[crystal.clear]

what reel do you use? i was thinking ofbuying a plastic one from gardiner but should i go for the metal one

[drakestar!]

u get wat u pay 4. the metal 1 will last 4 years

[stuart howes]

i had a plastic one lasted about 1 month
then i got a metal one £70 i think had over a year    fab  get one

[Chris Cottrell]

I'd get a metal one, more cost initially but well worth it, it'll last a lot longer

Chris

[macmac]

i got a plastic hozelok one from argos, they're in the new catalog for 20 quid. had mine 3 years & still going strong. also they are smaller & lighter than the metal ones which is better for me as i lift mine in /out the van all the time.

tony

[mike richardson]

mine is a metal 1 its mounted to the inside roof of my van, means loads of space below for other goods

[JohnL]

I got a huge thumping great strong looking plastic thing from B & Q - pulled out around 6 feet and all the plastic lugs on the side wall snapped off! 

Took it back to B & Q who said I had mistreated it - huh?

you get what you pay for!

[rugby]

i bought a large solid metal one which i think is made in germany,they sell them at screwfix direct and i think a few people use these,but beware mine is starting to fall apart after only 6 months,so i dont recomend them

[john tomkins]

I would imagine the metal one will last a long time but had my gardiners plastic 60m one since last summer and it still going strong(gardiners site say theirs is 5 years old), advantage it it's so light, and cheap

[S_RICHARDSON]

I find that Metal reels last longer but if they bolted in the van they last even longer because they are not being battered about on floor and so on bolting it down could double it's life-time!




Shaun R.

[crystal.clear]

i've ordered a ionics metal reel plus a 18ft pole and hose.

[john tomkins]

I find that Metal reels last longer but if they bolted in the van they last even longer because they are not being battered about on floor and so on bolting it down could double it's life-time!




Shaun R.

Only negative for me with bolting down in van is that you cant easily lock the van with the hose trailing out, or you have to pull the hose to your futhest limit then return to lock the van, or do you all just leave van open:-\

[S_RICHARDSON]

We use microbore so it fits ok between the two doors whilst shut!


Shaun R.

[Alex Gardiner]

Whilst metal reels are often more robust it does not guarantee that they will outlast a plastic/aluminium one.

I tried one of the metal ones and found it just too heavy to lift in and out several times a day. It must have weighed 5 times as much as the Hozelock ones.

The Hozelock plastic/aluminium ones that I have are over 5 years old now and despite me giving them a very tough life have never let me down once. The only part I have replaced on them is the grey male connector (about 1 year ago) on the side of the reel as it started to pop-off when reeling out.

If you are fixing the reel down or only lift them out once or twice a day then weight is not such an issue.

[john tomkins]

We use microbore so it fits ok between the two doors whilst shut!


Shaun R.

I know it will fit through shut doors but you still have to pull the required amount out and then return to van to shut the doors which looses quite a lot of time if thats happening 10+ times a day and a pain if you haven't quite got the required amount out .

[Chris Cottrell]

I know it will fit through shut doors but you still have to pull the required amount out and then return to van to shut the doors which looses quite a lot of time if thats happening 10+ times a day and a pain if you haven't quite got the required amount out .

Although i agree that is does take up extra time walking back to tha van to lock the doors but its not exactly a lot is it ...20/30 secs at the most so all in all at the end of the day doesn't add much to your working day.. maybe 5/6 minutes hardly going to miss it are we & most of us finish at different times each day anyway so how you can really think you may be missing that all important extra job 

Chris

[aztec]

talking of hoses can you get a retractable hose reel for microbore hose? i want to mount it in the back of my van or would you get away with a normal garden retractable hose that takes 40m of normal hose?do you think 100m of microbore would fit in a 40m hose reel?

[Chris Cottrell]

talking of hoses can you get a retractable hose reel for microbore hose? i want to mount it in the back of my van or would you get away with a normal garden retractable hose that takes 40m of normal hose?do you think 100m of microbore would fit in a 40m hose reel?

I dont think it will but im sure 60m would Alexg would probably know better

[aztec]

thanks chris, what do you say alex mate

[Clear Vision]

Why would anyone want to lift a reel in and out of the van Totally confused by that one!

Mine is bolted to the floor of the van! Best place for it

If you lift a reel out and place it on the ground and start pulling the hose around several corners, how on earth will the reel stay standing upright