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Hose reel cart buying guide

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are standing at the outside tap with a lawn a short hose never quite reaches, and the search results all lead with a metre figure. A hose reel cart buying guide should settle one thing before you pick a brand: whether that figure is hose in the box or only the size of an empty drum. This page is from Peter F., editor for DIY & tools. We read six amazon.co.uk listings in the 50 metre class, plus the Hozelock and Gardena UK pages, and we did not run a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The rows sit on the [50m hose reel cart comparison](/hub/garden-watering/50m-hose-reel-cart).

You are standing at the outside tap with a lawn a short hose never quite reaches, and the search results all lead with a metre figure.

Our top picks

Gardena Gardena CleverRoll M Easy

Best overall

Gardena Gardena CleverRoll M Easy
9.0/10about £79.99
View offer
Hozelock Hozelock 60 metre hose cart

Best value

Hozelock Hozelock 60 metre hose cart
8.3/10about £49.21
View offer
Hozelock Hozelock cart with 50m Ultramax hose

Alternative

Hozelock Hozelock cart with 50m Ultramax hose
7.9/10about £92.94
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What the metre figure actually means
  2. 2.Half-inch, 15 mm and 19 mm
  3. 3.Fittings, tap thread and the leader
  4. 4.What to leave for the comparison

What the metre figure actually means

The largest number on a title is often capacity, not a hose you can unroll the day the parcel arrives. The empty Hozelock 60 metre hose cart, at about £49.21, is a reel for 60 metres of 12.5 mm hose, with two connectors and no hose, and you assemble it. The Ultramax cart is the other way round: 50 metres of 12.5 mm hose already fitted, at about £92.94, and it arrives assembled. If a title only says 60 m, open the included-components line. Gardena’s CleverRoll M Easy (18515-20) says up to 60 metres and includes no hose, at about £79.99 with 4.5 stars from 2,030 reviews. That line is the amazon.co.uk title, not Gardena’s UK diameter split. Flopro states 50 metres of hose and up to 60 metres of 12.5 mm capacity, at about £59.13, with 3.2 stars from five reviews.

Half-inch, 15 mm and 19 mm

A UK half-inch garden hose is about 12.5 mm inside. Gardena’s nearest figure is 13 mm. Thicker hose occupies more of the drum. Gardena UK states that the CleverRoll M class takes 60 metres of 13 mm, 50 metres of 15 mm, or 35 metres of 19 mm. The amazon.co.uk title for 18515-20 does not print that split. Treat fewer metres of thick hose as a rule of thumb. The trap in a 50 metre search is the Draper cart: 45 metres, about £22.98, 4.2 stars from 2,045 reviews, and no hose in the box. SPECILITE’s half-inch bullet is about 46 metres, at about £69.99, with three reviews at 2.8 stars. If your hose is 19 mm, use the shorter manufacturer figure.
Gardena Gardena CleverRoll M Easy

Testsieger

Gardena Gardena CleverRoll M Easy
9.0/10about £79.99
View offer

Fittings, tap thread and the leader

Hozelock and Gardena use different click systems. A fits-all-brands line does not make them interchangeable. The empty Hozelock includes two fittings and no hose. Gardena includes neither. Ultramax includes a connector set and a nozzle. Flopro lists a tap connector, a hose connector, two water stops and a nozzle, and one review says an inlet connector snapped. You need a short leader from the tap to the cart, with slack so the trolley does not drag the tap. One related Hozelock listing used about 1.5 metres as an example, not a rule. If a hosepipe ban is on your bill, capacity does not make watering lawful. That check is the hosepipe ban and hose reel page.

What to leave for the comparison

Once you know the diameter, whether the hose is in the box, and which click system you own, the brand choice is a table. The best hose reel cart page names a conditional top pick and a best-value empty cart. Skip a 45 metre drum if you need 50 metres of half-inch hose, and do not pay for a second hose you already own. A metal frame is not automatically better. Gardena’s empty trolley has the largest review sample here, and it still has a reported minor leak and no hose.

Common questions

Does 60 m mean the hose is in the box?
No. On these listings, 60 metres is usually the reel capacity for a stated diameter, not a promise that 60 metres of hose is packed. The empty Hozelock cart is 60 metres of 12.5 mm with no hose. The assembled Hozelock cart puts 50 metres of Ultramax on a 60 metre reel. Read the included-components line on the amazon.co.uk page before you compare the prices.
What diameter is a UK half-inch hose?
About 12.5 mm inside. Gardena’s UK pages use 13 mm for the same class of hose. A 15 mm or 19 mm hose is thicker, so it fills a drum sooner. If you already own the hose, measure or read the print on the wall of the pipe rather than guessing from the colour of the reel.
Will a 19 mm hose fill a reel rated at 60 m?
It can, long before you reach 60 metres. Gardena UK’s CleverRoll M class is listed as 35 metres of 19 mm hose, against 60 metres of 13 mm. That figure is from the manufacturer page, not from the amazon.co.uk title of model 18515-20. If your hose is the thick anti-kink type, buy the capacity at that diameter.
Is 45 m close enough for a 50 m hose?
Not if the far bed is the reason you searched for 50 metres. The Draper cart states 45 metres, at about £22.98, with a large review sample and no hose in the box. It can still be the right cart for a shorter run. It does not become a 50 metre cart because the search page placed it there.
Do Hozelock and Gardena connectors match?
They are different click systems. Owning a Hozelock gun does not mean it will seat on a Gardena trolley fitting, and the reverse is the same problem. A marketplace line that says the cart fits all brands is the claim to ignore until you have the actual connector in your hand or a named adapter you already trust.

Related pages

Hose reel cart with or without a hose

How to use a hose reel cart

50m hose reel cart

Best hose reel cart for a UK 50 metre half-inch hose

Hosepipe ban and a hose reel: the use still counts

Sources

Public UK sources for hosepipe bans, the outside-tap check valve, and maker capacity and storage notes. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved for this comparison on 19 October 2026. Last checked 22 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK, dry weather and drought in England, 2 to 8 October 2026 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  2. Water UK, hosepipe bans FAQ (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  3. Water Industry Act 1991, section 76 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  4. Ofwat, hosepipe bans and what they mean (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  5. WaterSafe, double check valve on an outside tap (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  6. Hozelock, assembled hose cart with hose (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  7. Gardena UK, hose trolleys (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  8. Hozelock, looking after your products (retrieved 19.10.2026)