My hose is in front of the house, so it was the first thing I saw coming up the driveway. It looked junky just laying there. Now it's hidden in this attractive hose reel. You can't even tell I have a hose anymore.It's sturdy, and the auto track rewind system works like a champ. I do use the green hose pictured in the ad.It is a little lower to the ground to reach the crank, but so far so good. I just worry about replacing the belt drive for the crank if that ever breaks.