So first day using this reel upgrading from a hanney reel.
After having to send the one from wcw back because of a fault (handled excellently by wcw by the way regarding the return) i ordered from waterworks which was about an extra £20.
First impression.. they are quit big but very solidly built and fairly heavy also narrower then normal reels which isn't a problem and in some ways better as its a smaller footprint.
I found the fittings that come with it dont seem to fit the hose brilliantly and you really need to tighten the jubilee clips up as tight as they can go (this is what i found) but i'm going to to change them anyway, the inlet thread size is 1/4 inch so going to replace the outside with a pro 26 fitting and get bigger barb for the inside of the reel.
The reel didn't come with any jubilee fittings so you will need to source them separately. It also comes with a handle should the motor fail and a t bar (think this may be to stop the reel turning if needed while in transit, although i havent used it and didnt have any issues).
Very simple to connect up to the battery and there is enough cable length to the controller etc giving you enough options on were to put it in the van.
Actual use i found is brilliant when pulling the hose out there is not a lot of restriction and hose comes of easy enough and i found it doesn't keep on spinning when you have pulled the amount of hose you need off therefore the hose doesn't get loose on the reel.
Winding in is really easy just push the button (have to keep it pressed) and it fly's in it did about 100m of hose in 30-40 seconds and its simple to guide it back on the reel while its reeling in.
Overall I'm very happy with it..does it let me do 2-3 extra houses a day? No. Does it make my day even quicker? No. I never brought it for those reasons.
It simply makes my working day easier and its more a luxury then a necessity, but i think i can honestly say you do notice the difference between manually winding in the hose and using this reel at the end of the day in terms of spent energy (i'm 45 and still pretty fit).
If i would improve anything so far it would be the option to be able to slow the reel down when its nearly wound in as its just 1 speed but after using it on a few houses you get the feel for when to let go of the button (so just a minor thing).
Overall i would recommend this reel, i think for what it is its reasonably priced time will tell regarding the the motor but there not that expensive to replace anyway. If your happy to pay near on £500 for a 25ft extreme and understand the value in that then i think you will find the same for this reel ( it does make your day easier).
Although you can get the cheaper version petal reel (i personally have never liked the petal style reel) i would recommend paying the extra and going for the hd version.
I didn't get the remote version personally i didn't need it, and i wouldn't want to start winding in when im not able to see if there a people walking past on the pavement while doing so and also i think it is best to feed the hose onto to the reel while it is winding in.
Also 100m of microbore easily fits on to it.
Just my 2 pence worth on the reel for anyone thinking of making the move
