If you're aiming to do some yard work for dear ole dad in time for Father's Day this weekend, and water some plants, you might be in luck! We are testing out a product that can shower him and your lawn with love... if it works!
Introducing the super lightweight Pocket Hose Silver Bullet! When you turn on the water, it's supposed to grow "from pocket size to supersize". If you want to watch the commercial and the claims of how it's "hassle-free, click here.
I read through the instructions, and one line stuck out. It said you should store the Pocket Hose Silver Bullet indoors to prolong its life and durability after each use, along with making sure you drain the water out of it completely. We took the Pocket Hose Silver Bullet outside to test it out!
We connected one end to the spigot, and turned on the water. It expanded all the way out to fifty feet, the size we purchased! I turned the knob to release the pressure and was impressed by the water flow! Overall, whether the water was on or off, it's definitely lighter than the traditional 50-foot hose.
The infomercial shows the pocket hose maneuvering around potted plants, and they didn't budge. The video also shows a traditional hose knocking everything over. So, we tested both, and they each failed! The traditional hose knocked and moved our mock plant out of place, and so did the Pocket Hose Silver Bullet. The results were practically identical.
One of the claims for the Pocket Hose Silver Bullet is that it will never kink. When I was extending it out to fifty feet, it did kink, but immediately unfolded. I didn't have to yank hard at all! Plus, when I compared the two, the traditional hose kinks means the water pressure STINKS! I kinked and clenched Pocket Hose Silver Bullet as hard as I could, and the water pressure didn't waver. It stayed strong!
The video also shows the pocket hose being turned off and it immediately shrinking back as the water trickles out. That's not exactly how it works. In general, ours wasn't as pretty, but it drained the remaining H2O and contracted down in size similarly. I tried keep the hose on a low-to-medium pressure to mimic the "hands-free" claim and portrayal in the video, that the hose would basically clean up on its own. When I did that though, the hose was swaying back and forth like a snake and water was going everywhere. When I turned the pressure to low, it still snaked, but the water stayed on the ground, and it took a while to shrink down in size, but it did eventually.
The Pocket Hose Silver Bullet is listed as $19.99 on their site, including a Bullseye Turbo Nozzle, but you pay an additional $7.99 for shipping and handling. We bought ours for $29.59 from Fry's Food Stores, and it did not include a Bullseye Turbo Nozzle. So, where does the Pocket Hose Silver Bullet rank on our Bull or No Bull Meter? I'm going with... NO BULL! Though, there are some claims we didn't test that may change the vote.
One claim is that it has a seamless outer bullet-case shell that prevents snags, wear and tear. Because we've only had ours for a little over one week and have only used it twice, we cannot confirm or deny this claim. However, the reviews might share better insight.
At Target, the product gets 2.4-to-3.6 out of 5 stars. About one week ago, someone wrote they had the pocket hose for a month, but then it got two leaks and is now unusable. Other reviews echo the leaking issues and some talked about holes. On Amazon, the Pocket Hose Silver Bullet gets between 3.7-to-4 out of 5 stars. Many reviews complain about parts breaking or leaking. Another complained about the hose not expanding or retracting and still kinking.
Another claim is that the machined-aluminum connectors are lead-free and safe to drink from. We did not test that claim. Other versions of the pocket hose, like the one made with brass, are supposed to be so strong, it can stop tethered trucks "dead in their tracks". We may test this claim in the future.
What product do you want us to try before you buy? Email us!