Customer Reviews

Rapid Reel GH164-PL 150-Foot Parallel Wall Reel

5 star:		(94)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I took the plunge and bought this expensive mother-of-all-hose-reels because I was tired of going through one or two cheap quality Ames hose reels each year. This has a very sturdy all-steel construction. The connector pieces (which are almost always the parts that break/leak in a cheap hose reel) are solid brass. This comes with a 10 year warranty against breakage or leakage, and I'm going to hold them to it.

One the (slight) downside, it comes completely unassembled. For an $80 hose reel, I think I'd like it to be almost fully assembled. It wouldn't be any more difficult to package or ship if it were assembled. The box says assembly takes 10 minutes. It took me more like 30, and I'm relatively mechanically inclined. My box was also missing the pieces necessary to mount it on a brick wall.

When all was done, however, I was very happy with the way that the thing works and looks. I will update my review 10 years from now to let you know if it has leaked. It better not!

My first purchase from Amazon never showed up and it turned out that the provider supplier did a false promotion.

So, 3 weeks later I'm back again, 8/2006, and I see a different supplier. This time I got it in around 4 days! Go figure.

Anyway, here are my pros and cons about the product:

Pros:

1. Mostly all aluminum construction, steel base, and a few plastic parts. A seemingly rugged piece of hardware.

2. Instructions are pretty clear, but see cons.

3. Comes with screws and molly's for differnt mounting types.

4. No pressure loss.

5. Cranks in hose fast.

6. Rugged feeder hose, although short.

Cons:

1. Instructions for assembly are somewhat confusing. They discuss A and B and C..... concerning parts, but they don't label the parts. Then you need a magnifying glass to visually guess what each part is per the picture. Sticky labels would help.

2. Reel doesn't have a back and forth hose guide, to ensure an even wrap. Which forces you to reel with one hand and use the other to control the wrap. If it's a dry, hot hose, you better have a glove on. Plus, I have about 115 ft of hose and that about filled up the reel. It's rated at 150 ft. Not sure how.

3. I'm hoping the wall molly's, in mortar, will hold up to the weight and leverage from pulling on the hose with some resistance. Time will tell.

4. They offer a feeder hose (from faucet to reel) of around 6 feet. This pretty much assumes you are mounting it right next to the faucet. In my case, not so. So I had to use my feeder hose of ten feet. No biggy though.

5. I had to go buy a 5/16" masonry bit. Not a biggy. Cost around $3 at Home Depot.

6. The mounting holes on the support are around 1/8" too close for mounting on a brick wall. It's close but not quite. So I had to do some careful drilling and a bit of molly manipulating to mount it on a standard brick wall. Just 1/8" wider boys!

Generally speaking though, it blows away those stupid platic things and manually wrapping the hose. I consider it, for now, a good purchase.

You won't get "hosed" on this product! I've had a number of the plastic so-called hose reels and most have been warped beyond use in a matter of a couple or three seasons. I even had another all metal reel and it's design left a lot to be desired, but it did last until it rusted. The Rapid Reel is pricey, but should be the last one I'll ever have to buy. I also have had their air hose reels, and never had a failure. Great product.

I wish everything was as well designed and manufactured as this item.

It was easy to put together, easy to mount to our brick, exterior wall and it operates just as you would hope that it would. The reel action is smooth and it even has an adjustable brake that prevents it from inadvertently unreeling.

This is so much better than the Suncast, plastic reel that it replaced.

Sick of dealing with leaky, cheap, plastic hose reels, I finally broke down and bought the Rapid Reel. I love it. It is solid, durable, and is super easy to reel the hose in and out; unlike the cheap plastic ones. If you need a hose reel, this is the one to get. The Rapid Reel is worth every penny.

I own multiple Rapid Reel products and they all share common features.

1. Very sturdy

2. Able to handle harsh environments (did I mention that it is sturdy).

3. Made in the USA and you can call them directly if you have an issue.

4. Zero leaks.

5. Smooth functioning and easy to use.

Cons:

Although I had no problems assembling the unit, I had to take time to stare at the instructions. I took about an hour to collect the required tools, assemble the unit, have the wife hold the unit against the wall so I could mark drill holes (after using a stud finder to verify that I was drilling into the wall studs), and then attach the unit to the wall.

Other Thoughts:

Based on the products that I own from Rapid Reel, I am very impressed.

Overall, this hose reel has excellent construction with the exception of a couple plastic parts. The directions for putting the reel together are all in pictures which occasionally leads to minor problems in assembly; e.g. - over tightening the brake. The directions don't tell you NOT to over tighten the brake until the last page after it's already been put on and tightened. The brake is plastic and can crack if tightened too much.

After years of using cheap plastic junk, I finally spent some hard earned dough and and bought two of these baby's, one parallel and one perpendicular. Installation was fairly easy. I read the instructions several times, assembled both units and installed them in about an hour and a half. No big deal. The quality of these reels seem to be second to none. Solid craftsmanship, along with outstanding customer service. Rapid Reel Corp. e-mailed me, thanking me for my purchase. They said they are always here if I ever have any problems with either of the units. How often do you get thet kind of service with a company? My cheap Ames hose reels are currently on the curb in front of my house, waiting for the garbage men to put them right where they belong. No more cheap junk for me.

But along with these outstanding hose reels, I made some other purchases to complete my quest for lawn care perfection. I bought two 75ft. lenghts of Apex Neverkink garden hose. In addition,I added two Bon-Aire fireman type nozzles. Also, I bought what very well may be the mother of all sprinklers, the Gardena Aquazoom 350/T. I haven't received this yet, but after much research I think I made the right choice. I finished my spending spree by buying the Nelson brand all-brass quick disconnects, so all my hoses and attachments will be a snap to change. The total price for all this, about $350.00. I feel it was money well spent. I wanted to do it for the last time and do it right. Thanks for reading.

I was tired of the flimsy plastic hose reels and came across this aluminum version so I decided to give it a try. I'm very very pleased with the item. When assembling it you could tell it was a quality item by the thought that went into the sub-components and the design. I highly recommend this item; you'll buy many plastic hose reels over the life of this one.

If your like me and are sick of those cheap platic models sold at the Home Improvement stores, then this is for you. Excellent build quality and for me, easy to put together and install...Great Product