The most common types of garden hoses are vinyl, rubber, expandable, pre-coiled polyurethane, and metal. Each of these different hose types can be used for a variety of tasks, but each of these has areas it's best used for. Expandable and pre-coiled polyurethane tend to be more fragile and better suited to light gardening, while rubber and metal hoses can withstand more abuse and prolonged exposure to natural elements.