OK, I usually bend over backwards to be fair to manufactures, but the Apex Stow-A-Way flat hose sucks, and somebody has to point it out.
Why does it suck? Because despite extremely careful handling and storage for the year or less I’ve had it, it just popped a leak spontaneously! A big one! WTF? I keep it clean, I keep it stored flat, and I keep it out of the sun.
The only thing that’s different today is that I’m running hot water (from my household water heater) through it, to wash the boat AND, hopefully, to help the material finish off-gassing.
This is hot water, but not scalding. I just put a pair of instant-read thermometers in a cup full from the kitchen sink, the sink nearest the water heater, and both of them read 120° or maybe 122° at their highest. It ain’t that hot, folks.
Were I otherwise happy with it, I might go out and buy another one, because this hose seemed like the ideal solution on my small boat.
But I wasn’t happy with it before today’s blowout. This hose imparts a bleach-like odor and flavor to the water that passes through it. When I used it to fill my freshwater tank aboard Two Lucky Fish, I had to syphon out the entire tankful, it was so distasteful to drink or use in cooking. This on San Juan Island, where water’s already scarce.
So Navagear’s a little bit pissed off. Sorry, Teknor/Apex. You’ve got a great reputation, but this product sucks. Or at least, the specific sample I purchased did.
Unfortunately, all the other flat hose alternatives I’ve found appear even more fragile than the Apex, or else are made overseas. Any tips?
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Agreed. I used one until two weeks ago just for washing my car and the kids off after a day on the beach. It was stored in the garage, used maybe 15-20 times and sprung multiple leaks. The outer liner appeared to separate from the inner liner. Then the water, under pressure, migrated under the outer liner and sprung leaks along the way. I could no longer stay dry while using it, so it is now contributing to our landfill.
That’s how mine failed, too.
Tim,
Try the Gardena variation, you see a lot of boat people use it over here in Europe but it’s also available in the USA:
http://www4.shopping.com/xPO-GARDENA-Gardena-756-49-5-Inch-Flat-Garden-Hose-In-Cassette-With-End-Connector-Spray-Nozzle-GARDENA
We’ve had ours for about 10 years, we only use it 2 – 3 times per year but so far no complaints. There is no smell to the water so we’re able to use this when we are in marina’s with far off water supply to fill our water tank.
I especially like the container it comes in, as this means it’s not so fragile when stored somewhere deep in a locker.