Expandable hoses haven’t always had the best reputation for being durable but, thanks to newer products like this one from FitLife and other companies such as ANSIO, that is starting to change. I know what you are thinking, plastic fittings…mmmm… And I have to admit that I am also usually very dubious about any gardening/watering tools that use anything other than solid brass. It has to be said, however, that these plastic fittings actually do a very good job of staying connected and not leaking too much. They work far better than I expected them too and it was a very pleasant surprise. The next thing you’ll notice is the lovely brass connectors. Or at least I did when compared to the other fitments I have around the garden. This is a really nice piece of kit.

Expansion and contraction of the hose is smooth without any annoying kinks to have to deal with, and with high water pressure you will get a good deal of range to help you reach the far corners of your garden. When fully drained the hose will contract itself into a nice manageable size and is easy to store away.

At 2.2kg it is also a little heavier than many of its competitors but a lot of this weight is due to the solid brass fittings. These fittings are well made, solid and will last a lot longer than the plastic ones you find on lower quality expandable hoses. One of the reasons people buy these kinds of hoses is because they aren’t supposed to get twisted up or have kinks in them, and in this respect the KINGTOP delivers. It also shrinks down very smoothly once you drain the water out.

But getting to the crux of the test – the hose flexibility. I have to say when these first arrived in the UK they were pretty spindly. Since testing and R & D has happened they are now three layers of flexi PVC – this is a long way forward from where they were right at the beginning. Like all of the other products in this article, this hose comes with its own spray gun with eight types of spray settings. The gun is made from decent quality plastic and has a common thumb trigger design. I don’t know how well it would hold up to being banged about or dropped, but that could be said for all plastic spray guns, and they are easy and cheap to replace anyway.

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Despite the extra weight, the high quality, brass tap connectors did a great job of keeping the hose connected to the water supply with no leakage, even from a kitchen sink tap. There is also a reducer included so even if you have smaller than standard taps, you shouldn’t have problems connecting this ANSIO hose. To ensure the toughness and longevity of this particular expandable hose, the makers have given it an inner tube made of triple layered latex which they claim will last 4 times longer than an average expandable hose. In my test for this review I didn’t use it quite that many times but it certainly feels like it was manufactured to a high standard and I didn’t get the impression that I had to treat it with kid gloves. However, the first time you use this particular model, you are advised to stretch it out by hand little by little while filling it to loosen it up, something I didn’t have to do with the ANSIO or the FitLife expandable hoses. It’s not a big issue, and doesn’t take long, but I thought it would be worth mentioning. In this short buyers guide we will highlight a few things to look for in a good expandable hose and also a few tips on how to get the most life out of them. It’s usually better to pay a little more than to end up paying twice.