Retractable Air Hose Reels

[AEA]

Can anyone suggest good quality brands from which to choose a new reel? I am going to install one and want a reel that will provide trouble free service in a moderate usage application.

 

[gasman]

I have had no problems with the one that I purchased from Harbor Freight. It has a hand crank.

 

[Doug Lewis]

There's no name on my retractable but it's the cheapest one I could find that holds 100'. $75 at Fleet Farm. Works great and gets used often.

 

[lancef53]

Go for the cheap one

We have 4 or 5 in our farm shop, and after 10 years of use, they are all still working. We have two high dollar ones, and cox reels and a reelcraft. They were around $350 each. We also have some of the cheap HF type spring rewind ones, and they still work fine too. The biggest difference is the quality of the hose.

Go for the cheap one, and replace the hose with a good one in 6 months or a year when it starts to crack.

 

[AEA]

Thanks for the input, now it's time to shop.

 

[rzbill]

dont forget the Home Depo

At the time, my local Depo had a better value than HF.
It came with a nice version of the roller hose guides and was cheaper too. (thats the important bit)
Shop Around.

 

[bruceh]

I picked up a Kobalt one at Lowe's with 50' of hose for $50. Works great, no leaks.

 

[diamond]

Most of the retractable hoses in the stores seem to be 3/8" size. I assume that is the size most RV builders buy. So do you then use 3/8" fittings between the hose and tools? or do you reduce down to 1/4" fittings?