I replaced two older plastic reels with these a couple months ago...and what an amazing difference in quality and ease of use. The Rapid Reels are solidly made and look absolutely beautiful on the house. Winding up the hose used to be a dirty, sweaty chore but now it's a snap! Both my 80-year-old mother and I love using it.

I'm also impressed with the company's service because their installation instructions were clear, they contacted me by email to make sure I was happy with the product and recently emailed the winterizing instructions to me.

Do yourself a favor and invest in this reel...you won't be sorry.

I purchased one of these reels in early May 2008 because the plastic hose reel I had for 2 years was falling apart and was difficult to use. Over the years I have replaced my plastic hose reels every 2-3 years because the plastic breaks down in the sun and cranking the reel gets harder and harder. When I received the first Rapid Reel I was surprised to see that almost every part was made of metal and was very nicely manufactured. The assembly was easy and very straight forward. I was skeptical at first that reeling in the house would be any easier than with the old plastic reel --- boy was I surprised. This thing is smooth, efficient and sturdy, I can reel in 150 feet of hose with minimum effort. I liked the Rapid Reel so much that I purchased a second one for my other outside faucet. Stop paying for cheap plastic hose reels every 2-3 years and put your money on a Rapid Reel this one should last for years. I am sure you will save money in the long run and it will not be a pain in reeling in your hose.

This is my second purchase of this item. I bought my first one a month or two earlier - very pleased. If you are attaching to a brick/concrete/block home I recommend that you discard the attachment bolts included with this product - they will break off when seating.

I am totally delighted with the Rapid Reel. It was easy and quick to assemble and all the parts needed for installation were included. The only suggestion I have is they could include an appropriate masonry bit. Getting that required a trip to Lowe's.

The reel works very well and certainly vastly surpasses any other reel we have ever had.

I don't have much to add beyond what has already been written, but I have this model and the perpendicular model for my house. They are very well made and rugged. Very little plastic. The design prevents the hose from being pinched or twisted. They also look great and go with most home exteriors. The assembly takes about 10 minutes if you're at all mechanically inclined. The most difficult part is finding the studs to screw into. Note that if you buy the perpendicular model, you have to make sure that your hose isn't too long or it will jamb between the reel and the wall. I highly recommend this product.