Patterns you will use, and a lock for the one you use most

Hose spray guns, compared

A spray gun is the cheapest part of a watering system and the one held in the hand, which is why it is judged differently from everything else on this shelf. The patterns are the headline — anything from a single adjustable jet to a rotating head with ten settings — and the honest thing to say about ten-pattern guns is that most people use two: a soft shower for seedlings and a jet for washing paving. What matters more is whether the pattern is changed by twisting a collar with one hand or by rotating a stiff head with two. The flow control is the feature that separates a good gun from a cheap one: a thumbwheel that limits the water independently of the trigger, so a gentle setting stays gentle. And the lock, which holds the trigger open for the minutes it takes to fill a can or wet a bed — without it, the gun has to be squeezed continuously, and that is what hand fatigue on a long watering session actually is. The material divides the shelf: all-plastic guns are light and break at the trigger pivot, metal-bodied ones survive being dropped on paving and cost three times as much, and the middle ground is a plastic body with a brass insert at the nozzle. The connection is a quick coupling on everything here, which means the gun is compatible with whatever system the rest of the garden uses — the one place on this shelf where compatibility is not a worry. We compare patterns, material, connection, flow control and lock.

Every part here, laid out figure by figure

1. 

   Ibergrif M22210

   Eight patterns and a twist control instead of a trigger, at the lowest price on this shelf.

   Patterns

   8

   Material

   ABS plastic, with a non-slip grip · Hand spray gun

   Connection

   Stated to fit all common garden hoses

   Flow control

   A twist switch rather than a squeezed trigger — no pressure held by hand

   Lock

   A twist switch that stays set — no trigger to hold

   Amazon reference

   B0GF89DVDD (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   8436613822111

   • The cheapest gun on this shelf
   • A twist control, so nothing has to be squeezed for an hour
   • No flow rate, no thread size, no dimensions

   Best for: A second gun, a spare, or a first one where price decides

   Check price on Amazon
2. 

   GRIFEMA GE1303

   Eight patterns, a twist control and a longer handle — with a description that reads like its neighbour’s.

   Patterns

   8, switchable within a single turn of the bezel

   Material

   ABS plastic; extended non-slip handle · Hand spray gun

   Connection

   Not published

   Flow control

   One-button control of quantity and pressure, with nothing held down

   Lock

   One-button control that stays set, with nothing held down

   Amazon reference

   B09MVSKBVH (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   8436560668367

   • All eight patterns within one turn, which means no hunting back and forth
   • An extended handle, which is the one thing that differs from its near-twin here
   • Its feature text is near-identical to a cheaper gun on this same shelf

   Best for: Somebody who wants a longer handle on an otherwise ordinary plastic gun

   Check price on Amazon
3. 

   FASBET Two-pack

   Two metal guns for the price of one cheap plastic one — three patterns, an O-ring, and an aluminium alloy body.

   Patterns

   3 — fine mist, moderate spray, jet — by turning the head

   Material

   High-hardness aluminium alloy · Hand spray gun with a trigger — supplied as a pair

   Connection

   Stated to suit most garden hoses; O-ring at the connection end

   Flow control

   Trigger, with pattern set by rotating the nozzle head

   Lock

   None — the trigger has to be held

   Amazon reference

   B0CQR6J35F (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   6222057444642

   • Two metal guns for about €6.50 each — the lowest unit price on this shelf
   • Only three patterns, and they are the three that get used
   • A trigger with no lock, so it has to be held

   Best for: A garden with two taps, or a gun for the car and a gun for the beds

   Check price on Amazon
4. 

   Fippy Short metal gun

   A zinc alloy body with a solid brass nozzle — the only gun here that specifies metal at the nozzle itself.

   Patterns

   4 — fine mist, moderate spray, jet, and an intermediate setting

   Material

   Zinc alloy body with a solid brass nozzle; stated 100 % metal · Hand spray gun, short pattern

   Connection

   Brass superfine thread fitting, one-piece; stated leak-free

   Flow control

   Trigger with a buckle design the maker describes as force-saving

   Lock

   None stated — a trigger with a force-saving buckle design

   Amazon reference

   B08MW3H4FT (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0686082709323

   • The only gun here that specifies brass at the nozzle, which is where wear happens
   • A one-piece brass thread fitting rather than a plastic collar
   • Zinc alloy is heavier than aluminium and heavier than any plastic gun here

   Best for: Washing and rinsing work, where a jet gets used hard and often

   Check price on Amazon
5. 

   halmland 720

   Ten patterns and a stepless thumb control on an aluminium fitting — the highest pattern count here.

   Patterns

   10 — the most on this shelf

   Material

   Metal components with an aluminium connector · Hand spray gun

   Connection

   Aluminium connector; no thread size published

   Flow control

   Stepless thumb control, operable with one hand

   Lock

   None stated — a stepless thumb lever

   Amazon reference

   B0GN9LG929 (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4260539441927

   • A thumb control rather than a finger trigger, which is the stronger digit
   • Stepless pressure regulation with one hand
   • Ten patterns is more than anybody uses, and it is the number the listing leads with

   Best for: Seedlings and raised beds, where a gentle mist and fine control matter most

   Check price on Amazon
6. 

   Gardena 18317-20

   The only gun here with a dirt screen, a continuous lock and stated frost protection — and only five patterns.

   Patterns

   5

   Material

   Metal connector and metal parts in the spray head · Hand spray gun

   Connection

   Metal connector; integrated dirt screen; integrated frost protection

   Flow control

   Stepless one-finger trigger button, with a continuous lock

   Lock

   Continuous lock on the trigger

   Amazon reference

   B01MQDU36R (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4078500024181

   • The only continuous lock on this shelf — the trigger stays open without being held
   • The only dirt screen, which is what keeps grit out of five nozzles
   • The dearest gun here, at nearly four times the cheapest

   Best for: A gun used every day, all season, that has to still work in its fifth year

   Check price on Amazon
7. 

   schlauchmeister 24 GRK/S 600

   The only product here with a flow rate, a hole size and a spray width — a 65 cm all-metal lance.

   Patterns

   1 — a single rose, with volume set at the valve

   Material

   All metal; aluminium tube and rose head; brass ball valve; replaceable components · Watering lance — a 65 cm tube with a rose head, not a pistol

   Connection

   GEKA claw coupling and a push-fit coupling compatible with the common garden click system

   Flow control

   Brass ball valve for volume; cold-insulating grip guard

   Lock

   A brass ball valve, which stays where it is set

   Amazon reference

   B09VPYKWLG (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4251374285500

   • The only flow rate, hole diameter, hole count and spray width published on this shelf
   • Components replaceable, on a shelf of sealed disposable products
   • The dearest product here, by a wide margin

   Best for: Nursery work, propagation and greenhouse beds — watering by volume, not by jet

   Check price on Amazon