Not sure of the brand but am pretty happy with this one. Yes, it'll kink if you don't unroll it right off of the holder. I think most hoses will kink, especially if left in the sun to warm. The water in this one will almost scald you when you first turn it on from being in the sun, especially on hot days. I think I got this one at Home Depot. It replaced a red rubber Goodyear hose that my wife hated since it would kink easily if not unwound properly. This one is the same way but doesn't seem to do it as easily if it's cold. I have the Goodyear hose in the shed. I also have another one on the reel I use in the front yard for washing cars. I find coiling them up in their natural coil works best. Every hose I've ever used has a natural coil to it, some are just harder to get into it than others.