My village, like many others, imposes a strict sprinkling schedule.  But hand watering is allowed at any time so I hand water more often these days. But that hose—it tangles and twists and I always seem to be wrestling with it as I move from spot to spot.  It would be so much easier without that hassle.

The solution?

The Dramm hose swivel easily connects between a hose and any attachment. I use it with a hose nozzle for hand watering.

Using a Dramm Brass Hose Swivel

So what’s a hose swivel? It’s a simple-looking connector that can be placed between the sprayer nozzle or sprinkler and hose, between two hoses, or between the hose and spigot.

What makes it special is that the two ends rotate (or swivel). One end can turn clockwise while the other end turns counter-clockwise, meaning that the hose doesn’t get twisted or kinked as you move the hose or attachments around.

Installation

After disassembling the old connector and replacing the washers (these ones from Gilmour are a good choice), I recommend lubricating both the garden hose end and the sprayer nozzle with silicone lubricant/sealant before installing the hose swivel. I use Magic Lube II—it’s water and corrosion-resistant and environmentally friendly. It fills the screw threads so that potential leaks are prevented and makes it easier to remove items.

Tightening the swivel onto the hose and nozzle is easy. But note that while the large brass nuts are simple to grasp with a pair of pliers, it does require some torque to get it all the way on.

The swivel is machined from heavy-duty brass and includes a plastic washer in the female end.

Using the Hose Swivel

Just use your hose and attachments as you normally would. The big difference is that the hose swivel allows you to easily move the attachments independently of the hose, preventing kinks and tangles. This is especially helpful when using wide-diameter hoses (3/4”) or for anyone with limited hand mobility.

It also comes in handy as a sprinkler-hose connector, making it easy to level the sprinkler or handle it when you’re changing its location.

A hose-to-hose connection is also valuable when moving the hose quite a distance. And adding the connector between the spigot and the hose makes it easier to wrestle a hose in the direction you want it to go without having to twist and untwist it.

Some gardeners find that the swivel is rather tight so doesn’t turn easily.  A little lubricant may help with this.

The swivel is easily connected between the hose and spray nozzle, allowing the nozzle to move independently of the hose.

Built to Last

Right off the bat, when you pick up this product, you immediately feel its heft. The 6-oz heavy-duty Dramm Brass Hose Swivel is built in the USA and is machined from brass bar stock known for its durability. It comes with a lifetime guarantee.

Editor’s Note: I’ve used a Dramm swivel for about a year and have had no leaks. However, it seems to have gotten tighter over time and so needs some lubrication to keep it “swiveling”.

After a year of use, the Dramm hose swivel still works well

Recommendation

I feel that the best use for the hose swivel is for hand watering with a hose-to-sprayer nozzle connection.  If you’re like me, hand watering involves wrestling with the heavy hose to remove the kinks and coils that inevitably occur.  Now, hand watering becomes a pleasure again when you add the Dramm 13825 Brass Hose Swivel connector. It’s built to last and effective at helping to prevent hose twisting and kinking. However, the swivel does tighten up over time and will need lubricating to keep it moving freely.

Where to Buy

The Dramm Brass Hose Swivel is available on Amazon and other online vendors. At the time of this review, it can also be found at Sears for about $46. Note that some connectors do not have the word SWIVEL imprinted even though the item number is the same.

Dramm Brass Hose Swivel to Freely Move Hose and Wand Independently, No Kinking or Fighting with…

This heavy-duty connector goes between the hose and the nozzle, sprinkler or spigot. It rotates 360 so the hose stays put while you hold the nozzle or move the sprinkler. No more kinks, no more twisting to straighten out the hose, no more hassle.

$16.47

See it on Amazon

Now over to you – Have you tried a hose swivel or anything similar? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!