GardenSmith 677171 2-Way Hose Connector with Shut-Off

Agree with 'A Kids Review', This shut-off appears to be very heavy duty. The six sided collar rotates Behind a flange that is actually a part of the valve body. The washer rides on top of the flange. Time will tell whether this valve cracks or not (probably at the flange where it is mated to the valve body, seems to be the thinnest there). Brass is a relatively soft metal and does not hold up well to freezes, that is, if there is water in the valve when the temp falls below 32F/0C, the expansion will likely crack the valve at its weakest point. This has happened to brass fittings of mine many times and I have nobody to blame but myself.Another part of the valve that concerns me is the blue vinyl coverings on the shut-off knobs. Rubber/vinyl coatings always concern me but so far, after several months of constant on/off, there appears to be no tendency to peel or separate from the twist knob they encase. Only time will tell on this one. And if they do come off, well, the shut-off knob will still be there.Given it has worked flawlessly for the last several months, I have rated it 5 stars. If it breaks, you can bet I'll write an update.**UPDATE** 29 December 2010as suspected, it will break if left outdoors in a pressurized system. Can't really blame the product, I was taught to drain water hoses and shut off the outdoor water supply during the winter...and, well, guess I should have. I have a system that I leave on all the time but it doesn't have a manifold in it and the nozzle is bullet proof. Still looking for the ultimate 2 way / 4 way manifold. If I find it, i'll update this review.

How does It compare with Gilmour Is the question, It has been My experience brass Is valves are much better for high pressure and freezing cold weather than plastic, plastic will bust sooner and worse than brass and takes more time to thaw out. Gilmour Is thinner on the hose connection but Garden Smith the two 3/4 Inch connectors are screwed Into the main body and may come apart when disconnecting the hose and lose the washer and ball but If there Is a replacement washer and ball that would be cheaper than replacing the whole valve. Garden Smith Is also easier to turn on and off than Gilmour.

Purchased this hose connector because of apparent quality. However, when I hooked it up it leaked. I made sure connection was very tight, I got a new quality washer, and I even hooked up a hose so as to relieve the water pressure on the valve and it still leaked. Leak is between housing and attachment nut. This shouldn't leak when washer is tight? I looked inside the attachment side of housing and noticed several irregular small gaps/bumps along the bottom thread. This is all I can see that could cause problem. Sent back for new item. Hope new connector will work properly. It did seem to be well built. Maybe they need better quality control. It boldly says on package it came in "Life time no leak guarantee". As usually Amazon has made the replacement easy. Here's hoping. GardenSmith 677171 2-Way Hose Connector with Shut-Offs

This unit looks like it would last a long time, season after season. However, as I learned not to judge a book by the pretty cover this GardenSmith 677171 2-Way Hose Connector with Shut-Offs just didn't hold up. One of the blue shutoffs broke and no longer worked. The only saving grace was, it broke in the off position. Since I turn the water on/off from the blue shut-on/off, this unit did not last 60 turns or 60 days. From May 2 to June 29th with no cold weather. As looks can be deceiving I would not recommend the GardenSmith 677171 2-Way Hose Connector with Shut-Offs.

I bought this in the summer of 2011. Installation was a breeze and initial performance were great. It definitely felt more solid than the one I had before given it's all solid brass (as appeared.) However, it stopped working just a year after. One shut-off won't turn off and the other won't turn on. We left the connector outdoor throughout the year and usage was rather minimal. What's worse, the steel ball that serves as the valve dropped into the coil hose that's connected to it. Now the hose is blocked. Very frustrating.

This valve looked good and worked good for 9 months and then it literally fell apart. The brass stem that turns the ball valve just broke off and the knob blew out of the valve.

This item lasted only 45 days with very limited usage. I spent a little extra on a brass 2way hose connector thinking it would hold up better than plastic. Boy, was I wrong....