Customer Reviews

Rapid Reel Free Standing Garden Hose Reel Model #1042-GH

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Rapid Reel Free Standing Garden Hose Reel is by far the best quality hose reel that I have ever purchased. It is made of aluminum so it will never rust. It is ruggedly constructed so it should never break. The fittings are of outstanding qualtiy and do not leak even with my 100 psi water pressure. That being said, the reel is hard to crank in the hose. It goes out easily but requires considerable energy and force to reel back in. There is no hose guide so winding the hose back in evenly is a bit tricky. My biggest concern is that the unit is a bit unstable when cranking in the hose. I have to step on the feet of the reel in order to keep it from tipping over. I currently have 100 feet of hose on the reel. I may have to reduce the length to 50 or 75 feet in order to make cranking in the hose less difficult. So, the quality is outstanding but the performance (ease of use) is only slightly better than much cheaper reels that I have owned.

This is my second reel from this company....the first was an air hose reel which has worked flawlessly over the years. This water hose reel is well made in the USA. You won't find a better built reel anywhere and doesn't leak a drop of water. The reel brake is a nice feature to ensure your hose doesn't unreel when you don't want it to.

I purchased the reel with Gilmour 20-58100 20 Series Platinum 8 Ply Flexogen Hose which does not work unless you cut off the plastic "Tri-Lobe oval EZ on coupler" which is molded over a traditional female hose fitting. Easy enough to do but amazon should check compatibility before packaging items together as it didn't fit through the side hole of the reel.

Length:: 4:21 Mins

Rapid Reel Free Standing Garden Hose Reel Model #1042-GH

I own three different Rapid Reel garden hose reels and they are all excellent.

Pros:

- Every part of this device is well-made of [nearly] 100% rust-proof materials. E.g., the reel-body is 1/10" thick cast aluminum, the swivel mechanism is brass, and it uses stainless steel hardware and brass fittings.

- The painting on my reel is flawless.

- Brass swivel has a 3/4" inside diameter for maximum water flow.

- 10-year no-leakage guarantee; probably the only brand with such a warranty. (Register your reel on-line at Rapid Reel.)

- A solid full-palm design reel handle spins freely on a stainless steel shaft for easy rewinding. Handle is a very tough synthetic material, with a thick aluminum bracket.

- The included 5/8" feeder hose (connecting the reel to a faucet) is high quality, made with weather-resistant rubber, and is 5' long. It has brass fittings and some kind of spiral synthetic reinforcement thread.

- Manual reel brake to keep the hose from unwinding by itself.

- Nicely packaged and easy to assemble.

Cons:

- Lacks a hose guide, which would be helpful when rewinding. We keep a rag nearby and hold the hose with the rag when rewinding to guide it on the reel neatly.

- This is really minor, but the feeder hose should be 3/4" instead of 5/8", as Rapid Reel used on their reels several years back. That way, there would be no water restrictions when using 3/4" hose.

- Expensive.

Other:

- Before you leave it outside in below freezing temperatures, follow Rapid Reel's instructions for draining all water from the swivel and hose. In fact, to protect the finish during the winter, you might want to store it inside or cover it.

Summary:

Rapid Reel models are almost certainly the finest garden hose reels on the market. It lack a hose guide, but that may not be important to you.

Generally I don't get excited about hose reels, but the Rapid Reel folks are obsessive about their product. After years of fiddling with plastic reels I bought the Rapid Reel. It is extremely well constructucted with lots of brass and stainless steel parts - even the mounting hardware is stainless! Other than a pencil and drill bit everything is included. On top of that it arrived the next day.

I purchased this reel along with the suggested Gilmour hose (8-ply, 75 footer). Along with the other positive reviews, I really do not have anything to add except that the positive comments are indeed true. Heavy duty reel that will last a "lifetime." You will pay more for this reel today but it will pay down the road.

My only addition, would be that the the female end of the Gilmour hose does not have to be cut - black plastic sheathing. I just fed the male end of the entire hose through the Rapid Reel hole first, left the required amount on the female end and everything will work just fine without any additional modification to the hose. Not sure if this makes sense but if you purchase the reel along with the hose, buy with confidence and what I wrote should make more sense once you see the reel, reel instructions, and hose.

If you have used a hose reel made of plastic, this isn't one of those... Can't see how I could break it. I'll report back in 10 years... bet it's still reeling.

Update: November 2011, still reeling.

No rickety plastic; doesn't fall over; doesn't catch or cause hose to kink...it's simply a sturdy, quality reel that gets the job done smoothly and efficiently. Worth the money to have something that works well. I will eventually replace all my hose reels around the house with this type product.

This appears to be very well made. However, it is very low to the ground and requires a lot of bending to reel it in. As far as the ease of reeling the hose in, it is only slightly easier than less expensive reels I have owned.

The quality of the hose reel is very good. They provide the tools to put it together. I'm happy with it. One note: I think they claim it's good for up to 150 feet of hose but I think that's a stretch. I have 100 feet of hose on it and I doubt I could store another 50 feet. My hose is 8 ply.

This is an excellent hose reel that if very sturdy and well made. It spins with ease and makes raveling and unraveling a breeze. Throw that plastic reel in the trash and get this quality reel. Only caveat is to wear gloves when tightening the hose to the unit. The brass fitting was sharp and I received a small cut on my hand.