My review is based on reading other reviews that have complaints about this hose. I want to give my honest opinion as I believe this is one of the best hoses on the market and if you buy it on sale and use points it's probably THE BEST value hose on the market for someone who actually needs an everyday hose that will work for years. My experience as a small farm owner. I probably have about 2000 ft of hoses across my farm and I've owned just about every type of hose known to man kind. I own about ~500 ft of this hose (and purchasing more as the longer lengths go on sale) 1) Never had any smell beyond a mild "rubber" smell. Doesn't smell toxic. I still don't really understand this complaint because unless you're using this hose inside your house the smell isn't strong enough to even be noticeable outside. 2) Yes the hose is heavy (Not much heavier then other more durable hoses I've purchased) but because the hose is tough you can actually yank it around. I find the most annoying thing about moving hoses the fact that you have to worry about damaging the hose when dragging it around. I can understand if you're elderly but my petite girlfriend has no issue pulling around multiple 100ft lengths daisy chained together. 3) No connector problems and I drag them around the yard, run over them with equipment, etc. Sure if you smash one with a hammer it's going to break. I would recommend not doing that. I actually think the connectors are manufactured very "clean" and always screw together and fit nice. 4) I don't really notice any black marks on my hands on my new or old ones. Maybe I'll get the occasional mark that you can literally rub off on your hand.... but if you're using a hose then you are most likely outside so who gives a ****. And if you're that big of a clean freak then you're probably using gloves already. 5) They still perform like the day I got them 6) If you buy them on sale and use points then you can get these at a similar price point or cheaper then other hoses that are branded as high end 7) The only hose that has a no questions asked in store lifetime warranty. You can have fun packaging your 50 or 100ft hose into a box to exchange and then praying you get it back in the next decade. And if sears goes under the craftsman brand will still exist. 0% chance the warranty changes as the brand is built around the warranty. Sears might be in trouble but the Craftsman line is very successful. I 100% recommend this product.
Be aware that this is a *different* hose than what many of the reviewers here were commenting on. The old ones were very heavy duy and had a "concave hexagonal shape" (as it still stays in the description). But as you can see from the updated photo, these look just like every other round hose and are not nearly as strong. Sears should change the product number and page to reflect the change. Or better, bring the old hoses back!
In order to have a lifetime warranty I paid a premium price for my Caftsman 5/8 75 89 LW hose many years. The local Sears store, where I purchased it, is long gone. Finding out whether the warranty is still supported by Craftsman or Sears has proven too difficult. I still think these are great hoses; I still have a 100ft model which continues to give me excellent service.
I PURCHASED THE HOSE AND USED IT 3 TIMES AND THE END FELL OFF. I WENT TO THE NEAREST STORE WHICH DUE TO CLOSURES IS ABOUT 30 MILES AWAY. THEY HAD NONE IN STOCK. SO THEN HAD TO ORDER ONLINE AND ALSO PAY SHIPPING OF 8.00 WHICH I WAS NOT HAPPY ABOUT. HOPEFULLY THIS HOSE LASTS A LITTLE LONGER. AT LEAST IT HAS A WARRANTY . BUT THIS IS MY LAST PURCHASE AT THE OLD ICON CALLED SEARS. TOO FAR AWAY NOW.
Sears has changed manufactures of their craftsman hoses. The new ones are junk they will not last. I too have had craftsman hoses for many years. The new ones are nothing like the old ones they are junk!