Claber Metal 40, Metal Hose Reel for Garden Hoses, Wall mounting

British design at its best. Every detail has been well thought out making it easy to assembly in 10 minutes without tools by following the clear illustrated instruction on the side of the box. When fully assembled the reel is sturdy and rotates freely. All steel parts have a good epoxy coating to prevent rust. However this could happen along the bottom tubes if they rest on rough ground like gravel or tarmac, but if you are aware of this before you use it you can do something to prevent that happening. I have plastic tie-wrapped some wooden battens underneath so they rest on the ground instead of the steel tubes, and if they extend further, in line with the reel, they can increase stability as well - this mod does not diminish the good design of the unit as a whole. Note: As hose is pulled off the drum it rotates along with the male part of the water input connector at its side. This is a potential problem if the input water connection is made before the hose is pulled off the drum because the female part of the water input connector will be stationary. The internal male/female parts of the input connector will then be rotating against each other and over time this will cause wear, water leaks and the joint popping open under water pressure. To avoid this happening simple pull the required amount of hose off the reel first then connect it to the water supply.

I really like the solid, sturdy metal build which is likely to be durable whilst remaining quite light in weight to move if needed. Assembling the same took about 10 min with no tools required and instructions were clearly printed in the form of diagrams on the outer cardboard box. The Made in Italy badge is reassuring. Once fitted there were no leaks and the rolling/winding back of the garden hose works very smoothly. Very pleased with my purchase - I have tended to go for Hozelock over the years, but will be buying more of Claber products when replacing.

Absolutele terrible instructions for construction, not possible to build product using them.. Advice build centre spindle, attach ends then assemble frame. It is impossible to put the centre spindle into an already constructed frame. I had to take the centre spindle to bits in order to to put it into the frame. I unscrewed the centre pieces retaining bolts, put the spindle end pieces into the frame and then reconstructed the centre spindle. I prefer German engineers. Italians don't seem to have a clue.

I really like this hose reel. It is nearly all made of steel and feels very well made. It was pretty easy to put together and required no tools. I read the comments before buying and whilst the manufacturer says the outer connector is supposed to turn freely on the axle to allow the hose to be unwound whilst connected to the water source, it absolutely does not. However, I found that once the reel was connected to the pipe and water source, the two female connectors turned freely and does indeed allow the hose to be unwound without having to remove the connecting piece of hose. It is quite heavy but I have used lightweight Hozelock Tuffhoze on it which makes it OK to carry. I love it.

This device rotted very quickly with rust. I live 2km from the sean. Would not recommend.

This was an essential item to maintain marital harmony. I bought a new long hose so that I could start washing our cars myself. Nearest tap 60 feet away. Trouble was, although my wife liked the fact that her car was washed regularly, she didn't appreciate the risk of tripping over 60 feet of hose coiled on the garage floor. It was also a pain for me as I have yet to find a hose which coils smoothly. It was like wrestling a snake and took ten minutes every time. Now I have this hose reel. All is calm in the household and when I get round to it, I can even mount this device on the garage wall, leaving the floor free for storing other rubbish!

Sturdy, well engineered hose reel which has a bit of weight to it. I previously had a cheap plastic one which did the job until it broke, this one is much better and well worth the money. Comes in kit form, but I found it a straightforward task to assemble. Very pleased overall.

Complex to put together, only instructions are on the box. But good product well made.