Just bought my 1st Water Powered Hose reel - pretty impressed. Makes cleaning the 993
08-20-2009, 06:22 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Just bought my 1st Water Powered Hose reel - pretty impressed. Makes cleaning the 993
a much easier task. I have gone through many plastic hose reels in the past, most recently, two of these in about 5 years. The plastic parts just wear out and I have to chuck them out. This is what I USED to buy...
I know, pretty cheap looking. I'm not in a position to spend money for a $150-$275 hose reel from Griot's Garage or other fancy online retailers so I always just went to Home Depot or Lowes and got this cheap one.
At the same time I bought this hose reel 3 years ago, I bought what Sears said was their "best hose". It wasn't. It was black rubber, VERY heavy, 100 ft of pure hell, and got black marks across everything it came into contact with including my hands, clothes, painted surfaces, etc. The hose reel couldn't reel it in that well and sometimes I had to hand crank every foot of it carefully or it wouldn't work otherwise. Then, other times, it wouldn't spool out well because it was so heavy and cumbersome.
I did a google search and found this intriguing (to me) product that I had never heard of before. I asked some friends and none had heard of it but I bought it anyway, along with a much lighter, no-kink 75' hose to replace my heavy rubber one. These water powered hose reels might be old news for you guys, but it was a revelation to me. I found it at my local Lowes store on sale for $55 more than the $30 hose reel we usually buy (It was $84.99 on sale from $99). You press a button on the side of the reel and it reels the hose right back in on water pressure alone.
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...125&lpage=none
Wow, really cool winding pressure using just water. I didn't want to spend this much for a hose reel, but if it will save my back from going to the chiropracter or physical therapist, then it saves money in the end! The water pressure winds the hose back up with a push of the button. No battery, no A/C jack, just water pressure. Just passing this information along as it will certainly make my 993 car washing life easier. I'll let you know over time if it sucks too in the end.
)
125 ft of 5/8 inch hose capacity
Attractive design fully conceals hose and reel
Durable plastic casing with wood-like texture
Includes 2 stakes, drain hose and leader hose
Hose Length (Feet): 125.0
Reel Material: Plastic
Type of Hose Reel: Hideaway
Hose Guide: Yes
Warranty: Limited
Manual: Yes
Suncast
125' Capacity Water Powered Hose Reel Crate
Item #: 160163 Model: RSH125
Now $84.98
Was $99.98
When I posted this on my BMW webforum a gent wrote back this tidbit of additional info:
"Ditto. I used to buy those heavy, “lifetime” hoses... no more
I used to hate lugging my high quality hoses around. They weighted a ton. Then, a few years ago, I bought a dirt cheap hose. The thing is as light as a feather. Now, when I make a hose purchase, I decide primarily on weight-- I buy the lightest hose on the shelf. It does not last nearly as long, but it is way easier to manage. Here are some thoughts...
* Kinking is not a bad thing. Cheap hoses kink easier, but that means that it is easier to kink the hose to change sprayers. Kinking does not influence performance that much.
* Light hoses are easier and safer to haul around. My old hose was too heavy for my wife to use.
* Light hoses are cheap, and they save money."
What type of hose reels do YOU Rennlisters use? I like the kind that go mounted ON the house, but I didn't want to drill into our "new" home!
Cheers,
Steve R
I know, pretty cheap looking. I'm not in a position to spend money for a $150-$275 hose reel from Griot's Garage or other fancy online retailers so I always just went to Home Depot or Lowes and got this cheap one.
At the same time I bought this hose reel 3 years ago, I bought what Sears said was their "best hose". It wasn't. It was black rubber, VERY heavy, 100 ft of pure hell, and got black marks across everything it came into contact with including my hands, clothes, painted surfaces, etc. The hose reel couldn't reel it in that well and sometimes I had to hand crank every foot of it carefully or it wouldn't work otherwise. Then, other times, it wouldn't spool out well because it was so heavy and cumbersome.
I did a google search and found this intriguing (to me) product that I had never heard of before. I asked some friends and none had heard of it but I bought it anyway, along with a much lighter, no-kink 75' hose to replace my heavy rubber one. These water powered hose reels might be old news for you guys, but it was a revelation to me. I found it at my local Lowes store on sale for $55 more than the $30 hose reel we usually buy (It was $84.99 on sale from $99). You press a button on the side of the reel and it reels the hose right back in on water pressure alone.
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...125&lpage=none
Wow, really cool winding pressure using just water. I didn't want to spend this much for a hose reel, but if it will save my back from going to the chiropracter or physical therapist, then it saves money in the end! The water pressure winds the hose back up with a push of the button. No battery, no A/C jack, just water pressure. Just passing this information along as it will certainly make my 993 car washing life easier. I'll let you know over time if it sucks too in the end.
)125 ft of 5/8 inch hose capacity
Attractive design fully conceals hose and reel
Durable plastic casing with wood-like texture
Includes 2 stakes, drain hose and leader hose
Hose Length (Feet): 125.0
Reel Material: Plastic
Type of Hose Reel: Hideaway
Hose Guide: Yes
Warranty: Limited
Manual: Yes
Suncast
125' Capacity Water Powered Hose Reel Crate
Item #: 160163 Model: RSH125
Now $84.98
Was $99.98
When I posted this on my BMW webforum a gent wrote back this tidbit of additional info:
"Ditto. I used to buy those heavy, “lifetime” hoses... no more
I used to hate lugging my high quality hoses around. They weighted a ton. Then, a few years ago, I bought a dirt cheap hose. The thing is as light as a feather. Now, when I make a hose purchase, I decide primarily on weight-- I buy the lightest hose on the shelf. It does not last nearly as long, but it is way easier to manage. Here are some thoughts...
* Kinking is not a bad thing. Cheap hoses kink easier, but that means that it is easier to kink the hose to change sprayers. Kinking does not influence performance that much.
* Light hoses are easier and safer to haul around. My old hose was too heavy for my wife to use.
* Light hoses are cheap, and they save money."
What type of hose reels do YOU Rennlisters use? I like the kind that go mounted ON the house, but I didn't want to drill into our "new" home!
Cheers,
Steve R
08-20-2009, 08:34 PM
#2
Drifting
Thanks for posting this. I'm going to have to get one of these, or something similar, because schlepping hose is a waste of time. I've been using the quality black ones that weigh a ton.
08-20-2009, 08:40 PM
#5
Race Car
08-20-2009, 08:43 PM
#6
Seared
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08-20-2009, 08:48 PM
#8
Rennlist Member
Now, if that turned it would be cool. No, it would also have to have a big red brake caliper showing. Then it would be cool. No, wait. The brake would have to work. And the whole thing would have to be powered by an air-cooled engine. Yes, then it would be cool.
08-21-2009, 09:51 PM
#12
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Yes, it sure did. Incredible amount of quick rain. I guess we missed the tornado that they were warning about in Damascus Md, right up the street. When the skies get that black and creepy looking, and a news crawl keep cutting into every local channel on TV about heading down to your basement if need be, I'm glad I don't live in the midwest where this is more common an occurence!
08-22-2009, 09:28 AM
#13
Wallflower
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
I've wondered if those things really worked. Will it reel the hose in even if it's like around the corner of the house? I guess I'm wondering if it has the umph to continue reeling.
08-22-2009, 05:48 PM
#14
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
The water pressure REALLY reels the hose in pretty quickly. I haven't used it but twice but I learned to be careful where the hose handle is because if it gets caught on something in the garage while it's reeling in, like the garage door frame itself, it gets stuck there and can trigger the spayer to start spraying my just cleaned cars in the garage! It's got alot of force behind it from what I've seen.
