I'm not sure what size air hose and garden hose I need?

The size of hose you need depends upon your use and volume you are putting through the hose. Those who work professionally with air tools and need air volume will commonly use a 3/8” air hose with ¼ MPT ends. Those who don’t need a lot of volume use ¼” air hose with ¼ MPT ends. These are the two most common air hoses used. Less common is a 3/8” air hose with 3/8” MPT – we do carry this hose for those who need its features. The most common garden hose size is 5/8” because most homes can deliver enough volume and pressure to allow a sprinkler to be used with it. ½” garden hose is gaining in popularity as many people realize that a 5/8” hose may be overkill for them. If you have low pressure or don’t water large areas a ½” hose is probably right for you.

First to answer the question - no there are not any phthalates or BPA in our Mean Green or GatorHyde garden hose.

Second, I know some will ask what are phthalates and what is the concern? Phthalates are plasticizer added to plastics. Basically it is a substance added to plastics to increase their flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity. Some research is showing that these can be potentially harmful to your health, especially to the health of infants and children. Our garden hoses are made with premium polyurethane. The tube that handles the water in our Mean Green and GatorHyde are made with FDA/NSF approved polyurethane and are phthalates free. The cover on both hoses do not have any phthalates. GatorHyde is a drinking water safe garden hose because the ends on it are classified as safe for drinking, whereas Mean Green garden hose has brass ends on it which are not classified for drinking. Thanks for the great question.

Air Pro Air Hose and Garden Master Garden Hose are premium polyurethane hoses. Polyurethane offers lightweight flexibility that is unsurpassed in other hose. It is also very durable and can last up to 4 times longer than a rubber or PVC hose. Be careful because not all polyurethane hoses are created equal. Our research and development team has relentlessly pursued bringing our customers the best air and garden hose on the market today. They feel the superior quality of our hose products merits a patent and have applied for one.

Rubber hose is another great option. But again not all rubber hose is created equal. We specialize in top of the line hose products because we feel many people want their hose to match and compliment the performance of their air tool. Rubber hose is heavier and less flexible than polyurethane, but can handle higher temperatures (Contractor's Choice rubber hose can handle 200 F).

PVC & Vinyl hoses are very cost effective, but will probably need to be replaced after one season. This is a good option for those who don’t use their hose much and don’t need the kink and tangle resistant features of a polyurethane or rubber hose. Factory Direct does not carry PVC or Vinyl hose.

Our 1 inch water hose has 1" male/female pipe fittings (NPT). Pipe fittings are not compatible with garden hose thread. Most outside faucets have garden hose thread so you can attach a garden hose to it. Garden hose thread is universal which means any size (3/8, 1/2, 5/8 or 3/4 inch) garden hose can all hook to the same faucet or to each other because the fittings are the same size. Garden hose fittings are classified as a 3/4 inch, thus most people do not like to put a garden hose fitting on a 1" hose because it restricts the flow. For many a 3/4 inch garden hose will provide the water volume needed if they are attaching their hose to a faucet with garden hose thread.

The size stated by our hose is the true ID (Inner Diameter) of the hose (Our 1/4” Air Pro Air Hose has a 1/4'” ID). Not all hose out there state the true ID when they declare their hose size. For example our 3/8” hose is a 3/8’ ID, not a 5/16” ID.

We can provide custom lengths. Just contact our customer service team and let them know what you are in need of.