Best garden hose reel

Use a garden hose reel and you can keep the hose tidy, free of kinks, and away from debris when your watering chores are done.

AMES 2519100 NeverLeak Cold-Weather Resistant Cabinet with Auto-Track Reel
(Image credit: AMES)

A garden hose reel will keep your hose neat. One of these will save you the trip back and forth to wherever you’ve been storing the hose and it will also prevent accidental trips and falls. Go for one of our brilliant selections and the hose is ready to use whenever you need to tend to your plants, clean the car, or even a muddy pooch.

Best overall

AMES 2388340 ReelEasy Side Mount Reel

(Image credit: AMES)

AMES 2388340 ReelEasy side-mount reel

Comfortable grip

Neutral in color, this hose reel will prove a subtle addition to your yard. It has an integrated hose guide so your hose aligns with the reel for easy winding. There’s a clip to hold the end of the hose ready to grab, too. 

Best for big yards

Liberty Garden 880-2 Garden Hose Reel Cart

(Image credit: Liberty Garden)

Liberty Garden 880-2 garden hose reel cart

Free wheeling

Move your hose round easily with this clever cart design. It can hold up to 300 feet of hose ready to use. A low center of gravity prevents tipping as you move around, and it’s made to last in weather-resistant powder-coated steel. You can keep garden tools onboard in the handy basket. 

Best for easy use

Suncast JSF175 175 ft Hosemobile Reel Cart Hose Caddy

(Image credit: Suncast)

Suncast JSF175 175 ft Hosemobile reel cart hose caddy

Pick up and go

You can pick up this reel at the top to move it to where it’s needed, or make use of the wheels. For winding the hose, it has a large crank to make the job effort-free. This design’s made from plastic to avoid rust and corrosion concerns.

Best for low temperatures

AMES 2519100 NeverLeak Cold-Weather Resistant Cabinet with Auto-Track Reel

(Image credit: AMES)

AMES 2519100 NeverLeak cold weather-resistant cabinet with auto-track reel

Looks like garden furniture

If you live in an area where cold weather’s inevitable, check out this design where the hose reel is built into a cabinet to withstand the conditions. You’ll be able to fit 150 feet of hose inside. The crank’s easily accessible on the side and the hose guide ensures even winding.

Best for style

Liberty Garden Products 709-S2 Hose Reel

(Image credit: Liberty Garden Products )

Liberty Garden Products 709-S2 hose reel

Durable metallic style

You can hang this smart reel on the wall, or use its rubber boots to floor mount it if you prefer. The material from which it’s made makes it durable in all weather as well as good looking. All you need to do when it arrives is attach the crank handle.

Our verdict

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Hose reels can be simple in design creating a place to loop your hose from the wall, or portable to assist you in moving it around the garden, too. Our favorite is the AMES 2388340 ReelEasy side-mount reel. It’s a great way to tidy your hose and keep it off the ground, and it's neutral to match with most exteriors.

If you need to wheel your hose a long way, the Liberty Garden 880-2 garden hose reel cart is a top choice. Robustly made, it’s designed not to topple and you can even carry garden tools in the onboard basket. 

Why trust us?

At GardeningEtc, we recommend the best products to enhance your life. As expert curators, we handpick products based on quality and usefulness to positively impact your day-to-day, from cart to doorstep. We take our responsibility seriously — testing products, reading reviews, and sourcing knowledgeable outlets to ensure our selections are worthy of your time and money. We deliver detailed product overviews, balancing objective information with subjective opinions, so making the best choice for your home and lifestyle is as easy as possible.

Sarah Warwick
Freelance writer

Sarah is a freelance journalist and editor writing for websites, national newspapers, and magazines. She’s spent most of her journalistic career specialising in homes and gardens and loves investigating the benefits, costs and practicalities of home improvement. It's no big surprise that she likes to put what she writes about into practice, and is a serial house revamper.