All of these metal hose reels are made in the same factory, but I think that there must have been batches recently that were not as well made as in the past. Like everything there is a pressure on firms to make them down to a cost which nearly always affects longevity. We have had to throw a lot of spindles back at the manufacturer as we have found several with faults.
They are very in-expensive so naturally are not going to last as long as a quality made item. We are looking at introducing a purpose made window cleaning metal reel early next year, it has been built and is in use. It will feature quality components that will last a lifetime with replaceable bearings and bulletproof connections. The downside will be that they will cost nearly 4 times as much as the current metal ones.
For myself I still find that the 60m Hozelock plastic and metal hose reels are very long lasting and light to use. 100m of Microbore™ is a tight fit, but if you wind carefully it's OK. I have just had to replace both of mine after 6 years of service, not bad for £27 each.