northeastgal's Full Review: Suncast Ptr200d Hose Hideaway 200' Hose Reel
I have owned 4 of these Suncast products over the years. I don't remember if they were all the same model number but this is the one I have now. I'm writing this review to inform you of my experience using this type of Suncast Hideaway.
They were purchased locally but the prices were not all the same. I know one to be $10 more at a garden store. They do run about $30 to $50 depending on where you purchase one.
Why did I purchase 4? I have a water connection both in the front of my home and in the back. At first when I saw this I was excited of the design and the idea. I had returned one because it leaked and purchased another the 3rd one. A year later, one of them leaked and I went and purchased another thinking perhaps they fixed the problem. After a while the 4th one leaked and still tried to fix the problem. I even called the company and asked what was wrong with them. After describing the problem, they sent me replacement parts which my husband replaced and it still leaked. The leaks were all basically in the connection from the outside of the box to the inside where you connect your hose. There is an elbow type of housing that is poorly designed.
~ About Suncast Hideaway ~ The hideaway is made of a poly resin, is sturdy and can last a very long time if it didn't leak. I have only had the color taupe and am happy with the color. The capacity for this one is 200 feet of 5/8" hose but they do sell larger ones for longer hoses.
Suncast makes many garden hose storage products. Some are open which you connect to your house and some are a box type that has a small hose about 5 feet which connects to your outdoor water spicket that goes through the left side of the hideaway and connects your garden hose to reel into it. The connector pieces on the product are plastic.
The box which they call Hideaway is nice looking. The lid, when raised up, will stay up. There is an opening under the top so that I can reel in the hose and guide it but I must manually move it to even in out across the width but they do sell some with a guide and not sure if that one works well.
Beneath the box, to the right, is a U shaped attached piece that I place my foot in so the box does not move around while reeling my hose in it. This works fine both for pulling out or reeling the hose in.
Being that the footrest and handle is on the right, I'm not certain if anyone who is left-handed could have difficulty. I would not have purchased it if the handle and foot rest was on the left side since this box sits to the left of my back door and to the left of the box I have a flower bed.
~ Summary ~ I truly wished this hideaway would have worked. I now see a new problem. After dealing with slight leakage around the hose connections, I now see 2 pinholes in the hose from the hideaway. More water is lost from both types of leaks. I try not to leave the water on if I'm not using it since I'm wasting water.
I like the style and it is nice to have your hose protected outdoors. I can sit on the top. It is sturdy and well balanced. I even use the top for a table to place outdoor supplies on. If it weren't for the leaks, I would love this product.
My son also has this hideaway but noticed the hose is no longer in it. I don't have to ask why he doesn't use it.
I have replaced the box in the front with the simple open hose reel that gets attached to the house but I will keep the back one till I find a better made replacement. It is not easy getting one that is leak-proof. If you research online, you will see many negative reviews with various explanations of their problem with this expensive hideaway. Sure it hides the hose very well but it will leak maybe not immediately but soon afterwards.
Suncast, fix the problem please. I see these are still being sold. How can you not know this is defective? What happened to Quality Control? I really, really gave you chances to correct the problem.
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