Hi, I wonder if the Garden Hose Kink Rating ever came under scrutiny. The hose rating scale starts with 1 and goes up to 10. The higher the rating the less likely the hose will be to kink. In the past I purchased a lot of hoses with one 10er from Aldi. This 30m hose was heavy, hard to pull because of it’s weight and high resistance factor because of the outer lining not being smooth. However, although it did not kink, I looked for some other ‘good’ hose that was easier to handle for an 80yo. Australias favourite hardware store had a few hoses on offer and I opted for a quality hose with a kink rating of 7. My thinking that 7 is pretty high in the scale of 1 to 10 seems to be wrong because the hose kinks easily.
My questions to the community are
1.) what does a hose with low kink ratings as e.g. 1 or 2 look like or if they do not exist why does the scale start with 1?
2.) why does a quality hose with a relativly high kink rating of 7 kink easy?
3.) is the hose kink scale a standard that all hose manufacturers have to adhere to?
I have tried to find where the kink-resistance rating or its testing has originated. I suspect it has been developed by a hose manufacturer(s) to assist with selling more of their hose products. Looking online at hose reviews, irrespective the reported kink-resistance rating, a major criticism is hoses of any rating can easily kink.
In relation to low ratings, a manufacturer which uses their own rating system is unlikely to give their own hoses low ratings. It is easier to set one’s own criteria to give their products ratings towards the higher end.
I would say no. Those manufacturers who use the rating possibly set their own criteria for their kink-resistance rating. This means ratings don’t mean much or can be used to compare products.
Even if there was a standardised approach, it would only apply to new hoses tested under laboratory conditions. As soon as the hose is used, the rating may become worthless as the hose ages, is used or accidentally damaged through rubbing, snagging or twisting.
Choice has covered ‘industry’ certification in the past, and those where manufacturers make up some sort of certification logo/stamp to give an impression the product is better in some way. Quite often they are marketing tools and nothing more. You might have identified another example.
I replaced all hoses and fittings with Hoselink products. The hose has not kinked but you probably need a hose reel to keep it neat. I have no room for one.
Other issues are replacing o rings in the trigger and the connectors and also the need to apply silicone lubricant to the trigger every whenever. Otherwise ok.
Yes @michaelhc I too switched to Hoselink hoses and fittings many years ago but switched back as the fittings e.g. joiners were to large to pull around with the long hoses that I use and need. I also found the fittings cumbersome to remove from the hose. Apart from that Hoselink are a great choice for most purposes.
We have hoselink, not had any issues other than with just one of the 3 we own with the o ring that keeps dropping out and hoselink replaced free of charge. They kink occasionally that is possibly because we have a large garden and pull them some distance. We’ve had hoselink for years without issue. We do have the reels they roll back into which are worth investing in.
Couldn’t agree more. Around 20 years ago I bought 2 Nylex (I think they were) Kink Free hoses. Not sure if they even had a rating then, but they are still performing marvellously well and simply never kink. Recently I had an additional garden tap fitted and needed an additional hose. I bought a Gardena with a 7 anti-kink rating, followed the instructions about laying it out in the sun for a day in a straight line after it was unwound from its pack, and then coiled it loosely on a Gardena hose hanger. Compared to the old Nylex it’s very disappointing and kinks at the slightest provocation. I suppose I could have bought the Gardena hose with a rating of 10 but it was nearly twice the price from memory and I expected the Gardena to perform rather better than it does.
As Garden water hoses are needed by every home owner one can reasonably assume that most of them are misled by the garden hose manufacturers. Would that be something for Choice to take on, test and report on?
Should one suggest the hoses more accurately need to be described as kink resistant. We’ve a variety of hoses some short 10m and some longer 30m.
The hoses which seem to be most resistant to kinking are the wire reinforced hoses we use with the air compressor. They come with their own handling issues best kept on a retractable or manual wound hose reel.
Does how one handles and uses a hose also influence the outcome. We use moderately priced garden hose. I have infrequent issues with kinking. Others in the household always have kinks to sort out. We each have different ways to use/handle the same hose.
Hi @mark_m I totally agree that the handling of hoses varies between household members. However, the fact is that a hose rated with e.g. kink resistant level 7 should in my humble opinion not kink easily but unfortunately they do although on a scale 1 to 10 the rating of 7 sits fairly high up the ladder?
