Best Sprinkler Heads: 8 Amazing Products for Effective Landscape Irrigation

Choosing the right type of sprinkler head for your sprinkler can make a huge difference to your landscape. That’s why we came up with this list of the best sprinkler heads on the market to make things easier for you.

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Best Sprinkler Heads –
At A Glance List

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Name	Style	Rating
#1 HUNTER PGP Ultra >>> BEST FOR: ♦ Best Buy ♦	Pop-up rotor	96%	Read Review
#2 Orbit 55662 Voyager II >>> BEST FOR: Spray distance	Pop-up rotor	94%	Read Review
#3 Rain Bird RSD Rain Sensor >>> BEST FOR: Water conservation	Wired rain sensor	94%	Read Review
#4 Toro 53814 Fixed Spray >>> BEST FOR: Durability	Pop-up spray	93%	Read Review
#5 Melnor 65031-AMZ MiniMax >>> BEST FOR: Newly seeded areas	Oscillating sprinkler	92%	Read Review
#6 Orbit 58573N H20 Gear Drive >>> BEST FOR: Spray pattern variety	Sprinkler on spike	90%	Read Review
#7 Rain Bird 1804VAN Professional >>> BEST FOR: Affordability	Pop-up spray	88%	Read Review
#8 Melnor 65074-AMZ XT Turbo >>> BEST FOR: Versatility	Oscillating sprinkler	86%	Read Review

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What Sprinkler Heads Can Do

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When you see sprinklers at work, it’s really fun to watch. When you observe different sprinkler systems, you will realize that their outputs look different. 

That’s because there are different types of sprinkler heads out there. 

Purpose:

The sprinkler head is attached to a pipe that is connected to a water source. It is the instrument by which the water comes out of to be sprinkled onto a lawn, garden, or landscape. 

It provides a more efficient way of watering the lawn or the plants. 

Moreover

It is convenient for people since they don’t have to lug around a hose or bucket or sprinkler to water the entire lawn and garden. 

There are also sprinkler systems that are automated, which saves you time, effort, and resources. 

Irrigation systems

There are two basic irrigation systems that you can choose from:

• Above-ground setup
• In-ground setup

This is pretty explanatory. In the above-ground setup, you will need to buy a sprinkler head that you can attach to a hose or pipe to water the landscape efficiently. 

The in-ground is automated and preferable for those who don’t want to have water spraying in the property every now and then. 

Next:

There are two major types of sprinkler heads: 

• Rotary sprinkler head – the head rotates when watering to cover a large area.
• Spray sprinkler head – the head provides a constant stream of water.

The spray head is better for smaller areas. It pops out of the ground and stands between two and 12 inches. It will then provide a constant stream of water that would be between two feet and 20 feet. 

The rotary head covers a larger distance, which makes it preferable for larger areas. 

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Choosing the Right Sprinkler Head

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The right sprinkler head will be important for your irrigation and the health and look of your landscape. 

The sprinkler head should be suitable for your irrigation needs. 

For example

If you have a small yard, a pop-up sprinkler with fixed spray patterns would be ideal because of the limited spraying distance. 

As earlier mentioned, a rotor head would be good for large areas. 

There’s more!

You also have to think about the “water needs” of your plants. Some plants would need more water than others. 

A flower garden will have different needs than a produce garden, while a lawn would need much less water. 

In this case

For mixed plant zones, you have to figure out the appropriate spray head to buy that would serve all the plants in your landscape. 

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What to Look for in a Sprinkler Head

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There are many different types of sprinkler heads to choose from. How do you know what’s best for you?

According to studies, using the right sprinkler head could help you save 50% to 70% of your water bill. 

That’s a lot!

Here are the things you should consider.

Type of sprinkler head

We already mentioned that spray types are better for smaller areas while the rotor heads should be your choice if you have a large landscape area. 

For areas that don’t need a lot of water, there is also a misting spray head for that. It’s basically similar to the spray head but it doesn’t release a lot of water. 

Number of sprinkler heads

Again, this is about the size of your area. How many sprinkler heads would be needed to thoroughly water your entire landscape?

Spray coverage

Rotary spray turns the full 360 degrees. However, that’s not always the case for spray heads. The spray range can be between 40 degrees or the full 360 degrees. 

Then, there is also the spray reach to think about. Some can only spray up to three feet while others can go as far as 15 feet. 

Look

You don’t always need the full 360-degree range. When you put the spray head near the pathway, you would only need the sprinkler to cover half a circle or 180 degrees in order not to wet the pavement. 

Height (fixed or pop-up)

For sprinkler heads that pop up during spraying time, you need to look at how high they can go up. You want to at least find a spray head that pops up higher than your grass. 

Or if you have shrubs that would be obstacles in watering, you would need something that pops up at eight to 20 inches. 

On the other hand

You could have a sprinkler with a fixed height. You just need to be careful with this since it could be a trip hazard. 

Operating pressure range / flow rate

How much PSI (pounds per square inch of water) does the sprinkler head operate on? This is also a technical matter that you should consider. 

The operating pressure will also be complemented with the flow rate, which is usually measured in gallons per minute (GPM).

Materials

You have to deal with water pressure, so you will need sturdy materials. Most rotating sprinkler heads are made of bronze or brass because the rotor mechanism would need something sturdy. 

Other spray heads are also made of plastic, the strong kind. 

Cost

You want to buy something practical–affordable but it works really well. If you have to invest on something more expensive, it should be efficient and durable. 

Check this out to know more about sprinkler heads:

The Best Sprinkler Heads

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#1 HUNTER PGP Ultra

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BEST FOR…
Customizable water flow

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The HUNTER PGP Ultra is customizable. That’s the best thing especially if you are not just trying to water your lawn but your garden as well. 

Let’s start

The pack comes with five sprinkler heads, which is a good quantity if you have a large area. 

The pack comes with an adjuster tool. This is important for customization. 

Speaking of which

The set can also go through full-circle adjustment, from 50 to 360 degrees. That gives you a lot of versatility. 

The nozzles are already attached when they come but they are also interchangeable so that you can personalize the water flow based on what the zone needs. 

Here’s the deal

HUNTER PGP Ultra is named as such because it is already an upgrade from previous models. The developments made on this model was based on research for over three decades. 

That’s why it has patented this model’s best features: non-strippable drive and automatic arc return.  

What does this mean?

This would grant the turret to be turned without incurring damage, while also allowing it to return to its original arc. 

It has a pop-up height of four inches, which is high enough if you are maintaining a lawn with three-inch grass. 

Even better!

The spray distance can be adjusted from 17 feet to 47 feet. 

The operating pressure is between 20 and 100 PSI, but the recommended one is from 25 to 70 PSI. 

Plus! These sprinkler heads are very easy to install. 

It’s not perfect though

You have to stick to the recommended PSI or the sprinkler heads will start leaking after a few months of use. 

Aside from that

This is a wonderful set of sprinkler heads that you can use for a large landscape with both a lawn and a garden. You can customize the water flow according to your needs.  

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MY RATING: 96%

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#2 Orbit 55662 Voyager II

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BEST FOR…
Its long spraying distance

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The Orbit 55662 Voyager II has an adjustable spraying distance of 25 feet to 52 feet. 

That’s really great!

This product is also compatible with most sprinklers. This would make a great replacement sprinkler head for your system. 

This is only one item but you can buy more at a discounted rate. 

You know what’s even better?

This item comes with 10 bonus nozzles and an adjustment key. This way, you can customize the sprinkler for your yard. 

In most cases, the different areas or zones in your landscape would need different types of spray as well as range. 

The pre-installed nozzle has a flow rate of three gallons per minute. 

Good thing

This sprinkler head is also adjustable. You can adjust the arc from 40 degrees to a full 360 degrees. 

The same could be said with distance, which we already mentioned is between 25 to 52 feet. 

Another good thing:

This sprinkler head comes with a filter. That’s fantastic because you don’t know what type of debris will try to get into the item. 

The lawn and garden certainly has a lot of small debris that could damage the system. 

Anyway

The product itself will prevent any form of clogging because of its close body design. 

Moreover, it’s not noisy at all. So, you can always start spraying early in the morning without disturbing the neighbors. 

So, what’s the problem?

The issue is that sometimes, when it rotates, it gets stuck. That’s problematic because then, the water would only be in one direction. 

It doesn’t happen often, but it would be better if it doesn’t happen at all. 

Here’s the thing:

If it just runs smoothly, you will have an amazing sprinkler head that could spay up to a distance of 52 feet. That’s really quite a feat! 

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MY RATING: 94%

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#3 Rain Bird RSD Series Rain Sensor

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BEST FOR…
Water conservation

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The Rain Bird RSD Series Rain Sensor is a great addition to the sprinkler system as it can–you guess it!–sense rain.

Why is this important?

It’s great for water conservation. When it rains, this will stop the sprinkler from going off. In essence, water will not be unnecessarily wasted. 

It’s also quite versatile as it can work with most irrigation systems. 

It also has an adjustable rainfall setting. It’s easy, too. You just turn the dial in order to switch the rainfall setting from ⅛ inch to ¾ inch. 

Next

You can also control sensor drying time with this item. You just need to turn the vent ring–it’s as easy as that!

This product basically has a height of 5.4 inches. But it could be so much higher since you can mount this product on a fence or wall or wherever you want it to. 

It comes with a 25-foot wire as well. The mounting fasteners come with the set as well. 

Now, on to the not-so good

While you can control the sensor to adjust drying time, it’s not perfect. Every now and then, the drying sensor trips. Sometimes, it won’t be able to “sense” drying even after 24 hours since the rain stopped. 

All in all

Who doesn’t want to save money? With this rain sensor, you can conserve water and save money in the process. That’s definitely a fantastic product in anyone’s book.  

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MY RATING: 94%

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#4 Toro 53814 Pop-Up Fixed Spray

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BEST FOR…
Durability

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The Toro 53814 Pop-Up Fixed Spray is made of alloy steel. That’s reason enough to really like this product as you know that it is durable. 

Let’s start with the basics

This is a pop-up spray sprinkler head that stands four inches. It has an adjustable arc–from zero to 360 degrees. 

It has an operating pressure of 30 to 75 PSI with a recommended pressure of 20 to 50 PSI. 

This product also has an amazing adjustable spray. 

Picture this:

You’ve got an irregularly shaped lawn. The corners are not the perfect straight shape or curving one. 

You don’t have to worry about that because this sprinkler head is versatile enough for that. 

And guess what?

It’s really affordable! You can’t expect that something this durable and a Toro at that, would be this affordable. 

It’s also really easy to install. 

This also makes for a wonderful replacement of your damaged sprinkler heads since this can easily fit other irrigation systems. 

On the other hand

The spray from this product is too fine. When there is a breeze, the water will spray on other things. 

Also, the spray distance isn’t that great. It’s just 15 feet. 

That means

If you have a small lawn or one with an irregular shape, this is just the perfect product for you. It does its job well and it’s durable to boot. The best part? It’s pretty affordable!

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MY RATING: 93%

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#5 Melnor 65031-AMZ MiniMax Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler

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BEST FOR…
Newly seeded lawns or gardens

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The Melnor 65031-AMZ MiniMax has a step-spike base. This means that it is fixed but it still provides 360-degree watering coverage. 

Hear this:

This is really the best sprinkler head if you were seeding. It doesn’t matter if you were seeding a lawn or a garden. 

It also covers quite a large area–3,900 square feet. 

Don’t take that the wrong way

This doesn’t mean that it’s no longer good for a full lawn and fully grown garden. It’s still a fantastic sprinkler head for that especially with its precision watering. 

You can adjust the spray in four ways so that you can achieve the kind of watering you truly need for a specific area. 

That will really save you water, which means, you will also save money in the process. 

The materials:

Most products will give you a plastic head or a steel head. This product gives you a mix of both–plastic and metal. 

The upper part is plastic and the bottom is sharp metal so you could easily install it. 

Now

You can easily connect this with your irrigation system as it comes with a Quick Connect Product Adapter.

This is also a great sprinkler head for irregularly shaped yards. 

However

There are also times when the product stops oscillating. When that happens, you wouldn’t know where the water direction is and it’s quite irritating. 

Also, this product is a bit pricey compared to its counterparts. 

To conclude

This is a fantastic sprinkler head that can cover a large area. It is a preferred product for newly seeded areas but will work great on any landscape.  

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MY RATING: 92%

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#6 Orbit 58573N H20-6 Gear Drive Sprinkler

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BEST FOR…
Variety in spray patterns

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The Orbit 58573N H20-6 Gear Drive Sprinkler is simply amazing. 

Here’s why:

You get 12 kinds of spray patterns. You can choose from small, medium, and large spray or a shower or vertical or flat pattern. 

The alternatives allow you to pick the best one for your landscape. 

It helps

The entire landscape may not need the same amount of water. The lawn would need less water than your flower garden and vegetable zone. 

The different patterns also make this an economical type of sprinkler head. You can save water by choosing the right spray option. 

Now

This is a sprinkler-on spike type of head. It’s made of both plastic and metal. 

It has easy-to-adjust tabs that would allow you 360-degree coverage. 

Moreover, the product has a four-position diffuser that allows complete spray control. 

Isn’t that fantastic?

Even better: you wouldn’t need tools just to put this all together. 

It has pretty great coverage, too. You could water some 5,026 square feet of area. 

The 80-foot spray distance has a lot to do with that. 

That’s not all!

It’s pretty quiet during operation. This way, you can turn it on as early as you want to without fear of disturbing your neighbors who might still be asleep. 

What’s not too fantastic about it?

While it comes with different patterns, all tend to spray water at a longer arc. What happens is that the area surrounding the tool is completely dry. 

Also, the gears inside are made of plastic. They just seem quite flimsy. 

Should you buy this product?

If you want something that would cater to the different types of plants in your landscape, then definitely! With 12 spray patterns to choose from, this sprinkler head will not let you waste water. 

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MY RATING: 90%

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#7 Rain Bird 1804VAN Professional Pop-up Sprinkler

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BEST FOR…
Affordability

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The Rain Bird 1804-VAN Professional Pop-up Sprinkler is very affordable. This set already comes with five heads. 

Amazing, right?

It’s a pop-up sprinkler that stands four inches when operational. That’s a good enough height if you are maintaining a lawn. 

You can adjust the arc from zero to 360 degrees. It’s so easy to adjust, too. You won’t need tools to do it. 

Moving on

Don’t put more than three heads in the same landscape zone unless you have really powerful pressure in your irrigation system. 

It’s just better if you scatter the entire set in different zones. 

As for the installation

It’s pretty easy, too. You might not even need the instructions to do it. Although, you really should read the directions to ensure that you do it properly. 

These are also great replacement heads. Just in case the sprinkler heads of your all irrigation system have been damaged, these would fit most mechanisms. 

It’s a really cheap way to replace damaged heads, too. 

Unfortunately

The sprinkler heads just seem flimsy. It doesn’t look like it will survive a year. It’s a good thing they are really affordable.

Finally

This is a very affordable set of sprinkler heads. If you are on a budget, then this is the product for you.  

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MY RATING: 88%

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#8 Melnor 65074-AMZ XT Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler

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BEST FOR…
Versatility

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Whether you have a small yard or a large one, the Melnor 65074-AMZ XT Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler is just right for you. 

How so?

This product comes with 20 precision rubber nozzles. That allows the sprinkler head to cover a lot of ground–literally. 

This product has a maximum coverage of 4,500 square feet. 

That’s really good!

Then it has twin touch adjustment controls. This allows you to choose between narrow or wide watering. 

That’s where the versatility comes from. If you have a wide lawn, then you go for the wide option. For narrow flower beds, then you have an alternative for that. 

Next

The product has an infinity turbo drive that gives this sprinkler the ability to operate smoothly. 

You can also connect and disconnect the sprinkler as this product comes with the Quick Connect Product Adapter. 

The downside

Every now and then it would stop oscillating. Then you will have to contend with spraying in just one side or one area. 

It could really make you waste water. 

Also, it’s made of really light plastic. It just doesn’t seem that durable. 

Here’s what you need to know:

This product is pretty neat because of its twin touch adjustment controls. You can use if for a narrow area or a wide one. It’s pretty versatile. 

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MY RATING: 86%

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In Summary

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This is our list of the best sprinkler heads that would really help provide you with the best irrigation for your landscape–whether you have a lawn or a garden, or a mix of both. 

Having the right sprinkler head will be good for your landscape and also in terms of water conservation. Here are some highlights of the list:

Best Sprinkler Head for Customization

If your landscape is composed of various plants–from the lawn to a flower garden or vegetable garden or shrubs or even all of them–then you need something where the spray can be easily adjusted. That’s exactly what the HUNTER PGP Ultra provides. A pack comes with five heads, too. 

Best Sprinkler Head for Long-Distance Spraying

If you want better coverage, you should choose the Orbit 55662 Voyager II. It has a spraying distance of 25 feet to 52 feet. That’s pretty fantastic!

Most Durable Sprinkler Head

You know Toro will always give you the most amazing outdoor equipment. The Toro 53814 Pop-up Fixed Spray is no different. It’s made of alloy steel and it’s really durable. 

Most Affordable Sprinkler Head

If you are on a budget, the Rain Bird 1804VAN Professional Pop-up Sprinkler is good enough. The pack is pretty affordable and it already comes with five sprinkler heads. 

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