Hard (pressure) water, please!
January 20, 2022 1:06 PM Subscribe
Can you help me find a new showerhead?
We're moving in a couple weeks, and our new place has two showers, one with a busted-up showerhead and one with a showerhead that's...fine. So we want to replace them both. We figure we'll take the "fine" one and put it in the guest bathroom shower, which we won't be using all that often.
So we then will need a showerhead for our main bathroom shower, and I kinda don't know where to start, except that we absolutely, positively do not want a "rain"-type showerhead, or any other gentle/easyflow-type showerhead.
We both like to be pummeled with our shower, for lack of a better way to put it, and I'm looking for a showerhead that will do that. There's decent water pressure at the new place, so I'd love to couple that with a showerhead that forces water out at a pretty good clip.
Specs:
- Would prefer fixed mount, but also open to handhelds if they're really good
- It doesn't need to be infinitely adjustable, but a couple different settings wouldn't be bad
- the "pummeling" shouldn't come from excessive aeration, it should be the water itself doing the work
- Would love for this to cost less than $75 or so, although for the right one we would pay more
Any particular brands or models I should look at first?
We're moving in a couple weeks, and our new place has two showers, one with a busted-up showerhead and one with a showerhead that's...fine. So we want to replace them both. We figure we'll take the "fine" one and put it in the guest bathroom shower, which we won't be using all that often.
So we then will need a showerhead for our main bathroom shower, and I kinda don't know where to start, except that we absolutely, positively do not want a "rain"-type showerhead, or any other gentle/easyflow-type showerhead.
We both like to be pummeled with our shower, for lack of a better way to put it, and I'm looking for a showerhead that will do that. There's decent water pressure at the new place, so I'd love to couple that with a showerhead that forces water out at a pretty good clip.
Specs:
- Would prefer fixed mount, but also open to handhelds if they're really good
- It doesn't need to be infinitely adjustable, but a couple different settings wouldn't be bad
- the "pummeling" shouldn't come from excessive aeration, it should be the water itself doing the work
- Would love for this to cost less than $75 or so, although for the right one we would pay more
Any particular brands or models I should look at first?
Look for 2.5 GPM rather than 1.8 GPM models. I bought this cheap ($35) showerhead from Amazon and it is better than a much more expensive model from Kohler that I had in my other bathroom. It has multiple settings and I've found several deliver really good pressure. If it doesn't work for you, returns are easy.
posted by shw at 1:22 PM on January 20, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by shw at 1:22 PM on January 20, 2022 [4 favorites]
Check this site: www.highpressureshowerheads.com
posted by tinker at 1:35 PM on January 20, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by tinker at 1:35 PM on January 20, 2022 [5 favorites]
Seconding tearing out the restrictor. After trying all kinds of dial-a-stream heads, a few years ago I just got a $5 40-pinhole cone head and took out the restrictor. I'm actually in the market to find an adjustable restrictor (thanks for the reminder), because now it's too strong and it uses up the hot water too quickly. In general though: pipe->holes, with as few detours and impediments as possible.
posted by rhizome at 2:36 PM on January 20, 2022
posted by rhizome at 2:36 PM on January 20, 2022
In light of tinker's link, I'm describing the explicit-holes style of the middle two at the top, and the jetlike "Ultimate" and "Large Ultimate" down the left-gutter are what I think of as "campground" or "prison" style.
posted by rhizome at 2:39 PM on January 20, 2022
posted by rhizome at 2:39 PM on January 20, 2022
I really, really like Whedon SaverShower showerheads. There are 1.5 and 2.0 gpm variants. They make low water pressure situations tolerable but really shine with normal/high water pressure. They don't look like much but really blast you.
posted by pullayup at 3:06 PM on January 20, 2022
posted by pullayup at 3:06 PM on January 20, 2022
Where are you moving? I live in California. A few years ago, my favorite showerhead died, and is not made any more. I found old stock on eBay, and ordered it. The eBay seller actually canceled the order because "it's illegal to sell the 2.5GPM heads in California".
It seems showerhead enforcement is more strict than meth precursors?
Round two: I re-bought two of them from the same eBay seller and had them sent to my relatives in a "red" state.
Damnedest thing ever - one of those illegal shower heads ended up installed in my shower when they visited next.
posted by soylent00FF00 at 5:42 PM on January 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
It seems showerhead enforcement is more strict than meth precursors?
Round two: I re-bought two of them from the same eBay seller and had them sent to my relatives in a "red" state.
Damnedest thing ever - one of those illegal shower heads ended up installed in my shower when they visited next.
posted by soylent00FF00 at 5:42 PM on January 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Also - in researching the issue, I determined that (A) my old showerhead was in fact clogged, but (B) my house water pressure was a bit low. Many houses have adjustable pressure valves on the water inlet, and it's worthwhile to check the pressure there first, before you go adding new hardware at every outlet.
posted by soylent00FF00 at 5:44 PM on January 20, 2022
posted by soylent00FF00 at 5:44 PM on January 20, 2022
I was skeptical, but I've been happy with my WaterPik showerhead. There are a few different models, so compare the massage settings between them. I checked, and (Canada) it didn't even come with a flow restrictor to remove.
It has a "hard massage" but I'm fine with the intermediate massage (less splatter, slightly wider cone).
posted by porpoise at 6:13 PM on January 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
It has a "hard massage" but I'm fine with the intermediate massage (less splatter, slightly wider cone).
posted by porpoise at 6:13 PM on January 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
This showerhead blasts the conditioner right out of my hair. Love it, have used it for years, had to replace it once and would buy the same one again. The hose does kind of suck, but I usually use it as a stationary showerhead anyway.
posted by wondermouse at 6:33 PM on January 20, 2022
posted by wondermouse at 6:33 PM on January 20, 2022
I’ll add that it is nice to have the handheld option, especially when I clean the tub.
posted by wondermouse at 6:44 PM on January 20, 2022
posted by wondermouse at 6:44 PM on January 20, 2022
I know that as of about 3 years ago, WaterPic handheld showerheads had a removable flow restrictor that was not easy to find, but was easy to remove. No idea if that's still the case.
posted by Aleyn at 10:03 PM on January 20, 2022
posted by Aleyn at 10:03 PM on January 20, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by so fucking future at 1:10 PM on January 20, 2022 [7 favorites]