I love the flex hoses that shrink when not in use, got two last year. Both sprung leaks over the winter and now are garbage. Whatever the rubbery material is it seems to become brittle when cold. On the other hand my regular stiff garden hoses came through the winter just fine and I may even forgot to drain those.
A number of plastics and rubbers are like that. For instance the semi clear plastic storage containers are not all the same; there are those that are cold stable, there are those that after the winter become as brittle as a cracker.
i like the reddish brown construction grade hoses. was all we used at the university. they are expensive but last a long time. not flexible in the cold though. i always disconnect them in the fall. it lengthens their life considerably. i found if you dont the brass will crack and start to leak near the fittings.
None of the expandable hoses have lasted more than 2 years for me. The inner core usually bursts or becomes disconnected from the fittings. It’s often stated to not store them in the cold or the sun, but they still seem to burst from hose pressure at some point.
My craftsman heavy duty hose has lasted a long time, but the brass connection just rusted through. It’s easy to replace the fitting though. I just picked up one of the red, farm/construction hoses as a backup. It would be nice to have an expandable hose, but I haven’t yet found one that will last. Project Farm on YouTube did some interesting tests on hoses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1m0YTxBKqE
I’ve generally found that leaving hoses out over winter here in my 7A/6B area with our pogo-stick springs shortens their lives considerably, no matter the type, but especially if their is water left in.
Every version of the expandable hose I’ve ever used has been a 2-3 year purchase at best.
I think the ‘N’ is silent on several versions of the neverkink hoses, but the semi-soft ubiquitous green hoses are the worst around here by far. Those seem designed to kink first, trap water even when not under pressure, and attract rodents if not capped off over winter.
My heavy duty rubber hose has been out 5 years, never in, just disconnected. Still going strong. It’s snaked through from back yard to front so difficult to move. It would be too heavy to drag around.