I’m approaching this review of the Pocket Hose Ultra differently than I usually do with my other reviews. I’m going into it knowing that I will need to make at least 2 more updates before I’m able to form an opinion or make a recommendation to buy this item. We see a lot of “As seen on TV” products while we’re watching television and while our initial reactions might be good, that doesn’t always continue after long term use of the product. This first part of the review will talk about the Pocket Hose and provide a quick video demo. In a few weeks I’ll follow up with some more thoughts after having used it awhile and then later in the season, I’ll finish the review with my final thoughts. Let’s get started.
Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.
I’ve seen the commercials for the Pocket Hose on TV and always wondered if they were worth buying. I was happy to accept a sample of the Pocket Hose Ultra 50ft version when it was offered to me for review.
The Pocket Hose Ultra arrived in a small-ish plastic bucket. I wondered how the heck 50 feet of garden hose could fit into such a small container. Removing the hose and holding it in my hand reminded me of those compressed t-shirts that you sometimes see.
The Pocket Hose is also available in 25, 75 and 100 foot versions.
The hose unraveled into a light weight, easy to carry, crinkled coil of hose. My initial thoughts were favorable because I hate having to wrestle traditional hoses, which can be heavy and awkward to handle and carry.
The hose has a green fabric cover that feels like canvas and protects the hose from damaging UV rays from the sun. The cover protects the elastomer hose that expands under water pressure. Note: The hose should only be used outdoors with under 80psi of water pressure. You should not use this hose with a pressure washer.
Each end of the Pocket Hose has what they call an AmberTip tight seal connector. These are hard yellow plastic threaded connectors.
One end is male and the other end is female. The female end connects to your outdoor water spigot. The male end has a removable adapter with a shut-off valve.
In the On position, water will flow out of the hose.
The water will not flow when the adapter is in the Off position. This adapter can be removed to attach a spray nozzle.
I didn’t measure it, but the 50ft hose is supposed to be about 17ft when it’s contracted and only weighs about a pound.
Here is a quick video showing my first time using the Pocket Hose Ultra.
05/06/14 First impressions: Light weight, easy to coil up when contracted. The shut-off valve does leak a little as you were able to see in the video. I also noticed some slight leaking on the spigot end too. So far it gets a thumbs up.
In a couple weeks I’ll update the review to reflect how it holds up after day-to-day use watering flowers and other things. Then later in the summer, I’ll follow up with my final thoughts.
05/13/14: We’ve been using the Pocket Hose for the past week and so far it’s working like a champ. We’ve unhooked it several times from the spigot and added a spray nozzle to the other end. The plastic fittings have not cracked and we’re not having any leakage issues.
10/29/14: We’ve been using the Pocket Hose all summer and it’s still working fine with no leaks or broken fittings. However it’s no longer retracting all the way when you turn off the water and drain the hose. This is most likely due to the fact that we have left it connected to the spigot all summer. Sun and weather might have caused this issue. The hose is still easier to coil than most hoses we’ve had over the years.
05/25/16: The Pocket Hose Ultra finally died after 2 years of service. We didn’t baby this hose. It was left out in the sun for two summers and thrown in an unheated garage for two winters. Last night Jeanne came in to the house to tell me that she just had just had some “fun”. Apparently she was using the Pocket Hose with an attached spray nozzle to water her plants when she felt something move near her hand. She looked down and noticed a big bulging green balloon near the spray nozzle connection point. Before she was able to do anything, the balloon burst and this was what was the result:
FYI: The newer Pocket Hose with the brass hardware which I reviewed last summer is still going strong.
For more info about the Pocket Hose Ultra, visit Telebrands.
Product Information
| Price: | $12.99 - $39.99 (price depends on hose length) |
| Manufacturer: | Telebrands |
| Pros: |
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| Cons: |
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Wow Julie ..an amazing coincidence,
I just dealt with this hose. I managed to break the plastic end piece the first time I tightened it up to my water spigot (mind you…I do possess Herculean strength). Got a replacement and the end that attaches to the spray nozzle broke after 2 more uses.
I decided to step it up a notch and try the DAP X-Hose Pro, which has brass fittings. It;s been working perfectly over the four uses.
I hope your mileage varies.
Al
@Alester I came home today with full intentions of using the Pocket Hose to wash my car. Unfortunately the hose is too short and the spray nozzle I attached to it was defective… in other words water sprayed everywhere and curse words were uttered. Next stop Lowes for a new spray nozzle.
Is the other hose you mentioned made by the same folks as the Pocket Hose.
I don’t believe the two products are from the same company. The product you have and the one I purchased (from Walmart) are manufactured by Telebrands , Inc.
The hose that I replaced it with and seems to holding up quite well, is the X-Hose Pro manufactured by DAP. I bought a set of two 75 footers and gave one ot my parents. Their’s seems to be holding up well so far, too.
Here’s the website I purchased from, though it’s available on Amazon.
https://www.xhosepro.com
The X-Hose Pro does look nicer… It can handle higher PSI too…
It’s a tough problem to have. All of these hoses are super convenient if they hold together, but almost none of them have great reviews from the usual consumer websites (Amazon, etc.)
It won’t last to make the 2nd review update.
I recently got this hose (or something which looks alike) as a gift from my mother-in-law. After reading the manual, I came to the conclusion that this hose wasn’t suited for our kind of use. The manual states that it can’t be left lying in the sun, should preferably by drained after every use, and that the hose isn’t frost-proof. The coating lacks a piercing protection, so dragging the hose through a shrubbery of thorny plants isn’t an option. And because the coating is from a fabric-like material, I suspect it to get dirty quite easily. Another problem is storage: because this hose cannot be rolled-up on your typical hose trolley, you have to find another way of storing it, i.e. in a box. But first you have decouple and drain it. Quite cumbersome.
I’ll stick to my armored 200 ft garden hose with a trolley. It’s much heavier, and more expensive than the Pocket Hose, but it’s also extremely more durable.
We had this (or a very similar AS SEEN ON TV) hose when we lived in the apartment. It was very convenient since the only spigot we had was under a sink in the bathroom. We used it for our saltwater reef tank. It however only lasted about a year of INDOOR use before the plastic ends cracked and became worthless.
@Andrew the plastic ends feel like they’ve been printed on a 3D printer.
I’ve got this hose (50ft version).
I also have a 100+ lbs German shepherd who loves to chew things up. I’ve learned my lesson after buying this twice.
What I did was pick up one of these from my local hardware store:
http://www.amazon.com/Orbit-Brass-Quick-Connect-58117/dp/B00004S25O/
That makes it easy to remove the hose entirely and hang it away from the dogs reach.
With regards to leaks, I didn’t use the shutoff valve at all. I also used some Teflon tape around the threads and hand tightened everything.
Andrew:
Maybe I’ve been lucky, but we’ve got 1 year of out door use behind us. It’s also stored outdoors (but not in direct sunlight).
I tried the first X-Hose and was disappointed in the plastic fittings. I thought I would wait until they came out withy a version with brass fittings. So when the X-Hose Pro (black with brass fittings) came out I bought four. After using each one for less than 3 times EACH I can say that the brass fittings are very good (one is stuck in the open position and I did not want to force it closed using tools less I damage the hose). All four leaked at the point where the hose attaches to the brass fittings. Whatever method they use to attach the hose to the fitting is damaging the hose…and I am not talking about a small leak. These are gushers. Unfortunately I bought the hoses around Christmas and I just started using them (April 2014)and when I went to return them I got out the paper work and found that they are guaranteed for only 90 days. The X-Hose Ultra has a lifetime warranty (and the reviews above are not good and I am reluctant to try it for fear I will be paying return shipping and be without a hose for weeks while and IF they replace it. NOT AT ALL SATISFIED WITH ANY OF THE X-HOSES…YET.
I wish I had read these reviews before I ordered and hope I do not have similar experience. I bought one at Bed Bath & beyond and am not happy with that one so hope this x hose pro is the strong one
Sharon Carson
Purchased the pocket hose ulta 75 foot and used it for 3 weeks until it blew a hole out the side. Very disappointed with this hose. I have to wait 6 to 8 weeks for the replacement to come in by that time the summer will be over. I am sorry I purchased this in the first place
The hose I bought in April 2014 has a leak in it and I would like to return it for a new one as it has a life time warranty, but I cannot find an address on the website so I do not know how to return it. Can anyone out there help me?
i bought 2 of both the x-hose & dap hose. all eventually blew a hole in the interior expansion hose/tube. had sworn off them until i mentioned to a home depot person that they were junk. he was surprised but told me if i bought from them they would replace defective ones. so i bought 2 more, i suspect they will fail too, but expect hd to replace. the thing is i really like the easy of using them. wish someone could do a better job on the part quality.
any update from julie?
@Jim thanks for the reminder. We’ve been using the Pocket Hose all summer and it’s still working fine with no leaks or broken fittings. However it’s no longer retracting all the way when you turn off the water and drain the hose. This is most likely due to the fact that we have left it connected to the spigot all summer. Sun and weather might have caused this issue. The hose is still easier to coil than most hoses we’ve had over the years.