As a gardener, I have always needed a hose, but rarely thought about quality. This meant a number of hoses lived their short life in my shed. Flexon, a company that has been manufacturing a varied line of hoses for over 50 years in the United States, sent me their 5/8″ diameter, 50′ Commercial rubber hose (PH5850) early in the spring and I put it to the test throughout the gardening season.

The hose comes in red, black and green colors.

PACKAGING

I received my brick red color Flexon hose in perfect condition. It came in a standard cardboard box. There was no damage to the hose when it arrived.

Crush-Proof Brass Couplings

The couplings are solid brass and supposedly crush-proof under normal circumstances. I didn’t try driving over them to test that but stepping on the couplings didn’t affect them.

Whether it was attached to my spigot or my hose nozzle I had no trouble with leakage. The hose comes with a good washer in the female end that helps prevent leaks.

The solid brass couplings were extremely strong and crush-proof under normal circumstances.

ABLE TO WITHSTAND TEMPERATURES OF 180⁰

The Flexon commercial rubber hose is listed as able to withstand hot water up to 180⁰, but I cannot even imagine an instance when this would be required here in New England. [Editor’s Note: Even here in the desert southwest, water is unlikely to reach that temperature even if the hose is left in the sun with water inside it.]

The Flexon hose is designed to have a burst strength of at least 300 PSI, although the company reports that lab test put the actual number somewhere in the range of 370 – 400 PSI. There are definitely instances when this high burst strength would be valuable (like being left out in the hot sun with the water pressure to the hose still on).

WEIGHT IS NOT AN ISSUE

Its heft of 9.4 lbs was definitely heavier than most garden hoses, but then again you get what you pay for. The extra weight was not a bother or a problem in any way. I expect to use it a lot longer than hoses I used for a season or two before they failed.

MY EXPERIENCE

We had a wet spring and it wasn’t called into action for quite a while. Even so I left it outside in the sun, ready to be used. It did not fade or change color over the summer and into the fall. As the summer progressed it got rough use in the sense that I frequently had to drag it across the grass to reach the corners of my gardens. It even got pulled through the garden’s soil and there was no sign of abrasion. I did not have the opportunity to drag it over some really abrasive materials (like concrete or an asphalt driveway), but I’m certain that the hose would hold up extremely well in these conditions. There was some rare kinking when unspooled for use, but it was easily handled. Since most hoses kink much more often than this one (and with greater severity), I didn’t deduct any points off of my rating.

The hose was in just as good condition at the end of the summer as it was on arrival. The couplings did not show wear or damage even though I hooked and unhooked them from the spigot and nozzles many times. This is a good sturdy hose.

CARE of the Flexon Hose

The Flexon Commerical Rubber hose needs only common sense care. Don’t leave the water on and leave the hose under high pressure. One of the tips that came with the hose was to connect the male and female parts of the hose together when not in use to keep earwigs, spiders and other creatures from entering. I thought this was a great idea.

Flexon suggests attaching both ends of the hose when not in use, to keep bugs and other critters from climbing into the hose.

WARRANTY

Flexon offers a 10-year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.

The hose is made in the USA.

RECOMMENDATION

I liked this hose very much. Now that I am a mature and thrifty gardener I prefer my tools and equipment to last for a good long time. This hose falls into that category. I don’t want to think about having to replace things every year or two, and I don’t mind paying the extra money for a dependable item. This is the kind of hose that I would unequivocally recommend to my friends and associates. I experienced only positive results from the use of this great product.

WHERE TO BUY

The Flexon Commercial Rubber hose is available through Amazon in lengths ranging from 25 to 100 feet. The 50′ length (PH5850) is probably the most useful. It’s also available at Lowes, but was out of stock as of the time this review was written.

Flexon PH5850 50FT Commercial Black Premium Rubber Hose, Multi

With crush-proof solid brass couplings, high burst strength, and a 10-year warranty, this heavy-duty rubber garden hose is built to last.

$49.99

See it on Amazon