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What is a Flat Garden Hose?

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

A flat garden hose is an increasing popular choice for many amateur and professional gardeners. Unlike the standard garden hose, flat styles only inflate when water runs through the hose. This makes storing and recoiling the hose significantly simpler, and when water isn’t present in the hose, carrying the flat type is easier because they are lightweight.

It’s possible to find a flat garden hose in various lengths. Common lengths include 25 feet (7.62 m) and 50 feet (15.24 m). Other sizes may be available online or in home improvement stores with large selections. Some flat hoses allow people watering to keep the hose on a spool, also called a hose cassette or reel, while they work. Usually hose cassettes are only used for storing the hose, but the lighter weight of the flat hose makes them fairly comfortable to port around. Unfortunately, a few flat garden hose types don’t work very well when they’re fully wrapped around the cassette.

Man mowing the grass
Man mowing the grass

Reels, spools or cassettes for a flat garden hose may be sold with the hose, or might require separate purchase. It really depends on individual types. It’s important when buying a cassette or spool separately to make sure that it will adequately fit a flat hose of certain lengths.

Even if some flat hoses can’t be effectively carried on a cassette, many people prefer them because they store so compactly. This can minimize the sometimes unsightly view of very large hoses on reels. The fact that they can be coiled into tighter coils and take up less space means people can choose to buy longer hoses that may be more convenient in large gardens or to reach out to the street for things like washing cars. Still some complain that certain varieties aren’t very effective at hard spraying of water unless water pressure in a home is very high, especially when the hose is of longer lengths.

Thrifty consumers may balk at the price of flat garden hoses as compared to the standard vinyl hose. It’s true that the cheapest vinyl hoses can start under $10 US Dollars (USD) while the flat garden hose tends to be well over $10 USD for a 25-foot hose. One argument for spending a little more on flat hoses is that they may be more durable than simple vinyl round ones. For others, price difference is not a concern, and these hoses have considerable advantages, while still remaining economical choices.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent WiseGEEK contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent WiseGEEK contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...

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    • Man mowing the grass
      Man mowing the grass