Strongway parallel or perpendicular wall mount garden hose reel

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TACKLIFE Garden Hose Reel, Auto Retractable Hose with Wall Mount, 65 ft Water Hose Reel+7ft Lead Hose, 180° Pivot, 7 Patterns Spray Nozzle for Garden Watering, Car Washing

4.7 out of 5 Stars. 25 reviews

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This hose reel is very similar in design and function to the Eley Hose Reel. Differences: the Strongway reel is made of steel and carries a 7-year warranty, whereas the Eley reel is made of aluminum and carries a 10-year warranty. In the end, I chose the Strongway hose reel because it was about $15 cheaper, and shipping was free (compared to the Eley, which adds another $20 and change for shipping).

The construction is heavy-duty - there's nothing "cheap" about this product. It's all steel (painted gray) with the exception of the leader hose, of course. The base is heavy, cast steel, and the reel is welded. Fittings are all-brass. There's no plastic, except for the handle. Being as the reel is heavy-gauge steel, I would expect it to last a long time. Over time, however, being steel with a painted finish and exposed to the elements, I would expect there to be some rust (which would not be the case with aluminum construction).

Despite the fact that it's well-designed and well-built, the reel is manufactured in China (no surprise, these days). It arrived via UPS in a cardboard box. There was some damage to the box, which gave me reason for pause. It appeared that the box had been "dropped", and one of the flanges of the hose reel had sliced through the box side (the box is cheap, not reinforced, and there is very little packing to cushion the contents against impact). There was some slight damage to one of the flanges of the reel itself - the edge was bent, and the painted finish was damaged. I did provide this information in feedback to the seller, but have yet to hear from them. Since the reel was not functionally damaged, I decided not to pursue it, as I imagine the seller would implicate the shipper (UPS) for the damage, and if you've ever pursued a claim with UPS, you know it can be like getting blood out of the proverbial turnip.

I installed the hose reel on a brick wall on the side of my house. Four lag screws are included, but no lag shields (?) So I had to buy the necessary hardware to install it. The hose reel weighs about 22 pounds (without hose), so I recommend that you attach it to a sturdy, vertical surface, either a brick wall or into studs in a non-brick wall, using the appropriate mounting hardware.

The design of the "arm" that holds the reel itself is very clever. It's a 45-degree joint, and by removing the arm and rotating it 180-degrees, the orientation of the hose reel can easily be changed from parallel to vertical, relative to the wall (mounting surface).

In winter, the hose reel (and hose) can be easily detached from the mounting base and taken inside for winter storage out of the elements.

So... how does it work? In a word, "great". I bought this reel because at 69, it was getting harder for me to manhandle 75' of 5/8" hose. Now, I can easily pull the hose off of the reel, and just as easily rewind it onto the reel. No more heavy lifting and dragging the hose!

So I'm very happy with this purchase, and would definitely recommend it.

UPDATE - August 19, 2016 - I liked this product so much I ordered a second one (for the back of the house). However, as with the first, the product arrived with obvious damage to the packaging - the bottom of the box was literally "falling out" and the reel flanges had sliced through the box. The problem is that the product is made in and shipped all the way from China, and the packaging is completely inadequate for the size and weight of the contents. It's a typical box (cheap) like you often see products made in China shipped in. The box needs to be much sturdier and better quality, with double-thickness walls. Also, the reel needs to be packed in styrofoam sheets (1" or so) to cushion it against impacts and to prevent the flanges from slicing through the box walls.

In short, the product itself is fine, but the packaging sux. And you'll be lucky if your order arrives without at least some minor damage.

If you order this product, expect it to arrive as described above, and inspect it very carefully for damage, especially damage that would impact the function of the product.