The 7 Best Garden Hoses of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

Best Overall

Zero-G Lightweight Ultra Flexible Durable Kink-Free Garden Hose

4.7

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Our Ratings

• Design
  3.5/5
• Ease of Use
  4.5/5
• Durability
  4/5
• Value
  4/5

If you’ve ever struggled to use or move a bulky, heavy hose around your outdoor space, you'll especially appreciate the Zero-G Garden Hose. Earning the best overall spot on our list, this hose stood out during our testing for its ease of use and durability. The lead-free couplings are designed to be crush-proof under loads up to 900 pounds. Plus, we loved how easily the hose connected to the spigot and we felt that its overall design was sleek compared to other options on the market.

The Zero-G is constructed of a heavy-duty vinyl inner tube with a durable, abrasion-resistant jacket. (It has the appearance of an expandable hose, but this version isn’t expandable or retractable.) We tested the 100-foot version and were impressed with how easy it was to coil or uncoil. After connecting it to a spigot, winding it on a hose reel, and pulling it through our testing environment, we thought this hose was well worth the higher price tag versus other hoses that didn't perform as well.

We will point out that this hose is not best for colder climates as it is only rated for above 35 degrees Fahrenheit, which is slightly higher than other hoses in this roundup. However, whether it was full of water or empty, this hose proved to be easy to handle, use, and store.

How It Performed Long-Term

With almost daily use this hose has proven itself as a durable, and splurge-worthy gardening tool. We've appreciated its lightweight nature and powerful stream for watering flower beds and clearing off decking.

Price at time of publish: $70

_{Material: Vinyl | Length: 100 feet | Diameter: 5/8 inch | Shutoff Valve: No}

Best Heavy-Duty

Eley 5/8-Inch Polyurethane Garden Hose

4.8

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Our Ratings

• Ease of Use
  5/5
• Durability
  5/5
• Value
  5/5

The Eley five-eighth-inch Polyurethane Garden Hose has everything you need in a heavy-duty garden hose: thick, durable construction, high-quality fittings, and a kink-free design. During testing, we evaluated this hose's design, ease of use, and durability and we noted that it was solid and well-suited for heavy long-term use. That is no surprise since the polyurethane material is the same as what you find in inline roller skate wheels. The Eley resists cuts, punctures, abrasions, and tears, so you can expect to pull this hose across cement, garden tools, rocks, and more without puncturing or cutting it. Eley backs this heavy-duty hose with a 10-year leak-free warranty for added peace of mind. 

This heavy-duty hose also scored high marks for not kinking during our garden testing. The hose is reinforced with high-tensile threads that resist kinking and also provide a defense against the hose bursting under high water pressure. As you’d expect of a heavy-duty hose, you can use the Eley in temperatures down to minus-40 degrees Fahrenheit. The crush-proof brass fittings are lead-free and corrosion-proof. All of these features contribute to the hose’s longevity but mean that you pay a premium price compared to a light-duty or budget garden hose.

Price at time of publish: $41 (for 6.5 foot hose)

_{Material: Polyurethane | Length: 6.5-200 feet | Diameter: 5/8 inches | Shutoff Valve: No}

Best Attachable

Flexzilla Garden Hose

4.8

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Our Ratings

• Design
  5/5
• Ease of Use
  5/5
• Durability
  4/5
• Value
  5/5
• Size
  5/5

After testing in our lab and In a real-world setting, we found the Flexzilla super simple and pleasant to use for a multitude of tasks: watering the lawn and flower beds, washing a minivan; rinsing out compost bin and garbage cans; and adding water to a pool. This hose stands out for its fluorescent yellow color but also for its flexible, pliable nature. It’s a great pick as an attachable hose, since it needs no special connectors. Also, its squishy silicone handles at either end give you a comfortable grip when connecting hoses or attaching to a spigot. It is certainly durable, having survived all our tests.

We also were impressed with how well this hose straightened out and that it didn’t kink during garden tasks. This is especially important if you plan to connect multiple hoses and don’t want the hassle of shaking loose a long, kink-filled hose that doesn't lay flat. However, we found it heavy when full, which made it hard to swing over things to maneuver into different places.

Price at time of publish: $40

_{Material: Hybrid Polymer | Length: 50 feet | Diameter: 5/8 inch | Shutoff Valve: No}

Best Expandable

TheFitLife Flexible and Expandable Garden Hose

4.6

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Our Ratings

• Design
  5/5
• Ease of Use
  5/5
• Durability
  4/5
• Value
  5/5
• Size
  4/5

Expandable hoses offer the advantage of being lightweight and easy to coil, even without the help of a hose reel. TheFitLife Flexible and Expandable Garden Hose is a great example of how an expandable garden hose should feel and function. In The Lab and at one of our homes, we tested a 25-foot version that shrinks to just 9 feet when not in use and weighs only 1.8 pounds. The materials felt high-quality, and during our lab tests, the hose didn't snag on rocks, as some other expandable models did. TheFitLife hose also held up well to almost daily use in our home testing—whether being dragged across the grass or a concrete patio. We didn't notice any snags or tears along the hose and it's been able to stand up to extreme Florida heat and humidity.

Like other expandable garden hoses, this version is covered in a stretchy 3750D polyester fabric that protects the expandable latex inner tube. We are curious to see how this covering performs over a longer-term period with extensive use. Turn the water pressure on, and the FitLife Flexible and Expandable Garden Hose quickly reaches its full length without becoming heavy or cumbersome. When full, it felt even more durable, but still stretchy, and easy to walk it around. And when we did, no kinks or coils slowed us down or interrupted water pressure. It's also equipped with a shutoff valve for convenient water management. 

Price at time of publish: $30

_{Material: Latex | Length: 50-100 feet | Diameter: Not applicable | Shutoff Valve: Yes}

Best for Small Spaces

Dramm 17005 ColorStorm Rubber Garden Hose

4.7

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Our Ratings

• Design
  4.5/5
• Ease of Use
  4.5/5
• Durability
  5/5
• Value
  5/5

In our testing, the Dramm ColorStorm Premium Rubber Garden Hose proved to be tidy, durable, and an excellent value. While these attributes would qualify it for a wide variety of uses, it’s our top pick as a garden hose for small spaces. With a 25-foot length, this hose is ideal for watering patio plants, a small garden, or for keeping handy on your deck or balcony. Just keep in mind that it’s not intended for drinkable water, so keep children and pets from drinking out of it.

The flexibility of this garden hose really impressed us, and the rare kinks that occurred were easy to shake loose. Even in cold-weather climates, you can expect this hose to stay limber and durable down to temperatures of minus-25 degrees Fahrenheit. The hose's durable EPDM rubber is available in a number of colors beyond the usual green hue associated with garden hoses. We tested the purple version, which we thought was fun and attractive. 

How It Performed Long-Term

After three months of regularly using this hose, we're still happy with its overall durability and ease of use. Although it does kink occasionally, the kinks are easy to remove without fighting the hose too much. We also noticed that it has a strong flow, even when coming from a rain barrel, rather than a hose spigot.

Price at time of publish: $40

_{Material: EPDM Rubber | Length: 25 feet | Diameter: 1/2 inch | Shutoff Valve: No}

Best Lightweight

Flexi Hose Lightweight Expandable Garden Hose

4.6

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Our Ratings

• Design
  4/5
• Ease of Use
  3.5/5
• Durability
  5/5
• Value
  4/5

Weighing less than 5 pounds but stretching up to 100 feet, the Flexi Hose is your best bet for a lightweight garden hose. "Lightweight" doesn’t always mean durable, but that wasn't the case for this garden hose, which we dragged through grass, across concrete, over a rake, and around patio furniture. We had to give it a hard tug around some obstacles; however, it did get stuck when we tried to pull it around patio furniture. We also noted that you do not need to control the water release because the hose actually stretched more since water was moving through it. It's important to note this hose does twist easily, which can result in kinks if you're not paying close attention.

We're tempted to chalk up the durability of this lightweight garden hose to its design. A 3750 denier stretchy outer fabric cover resists abrasions while allowing the hose to stretch up to three times its starting length. Inside the hose, a 2 mm thick latex tube gives the hose the capacity to handle water pressure up to 12 bar. You cannot use this hose in temperatures below 41 degrees Fahrenheit, so it may be not the best choice if you live in a colder climate. One other attractive feature of this garden hose is the attached water shutoff valve. We also found this hose was very convenient for switching nozzles or moving from one area to another while watering. 

How It Performed Long-Term

We've enjoyed using this hose for several months to water and clear off patio furniture. It doesn't seem to kink as easily as we initially expected, and we're still very impressed by its compact and lightweight design. We have no issues wrapping it up and think it will winterize well compared to rubber hoses that crack while coiled.

Price at time of publish: $74

_{Material: 3750D elastic outer fabric with latex inner tube | Length: 100 feet | Diameter: Not applicable | Shutoff Valve: Yes}