Suncast Hose reel no good Ventura, California

I think that I have some other Suncast outdoor products and they have been quite good. Of course, I live in Southern California where the weather is never all that bad. I mostly have used Suncast products for hose reels and have found them to be quite good and long-lasting. BUT: That hose reel that they make that rewinds itself using water pressure is awful. It's a really great engineering idea but the construction is awful. It says that it will handle hoses up to 100 feet long (maybe 125 feet) but everything is made out of plastic (the gears and the whole operating mechanism) and they quickly break apart from the strain! I have had two (hoping that my first one was just that one-in-a-million lemon) but they both quickly disintegrated. And, as others of you have found out, there really is no useful warranty from Suncast after you leave the store. And these things are pretty expensive as I recall but I don't now remember how much they are.

BUT, if you buy from Home Depot they will refund your money, no questions asked, within ninety days if you have your original receipt. (Nope, I'm not a Home Depot lobbyist "planting" an ad for Home Depot) If you use your hose reel two or three times a week, it will probably fall apart before your ninety days are up.

Thanks ripoffreport for providing us this service.

22 NOV 2011: Update and addendum: OK, call me a sucker. I do so like the concept that I am now trying my THIRD one of these hose reels! Fortunately I did buy my second one at Home Depot and got a refund for it when I brought it back. (And I bought my third one there also!) I do believe that this reel will last IF you help it. I don't let it pull the whole weight of the 100 foot hose. I help pulling in the hose so that the mechanism is only pulling the weight of about three of four feet of hose. So far it's working fine and does not seem to be popping and groaning as it works. It would, undoubtedly, work better if the hose was emptied before reeling it in but I find that it goes on the reel better if you keep it full of water until it is wound and then release the water.