Best Shower Heads
We’re used to regular fixed shower heads with little no adjustment. Today, even in this kind of category it’s possible to get some amazing products that can transform your shower experience completely and reduce your water bill. Conserve some water and get a better shower with very reasonable investment.
In our guide have compiled best shower heads from each category and explained what you should be looking at when choosing one.
- Moen S6320 – Overall Best Shower Head
- Moen 26100 Engage Magnetix – Best Handheld Shower Head
- WASSA High Pressure Shower Head – Best for Low Water Pressure
- KES F204DG – Best Shower Head with Slide Bar
- High Sierra’s All Metal 1.5 GPM – Best Low-Flow Shower Head
- KES ALL Metal – Best Rain Shower Head
- Moen 26009 Engage Magnetix – Best Dual (Combo) Shower Head
- AquaHomeGroup Luxury – Best Shower Head With Filtering
- DreamSpa All Chrome – Best LED Shower Head
- Waterpik KSH-306T – Best Shower Head for Kids
- Waterpik LBT-563M – Best Massage Shower Head
Want to learn more about different types of shower heads? See here.
Moen S6320
Overall Best Shower Head
- 8-inch diameter
- Bi-functional: rain and rinse. Rain shower experience in a regular fixed form-factor. Can be switched to rinse with a switch
- Strong performance regardless of line pressure
- Available in two flow variations - 2.5 GPM and 1.75 GPM
All-time classics and proven quality. If you want a fixed shower head that will serve for years – this is the choice for you.
S6320 performs well even with low-pressure lines. It’s also available in a version with EPA badge, which means reduced flow and better water savings.
Moen 26100 Engage Magnetix
Best Handheld Shower Head
- Very strong magnetic attachment
- Generous 3.5-inch head
- Six spray settings
- Flexible metal hose
Moen 26100 is the perfect option if you need maximum simplicity and a detachable head.
Magnetic docking system is the feature we like the most here. It’s extremely useful when you need to snap it back on with your eyes full of soap. Also. it can only be fixed in a position that ensures you won’t splash your entire bathroom.
WASSA
Best High-Pressure Shower Head
- Very easy to install
- Self-cleaning head thanks to 45 silicone jets
- Stainless steel filter
- Lifetime warranty
- One of the cheapest yet also well-made shower heads out there
Even on lines with low water pressure (usually apartment buildings) this WASSA high pressure shower head performs great.
Yes, it’s a fixed shower head, but if you need a high-pressure shower head that will turn your low-pressure water line into a jet stream, there’s no better buy for the money.
KES F204DG
Best Shower Head with Slide Bar
- Stainless steel bar
- Can be installed without drilling
- Maximum adjustability for shower takers of all ages
- Stretchable hose
Sliding bars make handheld shower heads even more comfortable. They can be adjusted in all directions to ensure that your entire family will have optimal experience.
KES offers two options to install this set: a traditional one with drilling and screwing or the one with special glue.
The shower head itself has five settings, but the one we like the most is Drip function. When activated, a few drops of water will still flow, but when you deactivate Drip and switch back to normal, the water temperature will remain the same.
High Sierra's All Metal 1.5 GPM
Best Low-Flow Shower Head
- Maximum water efficiency
- All stainless steel
- Made in the USA
- Watersense Certified
High Sierra’s All Metal low flow shower heads are available in three versions, based on GPM output – 1.5, 1.8 and 2 GPM. For ultimate water savings we recommend the 1.5 GPM version. However, if you want bigger droplet size, you might want to consider a 1.8 GPM option.
The Trickle Valve allows to control flow strength or switch to mere trickles for even better water conservation.
KES ALL Metal
Best Rain Shower Head
- All-metal design for extra durability
- Swivel ball joint for easy adjustment
- Flow restrictor can be easily removed
KES All-Metal rain shower head comes with everything you need to install, including things like teflon tape. It also features non-clogging nozzles for those of you with hard water.
However, our favourite feature is that if you want a stronger flow, the restrictor can be easily removed without damaging or braking anything inside the head itself and voiding the warranty. With this adjustment made, the flow can reach 9 GPM (compared to 2.5 GPM by default).
Moen 26009 Engage Magnetix
Best Dual (Combo) Shower Head
- 60-inch flexible yet extremely durable hose
- Magnetic docking of handheld shower head
- Lifetime warranty
Despite all the benefits of detachable shower heads, many people still prefer all the benefits of fixed ones. For example, increased diameter. Yet, handheld shower heads provide a lot of flexibility and control.
Luckily, Moen 26009 provides benefits of both form-factors and adds magnetic attachment of the smaller one.
AquaHomeGroup Luxury
Best Shower Head With Filtering
- 15-stage filtering system
- Easily detachable filter that lasts 6 months (on average)
- Metal head
- Cartridge contains vitamins C and E
If you don’t have a whole house water filter, but still want to reduce the amount of heavy metals and other contaminants in your shower water – this shower head with built-in filter is the right choice.
With 15-stage filtering that includes activated carbon (now worries, the water is black only for the first 30 seconds on first use – once carbon dust us washed – the water is perfectly clean) you will feel positive effect on your hair and skin in no time.
DreamSpa All Chrome
Best LED Shower Head
- 3 LED colours that change depending on water temperature
- 5 shower settings including water-saving drip function
- No-tools-needed installation
LED shower heads have become increasingly popular only within the last few years. They are especially useful for kids and people with special needs.
Unfortunately, all of them share same drawback – lack of durability. Even though this DreamSpa All Chrome shower head in one of the best-rated, it often goes defunct within the first several months. Luckily, the manufacturer offers hassle-free returns and exchanges.
Taking shower in colour may seem fun for the first couple of times, however, if you look for the hassle-free experience, we suggest looking at other head types and avoid LED altogether.
Waterpik KSH-306T
Best Shower Head for Kids
- Kid-friendly design
- 18-inch flexible hose to adjust to any kids heights
- Lifetime warranty
This cute shower head will fit perfectly in kids bathrooms. Flexible hose is extremely easy for kids to handle. Installation took couple of minutes.
The only thing, your line pressure should be normal. With low water pressure this shower head would not be optimal (we suggest considering models with sliding bars).
Waterpik LBT-563M
Best Massage Shower Head
- 2.5 GPM flow rate
- 5 spray settings including power pulse massage (2x massaging force)
- Extremely easy installation with no tools or plumber tape needed
Massage shower heads are not simply high-pressure shower heads. These can provide enough massage power even with relatively low GPM number, like 2.5 GPM in this case.
What makes a regular high-pressure head the ‘massage one’ is special nozzle design and dedicated spray settings with pulse.
Types of Shower Heads
Fixed
These are the most common shower heads that American consumers are used to. Apart from regular budget models these can offer higher flow rate and additional functionality like pulse shower, etc. Usually, these are the most affordable and reliable heads on the market.
Handheld
Handheld shower heads were more popular in Europe. However, they are becoming increasingly popular in America. Detachable shower heads with hoses make are easier to use for children, or for animals. They are also easier to wash the shower with. In many cases hoses are extendable.
High-pressure
Usually these shower heads are purchased in case there is low water pressure in your home. These models have either no flow restrictor at all, or it can be easily removed. This allows to squeeze maximum flow out of low-pressure water line.
With slide bar
Slide bar shower heads are basically regular detachable (handheld) shower heads that offer more flexibility in fixed position. Sliding bar gives additional 30 to 40 inches (depending on the model) of height adjustment, which is especially handy for kids showers. Luckily, most of these sliding bars can be installed on special glue with not drilling required.
Low-flow
These shower heads are optimal for water conservation purposes. Most often the water flow is reduced by using a special restrictor. Water savings can reach 40 percent. And not only water, but heating costs associated with shower use.
Rainfall
These shower heads come in all shapes and sizes. They are hanging over the head and have an increased head diameter. Some models have a smaller detachable shower head available in a single set.
Dual (Combo)
Dual shower heads offer the advantages of both main types – fixed and detachable. How? – you may ask. Well, they include both shower heads. Some upper-grade manufacturers like Moen include a magnetic mount for easier attachment of handheld shower.
With built-in filtering and softening
Not all of use are happy owners of whole-house water filtering systems. Still, using filtered water during your shower has many positive effects on your skin and hair.
Filtering cartridges often include various vitamins and filtering elements like carbon and are good to use for about 6 months.
LED
LED shower heads have and interesting feature – the light changes in colour depending on water temperature. Sound fun and interesting, however these models have one significant disadvantage – reliability. We believe a shower head should be as simple as possible, which is clearly not the case here.
For Kids
Any shower head can be used by kids. However, some kid-specific options have advantages like adjustable neck and sliding bars to fit different heights.
Massage
These make sense to use only if you have good line pressure. Otherwise they will perform just like any cheaper option out there. Massage effect is implemented by nozzle design and extra sprinkle modes like pulse shower.