Are you searching for the best shower head with hose? You’re in the right place, because we’re going to talk about how to find the best shower head with hose on the market.
While most time researching shower heads is spent on the actual showerhead, that often means that parts like the shower hose and shower holder is overlooked. And doing so can make or break your experience with your new shower head with hose set.
Rest assured, in this article we’re not only going to discuss the shower head, but the other important parts that go along with a shower head with hose set. Let’s jump in to the top 5 factors to find the best shower head with hose.
Feature # 1: Shower Head Hose Material
I don’t know how companies continue to get away with it, but most hand held shower head sets come with plastic hoses.
This is immediately a deal breaker, as the look, functionality and smell of a plastic hose are often terrible. That’s why it’s so important to keep your eyes glued for shower heads with metal hoses. They are hands down the best option.
When you open up your hand held shower head with hose set and install it, you’ll immediately realize if the shower hose is made from plastic or metal. Plastic shower hoses have a cheap look versus their metal hose counterparts, which are often made from stainless steel.
Aesthetics aside, plastic shower hoses are just a pain in the neck to use. For one, it can take months for a plastic shower hose to hang freely, if that point ever comes at all. These hoses are so stiff once you take them out of the packaging, that they bow out awkwardly and tend to control the detachable shower head.
With a metal shower hose, you’ll be the one controlling the shower head! Metal shower hoses hang freely right out of the packaging and typically have an interlocking design that provides the most flexibility out of any handheld shower head that you’ll find. This makes shower heads with metal hoses the optimal way to go both in the short term and the long term.
In time, you’ll also find that metal hoses are much less likely to leak or crack, where the plastic shower hoses will make their way to the garbage within the year. Want more information on the pros of metal over plastic, check out this article here.
And of course, the smell! Yes, shower heads that come with plastic hoses often use a cheap PVC that stinks like a new PVC shower curtain liner. These hoses take weeks to off-gas the most noxious smells and can really be a downer in the shower.
Best Choice: Shower Head with Metal Hose by HammerHead Showers
Feature # 2: Shower Head Hose Length
Having the best shower hose length will make all the difference!
Most shower heads with hose sets come with the standard 60 inch hose. While 5 feet may seem like a good amount, it’s honestly not ideal.
Why? Most standard tub and shower set-ups are about 5 feet long. But, you lose at least 6 inches of actual reach when you consider the bending that the hose has to make to reach the back wall of the shower. And that’s just for standard showers.
So, if you’re buying a shower head with hose because you want to fully benefit from the flexibility of the hand held shower head, some extra length can go a long way.
Extra long shower hoses not only help you with reach in the shower, but it ensures that there is less wear on the hose. The shorter shower hoses tend to get yanked on more and can accidentally damage the fittings, hose or worse – your plumbing in the wall.
The step up, and best shower hose length for most people, is a 72 inch shower hose. This gives you that extra 12 inches of reach that can mean all the difference.
For people with injuries and mobility issues, the best shower head with hose option is one with a metal hose that is at least 72 inches long. It’s especially important if there is a caregiver, as that person can have more flexibility in the shower and provide the safest and easiest way to assist the other person.
Best Choice: Shower Head with 72 Inch Hose by HammerHead Showers
Feature # 3: Shower Holder Bracket Material
Without a doubt, the shower holder is the most neglected part in your typical shower head with hose set.
What you’ll often find is that the part is pretty simple, which is fine. But, and this is a big but, it’s made from cheap plastic.
This is a big problem, because the shower holder is the part that gets the most abuse in the entire set. Every time you remove or dock your hand shower, you’re putting torque on this part.
What ends up happening is the hook on the shower holder bracket ends up cracking. Now you’re back on the market for a new shower head with hose set, or a universal shower holder replacement part.
While extremely rare, there are shower holders that are made from metal.
At The Shower Head Store, we offer one of the only shower heads with hose sets that includes a metal shower holder bracket.
And that’s made by HammerHead Showers, one of the leaders in metal shower heads and accessories.
Built from brass, the HammerHead Showers metal shower holder bracket is so heavy duty; it will likely outlast most of the appliances in your house.
Best Choice: Shower Head with Hose & Metal Holder Bracket by HammerHead Showers
Feature # 4: Shower Head Size
Unlike rain shower heads, where the bigger the better, with hand held shower heads it’s about functionality. Obviously, you want the face of the shower head to be wide enough so your body is covered in warm water while you’re showering.
But, you don’t want to go too crazy with a massive hand held shower head that is clunky and hard to control.
That sweet spot is right around 3.5 – 4 inches in diameter. That will give you just enough coverage without taking away from the actual ability to move the detachable shower head around freely.
Best Choice: 4 Inch Shower Head with Hose by HammerHead Showers
Feature # 5: Shower Head Pressure
And of course, there is the shower head pressure. This is often the most sought after feature of a shower head, and rightfully so. But that doesn’t mean you have to neglect the other factors.
Getting a high pressure shower head isn’t as hard as it seems, to an extent. There are really only a couple of factors that impact the pressure, at least that you can control with your buying decision.
Those are the flow rate and the shower head size. Ah yes, the shower head size resurfaces again.
The larger the shower head size, the weaker the pressure will be. Conversely, the smaller the shower head size, the more pressure you will get from your shower head.
Again, that 3.5 – 4 inch range in shower head diameter is really the wheelhouse for the best shower head with hose set.
You’ll also want to keep a strict eye out for the Gallon Per Minute (GPM) flow rate.
Most shower heads range in flow rates from 1.5 GPM to 2.5 GPM, and the higher the flow the higher the pressure of the shower head.
Best Choice: 2.5 GPM Full Pressure Shower Head with Hose by HammerHead Showers
