My electric GrippaTank Reel review

[Moor]

So given how little reviews and information for electric reels there is out there I thought I would share my experience and hopefully help and potential buyers make their minds up.

I decided last year that it was time to get an electric reel, manual winding was becoming a pain in the **** so I had a look around and came up with 4 contenders, the Power up HD, the Pure Freedom reel, the GrippaTank reel and the Cox reel. After much searching I found quite a lot of information on the power up reel, and that's about it. The power up reel is cheap and easy to fit so its undoubtedly popular so it was quickly put to the top of my list, but without any comparison I don't want to go in blindly without looking at others so I waited until the cleaning show in Stoneleigh and went to have a look at all 4, well i say all 4, no showing on the cox reel at all but the other 3 were all on display and being demo-ed.

I saw Oliver at GrippaTank first as he was hard to miss with the biggest stand right at the entrance, he ran me through the system, showed me the options, I already have a Grippa Tank system in my van and Oliver explained how it could be mounted on the tank with one of their frames that screw into mounting points on the tank, the reel had options for powder coated, and stainless steel and a remote so you can reel in as you walk back to the van, soft start, safety cut out, all very impressive. The whole system is completely upgradable too so if you go for manual reel you can upgrade to electric later, there's extendable hose guides, they were also offering a decent discount too.

 I talked to the guy demo-ing the power up reel, he used the reel himself was very complimentary about the reel and had a huge pile of them ready to be taken away on the day with a 20% discount. The lack of stainless steel put me off as did the chain drive compared to the chain less drive on the GrippaTank reel. 

The guys at Pure freedom showed me their reel, its very impressive, sturdy, and uses a variable speed controller to reel in the hose, safety cut outs and can be had in stainless steel, it did strike me as a fancier version of the power up though, its chain driven again, but has soft start, extendable roller guides and safety cut out if it gets snagged. The guys there were very knowledgeable but were clearly engineers and not salesmen, given that everyone was offering decent discount I asked about what they were offering and was offered a £15 (!) discount, given that most others were in the 20% area its was unfortunately taken off my list, it worked out more than the GrippaTank reel so it was a no brainer.

I went for a coffee and changed my mind 3 or 4 times but in the end it was GrippaTank that I went with, so I ordered;

Electric reel in stainless steel with roller guides

Remote control

Frame to fit my tank

Rear floor mounted roller guide

I had it all delivered and I went with a Pure freedom swivel mount to mount the reel to my frame which i was at the show, this allows me, with the configuration of the tank in my van, have to the reel mounted right by the N/S rear door so I can have the hose either out that door or out the rear doors. In practise having the hose out the side door is sooooo much better than the rear mount I used to have, I can park right outside and have the hose straight out in front of me.

Once it was all fitted it looks like this



Rear door configuration looks like this



To say I'm pleased with the end result is an understatement, its fantastic, makes life so much easier and build quality is great, the stainless steel reel is built like a tank.

The remote is good too, I can reel as I walk (as long as its in line of sight of the receiver) on bigger jobs, for smaller jobs its not worth using really but the bigger jobs is where its most useful.

GrippaTank were great with their support in getting it all ordered to my spec and fitted so a big thank you to Oliver at GrippaTank for all his help.

So in summary I can't recommend this reel highly enough, it comes at a price premium but theres a lot of technology and engineering behind it and I'm happy to pay more for a product that will likely last a lifetime.

I hope this is helpful for any potential reel buyers as I have tried to outlay all the pros and cons of the reels on the market, the reviews is also only my opinions, others will of course differ but my experience has been positive.

If anyone wants any other information or photos I will do my best to help.

 

[BigFoot]

Looks like a solid  bit of kit! I like the idea of the swivel mount, I have two side doors so could work from either side or the back. I’m having problems with my back that’s caused by I’m sure winding in so before silly season starts I need to invest. 

Good review.

 

[Pjj]

So given how little reviews and information for electric reels there is out there I thought I would share my experience and hopefully help and potential buyers make their minds up.

I decided last year that it was time to get an electric reel, manual winding was becoming a pain in the **** so I had a look around and came up with 4 contenders, the Power up HD, the Pure Freedom reel, the GrippaTank reel and the Cox reel. After much searching I found quite a lot of information on the power up reel, and that's about it. The power up reel is cheap and easy to fit so its undoubtedly popular so it was quickly put to the top of my list, but without any comparison I don't want to go in blindly without looking at others so I waited until the cleaning show in Stoneleigh and went to have a look at all 4, well i say all 4, no showing on the cox reel at all but the other 3 were all on display and being demo-ed.

I saw Oliver at GrippaTank first as he was hard to miss with the biggest stand right at the entrance, he ran me through the system, showed me the options, I already have a Grippa Tank system in my van and Oliver explained how it could be mounted on the tank with one of their frames that screw into mounting points on the tank, the reel had options for powder coated, and stainless steel and a remote so you can reel in as you walk back to the van, soft start, safety cut out, all very impressive. The whole system is completely upgradable too so if you go for manual reel you can upgrade to electric later, there's extendable hose guides, they were also offering a decent discount too.

 I talked to the guy demo-ing the power up reel, he used the reel himself was very complimentary about the reel and had a huge pile of them ready to be taken away on the day with a 20% discount. The lack of stainless steel put me off as did the chain drive compared to the chain less drive on the GrippaTank reel. 

The guys at Pure freedom showed me their reel, its very impressive, sturdy, and uses a variable speed controller to reel in the hose, safety cut outs and can be had in stainless steel, it did strike me as a fancier version of the power up though, its chain driven again, but has soft start, extendable roller guides and safety cut out if it gets snagged. The guys there were very knowledgeable but were clearly engineers and not salesmen, given that everyone was offering decent discount I asked about what they were offering and was offered a £15 (!) discount, given that most others were in the 20% area its was unfortunately taken off my list, it worked out more than the GrippaTank reel so it was a no brainer.

I went for a coffee and changed my mind 3 or 4 times but in the end it was GrippaTank that I went with, so I ordered;

Electric reel in stainless steel with roller guides

Remote control

Frame to fit my tank

Rear floor mounted roller guide

I had it all delivered and I went with a Pure freedom swivel mount to mount the reel to my frame which i was at the show, this allows me, with the configuration of the tank in my van, have to the reel mounted right by the N/S rear door so I can have the hose either out that door or out the rear doors. In practise having the hose out the side door is sooooo much better than the rear mount I used to have, I can park right outside and have the hose straight out in front of me.

Once it was all fitted it looks like this

View attachment 15729

Rear door configuration looks like this

View attachment 15730

To say I'm pleased with the end result is an understatement, its fantastic, makes life so much easier and build quality is great, the stainless steel reel is built like a tank.

The remote is good too, I can reel as I walk (as long as its in line of sight of the receiver) on bigger jobs, for smaller jobs its not worth using really but the bigger jobs is where its most useful.

GrippaTank were great with their support in getting it all ordered to my spec and fitted so a big thank you to Oliver at GrippaTank for all his help.

So in summary I can't recommend this reel highly enough, it comes at a price premium but theres a lot of technology and engineering behind it and I'm happy to pay more for a product that will likely last a lifetime.

I hope this is helpful for any potential reel buyers as I have tried to outlay all the pros and cons of the reels on the market, the reviews is also only my opinions, others will of course differ but my experience has been positive.

If anyone wants any other information or photos I will do my best to help.

Thanks for a full indepth review very intresting.  

How does the snag thing cut out work and how sensitive is it ? Compared to a manual reel stopping when you get caught on something ? 

The hose you are using is that Grippatank hydro hot 6 mm internal diameter and how do you find it pulling around house corners ? I had some years ago think it might have been the 8 mm internal diameter stuff it was exelent hose but so heavy , I reverted back to normal yellow microbore, but am thinking of trying the 6 mm red thermo hose , how do you find it compared normal yellow microbore ? 

Ime not picking fault but looking at the hose on your reel it isn’t level on the reel it’s very one sided , looks like it would jamm up easily , Do you normally level it with your hand or just let it reel on the drum by its self ? 

When pulling the hose out how much resistance is there ? Do you feel like you are pulling against the motor ? 

Sorry for all the questions but when you are looking at spending the best part of 2k you want to make sure you are getting the right one , thanks in advance .

 

[Guest]

So given how little reviews and information for electric reels there is out there I thought I would share my experience and hopefully help and potential buyers make their minds up.

I decided last year that it was time to get an electric reel, manual winding was becoming a pain in the **** so I had a look around and came up with 4 contenders, the Power up HD, the Pure Freedom reel, the GrippaTank reel and the Cox reel. After much searching I found quite a lot of information on the power up reel, and that's about it. The power up reel is cheap and easy to fit so its undoubtedly popular so it was quickly put to the top of my list, but without any comparison I don't want to go in blindly without looking at others so I waited until the cleaning show in Stoneleigh and went to have a look at all 4, well i say all 4, no showing on the cox reel at all but the other 3 were all on display and being demo-ed.

I saw Oliver at GrippaTank first as he was hard to miss with the biggest stand right at the entrance, he ran me through the system, showed me the options, I already have a Grippa Tank system in my van and Oliver explained how it could be mounted on the tank with one of their frames that screw into mounting points on the tank, the reel had options for powder coated, and stainless steel and a remote so you can reel in as you walk back to the van, soft start, safety cut out, all very impressive. The whole system is completely upgradable too so if you go for manual reel you can upgrade to electric later, there's extendable hose guides, they were also offering a decent discount too.

 I talked to the guy demo-ing the power up reel, he used the reel himself was very complimentary about the reel and had a huge pile of them ready to be taken away on the day with a 20% discount. The lack of stainless steel put me off as did the chain drive compared to the chain less drive on the GrippaTank reel. 

The guys at Pure freedom showed me their reel, its very impressive, sturdy, and uses a variable speed controller to reel in the hose, safety cut outs and can be had in stainless steel, it did strike me as a fancier version of the power up though, its chain driven again, but has soft start, extendable roller guides and safety cut out if it gets snagged. The guys there were very knowledgeable but were clearly engineers and not salesmen, given that everyone was offering decent discount I asked about what they were offering and was offered a £15 (!) discount, given that most others were in the 20% area its was unfortunately taken off my list, it worked out more than the GrippaTank reel so it was a no brainer.

I went for a coffee and changed my mind 3 or 4 times but in the end it was GrippaTank that I went with, so I ordered;

Electric reel in stainless steel with roller guides

Remote control

Frame to fit my tank

Rear floor mounted roller guide

I had it all delivered and I went with a Pure freedom swivel mount to mount the reel to my frame which i was at the show, this allows me, with the configuration of the tank in my van, have to the reel mounted right by the N/S rear door so I can have the hose either out that door or out the rear doors. In practise having the hose out the side door is sooooo much better than the rear mount I used to have, I can park right outside and have the hose straight out in front of me.

Once it was all fitted it looks like this

View attachment 15729

Rear door configuration looks like this

View attachment 15730

To say I'm pleased with the end result is an understatement, its fantastic, makes life so much easier and build quality is great, the stainless steel reel is built like a tank.

The remote is good too, I can reel as I walk (as long as its in line of sight of the receiver) on bigger jobs, for smaller jobs its not worth using really but the bigger jobs is where its most useful.

GrippaTank were great with their support in getting it all ordered to my spec and fitted so a big thank you to Oliver at GrippaTank for all his help.

So in summary I can't recommend this reel highly enough, it comes at a price premium but theres a lot of technology and engineering behind it and I'm happy to pay more for a product that will likely last a lifetime.

I hope this is helpful for any potential reel buyers as I have tried to outlay all the pros and cons of the reels on the market, the reviews is also only my opinions, others will of course differ but my experience has been positive.

If anyone wants any other information or photos I will do my best to help.

How much did you pay? . .

 

[Moor]

Thanks for a full indepth review very intresting.  

How does the snag thing cut out work and how sensitive is it ? Compared to a manual reel stopping when you get caught on something ? 

The hose you are using is that Grippatank hydro hot 6 mm internal diameter and how do you find it pulling around house corners ? I had some years ago think it might have been the 8 mm internal diameter stuff it was exelent hose but so heavy , I reverted back to normal yellow microbore, but am thinking of trying the 6 mm red thermo hose , how do you find it compared normal yellow microbore ? 

Ime not picking fault but looking at the hose on your reel it isn’t level on the reel it’s very one sided , looks like it would jamm up easily , Do you normally level it with your hand or just let it reel on the drum by its self ? 

When pulling the hose out how much resistance is there ? Do you feel like you are pulling against the motor ? 

Sorry for all the questions but when you are looking at spending the best part of 2k you want to make sure you are getting the right one , thanks in advance .

It’s not the grippa hose, it’s a pretty rubbish hose I got from eBay, I have 100m of the yellow on my old reel as a spare, I will likely swap them over shortly.

The hose is lopsided, that’s not usual, I was in a hurry to reel it in, it’s easily spread out when you reel it in.

The safety cut out kicks in when there’s resistance, like when it’s caught under a car tyre, it’s not overly sensitive, just about right. The reel has an auto feed when u pull out the hose, very slight so it doesn’t feel like you are pulling against a motor.

How much did you pay? . .

I can’t remember, they did a discount at the show that was only for the show, the prices are on their website though.

 

[scottish cleaning service]

@Moor what's the name of the connection you have on the yellow hose on reel?

 

[Moor]

It’s part of the exceed tubeless kit, it’s the ejector sleeve, it’s just a plastic cover for a rectus fitting.

 

[Tuffers]

@Moor, on a scale of 1-10 how useful is the hose guide? I've looked at the Grippa reel and you can add the guide for something like £40. I'm not sure I'd need a guide tbh.

 

[Moor]

@Moor, on a scale of 1-10 how useful is the hose guide? I've looked at the Grippa reel and you can add the guide for something like £40. I'm not sure I'd need a guide tbh.

I’m presuming you mean the one in the reel rather than the floor mounted one.

Its hard to say really because I haven’t used it without, it works well but if you aren’t sure then buy without and you can always add it later if you feel you need it.

 

[RWCleaning]

Lovely bit of kit. But for that money there’s always something of more higher priority on the list for me. 

 

[Guest]

Lovely reel but crazy money. 

Got all the bits to convert my reel to electric for under £20.

Does the same job

 

[TimsScrims]

So given how little reviews and information for electric reels there is out there I thought I would share my experience and hopefully help and potential buyers make their minds up.

I decided last year that it was time to get an electric reel, manual winding was becoming a pain in the **** so I had a look around and came up with 4 contenders, the Power up HD, the Pure Freedom reel, the GrippaTank reel and the Cox reel. After much searching I found quite a lot of information on the power up reel, and that's about it. The power up reel is cheap and easy to fit so its undoubtedly popular so it was quickly put to the top of my list, but without any comparison I don't want to go in blindly without looking at others so I waited until the cleaning show in Stoneleigh and went to have a look at all 4, well i say all 4, no showing on the cox reel at all but the other 3 were all on display and being demo-ed.

I saw Oliver at GrippaTank first as he was hard to miss with the biggest stand right at the entrance, he ran me through the system, showed me the options, I already have a Grippa Tank system in my van and Oliver explained how it could be mounted on the tank with one of their frames that screw into mounting points on the tank, the reel had options for powder coated, and stainless steel and a remote so you can reel in as you walk back to the van, soft start, safety cut out, all very impressive. The whole system is completely upgradable too so if you go for manual reel you can upgrade to electric later, there's extendable hose guides, they were also offering a decent discount too.

 I talked to the guy demo-ing the power up reel, he used the reel himself was very complimentary about the reel and had a huge pile of them ready to be taken away on the day with a 20% discount. The lack of stainless steel put me off as did the chain drive compared to the chain less drive on the GrippaTank reel. 

The guys at Pure freedom showed me their reel, its very impressive, sturdy, and uses a variable speed controller to reel in the hose, safety cut outs and can be had in stainless steel, it did strike me as a fancier version of the power up though, its chain driven again, but has soft start, extendable roller guides and safety cut out if it gets snagged. The guys there were very knowledgeable but were clearly engineers and not salesmen, given that everyone was offering decent discount I asked about what they were offering and was offered a £15 (!) discount, given that most others were in the 20% area its was unfortunately taken off my list, it worked out more than the GrippaTank reel so it was a no brainer.

I went for a coffee and changed my mind 3 or 4 times but in the end it was GrippaTank that I went with, so I ordered;

Electric reel in stainless steel with roller guides

Remote control

Frame to fit my tank

Rear floor mounted roller guide

I had it all delivered and I went with a Pure freedom swivel mount to mount the reel to my frame which i was at the show, this allows me, with the configuration of the tank in my van, have to the reel mounted right by the N/S rear door so I can have the hose either out that door or out the rear doors. In practise having the hose out the side door is sooooo much better than the rear mount I used to have, I can park right outside and have the hose straight out in front of me.

Once it was all fitted it looks like this

View attachment 15729

Rear door configuration looks like this

View attachment 15730

To say I'm pleased with the end result is an understatement, its fantastic, makes life so much easier and build quality is great, the stainless steel reel is built like a tank.

The remote is good too, I can reel as I walk (as long as its in line of sight of the receiver) on bigger jobs, for smaller jobs its not worth using really but the bigger jobs is where its most useful.

GrippaTank were great with their support in getting it all ordered to my spec and fitted so a big thank you to Oliver at GrippaTank for all his help.

So in summary I can't recommend this reel highly enough, it comes at a price premium but theres a lot of technology and engineering behind it and I'm happy to pay more for a product that will likely last a lifetime.

I hope this is helpful for any potential reel buyers as I have tried to outlay all the pros and cons of the reels on the market, the reviews is also only my opinions, others will of course differ but my experience has been positive.

If anyone wants any other information or photos I will do my best to help.

Hey mate, so the reel swivvels on the tanks so you can have side AND rear access to the hose? If thats the case what a great idea, is it just grippa that do that? Im planning to upgrade van/system but still deciding what to go for...

 

[Moor]

Hey mate, so the reel swivvels on the tanks so you can have side AND rear access to the hose? If thats the case what a great idea, is it just grippa that do that? Im planning to upgrade van/system but still deciding what to go for...

Yes, it can be used out either side door or the rear. The swivel is from pure freedom, at that time GrippaTank didn’t do one, I believe they will be offering a swivel at some point though.

https://purefreedom.co.uk/product/pure-freedom-reel-master-swivel-plate/

 

[Andy 5]

Hi

Thiking of Buying NEW REEL wondered how Powerfull is this Reel

Ie

Fast Reeling in of Hose 100m how Quick

High Torque (Pull Hose around oblects when NOT Stuck)

As i can Not fined any Videos show this Reel Working

be Great if you have any, and can post

Thanks ?

 

[Iron Giant]

Hi

Thiking of Buying NEW REEL wondered how Powerfull is this Reel

Ie

Fast Reeling in of Hose 100m how Quick

High Torque (Pull Hose around oblects when NOT Stuck)

As i can Not fined any Videos show this Reel Working

be Great if you have any, and can post

Thanks ?

@Pjj may be best to advice as he has them on all of his vans I think 

 

[Pjj]

@Pjj may be best to advice as he has them on all of his vans I think 

If you mean the Grippatank reels yes I have two stainless steel ones , I have refrained from doing an in-depth review on them due to a few problems , how ever to answer the above questions this is my personal opinion 

1 . They arnt as fast as the waterworks HD reel or the pure freedom reelmaster 

2. Torque is amazing best of all the electric reels out there and I have had all the main makes of electric reels , it will pull hose round corners within reason , but just remember they are only for 6 mm microbore not 8 mm minibore .

3.videos I don’t know if there is anything on YouTube or not ??? 

Any specific questions just ask more than happy to try and help 

 

[Pjj]

Lovely reel but crazy money. 

Got all the bits to convert my reel to electric for under £20.

Does the same job

A home built electric reel doesn’t have the fetchers professional electric reels have , for example it won’t have soft start, won’t have overspool cut out , easy hose releases when pulling hose off the reel , and won’t have snag protection , so it’s not really comparable .

 

[Moor]

The torque is good, never have a problem pulling in with ease, unless snagged. As for speed, it’s plenty fast enough for me, others may be faster but I want to clean down the hose as it reels in any any faster would mean a still dirty hose is going back on the reel.

I’m more than happy with mine, it was expensive but it’s been faultless and it’s built like a tank.

 

[DCDom]

I have the first waterworks reel, there 18months old, wouldn't rate them at all! 

Chains come off easily, and they seem slow, spindles are all twisted or bent. 

They squeak so loud! 

These reels have been looked after too! 

 

[Moor]

I have the first waterworks reel, there 18months old, wouldn't rate them at all! 

Chains come off easily, and they seem slow, spindles are all twisted or bent. 

They squeak so loud! 

These reels have been looked after too! 

Chains are the reason I went with the grippa reel, no chain, all the others did. Mine looks and works as well as the day it was fitted.

 

[THL4KEL]

Never had an issue with Pure Freedom Reelmaster chain.