I have been trying to find an article I read in the Washington Post some
weeks ago about a new, flexible, flat, and generally terrific kind of
garden hose, that has of course spawned a lot of cheap and unreliable
imitations. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? A web search
turned up a lot of this kind, wound up on a reel, with the note "As Seen
On TV" -- but I can't find any mention of the manufacturer. Any advice
or experience with this device?

TIA.

In article , spampot wrote:

I have been trying to find an article I read in the Washington Post some
weeks ago about a new, flexible, flat, and generally terrific kind of
garden hose, that has of course spawned a lot of cheap and unreliable
imitations. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? A web search
turned up a lot of this kind, wound up on a reel, with the note "As Seen
On TV" -- but I can't find any mention of the manufacturer. Any advice
or experience with this device?

TIA.

One brand name is Toro, there are probably others. But flat hoses suck &
are widely regarded as a "buyer beware" product. If there's a "reliable"
version I've never heard anyone mention it. I've seen all but universal
complaints from gardeners hornswoggled into buying one. Leona H.
previously posted a couple "positives" about such hoses but ultimately
maintained, "There really is no replacement for the standard garden
hose." The poster "Icediver" previously synopsized the common complaints:

----

1) The hose has a narrower lumen than standard 5/8-inch garden
hose, restricting water flow by about 20 percent.

2) The hose is actually a plastic tube surrounded by a braided
cloth sleeve, which easily rips off the hose ends, exposing the
plastic tube. Also, the braided cloth snags on brick or concrete.

3) The hose is easily pinched or kinked, restricting flow further.
You must unwind the entire 50-ft reel if you want to water something
10 feet from the faucet.

4) It is costly compared to standard garden hose.

------

Others report them springing leaks in a very short time. T hey require
more care & protection, so if you're the sort to leave hoses unwound into
the yard from time to time, expect it to get damaged & have to be thrown
away.

I would not underestimate how annoying it would be to have a hose that
kinks that easily, gets wound up in itself easily, & cannot be used if
only partly removed from its reel but must invariably be unwound to the
complete full length, unlike a round hose on a reel. The only good thing I
remember anyone saying about them is they take up less room when not in
use & are just wonderful if you don't have to use it. They're also
lightweight, so if you're practically crippled (& many gardeners are)
they're easier to lug from one end of the garden to the other. If a yard
has no corners or objects to go around, & the hose just has to always be
in a straight line, perhaps the kinking & snagging problems would be
manageable.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

I have seen it and tried it--you really don't want one!

On Fri, 28 Mar 2003 15:52:23 -0500, spampot wrote:

I have been trying to find an article I read in the Washington Post some
weeks ago about a new, flexible, flat, and generally terrific kind of
garden hose, that has of course spawned a lot of cheap and unreliable
imitations. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? A web search
turned up a lot of this kind, wound up on a reel, with the note "As Seen
On TV" -- but I can't find any mention of the manufacturer. Any advice
or experience with this device?

TIA.

paghat wrote:
In article , spampot wrote:


I have been trying to find an article I read in the Washington Post some
weeks ago about a new, flexible, flat, and generally terrific kind of
garden hose, that has of course spawned a lot of cheap and unreliable
imitations. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? A web search
turned up a lot of this kind, wound up on a reel, with the note "As Seen
On TV" -- but I can't find any mention of the manufacturer. Any advice
or experience with this device?

TIA.


One brand name is Toro, there are probably others. But flat hoses suck &
are widely regarded as a "buyer beware" product. If there's a "reliable"
version I've never heard anyone mention it.

OK, I guess I will have to keep searching the Post archives to find the
article that recommended one brand but warned against all the others.
Thanks for all the info you posted.


I've seen all but universal
complaints from gardeners hornswoggled into buying one. Leona H.
previously posted a couple "positives" about such hoses but ultimately
maintained, "There really is no replacement for the standard garden
hose." The poster "Icediver" previously synopsized the common complaints:

----

1) The hose has a narrower lumen than standard 5/8-inch garden
hose, restricting water flow by about 20 percent.

2) The hose is actually a plastic tube surrounded by a braided
cloth sleeve, which easily rips off the hose ends, exposing the
plastic tube. Also, the braided cloth snags on brick or concrete.

3) The hose is easily pinched or kinked, restricting flow further.
You must unwind the entire 50-ft reel if you want to water something
10 feet from the faucet.

4) It is costly compared to standard garden hose.

------

Others report them springing leaks in a very short time. T hey require
more care & protection, so if you're the sort to leave hoses unwound into
the yard from time to time, expect it to get damaged & have to be thrown
away.

I would not underestimate how annoying it would be to have a hose that
kinks that easily, gets wound up in itself easily, & cannot be used if
only partly removed from its reel but must invariably be unwound to the
complete full length, unlike a round hose on a reel. The only good thing I
remember anyone saying about them is they take up less room when not in
use & are just wonderful if you don't have to use it. They're also
lightweight, so if you're practically crippled (& many gardeners are)
they're easier to lug from one end of the garden to the other. If a yard
has no corners or objects to go around, & the hose just has to always be
in a straight line, perhaps the kinking & snagging problems would be
manageable.

-paghat the ratgirl

"spampot" wrote in message
...
I have been trying to find an article I read in the Washington Post some
weeks ago about a new, flexible, flat, and generally terrific kind of
garden hose, that has of course spawned a lot of cheap and unreliable
imitations. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? A web search
turned up a lot of this kind, wound up on a reel, with the note "As Seen
On TV" -- but I can't find any mention of the manufacturer. Any advice
or experience with this device?

TIA.


I had one and hated it. I had a teeny-tiny little spot of grass outside of
an apartment and got the hose for that grass. It hooked up to the sink and I
unrolled it maybe 25', what a pain to roll back up. In theory it's a great
idea, in practice it stinks.

--
Kristen
Zone 6, SE NY

I have also had experience with the flat hoses.
To use it it must be completely unrolled.
rolling it back up is also a pain.
I think my next hose will be the curly one.
The flat one definitely stinks.


"KrisHur" wrote in message
...
"spampot" wrote in message
...
I have been trying to find an article I read in the Washington Post some
weeks ago about a new, flexible, flat, and generally terrific kind of
garden hose, that has of course spawned a lot of cheap and unreliable
imitations. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? A web search
turned up a lot of this kind, wound up on a reel, with the note "As Seen
On TV" -- but I can't find any mention of the manufacturer. Any advice
or experience with this device?

TIA.


I had one and hated it. I had a teeny-tiny little spot of grass outside of
an apartment and got the hose for that grass. It hooked up to the sink and
I
unrolled it maybe 25', what a pain to roll back up. In theory it's a great
idea, in practice it stinks.

--
Kristen
Zone 6, SE NY

On Fri, 28 Mar 2003 15:52:23 -0500, spampot wrote:

I have been trying to find an article I read in the Washington Post some
weeks ago about a new, flexible, flat, and generally terrific kind of
garden hose, that has of course spawned a lot of cheap and unreliable
imitations. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? A web search
turned up a lot of this kind, wound up on a reel, with the note "As Seen
On TV" -- but I can't find any mention of the manufacturer. Any advice
or experience with this device?

I read a (short) blurb from a local TV station that regularly tests
ASOTV products, and it was a definite thumbs down. The problem of
having to un-reel the whole 50' to use at all wasn't mentioned, but
one tester's product arrived with holes, and another disintegrated
after a single use.

Not for nothing, but do people find regular hoses THAT cumbersome that theres a
need for some kind of (usually) ineffective, replacement contraption? A flat,
lightweight hose will become easily damaged, and those "phone cord" hoses are
all of poor quality (vinyl) and small diameter (less water).

Give me my 5/8" Sears Craftsman, guranteed forever, all rubber 75' black hose
with drive-over-able solid brass couplings any day. In fact, give me 4!


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