Reinforced Shower Hose - Black

For black taps, two choices exist: a smooth hose or a spiral hose. This one is spiral: you get the tight rings of the traditional shower hose, but in black, with a slight satin sheen in the photos.

This relief gives character to an industrial-style shower, with a black glazed screen, metro tiles or a concrete wall. Both end fittings are black too, so no shiny part interrupts the line between the mixer and the handset. It keeps the spirit of a shower of old, in a darker version.

The product image mentions a reinforced coating, meant to withstand wear from high temperatures and prevent leaks. The rings wrap around the tube that carries the water and protect it from friction.

Day to day, the spiral keeps the hose round when you put it back in the tray or wind it round the bracket, where a soft hose gets squashed. On black, limescale leaves white marks: wipe the rings with a damp cloth and a little diluted white vinegar, then rinse. Once dry, it returns to an even black.

The hose is 1.5 m long, enough to unhook the handset from its bracket and bring it down to foot level in a standard shower.

The supplier does not state the connection diameter; the usual bathroom standard is 1/2″, also called 15x21. Fitting needs no plumber and no tools: turn off the water, unscrew the old hose at the mixer end then at the handset end, put a new flat washer in each nut of the new one and tighten by hand. Turn the water back on and check both connections. It takes a few minutes.