Greetings All!!
I am putting together a small washing rig , and while i would LOVE to have a Aluminum Titan or a Stainless Hannay or Stainless GP reel ( I hate Rust ), sadly my funding sources are rather limited. And In fact i only have Lowes, Walmart, HomeDepot and Amazon store cards to work with In this situation.
Considering the funding options i have, I have decided is that I will get a NorthStar set or a Reelcraft, both offering 5000psi for the pressure line and both availible from vender i have store cards with.
. I do like the 3/4" feed reel that Reelcraft offers. In contrast the NorthStar reels seem to be the most affordable. I am shying away from the Cox Reels because may reviews mention metal bending and plastic parts failing. and its hard to find one rated above 3000psi affordably
What are your thoughts and experience?
Thanks in advance.
Buy the cheapest ones you can get knowing that you’re going to upgrade once money allows.
I started with a set of used coxreels… didn’t have any problems. Stopped running my lines through the reels though so I sold them and moved down to basic garden hose reels since I just use them to wrap up and store the hoses.
I used to recommend the GP hose reel for a great starter reel. They’ve since almost doubled in price to where they’re neck and neck with much nicer reels.
That being said, I would probably get whatever is cheapest and just plan on upgrading as soon as feasible.
The hannay reel will last a long time and it takes it a long time to rust. In the meantime you will make enough money to buy the shiniest reel you could want, maybe even chrome plate it. The reelcraft isn’t much cheaper. Buy once cry once was the advice on this forum when I started. My reel sits outside exposed to the weather 24/7, and it sits outside all winter under a tarp. Very little rust on it, mainly around the bolt holes and by the hose inlet. You don’t need anything rated for 5k PSI, when are you going to use 5k PSI and what on?
There is a grumpy guy on here that has had a lot of hannay reels, last I heard he was still recommending them. @Innocentbystander can you tell him how many you have owned over the years?
reelcraft sux, and they fall apart.
probably around 25. But beware. the newer ones are riveted instead of bolted. I still buy them but it takes a couple of hours to drill out the rivets and run bolts.
