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Review Summary:

Update: My wife just bought the new & improved Pocket Hose Top Brass (5/30/15). Stay tuned for updates on that one. Our last Ultra Hose broke. Downgraded to 1 star. Read my full review to see why I give the Original Pocket Hose only 1 star. Initially, I gave it 3.5 stars but the longer I've had it the poor quality is more evident so I've downgraded to 1 stars. If you get a good one, you will be very happy. If you get a Pocket Hose that leaks, or breaks you won't be happy. These hoses are light weight, do not kink, easy to maneuver, small enough to fit into a small container when not in use, and delivers enough water pressure to wash a car or water plants on the other side of your yard. The downsides are they may not last years and years like your old rubber hose. They may leak at connector and can not be repaired. I found I had to replace what looked like a perfectly good washer with a new one to keep it from leaking. That nozzle did not leak on the regular hose. With the new washer it has not leaked. I returned one hose and now the replacement broke (burst open in middle of hose), so will return. At this point I can not really recommend this hose unless you are willing to buy and return defective hoses. Like I said, if it works, you will be happy with this hose - but for how long until it breaks.

The Pocket Hose or X-Hose  As Seen on TV, are flexi hoses that have gotten a lot of press – good and bad. So here is my Pocket Hose Review.

pocket-hose-top-brassUPDATED 6/13/15 – I guess my wife doesn’t read Bob’s Rants & Raves. While I was out of town 2 weeks ago, she bought the new & improved Pocket Hose Top Brass. It is the black one currently being advertised as being stronger and better. We’ll see how this one does. It was $29! I asked her why she bought it since we have had 6 fail on us so far? She said she really likes the pocket hose (when it works) because it is light weight and doesn’t kink, and it fits in a decorative clay pot by our front door. We will treat this one with kid gloves. No washing cars – unless we turn the water source off between rinses. One killer of these flexible pocket hoses is the thin rubber membrane under the canvas outer layer tends to pop. The new Pocket Hose Top Brass is supposed to have a thicker membrane. If you leave the water on with the nozzle turned off, the water pressure builds in the hose. If you leave it like that too long, you run the chance of the membrane popping at a weak spot and ruining the hose. As long as the water is running through the pocket hose, or the water is turned off and pressure released, we are hoping this new & improved pocket hose will last longer than 2 months. Stay tuned for an update.

UPDATED 10/26/14 – Well… the last of the hoses gave out last week. This was hose #2 of the Flex-Able hoses I purchased from Sam’s Club in July. Read update 8/1/14 about hose #1. I was washing my car when I heard a “POP” and water started spraying from the middle of the hose. The interior rubber membrane broke open and the canvas like outer material couldn’t contain the water. I will not be purchasing any more of these hoses… I’ve gone through about 6 of them in less than a year. Over $100 worth. These hoses are not meant for prime time. Comment below your experiences.

UPDATED 8/1/14 – The Flex-Able hose I purchased from Sam’s Club a little over a month ago just burst open. My wife was watering plants in the back yard and the hose burst with a loud POP and split open in the middle of the hose. This reinforces my 1-star rating. The Flex-Able hose in the front of the house is still working. We don’t have unusually strong water pressure, but these hoses may last longer if you do not turn the water on all the way. Try just half way – which will make hose suitable for close by plant watering. Maybe someone will come up with a better product. Let me know your experience in the comment section below.

UPDATE 6/21/14 – Well, the new ULTRA Pocket Hose just broke – sprung a leak. So much for it being stronger. Lasted about 1 month. I need to drop it back to a 1 star product. I want this hose to succeed so much, I went to Sam’s Club and purchased a 2-pack of the FLEX-ABLE HOSE – which looks just like the Pocket Hose. Both are 50′ and cost $30 for the 2 hoses. Reviews are pretty bad on this hose – but my wife loves this type of hose so much I thought I would give it a try. I will update this page with how this other brand holds up. Due to the poor performance of these type of hoses, I highly recommend buying at a local store so you can easily return for a refund if/when they fail. Amazon is very good about returns, just a little more of a hassle to box up and ship back. Stay tuned for my next update on the FLEX-ABLE HOSE. (read Flex-Able Hose Reviews Here)

UPDATE 5/18/14 – I purchased the newer Ultra Pocket Hose 2/15/14. The new Ultra Pocket Hose has a stronger canvas type exterior which so far has held up well. Even with the poor experience of previous purchases of the original Pocket Hose, we liked the concept so much and the compact and lightweight attributes of the hose that I decided to take another chance with the “new and improved” model. We use the hose in the front of our house. It fits nicely in a clay flower pot. My wife loves how easy it is to use. No kinks or tangles, no unwinding from large spool, no dragging around a heavy hose. We got the 50′ size (I recommend this size). So far after 3 months, no leaks, tears in fabric, or any other problems. Cost was same as original – $19. We will see how it holds up. I am increasing my star rating from 1 star to 3 stars for the Ultra model. If it holds up over the next few months, I may increase rating to 4 stars. I can recommend the Ultra Pocket Hose if you are adventurous and want a lightweight, easy to use, no kink hose. Keep in mind that if it tears or the internal rubber membrane breaks or gets a puncture, you will be out $19, as the hose can not be repaired like an ordinary hose. It does come with a Lifetime Guarantee from manufacturer. That said, so far I am pleased with this newer model.

 

UPDATE: 11/2/13 – The third hose of the 3 we bought sprung a leak in the hose portion. Like I said before, things like this can not be fixed. Therefore the hose is no longer usable. So, in 3 months we have gone through 3 Pocket Hoses. All have failed. My first review was 3.5-4 stars. Then dropped to 2 stars after 2 failed hoses… Now, I am reducing my 2 star rating to 1 star. The Pocket Hose gets 1 star because the concept is good and if the hose doesn’t break, you will like it. My wife is upset because she really liked the light weight an ease of use of the Pocket Hose… she doesn’t want to go back to the heavier, hard to handle rubber hose. She did buy the Coil Hose, which is light weight, but she said the coil was so stiff it was difficult to stretch out. So she returned it. Now she is thinking about buying the updated X-Hose which claims stronger everything. Although it is rather pricey. If you purchase the Pocket Hose, remember you’ve been warned!

UPDATE: 8/31/13 – one of the hoses had a fabric tear in the hose portion and the latex rubber hose ballooned out and popped. We will have to return this hose. I downgraded from 3.5 stars to 2 stars. The biggest drawback to these hoses is if they spring a leak, it cannot be fixed and goes into the trash. As I said in the summary review – if you get a good one you will love it, get a bad one and you will hate it. So far 1 out of 3 is still working. I’ll update again after we get a new replacement and if any other problems arise. As of now, I can not recommend this hose unless you are willing to take a chance on having to return if defective. If you get a good one, you will be happy – question is, for how long.

—— Original Review ——–

About six months ago my wife bought the Pocket Hose at Target or some local store. I immediately got on my computer and looked for reviews on Amazon. A lot of poor reviews. I told her that and she returned it the next day, unopened.

Then, a couple months ago she couldn’t resist and bought a 50′ Pocket Hose and said she wanted to try it for herself. We had a big beige hose wind-up box in front of our house that she said was ugly. I had to agree. It sat right by our front door. We just had our front lawn re-sodded and the front yard looked great… except for that ugly hose box.

I hooked up the Pocket Hose. Even at 50′ length, it hardly took up any room. I turned on the water as my wife watched in anticipation. With the hose nozzle turned off (it comes with a plastic nozzle – more on that later), the hose did exactly what it does on the infomercials – it started to grow. In no time it grew to 50′. So far so good. No leaks. No kinks.

The moment of truth… I opened the spray nozzle. We were both pleasantly surprised that it had good pressure. The water easily reached from the front door to the street – about 25-30 feet. I had read reviews about the Pocket Hose and XHose having poor water pressure. Not true in my case. Plenty strong to wash a car.

Next Test. Turning the water off we watched to see if the Pocket Hose shrank back to it’s original size as seen on tv. Not quite. It did shrink up somewhat, but not as much as it shows on TV. My wife wasn’t discouraged. She gathered the hose up and put it in a small bucket. It is very light weight so gathering it up was no problem. She did not like the plastic nozzle that came with it (I did), so she took the handle grip sprayer off the old hose and put it on the Pocket Hose…. worked like a charm. She was thrilled.

No more pulling a heavy hose from the reel in the hose box. No more fighting with the hose to get it where she wanted it. No more winding up the hose back onto the reel inside the hose box. And best of all, no more ugly hose box in our front yard.

So based on that first Pocket Hose experience we were sold. Greatest thing since sliced bread…. but wait…. not so fast.

The next week she bought another 50′ hose for the back yard. I hooked it up, turned on the water and had some leakage by the plastic nozzle end. Water was leaking from where the hose connected to the plastic end that you screw the nozzle on to. She returned the hose and got a new one.

The new hose worked perfect… until we put our own pistol grip sprayer on the end. Water leaked from the connection. I removed it, checked that the washer was seated correctly, tried again. Still water dripping. I replaced the washer in the nozzle with a new one I had on hand and voila! Problem fixed. So far after about a month, no leaks.

Again, with the new Pocket Hose in the back, it did not shrink back to original compact size. But my wife, who uses it everyday to hose the patio and water plants still loves it. She says it is so light weight, she does not mind gathering it up and putting it in the bucket.

So, Pocket Hose or XHose? I researched both and couldn’t tell a difference. Then I found the YouTube video below which I thought solidified my belief that they are both pretty much the same. In this video this man tests the Pocket Hose vs Xhose. The Pocket Hose edges out the Xhose by a small margin.

 

 

Is the Pocket Hose or XHose a perfect hose? No. Will it last as long as a quality rubber hose… probably not. Would I recommend buying one. Maybe. After using ours for a couple months now, I can recommend getting one (or more). [see Update at beginning of this post]. Yes, there is a chance of getting a defective one. I don’t think quality control is that great. But you can return with no questions asked.

This is not a 5 star product. Probably more like a 3.5 – 4 star. But still gets my thumbs up to get one. If you are tired of winding up your hose on a reel, if you have trouble moving your hose around – trying to swing it this way or that to pull to the other side of your car to wash…. if you are tired of a kinking hose (I invested in non-kink hoses so this wasn’t a problem for me)… then buy the Pocket Hose (or XHose).

When reading the reviews on Amazon, discount the 1-stars and even most of the 2-star reviews. Don’t expect a miracle product, and I think you will be happy with the hose. If it breaks in six months, then decide if it is worth it to buy another (my wife would probably say “Yes!”).

Note: The XHose has a new model – the XHose Pro – with brass fittings and supposedly reinforced lining. After doing my research, I decided the extra price was not worth it for me.

The Nozzle that comes with the Pocket hose is pretty cheap. It is plastic and has a plastic thumb lever that you can use with one hand to adjust the spay intensity. I found it easy to use and good enough for me to wash my car. My wife did not like it at all, so replaced it with her trigger spray head that has multiple settings as to type of spray. She got it at Target or some store for a few dollars. It is plastic and light weight. (I should probably review the nozzle!). 🙂

Bottom Line: buy the Pocket Hose. I highly recommend the 50′ length. It is not much more than the 25′ Pocket Hose. The 50 foot Pocket Hose will give you more flexibility and doesn’t take up much space at all when not in use. A down side of all flexi hoses is they can not be repaired like standard hoses. If either end or the hose itself fails, then you throw it away and maybe buy a new one. Also, many say it is not good to use with sprinklers. It has some limitations over rubber hoses, but for basic uses may be for you.

Give me your feedback and review if you’ve tried the Pocket Hose or XHose or Flex-Able Hose or any Flexi type hoses.

Below are Amazon Ad links to check out current prices and to read more reviews. (If you have Ad Blocker turned on, these ads may not appear on your screen). Good luck!

      

7 Comments
  1. I bought a Pocket Hose Ultra from Kmart for $20. I loved it during my first and second use of it — it was easy to store and it was pretty neat watching it expand and contrast. I made sure to follow the instructions and drained the hose after each use.

    During my third use of the Pocket Hose, it developed a small hole and started squirting water out of the side. So after only 2.5 light uses (watering some plans for a few minutes), it started leaking. I then looked it up online and saw that this was a common problem.

    Luckily, Kmart took it back without any issue. I noticed they were no longer selling the Pocket Hose — not sure if this means they sold out of them or decided to no longer carry it.

  2. Know this sounds ridiculous, but please bear with me. Would like to hook up my Ultra Pocket Hose but cannot even figure out how to open the oval plastic packaging. Tried to stick an Xacto under the lip of the lid, but decided against it figuring I would slice the hose. Help!

    • Nan – sorry took so long to approve your comment. Been away. Hopefully, by now you got the darn thing open! I don’t recall any special technique in opening the one I got… but I do recommend that you save the container and the receipt. Based on my experience, you will probably be returning it when it fails after a month or so. I really want this hose to work, but the Flex-Able hose I just purchased at Sam’s Club broke today. Wife was watering backyard plants and the hose exploded in the middle. This is about the 5th or 6th hose to fail on me. You would think I’d learn my lesson.

      Anyway, thanks for reading my review and posting your comment. Let me know how your experience with the hose goes.

  3. Bob
    Your assessments and updates are right on. Wife loves it. I so want it to succeed as it is cool concept when it works. Bought 3 from Home Depot. In just two weeks, 1 burst a small leak, could live with, but don’t know if it will get bigger. One burst a big hole, have to return. One so far so good. I bought one more because I want to give benefit of doubt and take a chance that we can end up one of the lucky ones’ but stats don’t look good online. I’m tempted to open and try it out.

    But my key question is why do they fail? Sounds like something systemic in the design or manufacture. If I knew that’ it might give me pause to continue the charade.
    Ricky

    • Hi Ricky,
      Thanks for commenting and sharing your experience. Like you, I want these hoses to succeed. From my observations of failed hoses, it appears the rubber inter-membrane is failing. I guess all it takes is one weak spot that balloons out until it pops. The stronger canvas outer fabric may help, but if the inter-rubber pops it won’t make any difference. I’ve spent more on hoses since buying these things than on regular hoses in 10 years! But they are so convenient – when they work. At least I have been able to return for refunds. So far the Flex-able hoses I got at Sam’s Club are still working. We’ll see for how long. Thanks again for sharing your experience.
      Bob

  4. I purchased 2 pocket hoses and used them all summer. Loved them as they are light weight and easy to bring around the garden. I have a 50 ft and 25 ft.
    Today I decided to use them to hook up my small light weight power washer to wash dirt off the side of my house. Everything was going fine for about 1/2 hour then all of a sudden the hose burst! Water was going everywhere. Not only did it just burst but broke in half. I know there is pressure built up while idling in the hoses but to explode like that proves to me it has no where near the strength of a regular hose. I still do think they are great for the garden or light duty.

    • Susan, thanks for your comment – sorry it took so long before I approved it (first comments need to be approved – prevents spammers).
      Like you, I loved the hose at first… rated it 3.5 stars. Then had some problems… one of our hoses burst, too – but not in half. 🙂
      Then another leaked. They seem like great hoses if they work. But I don’t think they are built to last. At least with traditional hoses you can fix if a problem – patch, add a new end, etc. With the Pocket Hose – when it breaks it’s trash. Thus the 2 star rating now. 1 out of 3 of my hoses is still working.
      Again, thanks for taking the time to leave your experience!

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