Liberty Garden Single Arm Navigator Review

The Liberty Garden stands out from other manual reels in our lineup thanks to its rotating feature, a feature not typically found among manual reels. It also stands out from other top hose reels with its built-in shelf or basket, depending on which model you choose. This offers a convenient place to store extra nozzles or garden tools all in one spot. The Liberty reel is both convenient to use and well-made. Though you'll need to supply your own hose, we were very impressed with this rotating manual reel.

Convenience

The Liberty Garden, although a manual reel, is very convenient and easy to use.

Unwinding the Liberty Garden is as easy as grabbing your hose and walking in the desired direction. As long as the reel is set to spin freely, it can rotate 360 degrees on its mount. That said, you will need to reverse directions before going around too many times, as the leader hose connected to the spigot will eventually get twisted. There is virtually no resistance unwinding, making hauling out a heavy hose a breeze.

Winding in the Liberty Garden is just as easy, thanks to a large and ergonomic crank handle that rotates freely on itself so you can grip it and wind unencumbered. We found that locking the reel into one of the seven fixed positions is crucial for smooth winding; otherwise, it tended to rotate unintentionally. A guiding hand on the hose is also required to ensure it lays smoothly in the reel, as there is no track to guide it.

Like other manual reels in our lineup, there is no lock or latching mechanism on the Liberty. Since there's no automatic hose retraction, this doesn't significantly impact convenience. However, it does mean the reel can slip or unwind slightly on its own, especially if you remove your hands from it during the winding process. The other rotating feature, the reel itself, does have a very ergonomic and easy-to-use pin lock. The pin drops into one of seven positions spanning the full 360 degrees of rotation and locks into the open position with a simple half-turn. In practice, this is very easy to use.

Performance

The Liberty leader hose has fantastic, large hex connectors. They are easy to screw onto the spigot and reel, and no leaks were observed during testing. The built-in connector on the reel for your garden hose is plastic, but we didn't experience any leaks from this connector either.

The mount for the Liberty is quite large; the mounting holes are 16 inches apart horizontally and nine inches apart vertically. This lets you easily align on studs and provides sufficient leverage to support the weight of a full garden hose. It's incredibly sturdy when mounted, though the reel has a little wiggle and play when winding or unwinding. This does not detract from performance at all, but is noticeable when winding it.

Variety of Options

Since manual reels typically don't include a hose, assessing the variety of available options focuses on how long a garden hose can be accommodated, as well as other features or available styles offered by the manufacturer. The Liberty Garden can accommodate up to 125 feet of a ⅝-inch garden hose.

Although it doesn't come with a hose, nozzle, or valves, Liberty Garden does make several versions of the Navigator. Options include those with a shelf, basket, or both, as well as different decorative styles and colors.

Construction Quality

The structural components of the Liberty Garden are thick-gauge metal. The mount and reel were more than sturdy enough to support the weight of a 100-foot, ¾-inch garden hose completely full of water. We also had no issues with excessive creaking or the mount moving while winding the reel up. Throughout the testing process, we didn't notice any issues or concerns regarding the durability and longevity. As an added bonus, the integrated shelf provides some protection for the hose from direct sunlight, which may help prolong its lifespan.

Should You Buy the Liberty Garden Single Arm Navigator?

The Liberty Garden reel is a high-quality, easy-to-use hose reel that boasts some of the best features in both retractable and manual-style reels. Its rotating capabilities elevate its potential mounting locations and make unreeling the hose exponentially easier compared to fixed-direction reels. The materials are also more than durable enough to last many seasons of use and abuse. Overall, we highly recommend the Liberty if you're set on using a regular garden hose but want to store and access it via a convenient hose reel.

What Other Hose Reels Should You Consider?

Many of the manual hose reels in our lineup feature a fixed reel direction, making them slightly less convenient if you're looking to drag your hose in multiple directions away from your spigot. That said, fixed manual reels, such as the Eley Wood Post Mount, offer key benefits that may make them an attractive option. The Eley is one of the single most impressive reels in terms of construction quality and manufacturing standards, offering unparalleled quality and durability. It also has the ability to be mounted either parallel or perpendicular to your mounting surface, and a separate kit makes it possible to mount the reel on a 4x4 post, rather than against a wall. If you're set on requiring a reel that rotates, both the Ayleid Retractable Reel and the Hoselink Retractable Reel are retractable reels that include a hose as well as the ability to rotate 180 degrees on the mount. Both of these options are extremely easy and intuitive to use.