Qingdao Hutian Green Thumb Garden Hose Reel Cart #TC4706 Review

I have been on the lookout for a metal hose reel cart for the past three years. There are many available, but they typically cost around $80 and/or are overly large. I stumbled upon this particulat hose reel cart at True Value one weekend. It was on sale for ~$39.99 from the regular price of $83.99. In addition to being a good price, it had a 2-wheel design which helped make it a little smaller in size overall from the usually 4-wheel ones that I had typically seen. This slightly smaller size makes it easier to maneuver (especially since it is typically pulled around the yard rather than being pushed like many of the 4-wheel designs are meant for) and store. I wanted a metal hose reel cart with large pneumatic (blow-up) tires because my yard is hilly and pretty rough. The typcial plastic hose reel carts widely available and cheaply priced wouldn't even make it one season in my yard! This hose reel cart is both metal and has the big tires, but some assembly is required. Assembly never bothers my, but this item isn't of the highest quality and so the holes didn't quite line up and the parts were really cheaply made. In addition, the wheel axle is just a bit too long and causes the entire cart to be wobbly and unstable. I rectified this by purchasing several large washers to act as spacers between the wheels and frame. This makes the axle assembly fit tightly now and the cart is stable. While this fix was inexpensive and not difficult, it always bothers me that a brand new product needs alterations in order to make it function properly or correct a defect. The sale price was right though and so it was hard to pass this cart up. Overall it works well enough, although the reel seems stiff to turn sometimes. I have 150' of hose on the cart now and seeing it on there, I am not sure that the permitted 200' would all actually fit within the reel. Not a huge problem since I don't really need 200' of hose on this cart, but buyer beware if this is a must-have feature. In the end, this product is okay ans serves its purpose. If I can get 5-years of solid use out of it then I will be happy. Hopefully it holds up that long!