REASONS TO BUY
Excellent construction quality
Plenty of length options
Top notch performance and handling
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Heavy
Eley Polyurethane Review
This premium hose is worth its weight in gold, but will leave you impressed and less stressed, whether you're hauling it across the yard, spraying jets of water, or coiling it for storage
Hero
Credit: Hale Milano
RELATED: Best Garden Hoses of 2024
Our Verdict
On the hunt for the best garden hose that money can buy? The Eley Polyurethane may just be that hose. It boasts thick and durable materials with construction quality that is evident from the very first touch. This hose is easy to use, actively resists kinking, and can transport an impressive amount of water with ease. All of this, while being flexible, maneuverable, and easy to carry around. Performance comes at a price, though, and this hose has two large numbers attached to it: its weight and its price. Eley also makes an equally premium nozzle, though not included with the hose. Despite the weight and price, this hose was a joy to use and easy to drag around the yard, certainly not something that can be said for most hoses.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product Eley Polyurethane | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Premium Garden Hose |  An Excellent Premium Garden Hose with Super Long Options | Best Garden Hose for Most People |  Best Garden Hose on a Tight Budget | |
| Price | $220 List | $199 List $176.00 at Amazon | $68 List $60.49 at Amazon | $60 List $50.16 at Amazon | $11.00 List |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | This quality hose is an investment, but the premium materials and handling make it a dream to use that will last for years | A premium hose that can be purchased in custom lengths up to 330 feet, making it ideal for large yards | An ergonomic and user-friendly hose that is lightweight and easy to drag around the yard | A metal hose that excels at resisting kinks but is tedious to coil and store | This bargain hose can still get the job done without any trouble |
| Rating Categories | Eley Polyurethane | Dramm ColorStorm Pr... | Teknor Apex Zero-G | Bionic Steel | Expert Gardener Lig... |
| Convenience (35%) | |||||
| Performance (35%) | |||||
| Construction Quality (20%) | |||||
| Variety of Options (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Eley Polyurethane | Dramm ColorStorm Pr... | Teknor Apex Zero-G | Bionic Steel | Expert Gardener Lig... |
| Available Lengths | 6.5, 12, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200 ft | 50, 75, 100 ft, and custom lengths up to 330 ft | 25, 50, 100 ft | 25, 50, 75, 100 ft | 25, 50 ft |
| Nozzle Included | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Coupling Shape | Hex | Hex | Round | Round | Round |
| Hose Material | Polyeurathane | EPDM rubber | Tru-Flex polymer & woven fiber sheath | 304 stainless steel | Vinyl |
| Measured Weight Per Foot | 0.15 lb/ft | 0.20 lb/ft | 0.08 lb/ft | 0.10 lb/ft | 0.12 lb/ft |
| Coupling Material | Brass | Nickel plated brass | Brass and steel | Steel and plastic | Plastic |
| Valve Included | No | No | No | No | No |
| PSI Limit | 150 PSI | 130 PSI | 600 PSI | 500 PSI | 200 PSI |
| Measured Length Tested | 100.50 ft | 50.67 ft | 99.17 ft | 99.33 ft | 25.17 ft |
| Measured Weight | 14.8 lb | 10.3 lb | 8.4 lb | 10.1 lb | 2.9 lb |
| Available Diameters | 5/8 in | 5/8 in, 3/4 in | 5/8 in | 5/8 in | 5/8 in |
| Diameter Tested | 5/8 in | 5/8 in | 5/8 in | 5/8 in | 5/8 in |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
Garden hoses aren't complicated pieces of equipment. They have relatively few moving pieces and parts, and the design varies relatively little between options. Nonetheless, a well-made and manufactured hose can be the difference between leaks, kinks, and twisted rubber and a well-watered garden or cleanly washed car. The Eley Polyurethane stands out for its superior materials and construction quality, elevating its performance as a simple garden hose.
Performance Comparison
We used all 100 feet of the Eley to water our garden and yard, noting where it excelled and where it fell short.
Credit: Hale Milano
Convenience
Right out of the box, the Eley stands out as a hose that is both ergonomic and easy to use. We assessed the ease of use across several different factors, like screwing on the connectors, pulling hoses out of a coil and recoiling them, and dragging them around our yard to measure maneuverability. The Eley exceeded expectations in all of these.
When we uncoiled the Eley for the first time, we cut the retaining straps and pulled it directly from the manufacturer coil into a straight line the entire length of our hose. Compared to others that twist, loop, and tangle easily, the read-to-use nature of the Eley is impressive.
Dragging the Eley over rock walls and through gardens was easy, though the heavy hose sometimes knocked loose stones around.
Credit: Hale Milano
The Eley is both a thick and heavy hose. While this didn't impact its maneuverability dragging around the yard — it was very easy to drag around the car and garden — it did impact the recoiling process. The thickness of this hose kept it coiling in large circular loops, versus hanging in a more vertical oval, and took up more space in our garage during storage.
Despite its weight the Eley is nimble and easy to drag through a garden.
Credit: Hale Milano
We found the Eley to be very easy to screw onto a spigot, thanks to a free-rotating hex connector. Though it wasn't as ergonomic as other options, we were able to easily hand-tighten this connector. We liked that you could use a wrench to easily cinch it down if you planned to have the hose permanently mounted and control water flow with a valve at the other end of the hose.
The large hex connector on the Eley is slightly oversized and dimpled, making it easy to screw on snug.
Credit: Hale Milano
Eley also manufactures a hose nozzle that is easy to use but slightly tedious to change options. The nozzle and ball valve can remain on the hose, but screw-on attachments allow you to change the type of spray. Doing so is easy, just a little more involved than other twist-style nozzles.
The spray attachment switches from wide-angle, to narrow-angle, to jet stream by sliding the tip in or out from the nozzle.
Credit: Hale Milano
Performance
Looking at all the same assessments that we evaluated for ease of use, our performance metric evaluated them for the quality of their performance. Across all of our tests in this metric, the Eley was a high-performing hose that stood out from many similar models in our testing lineup.
We noticed no leaks from either connector on the Eley, whether hand tightening or using a wrench for a quarter-twist of extra snuggly. Compared to other models with ergonomic grips on the connector that let you really cinch down a hose, we felt like the thin hex connector didn't get quite as secure, though we noted no leaks or issues.
The brass couplings are easy to use, but the nozzle end is not the most ergonomic to grip.
Credit: Hale Milano
The heavy-duty Eley actively resists kinking. Even attempting to manually kink the hose was a challenge; it simply bends into a loop with water flowing through it the entire time. We were very impressed with this feature and the Eley's ability to bounce back from flat spots after being crushed by our cars and garage doors.
The Eley's thick polyurethane is springy and active; helping to resist kinks.
Credit: Hale Milano
Like most hoses in our garden hose lineup, the Eley does not come with a nozzle or a valve. We assessed the water pressure and spray performance using a standard test nozzle and were impressed with the flow rate and volume. Even though the Eley is only ⅝ inches in diameter, it carries a high volume of water with ease.
This 5/8 inch diameter hose moves a lot of water; perfect for filling up buckets or watering plants in a hurry.
Credit: Hale Milano
Construction Quality
It should be clear that the Eley is a top-notch hose, and we think it can be mostly attributed to the exceptional construction quality of this hose. From the packaging to the materials to the precision assembly, the Eley's quality contributes to its high score.
The thick and durable materials on this hose lend credibility to its performance as a heavy-duty option that can survive plenty of exposure to elements and daily wear and tear. That said, this hose feels so premium that you may not want to leave it lying around outside! The thick rubber and solid brass connectors held up well throughout our testing, and likely will for years to come.
We left the Eley connected and outside for over three weeks in direct sun and noticed no issues with its durability.
Credit: Hale Milano
Variety of Options
If the convenience and performance of the Eley aren't enough to make it stand out, the variety of options that it's available in should be. The Eley is one of the most customizable hoses in our lineup.
The Eley is available in ten different length options ranging from 6.5 feet to massive 200 feet. Whether you're looking for a hose on your back porch, or one to stretch from your garage to the curb, chances are the Eley will have a length that works.
We tested the 100 foot version of the Eley, pictured here 4th from the top, but it's available in a variety of lengths that will suit your needs.
Credit: Hale Milano
While it's available in a plethora of length options, we did note that the Eley is only available in one diameter, the standard ⅝ inch option. It also does not include a valve or a nozzle, which can be convenient to have on a hose.
The interior diameter of the hose conduit is 5/8 inches but the exterior is close to a full inch, which means plenty of thick rubber.
Credit: Hale Milano
The Eley nozzle has a variety of options for spray types. One is a three-way adjustable spray tip with wide-angle, narrow-angle, and jet spray. The other is a cone attachment with four different kinds of steel mesh inserts that change the volume of water; a special tool included with the nozzle is needed to do this.
The ball valve and spray attachments for the Eley nozzle provide various quality water flow options but are more tedious than a twist-type nozzle.
The cone nozzle attachments for the Eley don't vary the shape of the spray much, but they do alter the flow rate and gallons per minute. Each of these four options is great for watering plants, providing a gentle yet full stream of water.
The four different watering attachments for the Eley nozzle.
Should You Buy the Eley Polyurethane?
The Eley is a premium hose, and it commands a premium price. If you're looking for some of the best materials, design, and construction you can find in a hose, and price is no limit, then this may be the exact hose you're looking for. It's also available in a wide variety of length options, letting you purchase exactly the right amount of hose for your needs.
The Eley is an upgraded option for the ultimate in hose performance.
Credit: Hale Milano
What Other Garden Hoses Should You Consider?
Most of the options in our lineup of garden hoses will meet your needs. After all, they're relatively simple pieces of yard equipment that just need to move water from spigot to plant or car. If you're set on a top-notch hose, but want even more length options, the Dramm ColorStorm Premium is the way to go. Available in custom lengths up to 330 feet, it's tough to beat the versatility of this option. If you're not looking to break the bank on a premium hose, the Teknor Apex Zero-G is another outstanding model available at a fraction of the price of the Eley, but boasts similar performance and amazing ergonomics. Lastly, the Briggs and Stratton 8BS50 is a well-made and heavy-duty hose. This option might be best for prolonged or permanent outside usage where protection from the elements is paramount.
There's plenty of garden hose options to choose from, and most will do what you need. Which hose you like best is a matter of preference, even if it is only for the color.
Credit: Hale Milano
—Hale Milano
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