3/8 in x 100ft, Retracable Air Hose Reel, All-Steel, German-Made Hose w/Automatic Rewind, Auto Shop, Garage, CP3690

Once I got it placed and fastened securely, all great.

Bought this based on the build quality everyone talked about in the reviews and the value for it. I was a little turned off about most reviews in here discouraging some because they found the mounting to be too difficult. I figured well even if it is hard to mount, I only have to do it once then it is done and I'll have a great hose reel. To my surprise this thing was extremely EASY to mount.I mounted mine on my shop ceiling which sits about 16 feet above the floor.. My original plan after reading how hard people struggled with trying to mount a spinning hose reel was to install the reel on a piece of 2"x6" (which is perfect size for the mount btw) and then it would be easier to control when I moutned it on the ceiling. (The 2x6 was also to be used as a stabilizer between two rafters)After receiving the unit and looking at it I realized that only one bolt, yes just one, is holding the reel to the mounting bracket. The one bolt is of course very sturdy and I have no doubt it will hold up to years of abuse. Removing the one bolt and the hose stopper at the end of the hose allows the mount to be free of the reel. This allows you to mount the bracket where you need to without the reel being in the way and all that additional weight.This went unbelievably well. Attaching the reel was just as easy to put on as it was to take off. After you place the reel along with its attached bolt back into the mount, you can free one hand to thread the locknut and nut on. After the bolt is cinched down far enough with your hands it can hold the weight of the reel while you jump down off the ladder and get your ratchet to make sure the bolt is nice and snug.This method of installation also allows you to customize the amount of tension the reel starts off with which was a blessing for me as I didnt want to have the reel take the hose 16 feet up in the air if I forgot to lock it into place. Now the tension is set to pull the cord at about 7 feet from the floor. Out of the way from anything but easily within my grasp when I need it and I dont need to remember to lock it in place.Only had the reel for a few days so I cant comment on durability quite yet but it does seem to be very well built. I felt I had to express my satisfaction with the product and the installation.Edit: Follow up - Sep, 19 2013After reading my review it reads as if I didnt know the hose stopper, at the end of the line, is made for keeping the end of the hose at the height/distance you want it. I do use the stopper to keep the distance right, but the tension was adjusted so there was not much tension right where the stopper hits.As for the past year, this thing has held up wonderfully. No leaks anywhere. I've extended this thing probably 40-45 ft at times, there is a LOT of tension when extended this far but the unit doesnt complain. Have been very pleased with the durability of it and the hose. Even after the rare occasion I leave extra hose on the ground and walk or run over it with ATV/car, the hose has no cracks or tears, good stuff. Still very pleased and expecting this to last for many years.

I have to say this is 1000 times better than what I had before. Before, I had a 100 foot air hose that I every time I would use it, I had to wrap it around two posts I had sticking out of my wall in my garage. What a pain it was trying to wrap these hoses around two poles because of how the hose always twists. So I went with this reel and am so glad I did. I found some plywood to screw into my framing inside my garage and mounted this unit as high as I could.When you pull the hose, you do not have to be in front of it. You can pull it from the front, the sides, does not matter. When it retracts, its so easy and I have no more of those nightmares before I had this reel.So why 4 stars?First, it comes with a hose that you connect to your air compressor and to the reel. The hose is just so small that they have to know most air compressors that are on the floor wont reach the reel especially since they recommend you mount it high up. I had to go and buy a longer hose which cost another $20 bucks and a trip to Home Depot.Second, when I pull on the hose, I have to keep playing with it to lock in place. So imagine I open my garage door, pull on the hose and walk out to my long driveway where I have my two cars parked. When I get to the tire, I want the hose to stay in place, but it keeps trying to retract. If I let go, it will go flying all the way back up the driveway and into the reel. I have to hold on tight to the hose and make sure I don't let go and then fill up my tire.I have to keep pulling and releasing trying to get it to lock into place, but I find not much luck when I am 50 feet away from the reel.When I more like 10 feet from the reel, I pull the hose till I hear a clang noise. That noise seems to happen after every full turn of the reel and I then release the hose to lock into place.I bought the accessories where you can plug in the tire gauge into the end of the hose so now, I just connect to my tire stem, I can see the pressure, squeeze the trigger and it fills the tire.So even with these two issues, this is still way way way better than the other way of me hand wrapping manually a 100 foot hose to two poles.