ᐅ Showerhead: How can you tell the spray width before buying?

Hello everyone. I have a rather unusual question regarding showerheads.

A few months ago, I bought a new showerhead from Hansgrohe, specifically the Pulsify Select S model. Compared to my very old, worn-out showerhead, the diameter of the Hansgrohe showerhead is almost DOUBLE the size.

However, to my big disappointment, the width of the water spray is very narrow, which means my body doesn’t get properly wet while showering.

Why is that? Although my old showerhead only had a diameter of 7cm (3 inches), compared to the new one with 11cm (4.3 inches), the surface with the nozzles was rounded on the sides. This caused the water spray to spread out quite a bit while showering, resulting in a wider spray overall.

The new one, on the other hand, is completely flat and all the nozzles spray straight downward. The result is that, despite a much larger surface area and more nozzles, the spray is too narrow, which has been really frustrating because I constantly have to move around to get fully wet.

My question now is: to avoid wasting another 30-40 euros, how can I tell which showerhead has a suitable spray width? Because even if some showerheads have a rounded shape, that doesn’t necessarily mean their nozzles are angled. They might still all point straight down.

It may sound like a small issue, but it’s really annoying me and I need a replacement. I just don’t know where to start. I can’t find any useful information anywhere.

I would really appreciate it if someone here has an idea or maybe expert knowledge in this area.

Thanks in advance and best regards!

P.S. If anyone suggests a rain showerhead, that’s unfortunately not an option for me. I live in a rental with timber framing and only have a bathtub where I shower.

r4mbazamba schrieb:

My question now, to avoid wasting another 30-40 euros: How can I tell which showerhead has the right spray width? Because even if some showerheads are rounded, that doesn’t necessarily mean the nozzles are angled. They could still all be pointing straight out.

By checking the product information in advance: Hansgrohe at least shows this very clearly. They also indicate flow rates – and when I see a 10cm (5 inches) showerhead with up to 19 liters per minute, I can’t even imagine how large your body would have to be not to get properly wet – just kidding, wink...

nordanney schrieb:

By checking the product beforehand:
Hansgrohe at least makes it very clear. Next to it, flow rates are indicated – and when I see the 10cm (4 inches) showerhead with up to 19 liters per minute (5 gallons per minute), I can hardly imagine how big your body must be not to get properly wet – playful wink...

You imply that I wasn’t able to look at product photos before buying; fun fact – I actually did think of that before purchasing ;-). Unfortunately, those product photos, often pieced together with Photoshop, aren’t really representative. Even if they are “real,” they still don’t show how wide the spray ultimately spreads.

Just as uninformative as these product photos are the flow rates in liters per minute. What do liters per minute have to do with the width of the spray? Exactly, nothing. I could push even more water through a garden hose and still have a narrower spray compared to a larger hose with a lower flow rate. It’s quite logical.

My point isn’t that the water pressure is too low or that not enough water comes out; it’s about the width of the spray. I’ve already mentioned that a 10 or 11cm (4 to 4.3 inches) diameter area is significantly larger than my previous showerhead, which produced a much wider spray.

Still, thanks for your answer – maybe someone else will have more insight! :-)

r4mbazamba schrieb:

You imply that I wasn’t able to look at product photos before buying; fun fact ->

No fun fact. But if you look at the images, you can see a relatively straight water jet. And if you then know that the showerhead is about 30cm (12 inches) above your head, you have to realize that even after 30cm (12 inches) the jet doesn’t spread out.

r4mbazamba schrieb:

Just as little as these product photos are meaningful, are the liters per minute. What do liters per minute have to do with the width of the spray?

Sorry, but the pictures are informative. The jet comes out exactly as shown. And if you don’t get properly wet with a spray that is over 10cm (4 inches) wide when it hits you, then it’s about the water volume. Because with this showerhead and decent water pressure, any normal person can take a normal shower. That much water comes through that you don’t have to jump around.

r4mbazamba schrieb:

Maybe someone else has more insight! :-)

Try it out. Buy it at the hardware store or online, connect it, test it, and return or exchange if needed. Or try out the showers of friends and acquaintances.
Or specifically look for a showerhead with an extra wide spray angle.
Normal branded showerheads all produce a more or less straight spray.

The internet is always your friend. Take a showerhead from Schütte – the spray won’t get any wider (even though it’s more of a mist).

nordanney schrieb:

Not a fun fact. But if you look at the pictures, you can see a relatively straight spray. And if you know that the showerhead is hanging about 30cm (12 inches) above your head, you have to realize that even after 30cm (12 inches) the spray does not widen.

Sorry, but the pictures speak for themselves. The spray comes out just like in the pictures. And if you don’t get properly wet with a spray wider than 10cm (4 inches) when it hits you, then the issue is the amount of water. Because with that showerhead and sufficient water pressure, any normal person can take a normal shower. So much water flows out that you don’t have to jump around.

Try it out. Buy one at a hardware store or online, install it, test it, and return or exchange it if necessary. Or try out showers at acquaintances’ or friends’ homes.
Or specifically look for a showerhead that has an extra-wide spray angle.
Normal brand showerheads all deliver more or less a straight spray.

The internet is always your friend. Get a showerhead from Schütte – the spray won’t get any wider then (even if it’s more like a fine mist).

Please forgive me, you might not have been completely wrong about the pictures. I just took a closer look again and you’re right, with the Pulsify Select S model you can clearly see that the spray is practically perfectly straight, whereas others – often the rounded ones – show a wider spread in the pictures. I think I was a bit too quick to judge.

I just looked at one of the Schütte models myself. I was at the hardware store here at the time and photographed all the showerheads, but in the end ordered the Pulsify online. I just checked the pictures again to see what they actually have in-store, mainly to do some online research.

In the end, there are two options: either go for a rounded design, hoping that the spray will open up wide enough (although you never really know how exactly the nozzles are positioned).

Or go straight for one with at least 150mm (6 inches) diameter, which should ensure that even if the spray is too straight, the coverage area will still be wide enough.

Regarding the flow rate, I still stand by my point: my problem isn’t that I don’t get wet enough. It’s just that the spray itself is too narrow. The Pulsify actually has more pressure than my old showerhead. Still, the water only hits my head and then runs down the sides, whereas my old one covered both head and shoulders. That made showering very comfortable (or normal for me), while the current one constantly leaves the sides of my upper body dry. Of course, you can still shower with it, but it’s just annoying.

When I come home in the evening and want a good shower to relax and unwind, I just want to stand under the water without constantly moving from side to side to be fully under the spray.

That’s really all I care about.

Do you have any experience with the specific Schütte model?

Update: I recently got a shower head with a 150mm (6 inch) diameter from Schütte, but not the one shown in your picture. The surface is also rounded, but the result is even worse than the one from Hansgrohe. The spray is even narrower, despite the 150mm (6 inch) size. It also produces hardly any pressure. It’s simply frustrating.

There is NOTHING I can rely on, absolutely nothing. Neither the rounded surface nor the width of the shower head nor anything else indicates the actual width of the spray. My old shower head is only about 6 or 7cm (2.5 to 3 inches) in diameter, looks unremarkable, but creates a much wider spray and showering is comfortable, just as expected.

And all these water-saving measures drive me crazy. I want to shower normally, not stand under a dripping gutter. It just can’t be true.