If you use a lot of air tools in your workshop, then one of the things that you will have to be used to is the presence of air hoses snaking through the workplace.  Whether you use fixed compressors and a build in air supply, or prefer to use smaller, portable units, one of the biggest factors in your workplace will be the presence of hoses.  By choosing to use a retractable air hose, you get a number of interesting benefits that can make your work flow much more efficient and straightforward.

One of the most immediate benefits that you will notice of using a retractable air hose in your workshop is that you no longer have to worry about having long trailing pipes everywhere each time you use an air powered tool.  This means that there is an automatic safety benefit of using a retractable air hose, as you and your colleagues are much less likely to trip over the tubes if they are not as spread out as they would be otherwise.

Another advantage of a retractable air hose comes at the end of a job.  Whereas in the past, with a traditional hose, you would have had to manually coil the hose into big loops and then carry it to wherever it is stored, a retractable hose coils up into a compact and convenient container that protects the hose when it is not in use.  This means that the expensive air hose is less likely to be accidentally damaged when being stored, and also that when it comes time to get the hose out again, it is ready to use in seconds, and can never get twisted up with other hoses, or get kinks in it that could cause problems later.

Although retractable air hoses do cost slightly more than alternative models when you calculate the price per meter, they do represent an excellent deal.  The lower risk of damage, coupled with the time that you will save in terms of clearing up at the end of the day will both pay dividends as you will not need to replace the hoses as often,