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Head-to-head · Best Garden Hoses

Eley 5/8-Inch Polyurethane Garden Hose, 50 ft vs Teknor Apex zero-G 4001-50 Garden Hose, 5/8 in. x 50 ft.

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Eley 5/8-Inch Polyurethane Garden Hose, 50 ft comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.5 vs 4.4). The gap is mostly about Buyers replacing a hose for the last time who will pay double for the best measured kink resistance in the category and a ten-year guarantee — read the strengths below before deciding.

Eley 5/8-Inch Polyurethane Garden Hose, 50 ft
Higher ratedRanked #3 in Best Garden Hoses
Eley 5/8-Inch Polyurethane Garden Hose, 50 ft
3 sources$113.23

Two outlets that test hoses for a living rate this the best one made. Wirecutter calls it their upgrade pick and reports more than two years of near-daily use without being able to make it kink, plus the fastest bucket-fill time they measured at 55 seconds. TechGearLab scored it 89 out of 100, the highest in their twelve-hose test, with 9.0 for construction. Eley backs it with a ten-year no-leak warranty and a -40 to 165 degrees F range. It costs $113.23, weighs 0.15 lb per foot, and comes in one unlovely grey.

Strengths
  • — Wirecutter's upgrade pick and, in their words, "the best hose we've ever tested" after more than two years of near-daily use without a single kink
  • — Highest score TechGearLab recorded in a twelve-hose test at 89 out of 100, including 9.0 for construction quality
  • — Filled a five-gallon bucket in 55 seconds in Wirecutter's flow test, the fastest hose they timed
Watch-outs
  • — $113.23 for 50 feet, which Wirecutter notes is a little over twice the cost of a comparable rubber hose
  • — Only one colour, and a Wirecutter tester's reaction on seeing it was "that thing is kinda ugly"
  • — TechGearLab measured 0.15 lb per foot and listed "heavy" as one of only two cons
$113.23 · Buy at eleyhosereels.comFull review →
Teknor Apex zero-G 4001-50 Garden Hose, 5/8 in. x 50 ft.
Ranked #4 in Best Garden Hoses
Teknor Apex zero-G 4001-50 Garden Hose, 5/8 in. x 50 ft.
5 sources$39.99

Two separate test teams named this the best garden hose they tried. Bob Vila's tester knotted it, pulled on it and drove over it before scoring durability, quality and couplings all 5 out of 5; The Spruce reached the same conclusion after testing more than 40 hoses and using this one almost daily for six months. TechGearLab weighed it at 0.08 lb per foot, gave it 83 out of 100 and an Editors' Choice. The dissent is real: Wirecutter tested it and passed, and its 35 degrees F floor is the worst here.

Strengths
  • — Named best overall by both Bob Vila and The Spruce, the latter after testing more than 40 hoses and running this one daily for six months
  • — TechGearLab measured 0.08 lb per foot, the lightest non-novelty hose in their twelve-model field
  • — Bob Vila knotted it, pulled on it and backed a car over it, then scored durability, quality and couplings all 5 out of 5
Watch-outs
  • — Rated only down to 35 degrees F, the worst cold-weather floor here; The Spruce flagged it explicitly
  • — TechGearLab found the water pressure "unusable" without a nozzle fitted, and no nozzle is included
  • — Wirecutter tested it and declined to make it a pick, writing that "nothing about it stood out enough"
$39.99 · Check Price on AmazonFull review →

How they stack up

Eley 5/8-Inch Polyurethane Garden Hose, 50 ft

The Eley posted the highest raw score in TechGearLab's test, ahead of the Dramm ColorStorm Premium Rubber Hose and the Teknor Apex zero-G, and it carries the longest published warranty of any hose here at ten years. It is also the most expensive by a wide margin and roughly twice the weight per foot of the zero-G. Against the Briggs & Stratton 8BS50 and the Stanley FatMax BDS6650, both of which testers got to kink, the Eley's stiff polyurethane wall is the entire point: it bends into wide loops instead of folding shut.

Teknor Apex zero-G 4001-50 Garden Hose, 5/8 in. x 50 ft.

The zero-G is the lightest hose in this guide by a wide margin, at roughly a third of the Dramm ColorStorm Premium Rubber Hose's weight per foot and well under half the Briggs & Stratton 8BS50's. It is also the cheapest of the six. Where it gives ground is temperature and choice: the Eley 5/8-Inch Polyurethane Garden Hose stays usable far below freezing and comes in ten lengths, while the zero-G is rated only for above-freezing use in three lengths and one diameter.

Specs side-by-side

SpecEley 5/8-Inch Polyurethane Garden Hose, 50 ftTeknor Apex zero-G 4001-50 Garden Hose, 5/8 in. x 50 ft.
Diameter5/8 in (0.875 in OD)5/8 in
Length50 ft50 ft
MaterialReinforced polyurethane, non-marking coverTru-Flex inner core, G-Force woven fiber jacket
Coupling MaterialLead-free forged brass, crush-proof, hexCrush-resistant, female brass threads
Working Pressure150 PSI—
Burst Pressure450 PSI minimum at 75 degrees F600+ PSI
Weight7 lb dry, 14 lb filled0.08 lb/ft measured by TechGearLab
Temperature Range-40 to 165 degrees F—
Available Lengths6.5, 12, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200 ft25, 50, 100 ft
Warranty10-year no-leak, no-fail5 years
Minimum Temperature—35 degrees F
Lead Safe—CPSIA compliant
← See the full ranking of best garden hoses