3 Things to look for in choosing an Air Hose Reel
Our blog often focuses on garden related topics. This post I am going to focus on air hose reels. I know that sounds exciting and follows writing 101 – set the hook in the first paragraph and they will read your whole article. Have I set the hook? Probably not, but if you use air hose and are thinking about using an air hose reel here are some things you may be interested in that may help you make the best decision for you. It should be known that we sell American made reels and we have a strong bias towards them. Mainly because we honestly feel they are better than the imported junk (I am showing my bias – the importers may refute this, but we have had enough customers try the imports and then use one of our reels and say they are never going back). Secondly, we like to see good manufacturing jobs staying in the USA. Here are three things to consider when looking for the right reel to fit your needs and applications:
1. Metal or Plastic – This seems like a no brainer and it usually is. Usually I would say avoid plastic reels like the one pictured here. 
That is a basic rule of thumb for air or garden hose reels. If you have a light industrial or home shop application a polypropylene spooled reel could be a good option. It is more economical than an all metal reel and yet it still delivers a good level of performance. When looking at a plastic reel check to make sure the base is metal, which is key to stability and longevity, and that the spool is made from a high grade polypropylene. With that said a polypropylene reel is not right for applications that require medium to heavy use. If that is what you are looking for stick with a metal hose reel. Again I always caution to look carefully before purchasing an imported hoe reel. Typically they just don’t seem to hold up like hose reels made in the USA and warranty issues are usually harder to deal with. We recommend (and sell) Coxreels and Reelcraft reels because we feel they are the best quality for the price and they really do stand behind their products. There are other reels made in the USA and they could be good options. I have not had extensive experience with them so I will not speak to their performance. I would choose them over the imports though.
2. The Base – this is often overlooked but is so important to performance. If you are using a reel that is mounted to a hard non-moving surface a single pedestal base will be sufficient. The Coxreels P-LP series is the most popular that we sell and they perform very well. If you have an application that puts strain on the reel from excessive pulling or a 
mounting that adds vibration the Coxreels SH series brings more strength. If you are mounting a reel to a vehicle you will want a dual pedestal base. This protects the reel from the vibration, jarring and continuous movement of being on a vehicle. Coxreels T series is the right fit for a truck mounted reel.
3. Guide Arm adjustment – this also gets overlooked. Where and how you mount your reel determines where you need the guide arm on the reel to be. Reels that do not allow the guide arm 
to adjust minimize where you can mount them. Both Coxreels and Reelcraft reels usually have a guide arm that can adjust to 7 positions. This allows you to mount the reel on the floor, ceiling, wall or bench and be able to access the hose where you need it.
I know this information is not the most captivating, but it could help you in picking the right air hose reel for your needs.