The best fire hoses, compared.
Top pick: DAMBAT, 2 inch × 30 m Best value: DAMBAT, 2 inch × 30 m – General 2 inch layflat at about £49.95 where the title and the length field both say 30 m, with 116 psi printed and no hose standard named. Updated October 2026.
A fire hose in UK shops is either semi-rigid hose for a wall reel or non-percolating layflat delivery hose. Thin white layflat is also sold as fire hose for pumps and gardening. You tell them apart by bore in millimetres, the named standard, the coupling and the working pressure. Both list 116 psi and name no hose standard. That string is not the same wording as EN 694, which also appears in the description, so the two stay separate. The Home Office guide does not make a hose reel a general requirement. Extinguishers are the normal provision, and a reel only supplements them. Where a reel already exists it still has to be maintained. If you are matching a spare to a reel that is already on the wall, use the [fire hose for a hose reel](/hub/fire-protection/fire-hose/sub/fire-hose-for-a-hose-reel) guide.
A fire hose in UK shops is either semi-rigid hose for a wall reel or non-percolating layflat delivery hose. Thin white layflat is also sold as fire hose for pumps and gardening.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What are you buying the hose for?
The DAMBAT 2 inch × 30 m layflat at £49.95 is the listing in this set where the title and the length field both say 30 m. It states 116 psi, about 8 bar if you convert that labelled figure, with a woven synthetic jacket, a vulcanized EPDM liner and quick-release connectors at each end. No British or European hose standard is named, and the connectors are not described as BS 336. Amazon shows 5.0 from 3 ratings, with no review text in the file, so those stars are not a record of UK use on a hydrant. Item weight is 5 kg and the country-of-origin line says United Kingdom. The stated uses run from gardening and dewatering to hydrants and pumps, which is a wide claim for a hose that never names BS 6391. It is the best value in this set when you want general 2 inch layflat and the length has to be consistent. A 25 mm semi-rigid reel hose is a different purchase.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want 30 m of 2 inch layflat for a pump or for dewatering, and you are not matching a hose reel.
Less suitable: Replacing hose on a 19 mm, 25 mm or 33 mm semi-rigid reel, or buying fire-service delivery hose with a named coupling.
Specifications
Common questions
What length and bore does the listing give?
The title and the item length field both say 30 metres. The diameter lines say 2 inches. Item weight is 5 kg.
What pressure is stated?
Maximum pressure is 116 psi. The listing does not give a burst figure or a hose standard.
Will the connectors match a BS 336 fitting?
The listing only says easy-fix quick-release connectors at each end. It does not name BS 336, so the page cannot confirm that match.
The Firechief FH25/30 at £123.00 is a red hose listed as 25 mm by 30 m, with a temperature line of −20 °C to 60 °C and a bullet that says approved to BSEN696. The amazon.co.uk description also uses the words EN 694, and UK trade pages for this model say EN 694, so those strings stay separate rather than one approval. The listing gives outside diameter as 25 mm, and it states no working pressure and no coupling. Amazon shows 5.0 from 2 ratings. The file has one French review only, which is not UK delivery evidence. Weight is 11.9 kg, the country of origin is France, and the included line is 1× hose. In this set it is the top pick when the job is a 25 mm × 30 m reel spare and you can live with that standard clash. It is a hose, not a complete reel, and it is the wrong shape if you came for 2 inch layflat.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are replacing hose on a reel that already calls for about 25 mm by 30 m, and you will reconcile the standard wording before anyone fits it.
Less suitable: Hydrant layflat that needs a BS 336 coupling, or a buyer who needs a working pressure printed on the amazon.co.uk bullets.
Specifications
Common questions
Which standard does the listing cite?
The bullet says approved to BSEN696. The listing does not state a working pressure or a coupling.
What temperature range is stated?
The listing says the hose can be used between −20 °C and 60 °C.
Does the listing name a coupling?
No. Included components are given as 1× hose. Bore is the 25 mm outside-diameter line, and length is 30 m.
The DAMBAT listing at £45.95 is a white 2 inch layflat hose with a woven jacket, an EPDM liner and quick-release ends, and the title says 20 m while the item length field says 30 m. Maximum pressure is printed as 116 psi, about 8 bar if you convert that labelled figure, and no burst pressure is given. The page does not name BS 6391, EN 14540 or BS 336, so the quick-release line is not a coupling you can match to a brigade fitting from this listing. Amazon shows 3.0 from 1 rating, and the file has no review text, so that star is not UK user evidence. A nominal wall thickness of 1 inch is also on the listing, which you cannot treat as a measured wall. Cold-resistant and heat-resistant are claimed with no temperatures. Confirm the length in the box if you want general pump or garden layflat. A 25 mm reel spare, and London Fire Brigade 45 mm or 70 mm delivery hose, are different objects.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You need a cheap 2 inch layflat for a pump or a yard, and you will check which length is actually in the box.
Less suitable: A 19 mm, 25 mm or 33 mm hose reel, a BS 336 instantaneous coupling, or any job that needs a named hose standard.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this hose 20 m or 30 m?
The title says 20 metres. The item length field says 30 metres. The same bullet also mentions a 30 m alternative. The listing does not settle which length is in the box.
What pressure does the listing state?
Maximum pressure is given as 116 psi. No burst pressure and no British or European hose standard are named.
Does the listing name a fire-hose coupling standard?
It says easy-fix quick-release connectors at each end. It does not name BS 336 or any other coupling standard.
Three amazon.co.uk fire-hose listings were scored for this page. The card scores are 71, 64 and 41 out of 100. There was no laboratory pressure test. The weights below follow the buying order used for this comparison and sum to 100. Stars, review counts and shelf prices are the listing lines. A star line with no review text is not treated as UK user evidence.
Job, bore and length
25%A 25 mm reel spare and 2 inch layflat are different purchases. Reel hose in BS EN 671-1 is 19 mm, 25 mm or 33 mm. A 2 inch title is about 51 mm, which is not 45 mm or 70 mm brigade hose.
Named standard
20%The standard has to be printed on the listing. If none is named, none is assumed. BSEN696 on a bullet and EN 694 in a description stay separate when the wording does not match.
Coupling
15%The usual UK delivery coupling is the 2½ inch instantaneous fitting to BS 336. Quick release with no standard named is not that fitting.
Working pressure
15%Working pressure stays separate from burst pressure. 116 psi on a listing converts to about 8 bar. That labelled conversion is not a fire-service high-pressure rating.
Price and review line
15%Shelf price is the amazon.co.uk figure in this set. Star ratings are kept with their review counts. Counts of one, two or three, and a review that is not in English from a UK buyer, are thin evidence.
Temperature and weight
10%A stated range such as −20 °C to 60 °C can be compared. A cold-resistant or heat-resistant claim with no figures cannot. Listed weight is recorded when the page gives it.
A replacement for an existing 25 mm reel is a different product from layflat delivery hose. A garden nozzle, a Storz tail, a ball valve and a butane hose are not fire hoses. Reel hose in BS EN 671-1 is 19 mm, 25 mm or 33 mm, and a common replacement is 25 mm by 30 m. A title that says 2 inch is about 51 mm. That is not London Fire Brigade 45 mm or 70 mm delivery hose.
A fire hose in a UK shop is one of two objects. Semi-rigid reel hose stays round and sits on a drum. Layflat collapses when it is empty and needs pressure to open. Fire-service layflat is lined, which means non-percolating, and UK trade catalogues sell it with wired-on couplings. General-purpose layflat can use a woven jacket and an EPDM liner and still be sold for pumps, sewage and gardening. A complete hose reel is a system under BS EN 671-1. The hose on this page is not that complete system.
A 2 inch title is about 51 mm. London Fire Brigade delivery hose is 45 mm and 70 mm, often in 23 m lengths, plus 90 mm on hose layers. Neither DAMBAT listing names BS 6391.
The Firechief bullet says BSEN696. The amazon.co.uk description and UK trade pages for this model say EN 694. The wording does not match, so the two are not one approval.
Article 13 of the Fire Safety Order 2005 requires appropriate equipment where necessary. It does not require a hose reel. Extinguishers are the normal provision, and a reel only supplements them.
The first split is the job. A replacement for an existing 25 mm reel is a different product from layflat delivery hose. A garden nozzle, a Storz tail, a ball valve and a butane hose are not fire hoses. Reel hose covered by BS EN 671-1 is 19 mm, 25 mm or 33 mm. A common replacement is 25 mm by 30 m, which is the size the Firechief FH25/30 listing uses. That listing gives 25 mm as an outside diameter, so confirm it is the bore your reel expects before anyone fits it.
The standard has to be printed on the listing. If it is not named, do not invent one. BS 6391:2009 is non-percolating layflat for firefighting. EN 14540 covers layflat for fixed systems up to 1.5 MPa, in bores from 25 mm to 52 mm. BS EN 694:2014 covers semi-rigid reel hose at 1.2 MPa (12 bar) for 19 mm and 25 mm. The Firechief bullet says approved to BSEN696. The description also uses EN 694, and UK trade pages for this model say EN 694. Those strings do not match, so they stay separate.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You already have a reel and you need bore, length and a standard you can match, plus someone competent to fit the hose. The Firechief listing is 25 mm by 30 m and cites a standard, with the BSEN696 and EN 694 wording left unresolved.
You want 2 inch layflat for a pump or for dewatering, and you are not matching a hose reel. The DAMBAT 30 m listing is the one where the title and the length field both say 30 m. It names no hose standard.
You want the lowest price in this set and you will open the box to see whether the hose is 20 m or 30 m. The cheaper DAMBAT listing prints both lengths. It is still 2 inch layflat, not a reel spare.
The Firechief FH25/30 at about £123.00 is the top pick when you need a 25 mm by 30 m reel spare and you will reconcile BSEN696 on the bullet with EN 694 in the description. It states −20 °C to 60 °C and cites a standard. It states no working pressure and no coupling. The DAMBAT 2 inch by 30 m hose at about £49.95 is the best value for general layflat: the title and the length field both say 30 m, 116 psi is printed, and no hose standard is named. The cheaper DAMBAT title says 20 m while the length field says 30 m. None of this is a laboratory test.
DAMBAT, 2 inch × 30 m
General 2 inch layflat at about £49.95 where the title and the length field both say 30 m, with 116 psi printed and no hose standard named.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 20 October 2026. amazon.co.uk prices and stars are the listings for B074P4HNQP, B09P5DTGVL and B09P5FQXL4.
This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through these links we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The scores follow amazon.co.uk listing lines and the public sources below. This is not a laboratory test.
