The 8 Best Expandable Hoses in 2024

Take a moment and consider how far garden hoses have come since many of us were children. Most remember playfully terrorizing siblings with the garden hose on warm afternoons, or affectionately tormenting our parents while trying to wash the car. Maybe we occasionally stole a drink or rubbery-flavored lukewarm water from the hose so as not to miss a moment of summer fun.  

These days, though, the best garden hoses do a whole lot more than that. They are made from cutting-edge material with kink-resistant properties. We’re taking a look at the best expandable hose, meaning it can stretch up to three times their original length, only to shrink back down when it’s time to put them away, saving space. If you’re still using an old rubber garden hose, we’ll tell you what you’ve been missing out on.  

Our Top Picks: Best Expandable Hoses

• Best Expandable Hose Overall: Delxo Expandable Garden Hose. The new-and-improved, leak-proof design helped the heavy-duty Delxo expandable garden hose land at the top of our ranking.
• Best Eco-Friendly: Water Right Professional Coil Garden Hose. Lead-free and drinking water safe, the most eco-friendly garden hose in our ranking comes from Water Right.
• Best Budget: Flexi Hose Expandable Garden Hose. For a great garden hose at a price that can’t be beat, choose the lightweight and expandable Flexi Hose.
• Best Compact: GrowGreen Garden Hose. Available in lengths of just 25 feet, the compact GrowGreen is the best expandable garden hose for small-space gardening.
• Best Kink-Resistant: Tuff-Guard Kink Proof Garden Hose. Keep things flowing with the best kink-resistant expandable garden hose from Tuff-Guard.
• Best Durability: Bionic Steel Stainless Steel Water Hose. For the strongest expandable hose that works as hard as you do, pick the stainless steel gardening hose from Bionic Steel.
• Best Spigot Attachment: Flexzilla Garden Hose. Don’t let a troublesome spigot attachment leave your flowers thirsty. Choose the Flexzilla expandable garden hose instead.
• Best w/ Reel: Rolio Expandable Garden Hose with Hose Reel. Keep your yard nice ‘n’ neat with the Rolio expandable garden hose with hose reel.

Many things put the Delxo’s hose at the top of our ranking of the best expandable garden hose. Their latest product update means there’s now an added protective plastic cover for fewer leaks and less abrasion. Available at lengths of 100, 75, and 50 feet, this hose is sold with solid brass fittings and a nozzle with nine functions. There’s also a new triple-layer leakproof connector and a newly-designed brass sheath for even less cracking and leakage. 

Don’t miss the water controlling knob for adjusting water pressure and the rotating bezel for easy spray selection. In particular, we like the trigger buckle, which we learned keeps the water flowing without much effort. There’s a brass switch valve for super-convenient water-stoppage without shutting off the tap. The hose is also light — less than 6 pounds, and comes with a nylon storage pouch and metal hose holder. 

User-reviews backed-up our findings that this hose is virtually leak-free, and that all the accessories work great — including the bonus split-connector. Many especially like the ball valve at the end of the hose, helping the hose connect to various handles, like a foam cannon for washing a large vehicle. Be warned, though: this thing expands to three times its size when full of water — meaning it shrinks back down quickly once the water turns off, which surprises many in the midst of their gardening chores.

In our intro, we mentioned memories of stealing a quick sip of water off the hose as children. Was that even safe? Sorta. You compost and stay away from insecticides; therefore, your hose should be no less eco-friendly. Our pick for the most eco-friendly garden hose is the professional coil garden hose from Water Right. This coil style hose is lead-free and drinking water safe, with solid brass fittings. It’s available in lengths up to 100 feet, though some consumers report that it only stretches out about 90% of the way.

Nevertheless, don’t miss the 12-inch tails on each coil end, making installing the hose to a faucet or nozzle especially easy. We also like the specially-engineered hose strain reliefs on either end, helping keep the hose kink-free. The chrome-plated brass fittings help to prevent lead from leaching into your water. Otherwise, the hose is made from polyether-based polyurethane and best-suited for small watering needs. 

To get the benefits of an expandable garden hose without spending extra green, choose Flexi Hose, the most affordable garden hose for its size. The hose is not sold with a nozzle, but it does come in pretty standard 100, 75, and 50 foot length options. The fittings are solid brass, with a double latex core, reinforcing the hose against cracks, leaks, and rotting. 

Made from high-quality material, the hose is very difficult to kink or tangle, and there’s a heavy-duty on-and-off valve. Like most expandable hoses, the Flexi Hose triples in size when full of water. To lengthen the hose, you can connect it easily to another hose of the same type — no special adapters or connectors are required. Pretty convenient.  

Lightweight and maneuverable, the Flexi Hose is also very easy to use, judging by reports from one satisfied customer with no issue using the hose to water their garden — from a wheelchair! We were especially encouraged by reports that the hose resists the kind of stiffening common in standard hoses. Additionally, the brass fittings attach to the spigot easily, with no leakage. 

Although the GrowGreen Garden hose comes at lengths of 100, 75, and 50 feet, there’s also a rare 25-foot option. This shorter length primarily contributes to the GrowGreen Garden Hose earning its spot as the best compact expandable garden hose in our ranking. With solid brass fittings, and sold with an eight-function nozzle, the GrowGreen expands to three times its size — meaning the 25-footer is even smaller when it’s not full of water, perfect for small yards or for watering flower beds.

The hose is also incredibly kink, tangle, and twist-resistant. It’s made from high-pressure resistant durable latex. We also learned the hose is easy to coil up and store once it’s time to put it away. The hose is not only small, it’s light, at less than 3 pounds, and many satisfied consumers comment on its maneuverability. We especially appreciate the valve you can use to stop the water flow, even without using the included nozzle.

Nobody likes to get all prepared to water the carrots only to wonder where the water is, trapped in a kink somewhere along the line. To prevent this from happening, choose the best kink-resistant expandable garden hose in our ranking from Tuff-Guard. 

Available in lengths of 25, 50, and 100 feet, this kink-proof garden hose has an extruded three-ply construction and a polypropylene double-helix exterior that both contribute to the stability of the hose. Together, these two features help prevent kinks and knots. 

The male and female GHT connectors on the hose are machined brass. The TPE tube encloses a braided polyester core for even more flexibility and strength. Also notable, the ends are particularly strong and resistant to corrosion. Crushing them is of no concern, and they can be tightened or loosened with a wrench. 

Those using the hose say that while it doesn’t exactly kink, it does “crease,” but not to the point of interrupting water flow. The general consensus remains: this hose is the closest most people found to be truly kink-free. 

Some caution the hose isn’t great for high water-pressure. The kink-resistant properties of the hose can be ruined if you hang it up — one buyer found this out the hard way. Therefore, they recommend coiling it on the ground or storing it in a roll-up device. That way, you can simply take the nozzle of the lightweight and flexible hose, start walking, and watch it unroll with ease. 

Looking for a hose that works as hard as you do? The strongest expandable hose in our ranking is the stainless steel water hose from Bionic Steel. This hose is suitable for semi-pro and casual yard work duties. It’s available in lengths of 25 to 100 feet, with solid brass fittings. 

There’s a patented design with stainless-steel construction and a tough metal coating. Nevertheless, we learned the hose is lightweight, easy to maneuver, and remarkably resistant to kinks, twists, and tangles. The manufacturer claims this hose can be burned and frozen in a block of ice and emerge unscathed. Needless to say, we did not test this for ourselves, but there you have it. 

The interior of the hose is flexible, latex lumen, and the stainless steel construction makes this hose particularly resistant to corrosion and rust. Afraid a stainless steel hose may be too heavy for you? Satisfied users call it lightweight and easy to handle for all sorts of people, and that it is kink-free, slipping effortlessly from tangles. 

Overall, Bionic Steel hoses are known for lasting several seasons, though some do find the water pressure to be lacking. We were encouraged by reports the hose showed up for power-washing duty without catching on corners, pavers, or rocks. 

The best expandable hose won’t do you much good if it’s a hassle to attach it to the spigot. This can be of concern for older folks or anyone with hand issues. If that’s you, our research shows the expandable garden hose with the most effortless spigot attachment comes from Flexzilla. This ease-of-use comes from both the anodized aircraft aluminum fittings, and the superior O-ring. Otherwise, the hose, available in lengths of 3 to 100 feet, offers all-weather flexibility, with next to no “shape memory.” Meaning the hose won’t coil back up after you’ve attached the sprinkler. So annoying!

Also notable is the abrasion-resistant, highly-durable outer cover. The hose resists kinking under pressure, lays flat, and is especially easy to maneuver around trees. If you have kids in your household, the flexible hybrid polymer inner tube material is drinking water safe — and no worries if you steal a sip yourself. After trying the hose, many claim to be converted to hybrid-material hoses rather than traditional rubber, and even when full of water, the Flexzilla remains light and easy to maneuver.

Choosing an expandable garden hose with a reel not only makes the hose even easier to use, but it also helps you keep your yard and garden looking neat and orderly: just how you like it. In our ranking, the best expandable garden hose with a reel in comes from Rolio. With a nine-function nozzle included and food-grade, solid brass fittings, the Rolio additionally comes in lengths of 75 and 50 feet.

Best of all, the portable hose reel with handle comes free with purchase. The fact that it’s portable helps prevent hassle like the hose snagging on corners and bushes, and the hose simply winds back up when it’s time to put it away. Otherwise, there’s a dura-flex triple layer latex core, and the fittings are completely rustproof. 

We especially like the easy flow control valve on the water hose nozzle and the ergonomic non-slip handle. We were also encouraged by reports that the hose becomes “short” and “malleable,” storing quickly and neatly away after each use. It easily sprayed plants at the far side of a yard, power-washed dirt off of tile, all while remaining gentle enough to trickle water on smaller plants and leaves.

Our Process

For this guide on expandable garden hoses, our team spent 5 hours researching the most popular options from over 40 brands and manufacturers big and small. We then read about eighty user reviews (both positive and negative) to discover what shoppers thought about each hose. After comparing this data, we narrowed our list down to the top 8 expandable hoses on the market. You can count on this research to guide you to a mindful purchasing decision.

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