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Higher grade hoses will kink less and be able to deal with higher pressures, but be heavier and pricier. My Gardena Classic seems better than any Hozelock I've used in the past, especially considering the water pressure I have now (I think about 8 Bar!). How long a hose do you need and how often are you coiling / uncoiling it? The 'pro' level hoses will be a pain to coil on a small reel.
chiroshi-
As above, 30m or 25m at a push.
How often I use it will depend on the weather. Last year I hardly used it at all. This year - a lot! Not sure I can accommodate a wall mounted reel. The tap is in a very narrow carport built for 70s-sized cars and I often collide with the boiler flue when squeezing past. Also if I left a hose outside permanently someone would probably knick it sooner or later. I'm sure I will miss the expandable hose but they are notoriously fragile and mine did well to last 4 years.
Paralucent
Can anyone recommend a decent garden hose (~30m)?
I'm in Edinburgh which is not (yet) subject to a hosepipe ban. If you heard a voice scream "Oh no!" at around 7:30pm last night that was me the moment my expandy hose exploded. The sound carried for several miles.
I won't buy another expandable hose though it did have its advantages: it was lightweight, it never kinked, and it came with a spray gun and connectors, both of which I needed at the time. I'm hoping to reuse them with the new hose. The downsides are a) you can't use an expandable hose with a sprinkler, and b) it has a very slight tendency to explode. I had it for 4 years which isn't too bad going I suppose.
There so many different hoses on the market. Even if I went with the obvious choice of Hozelock they have several different ones on the market. What exactly is a 'starter hose' anyway? Is it for beginners who've never watered a plant before?