Polyurethane vs. Rubber Hose - Which Is Better

Rubber hose is widely used in our life to transfer water and oil. Polyurethane hose are safe for drinking water. The right hose for you depends on your needs and personal preferences. In short, here are the main differences.

Weight

A rubber hose weighs twice as much as a polyurethane hose. This is most noticeable when pulling the hose out and back in. Although both hoses provide the same 5/8-inch ID water flow, the rubber hose has a much thicker cover, which is one reason for the extra weight. The thicker cover also means you can't store as much rubber hose on the hose reel as you would like.

Fittings

Polyurethane hoses come with lead-free, crush-proof brass fittings, while most rubber hoses have brass fittings that are lead-free. Lead-free means that polyurethane hoses are safe for drinking water. While the inside diameter of the rubber hose may be 5/8", the opening in the external crimp fitting is usually much smaller, thus reducing the flow rate.

Kink resistance

Rubber hose is more likely to kink, as traditional garden hose, and retains "kink memory," i.e., when the hose seems to remember where it kinked and then has a tendency to repeat the kink more easily in the same location. The positive side of the rubbery nature of polyurethane hose is that it has a tendency to 'flip' out of kinks rather than collapse down. In addition, polyurethane has zero kink memory. 
Our previous article on how to have a non-kinked hose you can read.

Durability

The polyurethane hose has the same outer cover as the wheel material of inline skates. This is the most durable cover we have found. If the hose is pulled over a rough or sharp surface, it will hold up better. The outer cover of the rubber hose is softer and tends to tear. 

Markerless

The polyurethane cover is 100% non-marking, which means you don't have to worry about it leaving marks on a clean surface. Rubber hose is a softer material and can occasionally leave marks on the surface or a small black residue on your hands after rolling up the hose.

Flexibility

Rubber hose is a softer, more flexible material than polyurethane. Rubber hose will wrap very evenly around the hose reel, creating a nice appearance. Polyurethane hose it has a degree of spring or springiness, but fails when it comes to forming a nice smooth wrap around the hose. In addition, longer polyurethane hoses should only be used for hose reels.  

LUHONG's rubber hoses are abrasion, weather and area resistant. Pressure resistant, flexible, light weight, bending resistant, little deformation and good surface finish. Used for pneumatic tools, air compressors and air guns. Used for irrigation, transporting room temperature water and general neutral liquids. Mining, factory, agriculture and civil engineering construction. Please send us a message now and get the quote.