Sold by Legacy Manufacturing Co., Flexzilla is a name that has made itself quite well known in the hose industry over the years. In this article, we will be taking a look at Flexzilla Garden Hose reviews to learn more about why people are choosing this hose over metal garden hoses.
The reputation it has is as one of the toughest garden hoses on the market, without sacrificing flexibility. Moreover, the inner material is a premium hybrid polymer, and it is allegedly safe to drink from the hose.
However, just because the inside of the hose is supposedly safe for liquid consumption doesn’t mean that the outside of the house isn’t ridiculously tough. Made of a combination of PVC polymer rubber and plastic, it can handle a wide variety of extremely damaging conditions, including various types of weather and temperatures.
That said, it only has a diameter of 3/4 of an inch, which is the average for expandable hoses. This means it only puts out about 150 PSI though that is more than enough for your average gardening tasks.
As for the hose fittings, those are unfortunately not made out of brass, but rather a green dyed aluminum alloy. It’s not the absolute best material that could have been used, but it is still a step above the plastic that some hose companies use in their products.
On the other hand, the use of aluminum alloy fittings reduces the possibility of accidentally fusing the faucet to the fittings, and the risk of corrosion is reduced as well. Of course, if you take good care of your hose, this isn’t an issue for brass fittings either.
Drinking Water Safe: Or Not
When a hose is drinking water safe, it usually has a certification that says as much from either the FDA or the NSF: sometimes both. Unfortunately, the Flexzilla garden hose does not actually have this certification.
In fact, studies conducted by independent health organizations have revealed that the Flexzilla garden hose is high in phthalates, which is definitely not safe to drink.
This is due to the plastic tubing and PVC combination, which can release those chemicals into the water if the hose is left exposed to sunlight on a particularly hot day. If you plan on eating the plants that you are watering, contaminating them with phthalates is of course not a good thing.
That said, this usually only occurs when the hose gets very hot, so if you keep it out of direct sunlight and store it properly when not in use, you greatly reduce the likelihood of this outcome. Still, it is a bit disheartening to know that this supposedly drinking water safe hose does not have a certification from the organizations that matter.
The Good News
So the Flexzilla garden hose isn’t really safe to drink from. This is very unfortunate, but that doesn’t mean the hose itself doesn’t have many useful features. Being a flexible hybrid hose and 50 feet long, this product is quite versatile.
The flexible hybrid polymer ensures that it can bend around most obstacles without kinking or significantly reducing water flow. It’s also quite easy to coil. Of course, these aren’t features unique to this hose, as most expandable garden hoses have them, but they are still quite useful.
One feature that is unique to the Flexzilla garden hose is its Swivel Grip male and female fittings. The Swivel Grip is designed to aid you in connecting nozzles to accessories and the like, while also giving you a stable and comfortable handle to hold on to while using the hose. Because it provides a surface you can grip easily, it’s great for tightening attachments even when the hose is wet. It also does a great job of preventing leakage.
Ultimately the Flexzilla hose has some great features, but none of them are particularly superior to the usual expandable hose you can find elsewhere. This is especially true since the Flexzilla hose doesn’t deliver on its main selling point, that is drinking water safe. So while it is a good garden hose, it certainly isn’t the best garden hose you could get your hands on.
That being said, if Flexzilla garden hoses aren’t drinking water safe, then it doesn’t really matter if you choose this particular gardening hose over a different Flexzilla model. That’s while we’ll cover some other Flexzilla hoses whose design may better fit your needs.
Alternative Options
Flexzilla Swivel Grip 5/8 Inch 100 Feet
This particular Flexzilla garden hose isn’t much different from the one we’ve been talking about thus far, at least in the sense that it is made of the same materials, making it a hybrid polymer hose. Of course, it is still a little different; it is 100 feet instead of 50 and has a diameter of 5/8 of an inch.
Naturally, the bigger the diameter of the hose, the higher the water flow and the pressure. It’s easy to coil like its counterpart as well. To put it simply, it’s just a bigger, longer version of the 50 foot hose we were discussing prior to now. It even has the Swivel Grip. That said, with this being a bigger Flexzilla water hose, it is relatively more expensive as well.
Flexzilla Garden Hose Kit with Quick Connect Attachments
Yet another Flexzilla model, as you may imagine this water hose is once again quite similar to the others. It coils easily, and it doesn’t kink very often. It is also a flexible hybrid polymer water hose, so it is very flexible and tough.
Unlike the previous garden hose, this one is only 50 feet and has a 1/2-inch diameter. It too is labeled as drinking water safe, but like the others, this is a promise you should probably not put your faith in. The main draw of this particular Flexzilla garden hose is the quick connect fittings and multiple adapters that it has.
This makes it easy to connect the hose to various different accessories, which is noteworthy among Flexzilla hoses, and of course, quite useful. Out of the three, the price of this garden hose is pretty similar.
