7 Best Garden Hoses in Australia (2024 Reviews)

1. Hoselink Superflex Garden Hose 

Hoselink’s 20m Superflex hose is ideal for busy gardeners looking for a reliable hose. It’s got all the quality and durability of hoses twice its price and will last for decades with proper care.

Its price point is frankly unbeatable, but it’s not just about that. We’ve always loved Hoselink products, but never had a chance to get to know their inner workings, until now.

The multi-layered pipe is made from flexible Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) which is far sturdier than standard rubber. That means that when it heats up it becomes more usable, without risking damage. Because of its general sturdiness, it’s almost impossible to kink too.

2. Hozelock Tuffhoze Hybrid Garden Hose

Hozelock’s Tuffhoze is the most durable hose we’ve ever come across. It bends around tight corners without any chance of kinking, and its woven skin is insanely easy to clean, and wrap up, and helps it to keep its position. 

Thanks to its durable inner skin, it winds well around a reel but works just as well draped over the tap thanks to its lightweight design. If you’re after an easy-to-use hose that looks good around the garden, you just can’t beat this 25m Hozelock hose, but it does come at a pretty steep price!

3. Hoselink Weeper Hose

Weeper hoses might not be for everyone, but I swear by them. They take so much effort out of gardening, particularly if you’re an avid veggie grower like me. The 15m weeper hose from Hoselink is perfect for greenhouses and just needs connecting up to a basic hose pipe once every few days for a couple of hours.

After that, you’ll have perfectly, evenly, moist soil around your veggies, and you get to sit back and read the paper while it does all the hard work. Like most weeper hoses, the Hoselink option is pretty hard to break and completely kink resistant.

When it’s not in use it stores away really easily too, with a lightweight, expandable pipe.

4. Pope Legacy Garden Hose

There’s nothing fancy about Pope’s 50m hose, but it's built properly, with respect to its use, and clearly manufactured to the highest standard possible. Its reinforced, braided middle layer prevents anything from puncturing the central pipe, while the flexible rubber outer tube gives it full flex, and prevents kinking.

As well as that, it’s for a fully UV-coated surface, which keeps it flexible for longer, and a 15-year guarantee. If 50m is too long for your garden, there are cheaper options too, at 15m and 30m to suit any sized yard.

5. Hozelock Expandable Hose Superhoze

The 30m Superhoze from Hozelock is just an outstanding product. Its fabric sheath isn’t bombproof, but I’ve had one of these for years, and even with a spade pressed directly onto it, it doesn’t tear.

But it’s not just that it’s useful for clumsy gardeners like me, this expandable hose shrinks back to a lightweight bundle of pipe and fabric when it’s not in use, so it stores easily in a bucket in the garage, or draped over the tap.

OK, so it can’t be used with a hose reel, but for many garners, hose reels are an imposition, rather than an asset.

6. Hozelock UltraFlex Hose 

The only real criticism I’ve got of the Hozelock Ultraflex is its colour. Other than the garish yellow and acid-green pipe (which stands out like a sore thumb in any garden) it’s one of the most durable hose pipes you can buy on a budget.

With five layers of piping, there are few hose pipes that can stand up to accidents like it, and for the environmentally conscious gardeners amongst us, it’s made from 40% recycled plastics, helping to clean up the oceans and keep our gardens planet friendly.

7. Hoselink Soaker Hose

If you’re considering a sprinkler system in the garden but worried about the cost, try out this Hoselink soaker hose instead. It costs a fraction of the price of a standard sprinkler kit and does exactly the same job with even more coverage.

The transparent hose might not look great draped around your lawn, but it does a great job and takes less than a minute to set up even on larger lawns. Literally, drop it over the grass, and tweak the shapes later.

Hoselink’s Superflex is the obvious choice for our top pick of garden hoses. It’s affordable, it’s durable, and it's much more than just functional. For any gardener serious about buying the best tools, this has it all, and it has it on a budget.

With multiple walls and a UV-resistant PVC outer pipe, it would take some serious work to damage this hose. It works on reels and is light enough to drape over taps for a cheap fix too.

Do You Really Need a Garden Hose?

As most modern gardeners will tell you, rainwater is the best source of water for the garden, and I’m very much in that camp. However, the reality of Australian gardens is that saving up enough water for your garden beds and borders is next to impossible. 

Hoses make light work of watering large gardens and help to reduce the burden of heavy watering cans for your patio pots too. With some designs perfectly suited for subtle but constant use around borders, gently soaking borders and shrubs, and perfect for use with tap timers.

What to Look for When Buying a Garden Hose

There are a few things to look out for with any new garden hose, but first, let me tell you a little about why. Like any gardener, when I started my first garden, I was passionate, full of ideas, and packed with the energy to make big changes quickly.

What I lacked was skill, but perhaps more crucially, patience. In my first week of gardening, I got through two hoses. One because it kinked in the summer heat, and the hose walls cracked.

The next, because I left it out over the lawn and dropped a hoe across it by mistake. Safe to say it didn’t last much longer.

There are three things to take away from that: Kinking, single-walled, and UV susceptible hose pipes are not worth your money. Because, to this day, I am still an overly enthusiastic gardener, and I still make mistakes.

The difference? Now I only buy the best tools, hoses included. 

When you’re buying a new hose, look for these three factors:

• Anti-kink
• UV resistant
• Double, or triple, walled

Anti-kink hoses work in a few different ways. There are sprung types, and expandable types, which have soft walls, but the triple-walled anti-kink hoses maintain a sturdy loop when rolled up, making it much easier to pull them around the garden without the dreaded kink.

UV-resistant hoses aren’t new, but they use tougher plastic and rubbers on the outer skin of the hose so that they don’t become brittle, or weaken in full sun.

Double-walled or triple-walled hoses reduce the chances of damage, slicing, or tearing with thick membranes in a second layer, so if you damage the outer skin, they will continue to work, leak-free, for weeks or months to come.

Which Hose Attachments are Best?

Is plastic as good as brass fittings? The answer is definitely no but this doesn’t mean that you must have brass fittings on your garden hose. As with selecting a hose it all depends on how much you’re likely to use it.

If your garden hose will mainly sit on the reel and see action sparingly then plastic fittings may be all you need. However, if you use your garden hose on a regular basis then it makes sense to invest in some quality fittings for it.

The only word of caution is that as brass is a metal, it will heat up if left in the sun so take this into account if your hose regularly finds itself being exposed to sunlight.

Different Types of Garden Hoses

There are four main types of hoses to look out for, and one (at the end) which I strongly advise you steer clear of!

Weeper hose

Weeper hoses are less common than others, but for use with tap timers, or automated irrigation systems they are unbeatable. They have porous skins, which means you can use them both as a standard hose or cap the end to create pressure.

As the pressure builds, water slowly seeps into the beds and borders, leaving your garden evenly moist rather than soaked or wasting water through evaporation. The downside to weeper hoses is that they work best when they are permanently installed, so they can look unsightly if they’re not well covered by planting.

Expandable hose

Expandable hoses are great. They have a flexible rubber tube, with a waterproof fabric layer on the outside. This makes them really easy to move around with, and they take up very little space when not in use.

The downside to expandable hoses is that they can get dirty, and the fabric layer tends to get covered in algae if it’s not regularly rinsed clean. Provided they’re kept dry, and stored properly though, expandable hoses can last much longer than other types, just because they’re easier to store.

Anti-kink hose

Anti-kink is a pretty loose term, meaning simply that your hose won’t form tight bends. Those bends are more susceptible to wear and tear, and the walls of your hose will stretch and can crack over time if it kinks.

Kinks also stop the flow of water while in use too, so are best avoided. There really isn’t a downside to anti-kink hoses, but be aware that all of the other types of hose in this list will have anti-kink options. Choose them!

Soaker hose

Soaker hoses are similar to weeper hoses, but rather than seeping moisture out gently they are carefully perforated along their entire length. So when the pressure builds, they spray a gentle jet of water all over the garden. 

They can be used occasionally by just laying your hose out around the garden (choose a 50m hose for this so you don’t need to keep moving it, and snake it all over the yard).

Or, they can be set up like a weeper hose hidden in the shrubs so, when you turn them on, they spray water around the bed and increase humidity, misting tender plants that need extra help.

Retractable Hose Reels

The retractable hose reel I believe is one of the best types of hoses on the market. It is a garden hose which is more durable and heavy duty. Mostly they come in a UV resistant material case, which is wall mounted.

The hose is easy to put away and it keeps your yard clean without a hose lying around or having to manually wind it over a standard hose reel.

Cheap vs Expensive Garden Hoses

This totally depends on you and your gardening style. If you already have your own water reticulation system set up then a budget hose that you use on limited occasions may be the way to go. On the other hand if you use your garden hose on a daily basis then spending a little more will save you a heap of stress.

The old adage “You get what you pay for” definitely applies to garden hoses. So what about the more expensive brands…does it matter which one and if I pay the most does it ensure that it is the best?

Not entirely. The most expensive garden hoses can be just as good as a reasonably priced hose and the difference in pricing is merely a marketing strategy. But, there are definitely some valid points to consider when selecting a good quality hose for your garden.

As most garden hoses are tightly packaged with fittings attached it becomes a difficult proposition to test them so if possible find a garden centre that has them on display out of their packaging.

The Three Best Garden Hose Brands

There are dozens of hose brands out there, and there are a few honourable runners-up, like Gardena and Hills, but there are three that stand out as the best garden hose brands on the market:

• Hoselink
• Hozelock
• Pope

Hoselink

Hoselink are Australia’s leading hose and irrigation brand, with years of experience producing trusted irrigation kits and simple watering tools. Their hose pipes are manufactured to the highest quality and they’ve got a great range of hoses, all for different purposes, which makes it really easy to navigate their store.

Hozelock

Hozelock is the biggest hose brand in the world, and they don’t come cheap, but they have a range of budget hoses, as well as premium options to suit everyone. Their hoses are all well-manufactured and built from UV-resistant materials.

The only real difference in price between different Hozelock hoses comes from whether they are anti-kin, and how tough their walls are.

Pope

Pope is a premium irrigation brand, and its focus is on professional quality drip systems, tap timers, and sprinklers. However, their hoses are second to none in terms of quality, and life expectancy, with a standard 15-year guarantee.

How Do I Look After My Garden Hose?

• Store it on a reel. The best way to keep kinks out of your hose and to maintain it is to store it on a reel. This will help maintain its shape and keep the plastic or rubber from wrapping contorted.

• Keep it out of the sun. Sunlight will damage your garden hose no matter what quality it is – it will just take a little longer with a more expensive brand. Find a location such as under your roof eaves or similar to store it in full shade.

• Don’t let your pets play with it. Dogs and cats that regularly tangle with your garden hose will inevitably split it or puncture it in some form. Once a hose is punctured the only repair you can do to it is cut off the damaged end.

The more you spend on a garden hose the more likely it will last. Buy some decent attachments and look after it well and your garden hose will reward you for many years to come.

Garden Hose Frequently Asked Questions

Are expandable hoses any good?

Expandable hoses are incredibly useful tools in the garden. They are slightly less durable than stiff hoses, but they store more easily and pack away in a lightweight bundle when not in use, so tend to suffer from fewer accidents in the long run.

At full pressure (usually 200-500psi) expandable hoses can cope with the same flow as standard hoses.

Why do hoses burst?

Hoses can burst if they are left out in the sun for too long, particularly if they have kinks along their length. Kinks create weak points in hoses, where the inner tube and outer layers rub or separate from each other.

In high temperatures where hoses have been left full after use, the water expands and causes them to burst or split.

Can you leave garden hoses outside in winter?

It’s safe to leave garden hoses outside in winter, but you should drain any water from inside after each use. Water expands as it freezes and can split even the most durable hose, so it’s essential to drain as much as possible by turning off the tap and opening the nozzle before leaving it outside for winter.

Do hoses waste water?

Spraying water from hoses can lose up to 3% of the water in hot summers, but the majority of water you use will be beneficial to your plants. Even the stuff that evaporates will briefly help to humidify the area.

The biggest problem, with water wastage from garden hoses, is drips. Insecure connections and faulty fittings in reels can cause significant drips, and lose up to 30L of water per year.