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- Verified Buyer
Unlike other plastic Suncrest hose reels, this one was straight forward and easy to connect to the hose and DID NOT require maneuvering a vise grip. Winding the hose back after use is also easier than other hose reels I've had. I use a 50 ft hose. However, I suspect that a longer 75 ft hose may be too long for the reel.I really like this hose reel. It's compact and looks nice in our backyard, unlike the plastic ones which abound. I just received it, however it was water-tight when I tested it, which bodes well. It won't hold 75' of hose, at least not 75' of Craftsman rubber garden hose; I've got 50' on mine and the reel is full. That's okay with me; I only planned on putting 50' on it anyway. I attached it to a 16"x16" concrete paver for stability; this set-up works very well for me, especially since the reel itself is so light. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because the included leader hose appears very cheap. The company could very easily have provided one comparable in quality to their reel. One last thing; the 4 phillips-head screws which attach both handles are difficult to tighten sufficiently. The crank handle came loose after one use, despite the fact that I tightened the screws to the point of almost striping the heads. I replaced them with stainless steel hex-head screws and lock-washers, and added a dab of blue Loctite. Hopefully that problem is now solved.Two year update: I recently noticed that the nylon bushing on the crank side has become dislodged from it's position. It's apparent from the original photo taken right after purchase that it's position was problematic to begin with. The reel was turning on probably about 1/16" of it initially; I guess the stress on that little bit of bushing wore it enough to force it out of position; it's held in by friction only. I called Yard Butler; they're sending me a new bushing. To prevent this from occurring again, I added some large fender washers to the hex head screws to keep the bushing in position. Aside from this, it's been a good reel. No rust to speak of, and no leaks at all.Assembly: If you're foolish enough to do step one, you will find you are screwed and will have to undo it. The problem is a short hard black plastic tube with a flange on one end. Its function is to reduce play between the hollow metal shaft on the reel and the leg bracket that helps hold this shaft in place. (In the Amazon photo, this spacer is white and is apparently made of nylon rather than black plastic). Unfortunately, this part is not listed in the parts list nor in the assembly instructions. Step one must be something like, "Slide spacer onto the round horizontal shaft on the reel, flange toward the outside, until it contacts the bracket." The instructions should be corrected and the spacer shown in the "assembly parts."Mounting: Only two holes are provided. Why would only two holes be available to attach a 12 pound 75-foot hose PLUS the reel to a brick or wooden wall, especially when they will be subjected to the constant tugging of pulling out of the hose? Four holes should be provided, not two. Also, in my case, I am not going to mount the reel. However, when the reel is placed on the ground, it is unstable when the hose is pulled out. Again, the legs should have four holes, not two. I went to Lowe's and bought two 14 inch long rods with the last two inches bent at a 45 degree angle to place in the holes for stability. Again, it would be better to place four rods in the legs for stability.After assembly, I found the hose easily and smoothly rewinds back into the reel, and by using two metal rods, the reel is stable when pulling out the hose.This reel can be significantly improved by correcting the assembly directions and adding a couple of holes to the base.I gave this product a rating of "1" because that's he only rating usually read. If I gave it a rating of 3, no one would read it.This is the best hose reel I’ve ever had. Super well-made.Metal, not lightweight plastic. Quality parts.Easy to wind because it is low to the ground. The sturdy handle on top makes it easy to hold in place while using.It is smaller than it looks in the photo. Had to use a shorter hose in order to wind it completely on the reel.The O-ring seals dislodged after a few uses and the assembly is now leaking too much water to have any useful water pressure from the hose. I tried shoving the seals back into the assembly, but any pressure caused by a kinked hose shoots the O-rings back out.UPDATE:Yard Butler has lifetime warranty on their reel. I contacted their support and received a response within a day. They did not give any reluctance or hassle to the warranty coverage. They promptly sent me the replacement part after providing a few pictures and a description of the issue.Easy to install. Sturdy. Looks nice.Product delivery insulation was very poor. Reel tube made hole in box and was smashed at the tip, preventing hand crank to be pushed in, also the beass nuts that were pressed in to secure the crank needed to be filed down to fit snugly into the rounded tube end. After rounding tube and filling down brass, its ok and useableThis hose reel arrived the other day and I used it for the first time yesterday. It came pretty much completely installed. All I had to do was screw on two handles, and that was it. It seems very sturdy, made of 100% metal. It is quite small and doesn't take up much space, which is nice. The true test will be to find out how long this reel will last. I will try to remember to pop back in a year or so to update this review and let you know if it has developed any leaks or other issues. Based on the way the reel looks and operates, I'm cautiously optimistic that it is worth the cost. It isn't cheap, especially for a small reel that only holds a maximum of 75 feet of hose, but I have gone through 3 cheap, plastic hose reels in recent years, so I'm hoping this one lasts significantly longer than the others.Sturdy but it leaks at the hose bibb connection a bit. I have to use sealing tape and a wrench which is weird.I ordered this to hold my 50ft python aquarium hose. Wall mounted above the sink in the laundry room, making routine water changes a breeze!Sturdy, low profile. Perfect for the hose reel box I have constructed.
