When one thinks of the most grueling part of gardening, the thought that comes to mind is often of a heavy, unwieldy garden hose that is taxing to carry and a pain to use. It’s no surprise really; for years the rubber garden hose has been a hefty weight people have had to lug around their gardens. On top of that, these old rubber garden hoses often leak, crack, or outright break. Thankfully the rubber hose has come a long way, and the Craftsman premium rubber garden hose exists. With durable rubber and brass fittings, this rubber garden hose allegedly retains its shape for easy storage and doesn’t kink or tangle easily.
For over 100 years, Craftsman has been delivering quality tools and equipment to help people with projects around the house. In this article, we’ll take a look at how their garden hoses stack up against other brands on the market, like Flexi hose, by providing an overview of Craftsman Garden Hose Reviews.
Easy to Get Started
Granted, your average garden hoses aren’t all that difficult to set up, but it is still worth noting that the Craftsman premium rubber garden hose is easy to get started with. In fact, it’s as easy as removing some cardboard and twist ties, unrolling the hose, and attaching it to a spigot. It connects to accessories like nozzles with ease as well. It’s a small thing, but it is a bonus to take into consideration: it’s easy to use right away.
Durable and Versatile Design
More impressive and noteworthy is the design of the Craftsman premium water hose. First of all, it is made of reinforced radial tire cord, which is one of the most durable and flexible rubber materials out there. The Craftsman garden hose is also a standard 50 feet and has a diameter of 5/8 of an inch. On top of that, it has tough and reliable brass fittings that are resistant to damage.
More notable, is the fact that the Craftsman water hose can put out 500 PSI of water pressure. This is much higher than many other hoses on the market, which usually top out below 200 PSI. Granted, if you are just watering plants, 500 PSI may be a bit much, but if you need more power for heavy duty tasks, then this rubber garden hose is an excellent choice.
However, even that is not the most impressive thing about the Craftsman premium rubber garden hose. No, that would be its unique shape; instead of being round like your typical rubber garden hose, the Craftsman rubber hose has a concave hexagonal shape. This unique shape helps in many ways, such as helping the hose lay flat (which prevents kinks) and increasing burst strength. Combine that with how lightweight this powerful rubber garden hose is, and you have a combination you won’t find in too many other products.
Generous Warranty
No matter how good a hose is, it will eventually suffer damage or at least deteriorate a bit. Or in some cases, the hose may be delivered to you in a damaged state because some accident occurred with shipping. In this case, have no fear; the Craftsman premium rubber garden hose has a warranty most products don’t match, with a full, no questions asked replacement lifetime guarantee. While this is generous, you can also consider it a testament to how much faith the company has in its hose; they wouldn’t offer to replace it like that if they felt they’d have to replace it often.
The Downsides
Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as a perfect garden hose, and even this one is not exempt from that truth. Thankfully these negatives are not extremely serious and are only a problem in niche settings. For instance, it is not safe to drink the water from this hose, as it isn’t lead free. That means you shouldn’t be letting your pets drink from it either. It’s a minor downside but it is still a flaw.
Moreover, while we said it was lightweight earlier, that is relative to a regular hose. The radial tire cord of the Craftsman premium rubber garden hose may be tough and flexible, but it certainly isn’t as light as the latex and fiber expandable hoses you could buy. That said, it’s a tradeoff; the Craftsman premium rubber garden hose may be heavier, but it is also a whole lot tougher. That 500 PSI burst strength is nothing to sneeze at.
And of course, you may find that this Craftsman hose is a little more expensive than some other options. But again, you are paying for quality, not to mention a great warranty that will replace the hose if a problem arises regardless.
Final Considerations
Ultimately, the Craftsman premium rubber garden hose offers some great strengths while still possessing some major weaknesses. Namely, it has some notable advantages over the more popular expandable hoses, but it also has some strengths that the expandable hose does not. It is mostly a tradeoff between weight and durability, as well as length and power. It is worth to consider along with alternatives, like metal garden hoses.
As said before, the amount of water pressure the Craftsman premium rubber garden hose can exert is enormous. It’s definitely a viable option for heavy duty tasks, unlike your average expansion hose. However, the durable nature of its materials makes it significantly heavier as well. Likewise, this hose is only 50 feet long; an average size for a garden hose, but there are certainly longer alternatives out there, most of which are of the expansion variety.
On the price side of things, the Craftsman premium rubber garden hose actually isn’t bad, however. It’s actually cheaper than your average product by a considerable margin, assuming you are considering a quality item. The only other thing to note is that the Craftsman premium rubber garden hose is not safe to drink water from, while some other products are.
Taking all of this into consideration, this product is an ideal choice for those that need a heavy duty item that can tackle heavy tasks, but it may not be the best choice if you just need a hose to water your lawn or your garden with.
