Why does my soaker hose water unevenly?

This is the single most cited complaint across high-trust forum threads. Reviewers in r/gardening and r/Irrigation note that the first 25% of the hose can release the bulk of the water and that little reaches past roughly 20–30 feet from the spigot. Keeping runs short, looping carefully, and using a pressure regulator or timer-ready end are the workarounds reviewers mention most.