UPDATE: I still love this hose even though I only use it for applying liquid fertilizer and other yard treatments. Another update is the photo of the reel I bought to store 100ft of the 9/16" version on. This is the Yard Butler Handy Reel, and it's a miniature reel that stores this hose efficiently. I've been hand coiling my hose this whole time and that got old. I didn't want a full-size reel taking up space when I only use this hose maybe 10 times a year. This summer I started applying my own yard chemicals, mainly in liquid form using a Chapin hose-end sprayer. I have 8000 square feet of turf and was using my standard 5/8" hose, which was heavy and a pain to maneuver around flower beds and other obstacles. I came looking for a smaller, lighter hose. After reading many reviews, I think it's important for folks to understand that there are 3 basic characteristics to choose from when it comes to hoses and pipes: --Pressure drop (psi) --Flow Rate (gallons per minute or gpm) --Diameter (inches, and factors into the weight of the hose) You can choose any two at the expense of the third. For example, if you want to maintain pressure and high flow, you need a larger diameter hose. If you want a small diameter that maintains pressure then you have to limit your flow. You can't have a high flow rate with minimal pressure loss from a small diameter hose. Fluid mechanics don't work that way. I replaced all the 1/2" pipe with 3/4" pipe in my crawlspace for these reasons. My Chapin hose-end sprayer runs at 0.5 gpm (tested with a bucket and timer). A simple online pipe calculator told me that a 100-foot hose at 7/16" diameter operating at 0.5 gpm will lose only 3 psi of pressure. The pressure at the spigot is 55 psi, so I have plenty of pressure at the other end of the hose with a flow rate of only 0.5 gpm. There is no noticeable difference in my sprayer performance between my big hose and my new hose, and now I can easily walk around spraying without lugging a heavy hose. Now, if I put my regular high-flow, car-washing nozzle on this skinny hose the performance is pathetic, but that's to be expected. You simply cannot ask this 7/16" hose for that kind of flow without a massive drop in pressure. I'll use my big hose for tasks like washing the car, filling the pool, and irrigating my lawn. This hose is good for lower-flow applications like applying chemicals with a hose-end sprayer, watering potted plants, and feeding a pressure washer (since they don't consume a lot of water). This 100ft hose would be a terrible choice for high-flow applications like washing your car, feeding a large lawn sprinkler, washing a driveway, or fighting a fire (anything where you need to move a lot of water in a short time). I saw a lot of reviews about the hose coil memory. Based on those reviews, when I unboxed my hose I expected a mess. I was planning to pressurize the hose and and leave it in the sun to straighten out. However, the picture included with this review was taken the moment I had the hose uncoiled out of the box it came in. I don't know what those reviewers are talking about since you see the hose is neatly laid out. For the record, it was about 85 degrees when this happened, and that may have made the hose more limber. The one complaint I have is the hose has a rubbery feel to it and it does not like to slide against itself or other smooth objects. I'm hoping this will go away after the hose is scuffed and gets dirty. I pull my hoses around patio furniture to avoid flower beds, and this hose tends to "grab" and not slide easily. Again, this may go away as the hose gets used more. I've experienced a couple of kinks, but they happen from my own poor hose management. If you let the hose twist too much and then pull it, the loops may kink. The thinner wall that makes the hose lighter likely contributes to this. You need to be mindful of how you drag the hose around and avoid twisting it. Mostly the loops just straighten out on their own, and usually a "whip" of the hose will get a kink to pop out, which is easy with this light-weight hose. In summary, I'm thrilled with this new hose since it'll make spraying chemicals much, much easier. It's a great hose for some applications, and don't expect this hose to perform like a 5/8" or 3/4" hose since there's a reason hoses are made that big.
