other manufacturers.
Hose reel options produced by Hozelock include:
1). Wall Mounted Hose Reels - This style of hose reel can be simple or complex, and come in both enclosed and open options. The enclosed type will automatically layer the hose when winding in, to ensure kink-free storage. They can be fixed to the wall (fittings included) and will have a hose guide for ease of use; this type of hose reel will also include a connector for your garden tap and is available in various sizes, including 15m, 25m, 30m and 40m.
2). Portable Hose Reels - This type of hose reel is designed to be moved around, but does not come with a cart; however you can still choose to wall mount this reel and it will come with the fittings and guide just as the wall mounted reel does. The portable hose reel is available in a compact version which is 25m and also a fast reel which comes in 2 sizes of 30m or 40m.
3). Hose Carts/Trolleys - This hose reel is easily portable and can be moved with little effort due to the wheeled cart; you can purchase hose carts which are open or enclosed, and capacities include 25m, 30m, 40 and 60m, the largest available. Enclosed options will again self-layer. These hose reels will also include a garden tap attachment, and you can extend the hose from the tap to the cart to extend the reach beyond the maximum length of the stored hose. Hose carts are ideal for larger gardens, are easy to use and can prove to be a very practical option.
4). Auto Reels - this type of hose reel, although easily removed, is always wall mounted; this is because it is not practical to use an auto reel which is not fixed and secure. The reason for this is that in operation, as the hose is pulled out, it generates a little resistance, or 'tug', which is used eventually to rewind the hose after use; if left on the ground and unsecured the user would find the reel tipping over as the hose is extended. That said, when wall mounted you will find that the effort used to pull the hose out is quite minimal, and should certainly not be a battle. Once you have finished using the hose, just give a short tug and as you walk back this reel will wind it in for you, layering the hose so that it is neat, tidy and kink-free, fitting perfectly back onto the reel. Of all the hose reels on the market you should find this option the easiest to use and it even has a pivot at the fixing point to make moving around even easier. They are not necessarily for everyone, though, and even with capacities of being 10m, 20m, 30m and 40m some people may find that these reels do not provide the amount of hose that they need. As with the other Hozelock products this hose reel comes with wall fittings and connectors.
5). Manual Rewind reels - Every other type of hose reel apart from the auto reel is a manual re-wind, and this is exactly what it indicates ie: you have to rewind the hose yourself after use. This can take quite a bit of effort especially with the longer lengths of hose, such as the 60m. The larger hose reels do have an extra supporting leg to stop them falling over whilst you re-wind, but even with this it can be quite hard work in comparison to using an Auto-Rewind reel.
With any of the enclosed hose reel purchases the hose will already be fitted, but the open hose reels have the option to come complete with various lengths of standard garden hose, or can be purchased 'empty', allowing you to add the hose type and length you require. This is usually done to accommodate specialist requirements, for example for extra tough hose, or a need for particularly long hose over 50m.
The carts have rubber wheels to make it easy to move them around, and some of the carts have handles which can be raised or lowered for easy storage. With the wide choice available you should easily be able to find a suitable hose reel that will be perfect for your requirements.
