Flexzilla Garden Hose (5/8"): 100' Length $47.20, 50' Length EXPIRED

read the reviews before you buy, especially this one:

Abbe Top Contributor: Camping
1.0 out of 5 stars Poor quality PVC hose with high PHTHALATES, attracts BLACK MOLD
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2017
Style: 3' (feet)Pattern Name: HoseVerified Purchase

TL; DNR

- hyperbolic touting of the hose material that is simply a PVC compound;
- has high phthalates levels, toxic chemicals capable of disrupting health;
- extensively attacked by black mold just a few months after installation;
- incomplete access to warranty terms violates FTC Presale Warranty rule.

above is just the summary, there are a lot of detail in the whole review.

Welcome to garden hose.

*Because I am in the know, particularly, wink wink*, nearly all garden hose is FPVC. SOME (very little) is rubber (Sears/Craftsman black hose I am looking at you) or TPV (much more expensive than FPVC). In particular, it's extremely common for the inner layer of FPVC hose (even the simplest hoses are 2 layers with a knitted reinforcement) to be reclaimed FPVC, perhaps post-consumer, because it's cheaper than the virgin outer layers that the customer will see (also why it's colored black BTW). (I'm not saying that's the case here but that it's REALLY common). In fact, this is the primary reason why you'll see all sorts of "do not drink" from the hose, because the inner layer is pretty unknown and could have all sorts of stuff in it (phthalates the least of your concern)

I'd like to know how this person knows what plasticizer package is in the FPVC ("high in phthalates"), you'd have to either have a material spec OR send the hose out for analysis ($$$$). It doesn't matter though, these aren't intended for water conveyance anyway.

"Black mold" - welcome to FPVC hose. Mold just happens to be easier to wash off of SOME hoses because they MIGHT have a clear capcoat or be less porous than the resin used on this hose. The mold itself is harmless (not all mold is harmful, in fact that's the exception), besides *again* it's purely aesthetic, you're not drinking from this anyway.

Probably the best attributes of this hose in particular:
- kink resistant
- very flexible at low temps

These are great hoses — but fair warning: they look especially gross once they get inevitably dirty. Neon green + mud is a pretty stark color combo. On the other hand, even dirty you'll never lose track of where it is on the ground.