Alright so today I gotta talk about this garden hose mess I went through with my pressure washer. Seriously, wasted half a Saturday sweating over it. Started simple: my old hose just exploded when I hooked up the new pressure washer. Like, BOOM. Water everywhere. What a mess.

Thinking I Knew Better

Grabbed whatever hose I had lying around - the green one we use for flowers. Hooked it up, cranked the pressure washer. Thing barely spit out water. Then the hose started bulging like a balloon snake. My neighbor actually yelled "yo your hose's pregnant!" I was mad confused.

• Checked the pressure washer manual: said "use high-flow hose" - whatever that means.
• Measured my garden hose opening: about half-inch across.
• Felt smart cutting it open: walls looked thin as plastic wrap.

Actual Experiments With Hoses

Went to the store, grabbed three different hoses:

• Skinny one (3/8 inch): Hooked it up. Pressure washer sounded like it was choking. Barely any water came out the wand. Total failure.
• Standard green one (1/2 inch): Exact same bulging problem. Coupling started leaking after 2 minutes.
• Thick ugly one (5/8 inch): Heavy as heck but didn't bulge. Water actually shot straight like a rocket. Night and day difference.

Took notes right there in my muddy driveway. Skinny hoses restrict flow like drinking a milkshake through a coffee stirrer. Makes your pressure washer work harder while doing nothing.

What Actually Works

After testing:

• Diameter matters most: Ignore anything under 5/8 inch. Period.
• Reinforced walls: Pinch test - if walls collapse easy, junk it. Good hoses feel like car tires.
• Couplings: Leaky brass? Forget it. Steel or brass with rubber seals won't blow off when pressure kicks in.

Got a specific 5/8 inch rubber one labeled "high pressure" - looks industrial but works perfect. Hose stops fighting the pressure washer. Now it just works instead of acting crazy.