The Best Low-Flow (Yet High Pressure) Showerheads
The New York Times

We all know the green merits of going with a low-flow showerhead; typically it's the first piece of advice given to green newbies wondering what steps they should take to live a more sustainable life. We should also then know the frustrations that come with a low-flow showerhead: wimpy pressure + sporadic spray = more time needed to wash the shampoo out of your hair. Where's the conservation in that? So, we're happy to see The New York Times review 17 low-flow showerheads to see how well they each delivered an "acceptably robust shower."

The NYT also tested the usefulness of the various spray options, and how truthful the stated flow rates were. (Apparently, all the manufacturers told the truth.) Here are the top contenders:

• Evolve Water Lily: Technically not low-flow, this showerhead (as we noted in our review of it) gets points for automatically reducing the water flow down to a trickle when it gets hot, and stays that way until you get in. It also had the most satisfying and powerful massage spray. But beware: the water can be quite hot when you flip the reactivation lever!

• The Kohler Purist: With a force of 1.75 gallons-per-minute, this showerhead got good marks for its three settings (the highest of which is good for soothing sore muscles and rinsing out shampoo), easy switching mechanism, and sophisticated look.

• The FloWise from American Standard: neither the full spray or the combination spray were quite strong enough; it was only the third setting, the turbine spray, that felt stronger than its flow rate of 2 gpm.

• The Moen Envi: eight inches in diameter, with a flow of 2 gallons-per-minute, provided a strong, satisfyingly "rainlike" experience, adjustable via a lever allowing it to be either full flow or a gusty spray.

• Single-Action Models: the two units tested both put out 1.5 gpm with no adjustable flow. The Delta showerhead was okay with larger drops for an overall "wetter" feeling, but the a $10 version from Real Goods had a sloppy spray.

• Waterpik Ecoflow: the new Waterpik model has 5 sprays, most of which were pretty impressive with good pressure power. Strongest review came for the "soaker" mode, which the reviewer thought was very satisfying. Extra points for a nice feature that cuts the spray to under a gallon per minute, allowing for a "navy shower."

Read the whole article for more info at The New York Times.

Images: Top image via Showerright; Image below the jump: Tony Cenicola for The New York Times

(Originally published 2009-08-27 - CB)

Comments (5)

The newest showerhead technology unfortunately was not part of the review. I introduced a 1.5 gpm unit earlier this year and already have sold over 6000 (mostly to universities for student housing). It definitely has the feel of a much higher flowing showerhead and is guaranteed to not clog. The HighSierra showerhead was featured in a newspaper article last week which can be seen online at www.sierrastar.com/104/story/49695.html

Yay! I actually just bought the Waterpik Ecoflow (the fixed, not the handheld) and so I'm glad to see it well reviewed. Took my first shower this morning, and so far I'm happy -- much better spray options than the cheap showerhead that came with the house, plus I'm saving water. And the "pause" feature seems very useful -- it spits out just enough water to help keep the shower warm for those times when you're lathering or shaving and don't want to be wasting water, but still want a little warmth.

I didn't see Bricor on the list, and I can't say enough good things about them. They mostly supply showerheads to hotels and the military, but they sell to the public too. They are really kind people, serious about the "rinse-ability" as they term it, and will even calibrate your showerhead to your local water pressure (you just supply them the info.) They're showerheads are amazing.

oops, I meant "their" - sorry! And here's the link: www.bricor.com

I was going to mention HighSierra, but the designer meat me to it….Never tried it, but good reviews online.