The Rumford Gardener Tuff-Guard Expanding Hose, 50-Feet

This product looked a little heavier duty than comparable expanding hoses, but it failed just as quickly as the rest. In less than two weeks of use the outer fabric which keeps the inner tubing from over expanding split open and it instantly expanded to the point of bursting, creating a huge mess until I could run to shut off the water. The brass fittings are better than other "pocket" hoses I've purchased and I've requested a replacement from Amazon to try this one again, but if the next one doesn't make it, I'll just have to go back to a traditional hose.

I chose this expanding hose because of the brass fittings. I have no faith in anything that has a plastic fitting, because it will invariable crack, or wear down, and will leak. I've had this hose for several weeks now, it's used almost daily, and so far, has performed beautifully. It's so lightweight, even when full of water. My old rubber hose weighed a ton, it seemed, and it wore me out to drag it the fifty feet to the back corners of my yard. The fittings have not leaked yet, and I doubt that they will.When I'm through watering, I bring the end of the hose back to the faucet area, which is located in a gap in a flowerbed. I have a big flagstone there that serves as a resting place for the hose. This leaves a long loop of the hose trailing out into the yard. When I turn the water off, I just lay the end down, with the nozzle set in an open position. Then I just pick up loops of the hose, which are quite light, and starting from the end nearest the faucet, I pile them onto the flagstone. I finish with the nozzle end of the hose on top of the pile. All the while, the water that's being forced out as the hose contracts is running onto a shrub in the bed. In a couple of minutes, the hose has emptied itself, and is once again a small compact pile of loops, waiting to be called into service again. I highly recommend this hose.

First off: the construction is amazing. I was looking for a lightweight hose, saw the awful reviews of the DAP X-Hose and quickly decided that would not work. I am also a huge 'brass fitting' guy so this was a no brainer, even at the high cost.The bad: Because of the pressure build up in the hose and the release of that pressure when water flows the water does not come out as strong as a traditional hose. I thought it would be a stronger stream because of the pressure but I was wrong. This becomes a problem when washing a car or trying to get a strong stream to clean something.The Good: I have a good size lot which means sometimes I have to attach 2 hoses together or use a cumbersome hundred footer. I decided to purchase this hose as my add on hose and it works great! It really does everything you would hope from a lightweight, expanding hose.I would recommend this hose to any gardener. If you want to wash your car be prepared for extra elbow grease to remove bugs and dirt that would have been removed with a traditional hose.

I may have given this higher marks had I not bought three of them. Two worked fine, the third one leaks like crazy inside the nylon covering where the hose attaches to the brass fitting. It appears to be ruptured or broken in there. Like other reviews, I agree that the outer nylon cloth seems durable enough, and the brass fittings hooked to my garden nozzle and my spigot smoothly.The hose is light, and easy to handle, pressurized or not. Also, I agree with other reviewers that there seems to be some loss of pressure in these expanding hoses over the usually firm-walled plastic hoses. So don't expect your jet to reach as far or have as much pressure with these expanding hoses.However, even with these positive attributes, I believe the quality of the individual pieces is so variable that I can't recommend this hose.I am regretting spending the $30 or so on three of these. I have returned the defective hose for a replacement, and hopefully I'll get one that works and isn't broken inside at the fitting.

Man I have had it with these hoses that expand. I have tried them in every color, brand, and length for the past two years. They are expensive JUNK. The second time I used the hose the seam of the cloth split about 12 inches. I had a tube of water resembling a balloon poking out. I turned off my water and emptied it. It is worthless. My other experiences are leaks which explode. (Balloons bursting), the hose breaks off from the connector, and now the cloth seems splitting. I have a love hate relationship as I totally love these hoses. They are the handiest things ever!! But I hate the fact that I have bought over a dozen of these things in the last year and do not have one left. I am a slow learner I guess. If they could make one that lasts for a few years I would buy them again. So until I see one with 100% rating on quality I won't be wasting a dime on them again. I am joining Expanding Hoses Annoymous.

I have had this hose for several months now. I took a chance based on poor reviews, but thought that many of the problems might be due to NOT following instructions. I give it five stars for six months of use and based on following instructions and using it for its intended purposed. Do not know about durability yet.Update 8/15/2015 - About a month ago this hose sprung a leak rendering it useless. We always charged and discharged it according to instructions. It seems the Texas summers are just too much for this hose. Two weeks ago the one I bought in January of this year failed in the same way. It didn't last even a whole Texas summer. The hose itself is very convenient with its exceptional light weight; however too expensive for such a short life. I bought two "Pockethoses" at Walgreens for $5.00 each to replace these. I don't mind them failing annually for this price due to the convenience I previously cited. The only reason I give it two stars instead of one is it is convenient. (Did I say it was convenient? <joking)