Water, Water Everywhere!
Written: Aug 28 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: 110 feet, resists abrasion, dual reinforced rubber/vinyl construction, strong brass couplings
Cons: heavy, hard to maneuver, sometimes kinks, doesn’t fit every nozzle type, water pressure varies, storage
The Bottom Line: I Super-Soaked the Bottom Line using this hose – but the Bottom Line had the last laugh. I’m drenched too!
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| dlstewart's Full Review: Swan Tuff and Flexible Water Hoses |
I miss my old garden hose that wrapped around one of those nifty portable hose reels. When the old garden hose started leaking worse than a colander, a helpful family member bought me the Swan Tuff & Flexible Contractor Water Hose – 110 feet long. Now don’t get me wrong. I love gifts! ... but did I mention that I miss my old garden hose?
Description
This is one long hose at 110 feet with an inside diameter of 5/8". As far as hoses go, it tries to appear decorative with its gray and green striped body. Swan didn’t give this hose the name “Tuff & Flexible” for nothing. Constructed of 5-ply rubber/vinyl, this hose is designed for the home garden and/or light commercial use. The packaging states “Designed for commercial duty Farm, Home, Business”.
According to the manufacturer, each brass coupling is crush-proof. Beneath the female coupling is a 3 1/2" long white plastic protective collar with the Swan name and logo (a swan, of course!). The rubber/vinyl hose covering resists abrasion, and the hose is dual reinforced.
Do not use hot water through this Swan hose; it is only for cold water use. The manufacturer also states not to drink from the hose since hoses can contain bacteria.
The hose comes coiled with a circular black cardboard facing. The words “Commercial Duty”, “Lifetime Warranty” and “Tuff & Flexible” are in gold. Three heat-sealed ties anchor the hose to the cardboard.
My Experiences
I realized how long this 110-foot hose stretched when I removed the hose from its packaging. Wow! I kept unrolling it until all 110 feet stretched across the lawn. I discovered you can’t remove this hose as a spiral. It’s best to roll the hose out across the lawn as if rolling out a carpet. This helps prevent the hose from kinking. Once unrolled, the family and I stretched the hose out as best we could to remove the hose’s desire to coil.
It’s simple to connect the hose to the tap. The instructions said to “Place washer firmly into coupling at faucet end to ensure a tight seal”. I also made sure that the brass coupling was securely attached to the faucet by tightly twisting it by hand.
Then I attached my favorite hose nozzle that dates back to the 1960's. This is a fabulous nozzle that adjusts the stream of water from a forceful narrow water jet to a wide misty spray. Never have I experienced a problem connecting this nozzle to any hose I’ve owned. Except now. I experienced the thrill of a water ride without the ride – water everywhere! The nozzle coupling was not deep enough to screw properly onto the Swan hose. Of course, I didn’t realize that until I resembled a water rat.
Time to try another nozzle. I often use a Super-Soaker nozzle that offers a consistent shower of water that resembles a fine, steady rain. This nozzle has a wide screw end and fit the hose like a dream. No surprises with misfiring water geysers. Now I was ready to water the garden.
I’ve been using this hose all summer, and I’ve developed a few muscles while maneuvering this mammoth 110-foot hose around the yard. It’s heavy! The good news is that 110 feet allows me to water my large vegetable garden without switching faucets. I have also dragged this hose up, over and down wooden stairs – and the hose is not showing wear.
The water pressure varies depending upon how I move the hose. Water has to travel a long way down this hose, and sometimes the hose twists, cutting down water pressure. Occasionally the hose kinks, which stops the water. Then I have to find out where the kink is and straighten the hose.
Storing this hose is a bother. I miss my portable hose reel storage where the hose wraps around the reel. This hose is too large and heavy to use the reel I own. Instead, I sloppily coil the hose on the ground near the faucet. By the time I’m done wrestling the hose around the yard in the hot sun, the last thing I feel like doing is trying to neatly arrange this hose on the ground.
Likes
* 110 feet covers a lot of yard
* Resists abrasion
* Reinforced rubber/vinyl construction
* Sturdy brass couplings
Dislikes
* Heavy
* Cumbersome to move
* Sometimes kinks
* Water pressure not consistent
* Not all nozzles fit
Purchasing
This hose was bought at BJ’s Wholesale Club for $19.99. I did an internet search for it and have not found the particular Swan hose listed elsewhere.
Summary
Would I buy a Swan Tuff & Flexible Contractor Water Hose? No. I much prefer a hose that fits on a hose reel for easy unwinding and compact storage. I have to admit that the length of this hose is wonderful for watering a large portion of yard. However, I would rather have two shorter hoses attached to two different faucets and water the yard that way. This hose is heavy, difficult to maneuver around the yard and is not easy to coil and store. My family cares, and I thank them for buying me this gift ... but next time I’m buying another hose reel.
I hope you have found this review useful.
Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Additional Information
Colorite Plastics Company
Ridgefield, NJ 07657
Toll-free Phone: 800-331-6849
Guarantee
“When used for residential, non-commercial purposes, this product is warrantied against defects in workmanship or materials.”
Please read my other reviews:
Rubbermaid Big Max Storage Shed
Rubbermaid Tool Tower
Step 2 Grass Hopper Wheeled Garden Stool / Cart
Fiskars Power-Lever Bypass Lopper
Craftsman 3-Drawer Portable Toolbox
Rubbermaid Jumbo 50-Gallon Roughtote
Cramer Stop-Step Aluminum Ladder
Sanford China Markers
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Duo
Concord Eye-Q Digital Camera
Curtis Radio/CD Boom Box
Black & Decker Cordless Battery Mulching Lawnmower
Copyright 2004 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
No
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