What is the Best Lawn Sprinkler? How to Make Your Choice

They say the grass is always greener on the other side, but that might just be because your neighbors are watering their yard right. Having the best lawn sprinkler heads can make a big difference when it comes times for watering. Sprinklers are just for yards, but they can also help you water tomatoes, bushes, trees, flowers, and anything else in your garden.

You can find a great deal on a lot of high quality sprinklers. Instead of going for the cheapest on the market, get a sprinkler that will give you the best value for the money you spend. Budget isn’t the only concern! I want to help you understand what goes into a sprinkler, so that you can read lawn sprinkler reviews and find out for yourself which one is best.

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Preview Product Rating Gilmour 816783-1001 167SMB Heavy-Duty Adjustable Circular Sprinkler Gilmour 816783-1001 167SMB Heavy-Duty Adjustable Circular Sprinkler 189 Reviews Amazon Now Orbit 58322 Traveling Sprinkler, Green Orbit 58322 Traveling Sprinkler, Green 261 Reviews Amazon Now Rain Bird 32ETI Easy to Install In-Ground Automatic Sprinkler System Kit Rain Bird 32ETI Easy to Install In-Ground Automatic Sprinkler System Kit 196 Reviews Amazon Now

Last update on 2020-03-19 at 18:50 PST – Details

What is the Best Lawn Sprinkler? How to Make Your ChoiceHow to Choose the Best Lawn Sprinkler​Extra Features for SprinklersTop 5 Lawn Sprinkler Reviews​#1. Gilmour Heavy-Duty Adjustable Circular Sprinkler#2. Orbit 58322 Traveling Sprinkler#3. Rain Bird Easy to Install In-Ground Automatic Sprinkler System KitConclusion

Contents

How to Choose the Best Lawn Sprinkler​

Here are the main considerations to look at before you buy:

  • Your Location​
    The average lawn only needs about 1 inch of water per week to stay healthy and green, but that is not the case for every yard. If you have sandier soil or you live in a very dry area, you may have different needs than those with clay or hard soil.
  • Type of Sprinkler
    There are a lot of varieties of lawn sprinklers. Here is a breakdown of each one, according to Home Depot:

    Fixed: Place these down and they will water a certain area in a consistent way until you stop them or move them.

    Oscillating: A short tube or other shape with holes on the top. It rotates back and forth to spray water in a square or rectangle area.

    Impact: This is what we think of when we hear a sprinkler. It is the type that sprays in a circle, making the well-known clicking sound as it goes. The is only a single jet of water used

    Rotating: At least spraying arms are rotated around in a circle to spray a certain area.

    In-Ground: These sprinklers are designed to be installed directly through the ground, so that no hose is resting on the ground. The sprinkler heads are the only part that stays above the ground.

    Traveling: These are sprinkler heads with small wheels built on. They move around in s set pattern around some area of your yard to water more thoroughly.

    Sprinkler Hoses: Unlike a regular hose, a sprinkler hose has holes all along it to water around the yard.

  • Installation
    Sprinklers can be installed in-ground or above-ground. In-ground sprinklers are very convenient, because they are already set up and ready to use any time. However, they will be more expensive and probably more difficult to get set up initially. Above-ground sprinklers are easy to set up, but you will have to move it in and out of its storage location every time you want to use it.
  • Water Pressure

    If you have low water pressure, you will want to look for a sprinkler that is designed to work with that. This is especially true for large lawns, as the water will need to jet out properly to reach every area.

  • Space to Water

    This has to do with the type of sprinkler you choose, but it’s worth mentioning again that you need to look at the right sprinkler for your yard size. If you have a large yard, you can get a lot of good use from a traveling sprinkler. Otherwise, you may need multiple sprinklers or a good in-ground sprinkler system to make it work. Smaller yard do well with fixed sprinklers with a smaller range, to help them avoid spraying somewhere that it’s ground.

    Other yards that aren’t small or too large have a lot more choices. If you’re just watering a certain part of your lawn or garden, you will be able to choose any of the moving sprinklers with a lot of success, such as the oscillating or rotating sprinklers.

  • Amount of Water Used

    Some sprinklers spray a lot more water than others, depending on their design and your water pressure. But, you can easily measure to see how much water yours is giving off to make sure you accommodate your yard properly.

Extra Features for Sprinklers

Keep in mind also that once you buy a good sprinkler you can also get a few accessories to make it function exactly as you want it to. Sprinklers have a few things that be done to make them function differently. This includes timed on/off functions, water flow timers, and automatic shutoff valves for traveling sprinklers.​

Timed on/off features are great if you don’t want too much upkeep for your watering system. They will simply turn the water on when you set it and off after a certain period of time that you will also set. These systems are completely customizable to fit your yard’s specific needs.​

Water flow timers turn off after a certain amount of water has gone through the system. This helps you to conserve the amount of water you’re using and more accurately measure how much you’re watering your garden. Similarly, an automatic shutoff valve works with a traveling sprinkler to make sure it stops spraying water after it completes its set pattern.

Preview Product Rating Gilmour 816783-1001 167SMB Heavy-Duty Adjustable Circular Sprinkler Gilmour 816783-1001 167SMB Heavy-Duty Adjustable Circular Sprinkler 189 Reviews Amazon Now Orbit 58322 Traveling Sprinkler, Green Orbit 58322 Traveling Sprinkler, Green 261 Reviews Amazon Now Rain Bird 32ETI Easy to Install In-Ground Automatic Sprinkler System Kit Rain Bird 32ETI Easy to Install In-Ground Automatic Sprinkler System Kit 196 Reviews Amazon Now

Last update on 2020-03-19 at 18:50 PST – Details

Top 3 Lawn Sprinkler Reviews​

#1. Gilmour Heavy-Duty Adjustable Circular Sprinkler

Via Amazon.com

This is a sturdy, durable sprinkler that’s going to last for a lot of years without giving any trouble. You can adjust it a lot to suit your needs, and there are a wide variety of settings to make it work well for your yard. This rotating circular sprinkler head can spray to cover 5800 square feet. This equals to about 86 feet in diameter, or 43 feet each direction.

If you don’t need that full range in your yard, you can change the settings to have it spray only in a smaller area. Also, it’s possible to change the spray into a partial circle shape rather than a full circle. Spray jet is also able to be adjusted to a lower, mister pressure instead of a full jet stream.

What we like:

  • Onward hose attachment makes it possible to hook up another hose to add another sprinkler
  • Rust-free materials and design lasts long
  • Water can reach every corner of a large yard
  • Very adjustable for your specific lawn
  • Rated highly for its very strong design

    What we don’t like:

    • Not ideal for small yards, as it sprays water too far
    • Sprinkler heads may need oiling to stay moving after some time

    Check the price on Amazon >

    #2. Orbit 58322 Traveling Sprinkler

    Via Amazon.com

    This traveling sprinkler looks like a small, green tractor with two long water jets on top. The top mechanism spins around in a circle to spray water around the yard as this sprinkler moves around the yard. You can adjust the speed of the traveling to help it get around quicker or slower, depending on how you want to cover the yard.

    The cast-iron body is rust-proof to keep it working well with constant water use. It is a stable sprinkler that won’t tip over when driving around. One of these traveling sprinklers will last for years, as the design is quite durable. Spray jets cover a 13500 square foot area along the 200 feet of hose you can attach. It has automatic shutoff feature to preserve water and avoid over-watering.

    What we like:

    • Sprinkler can drive on standard hoses easily without stopping
    • Great for saving water
    • Helps you to save time by not having to move the sprinkler or hose around the yard
    • Very robust build that’s sturdy and heavy-duty

      What we don’t like:

      • Does not work well with thin hoses, as they can easily knock the sprinkler off
      • Automatic shutoff can sometimes stop working after about 1 year of use

      Check the price on Amazon >

      #3. Rain Bird Easy to Install In-Ground Automatic Sprinkler System Kit

      Via Amazon.com

      This in-ground sprinkler kit is a great choice if you want a simple system that is easy to adjust and covers the whole yard without much effort. The only real hassle is installing it into the ground, as this can take some time to do initially. However, once it’s installed, you still spend very little time messing with it again.

      You can set up the included automatic timer controller to work with the sprinkler system in order to reduce your work load even more. Once the sprinklers turn off, they neatly tuck down to stay out of the way and out of sight. Depending on how you set it up, you can cover between 1000 and 3000 square feet of yard or garden space with average water pressure.

      What we like:

      • Installation is the only time-consuming part of using this sprinkler; no more hose hassle
      • Everything needed for the system to operate perfectly is included in this kit
      • Kit is a great value for the money
      • Once installed, this system works very well in most yards, large or small

        What we don’t like:

        • Installing the system can take up your weekend
        • Not compatible with very hilly or sloped landscape, unless you have a water pump to increase pressure

        Check the price on Amazon >

        Conclusion

        Our Pick

        Via Amazon.com

        Out of these choices I’ve mentioned above, I recommend the Gilmour Heavy-Duty Adjustable Circular Sprinkler as the best lawn sprinkler. It’s a very sturdy and durable sprinkler that’s highly adjustable based on your water pressure, the size of your yard, how much water you want to use, and more. There is no installation necessary except hooking it up to your hose, and you can even continue another hose through the sprinkler on to another area of the yard if you need to.

        Check the price >

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