The Best Garden Hoses and Hose Reels in Australia
The best garden hoses and hose reels in Australia: an expanding hose, two reels and a budget pick, compared on price at Australian retailers.
On this page
The hose kinks at the tap, knots itself by the side gate and still doesn’t reach the back fence. For most people that’s why they go looking for the best garden hose in Australia. Our pick is the Pocket Hose Copper Head. It swivels at the tap so it doesn’t crease there, it shrinks back into a small pile when you turn the water off, and two Australian sites we trust recommend it.
If you’d rather have a reel, or you just want something cheap that works, we’ve got a pick for each below.
The short answer
The best garden hoses in Australia
- Best overall: Pocket Hose Copper Head
- Best portable hose reel: Gardena 8010
- Best self-winding hose reel: Hozelock Auto Reel (2403)
- Best budget garden hose: Darekuku 30m Garden Hose (DR01)
| Product | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Pocket Hose Copper Head w/New Pocket Pivot Expandable Garden Hose 100FT (17729) | from $159.95 at Amazon | $159.95 at Amazon |
 | Gardena 8010 (08010-20) | from $152.31 at Amazon | $152.31 at Amazon |
 | Hozelock Auto Reel 20m (2403) | from $293.29 at Amazon | $293.29 at Amazon |
 | DAREKUKU Garden Hose 30m Water Hose (DR01) | from $49.99 at Amazon | $49.99 at Amazon |
1. Best overall: Pocket Hose Copper Head
Most hose trouble starts in the first half-metre. The hose bends hard where it leaves the tap, folds over and the flow dies, and you walk back to fix it. The Pocket Hose Copper Head tackles that with what Pocket Hose calls the Pocket Pivot. It’s a swivel at the tap end that the maker says reduces strain and stops creases forming. If that’s your daily fight with the hose, this is the main reason to buy it.
It’s also an expanding hose. productreview.com.au recommends it as an ultra-lightweight hose that grows to three times its length under pressure and shrinks back for storage. Day to day, that means a hose of about 30 m that ends up as a small bundle by the tap, not a heavy coil you have to drag back to a hook.
Pocket Hose says it opens out to a full 18 mm diameter and is rated to about 4,500 kPa (650 PSI) before bursting. That’s far more pressure than a garden tap puts out, so read it as “hard to burst”, not as a reason on its own to buy. The maker also says the hose is lead-free and safe for drinking water, which matters if you fill the dog’s bowl from it or the kids drink from it on a hot afternoon.
Here’s the catch. It costs about three times as much as our budget pick.
Pros
- Swivel at the tap end stops the hose creasing there
- Shrinks back small, so it’s easy to store
- Maker says it’s safe for drinking water
- Comes with a 10-pattern thumb-control nozzle
Cons
- No owner score yet at the retailers we check, so you’re relying on independent recommendations
- About three times the price of the Darekuku budget hose
Our verdict: If kinks at the tap and a tangled hose are what’s annoying you, buy this one. It’s the hose we’d put on most Australian back taps.
- Amazon$159.95In stock · as of 19 Oct, 11:16amBuy at Amazon
Amazon price is accurate as of the time shown and can change. Other prices were checked on the retailer's site on the date shown.
2. Best portable hose reel: Gardena 8010
Some people don’t want a hose that grows and shrinks. They want a plain hose that winds onto something tidy and can be carried to the pots on the balcony or the veggie patch by the shed. The Gardena 8010 is built for that. It arrives assembled, it’s small, and Gardena says the handle lets you carry the drum around and start watering quickly.
nestpath.com.au and findershopping.com.au both recommend it as a portable manual reel, pointing to its triangular frame for stability and its durable crank handle. Gardena’s own pitch is that it “replaces a watering can”, which is a modest goal for a hose reel but a fair description of who it suits.
The obvious objection is length. You get about 10 m of hose plus a short leader, for about the same money as the Pocket Hose, which gives you roughly three times the reach. The hose is also 12 mm, so it’s narrower than the Pocket Hose’s 18 mm. If your tap is at one end of a big block, this isn’t the one.
Pros
- Arrives assembled, so it’s ready to use out of the box
- Light, with a carry handle for moving it around the garden
- Hose is wound onto the reel, so it’s neat to store
Cons
- Only about 10 m of hose, too short for a large yard
- You wind it back by hand with the crank
Our verdict: It’s right for courtyards, balconies and small gardens where 10 m reaches everything. If you need more length, the Pocket Hose reaches much further.
- Amazon$152.31In stock · as of 19 Oct, 11:16amBuy at Amazon
Amazon price is accurate as of the time shown and can change. Other prices were checked on the retailer's site on the date shown.
3. Best self-winding hose reel: Hozelock Auto Reel (2403)
Winding a hose back up is the job everyone leaves for later. That’s how a hose ends up flattened in the driveway or stiff in a sunny corner all summer. The Hozelock Auto Reel winds the hose back in for you. productreview.com.au recommends it for a retraction speed controller that prevents tangles, a reel that rotates 180° so you can position it, and an anti-kink hose.
That same productreview.com.au listing notes that support in Australia may be limited. For the dearest pick in this guide, that’s worth thinking about: it costs nearly twice as much as the Pocket Hose.
One more thing to check: the model name says 20 m, but the Amazon listing title says it comes with a 30 m hose. Confirm the length on the listing before you buy. It’s also heavy, with a package weight of 11.75 kg, so decide where it’ll live before it arrives.
Pros
- Winds the hose back in for you, so it isn’t left lying around
- Speed control on the retraction to stop tangles
- Swings 180° to point the hose where you’re working
Cons
- The dearest pick here, nearly twice the price of the Pocket Hose
- productreview.com.au notes support in Australia may be limited
- Hose length on the listing (30 m) doesn’t match the model name (20 m), so check before buying
Our verdict: Buy it if you hate winding hoses and you’re willing to pay for a reel that does it for you. If the price or the support worries you, the Pocket Hose solves the tangle problem for much less.
- Amazon$293.29In stock · as of 19 Oct, 11:16amBuy at Amazon
Amazon price is accurate as of the time shown and can change. Other prices were checked on the retailer's site on the date shown.
4. Best budget garden hose: Darekuku 30m Garden Hose (DR01)
Sometimes the old hose has split and you just need one that works by the weekend without spending much. The Darekuku 30m Garden Hose is the cheapest pick here by a long way, at about a third of the price of the Pocket Hose. You still get 30 m of hose and a 10-function spray gun. It also comes with connectors for both 12 mm and 18 mm taps, so it should fit whatever tap you’ve got.
It’s here because it was ranked number 1 in Automotive Nozzles & Hose Attachments on Amazon Australia at the time of writing, not because any owner has scored it: we found no owner rating for it at the retailers we check. The category fits the listing, which pitches it for washing the car as much as for the garden. Darekuku says the 2500D fabric cover protects the inner hose from punctures, sharp objects and corners. That matters on a hose that gets dragged around the side of the house.
The real drawback is that Darekuku says it’s not suitable for drinking water. If the hose fills a pet’s water bowl or the kids drink from it, buy the Pocket Hose instead.
Pros
- Cheapest pick here, about a third of the Pocket Hose’s price
- Comes with 12 mm and 18 mm tap connectors and spare washers
- Hook and storage bag included
Cons
- Not suitable for drinking water, according to the maker
- No independent recommendation either, so it’s more of a gamble
Our verdict: This is the value buy for washing the car and watering the garden on a tight budget. Skip it if anyone, two legs or four, drinks from the hose.
- Amazon$49.99In stock · as of 19 Oct, 11:16amBuy at Amazon
Amazon price is accurate as of the time shown and can change. Other prices were checked on the retailer's site on the date shown.
How we chose
We haven’t tested these hoses ourselves.
- Owner ratings. None of these four had an owner rating at the retailers we check, so we also used recommendations from independent Australian sites, which are linked in each section.
- Sales. Where a product was chosen on its Amazon Australia best-seller rank alone, we say so, and it sits below the recommended picks.
- Maker specifications. Lengths, diameters, connectors and features come from the makers’ listings.
- Where they’re sold. All four are sold only through Amazon Australia in our price data, so check the warranty and returns terms before you order.
Prices and stock change often. The product boxes show live prices, so compare today’s prices below each pick before you buy.
Garden hose buying guide
If your hose always kinks at the tap
The bend where the hose leaves the tap is where most kinks happen. Look for a swivel connector at the tap end, like the Pocket Hose’s Pocket Pivot, so the hose can turn as you walk instead of folding.
If the hose lives in a tangle by the back door
You have two fixes. An expanding hose shrinks back once the water is off, so there’s less to coil. A reel gives the hose a home, and an automatic reel like the Hozelock winds it in for you. A manual reel like the Gardena is cheaper and easy to carry, but you still have to turn the crank.
If it doesn’t reach the far corner
Measure from the tap to the furthest bed or the far side of the car, then add a few metres for going around corners. Buying too short is the most common mistake. Buying far too long just means more hose to drag around and store.
If the water trickles out
A wider hose carries more water. An 18 mm (3/4 inch) hose like the Pocket Hose will feel stronger at the nozzle than a 12 mm one. Low pressure at the tap itself is a plumbing issue, and a new hose won’t fix it.
If the fittings don’t match your tap
Taps and fittings come in different thread sizes. A hose that ships with both 12 mm and 18 mm connectors, like the Darekuku, saves a trip to the hardware store. Keep the spare washers, because a worn washer is usually what makes a fitting drip.
If people or pets drink from it
Check the listing. Pocket Hose says its Copper Head is drinking-water safe. Darekuku says its hose isn’t. If the listing says nothing either way, assume it’s for the garden only.
Making any hose last longer
Drain it after use and store it out of the sun. Darekuku recommends both for its hose, and the advice holds for any hose left out through an Australian summer.
Garden hose FAQs
Are expanding hoses better than normal hoses?
They’re lighter and much easier to store, which is why we put one first. A normal rubber hose or a reel suits people who’d rather have a hose that stays the same length and winds up neatly.
Do I need a hose reel?
Not if an expanding hose solves your storage problem. A reel makes the most sense when the hose stays in one spot, such as a front tap or a side path, and you want it off the ground and out of the way.
What length garden hose should I buy?
Measure from the tap to the furthest point you water, then add a little extra. Most of the picks here are about 30 m. The Gardena’s hose is about 10 m, which suits small gardens and balconies.
