I get the worry about leaks, but honestly, I’m not convinced braided lines are always worth the extra cost. The plastic ones that come with most sprayers are rated for years, and if you’re checking them regularly, you’ll probably catch any issues before they get bad. I swapped mine out after a year just to be safe—cost me like $8. Maybe I’ll regret it, but so far, no problems. Sometimes I think the horror stories are just outliers...
Honestly, I used to think braided lines were overkill too, but then I saw a plastic hose burst at a rental I was helping fix up. Water everywhere—total mess. Since then, I’ve been a bit paranoid and just go braided when I can, even though they’re pricier. Still, if you’re swapping out the plastic ones every year or so and checking for cracks, I get why you’d stick with them. Sometimes I wonder if I’m just overreacting because of that one bad experience...
I get where you’re coming from—once you’ve seen a hose burst, it’s hard to unsee it. I wouldn’t call it overreacting at all. Water damage is no joke, and braided lines really do hold up better in the long run. That said, if someone’s diligent about checking plastic hoses and swapping them out regularly, it’s not the worst approach either. Sometimes peace of mind is worth the extra few bucks, though...
I hear you on the peace of mind thing—after my neighbor’s laundry room turned into a mini swimming pool thanks to a cheap hose, I swapped every line in my house for braided ones. Still, I get why some folks stick with plastic if they’re on top of maintenance. It’s just, life gets busy and it’s easy to forget. For me, spending a bit more upfront beats dealing with soggy drywall down the road...