Customer Reviews
Well worth the investment 
2008-06-21
Everything I hoped it would be. Heavy duty, small footprint (compared to the big plastic box reel it replaced. Smooth motion with slight braking--keeps hose from unwinding further than you wish at any given time. Everything was included to mount to either siding-based or masonry wall.
Did it take awhile to assemble? Yeah, but I would gladly deal with the extra time necessary to put together something well engineered than pay for cheap shortcuts on a daily basis later on. The instructions are very clear and well presented. Only one complaint: the adjustable nut controlling the level of braking was not threaded into the screw properly. Pretty minor, but I mention it because this is much easier to check for and remedy PRIOR to mounting the thing to the wall than afterwards. Had to do some disassembly to fix it.
Final compliment just came in the door; my wife just told me how much easier it is to use than any reel we've ever owned.
Well engineered product 2008-06-09
This is a great product, not like the typical flimsy hose reel you find at the store. I've bought both styles of their hose reels and have been very happy with them.
Great product 2008-06-08
We ordered 2 Rapid Reels. They arrived promptly. They were easy to install and work flawlessly. These reels are far superior to the reels available at the local big box stores.
Worth every penny! 2008-06-07
After years of frustration with a variety of plastic hose reals offering seemingly great features such as an auto-tracking winding mechanism, I gave up on them. Over-promising chunks of plastic that always seem to break in a manner of weeks. My wife's frustration with the last one we had was the final straw. I searched Amazon, found the Rapid Reel, read the reviews and ordered one. I'm glad I did. No, let me rephrase that....we're glad I did. :)
This is a company that knows how to do things right. First, one word, METAL!. With exception of a couple of plastic bushings, the handle and the connecting hose, this thing is crafted from metal and has a top notch paint job. That combined with a basic design rule, keep it simple, are what make this product so perfect. It assembles quickly (good instructions), operates smoothly, winds and unwinds hose with ease, the brake keeps it from unwinding on its own....this is what a hose reel should be! If it sounds strange that I seem excited over a hose reel, consider the following: 1) It works perfectly and is built to last. 2) My wife, who thought I was a little crazy for spending this much on a hose reel, raves about it. No more @#*&% complaining about the plastic reel that she wanted to heave off a cliff! Like I said, worth every penny.
I think we're going to get the perpendicurlar mount for the other side of the house and another one for her parents. Need a good hose reel? Don't hesitate, buy one of the Rapid Reel models, you'll be happy.
worth every penny 2008-06-06
Rapid Reel 150-Foot Parallel Wall Reel #GH164-PL This hose reel was worth every penny. Its a bit more pricey then the 25.00 plastic units, but you won't have to replace it every year as I have been doing with the cheap units. Its extremely well made and I had no problems with putting it together. Instructions were very clear and precise. This is a 5 star unit all the way. Thanks, Rapid Reel!!
Best I've seen 2008-07-25
This reel is a very well designed product, well worth the price. Assembly instructions are adequate and easy to follow. The simplicity of design is to be commended.
Is this for "reel?" 2008-07-19
I purchased a Rapid Reel one year ago and made a second purchase a week ago. What's there not to like? An American company, sturdy construction, and if you need servicing, just call the toll free number to speak to a live representative located in Nebraska who can be understood! No call being routed to the other side of the world! I called for a replacement part (due to my own negligence) and they promptly fed-ex the part with no additional charge. Is this for `reel?'
My Rapid Reel 2008-07-09
I have no complaints about my purchase. I have a parallel mount on decorative concrete block with 150 ft of hose. My wife can unwind and wind it with little effort. The only trouble I had during the assembly was drilling and mounting the bracket to the concrete blocks. The 4 holes I drilled did not all line up. I tried to drill a bigger hole in the bracket and snapped a corner of it off. I called the company and they sent another bracket over night free of charge. I will never buy a cheap plastic reel again, this one is the way to go.
Truly solid and great product (great manual too) 2008-07-06
I settled on this reel after reading all the reviews of folks fed up with the plastic crud one is left to buy in all the stores. After putting this thing together, I can re-affirm that this is a solid piece of engineering and looks to last a long time (just got it so can't attest to the endurance). I know a bit about engineering and endurance of products, whether thats due to my education or my destructive tendencies or both, I shall not dig into, but I will say that my gut feel is that this product is going to be around for a wahile.
I wanted to highlight that the instruction manual that comes with this product is WONDERFUL. Which is important since this product has to be assembled.
So many times I've seen companies market a great product and then produce cheap, useless instruction manuals. Kudos to Rapid Reel for taking the time to write a manual that has graphics that show the items clearly (the pictures actually look like the pieces you are trying to put together) and have clear, concise instructions for each step. It sounds easy, but until you've tried to write a manual, you don't realize how hard and time consuming it is to write something easy and obvious to use. The zen of instruction manuals.
Again, kudos Rapid Reel, great product and GREAT instruction manual!
Overall great but . . . 
2008-07-04
We ordered 2 of these after reading the reviews and trashing many plastic reels that just haven't survived the weather. The product was easy to assemble and seems quite sturdy to last a long time. The only reason we didn't give it 5 stars was due to the installation bolts that were included to mount it on brick walls. If there are air gaps in the walls like our house has, the bolts push back into the wall leaving little or no bolt exposed to attach the reel to. We were finally able to make it work, but it was a frustrating process. Now that they are installed, we love them!
