What is this fire hose? And Why Does It Look That Way? It's a rubber "uncured hose". It comes directly from the factory and has actually never been used. In fact, it's brand new. Really. But of course it doesn't look that way. Think of it like a half-way finished hose that hasn't been fully cooked. It's called uncured because whatever quality control the hose didn't pass during inspection (pinhole, sizing, tear, cosmetic defects) they categorized it as a failure and decided not to finish producing the hose. So it goes in the pile of "unfinished" hoses. Some users prefer this look. Others say "it ain't pretty"! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder they say. The coating on the nitrile rubber hasn't been heated to give it that shiny finished look. So that's why you get that faded look. They've done everything possible to the hose except for the final step, shiny heat treatment. So there you have it. The strength is there, the functionality is there, the hose is there, the color is there (albeit faded), but the hose has been deemed unworthy of firefighting. In the fire hose world, the rubber nitrile hose is the top of the line and highly sought after, the best of the best. It'd be a shame to let this high quality hose go to waste because it's a bit grisly. Can it still move water? Sure. Just like a regular hose in fact. But there could be tears and small holes here and there. We don't mean it's riddled with holes every few inches, but if you purchase 1000 feet on a pallet, you'll probably get a hose with a leak or two. This is a 2.5" diameter hose, so you could clamp some standard hose fittings on and if there's a hole, just cut that piece off and re-attach the fittings. Problem solved. You can save big if you decide to go with this scrap rubber hose, we mean really big. If you purchase 1000 feet of this 2.5 inch hose brand new finished, you'd be paying over $4,600. We're not kidding, take a look at the new units we sell here. Great For Padding Or Other Uses It's still super strong and ready for additional use. Think equipment protection, boat dock padding, or even some arts and crafts. The sky is the limit. Lots of people use old fire hoses creatively. What will you do? Available in 5 ft, 10ft, 25 ft, or 50ft. Free Shipping on Bulk Orders! 2.5" Inside Diameter 4" Lay Flat Width Rubber Nitrile
