Does Anyone Make A Good Quality Sprinkler Anymore?

[Chilliwack Murray]

I am fed up with the poor quality of the oscillating sprinklers available now. It’s not that they are cheap - they charge plenty for them, but the material quality is terrible. This isn’t just my experience, the reviews seem to back up the fact that most only last a season or less. It seems like they have all tried to out-gizmo each other and the quality and basic function has suffered. We have numerous orbit and Gardena sprinklers that have either broken or damaged gears resulting in them getting stuck. Once I realized the issue we have been extremely careful with the last ones but they didn’t even make it through a season.

The old aluminum frame sprinklers from the 60s and 70s seemed to last forever, in fact the last of them I inherited finally gave up just a few years ago (leading to this rant). The knockoff equivalents we bought in the 90s lasted about 5 years, still better but obviously a cheap copy of the original.

If anyone knows of a sprinkler currently available that isn’t junk, I’d love to know about it. Otherwise I think I’ll have to start scrounging around yard sales. Same goes for hoses, I still have a couple like the one in the first picture that are from the 70s. All the new hoses are junk after two or three years max.

Pictures for reference good vs bad:

 

[oosik]

Good Lord - what is that "thing" in the lower picture. Looks like it came from outer space. I have Rain Bird pulsating type. Solid brass. But the only down side - I bought those 40+ years ago. Still work just fine but I'll bet that's not the way they are made currently.

 

[deserteagle71]

I couldn't agree more with your assessment. The last few oscillating sprinklers I bought last only a month or two and then quit oscillating so I gave up on them and went to the below type. Doesn't cover as much area but mine has now lasted over 3 years.

 

[deserteagle71]

I have Rain Bird pulsating type. Solid brass. But the only down side - I bought those 40+ years ago. Still work just fine but I'll bet that's not the way they are made currently.

Of course not! How can they sell you a new one if they last 40+ years???

 

[aesanders]

I mostly use Rainbird impulse sprinklers. I spent a lot of time growing up moving irrigation pipe, and while I never want to move pipe again, I love the sound of an impulse sprinkler.

A.M. Leaonard stocks some decent quality irrigation items. They have a dram oscillating sprinkler that looks nice. I haven’t used it, so I don’t know how good it is though.

 

[scootr]

I gave up and now I use this > Because it always works.

 

[JethroB]

I mostly use Rainbird impulse sprinklers. I spent a lot of time growing up moving irrigation pipe, and while I never want to move pipe again, I love the sound of an impulse sprinkler.

A.M. Leaonard stocks some decent quality irrigation items. They have a dram oscillating sprinkler that looks nice. I haven’t used it, so I don’t know how good it is though.

Aluminum irrigation pipe. I toted plenty of that as a scrawny kid. I recently found a few sections of 4” still connected together running through my woods. Light as a feather but wait for a wind gust to tweak a wrist.

 

[jyoutz]

I gave up and installed an underground sprinkler system. Everything always gets watered evenly.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

I gave up and installed an underground sprinkler system. Everything always gets watered evenly.

Always wanted to do that and may someday but living on the side of a mountain the ground is full of rocks from football to 60s Vista Cruiser sized. Putting stuff in the ground, especially in a specific location is a challenge.

For the foreseeable future we will be dragging hoses and moving sprinklers. I quite like the tractor style that follows the hose for the lawn but it’s a little too heavy for the missus to drag up and down the hill.

 

[jyoutz]

Always wanted to do that and may someday but living on the side of a mountain the ground is full of rocks from football to 60s Vista Cruiser sized. Putting stuff in the ground, especially in a specific location is a challenge.

For the foreseeable future we will be dragging hoses and moving sprinklers. I quite like the tractor style that follows the hose for the lawn but it’s a little too heavy for the missus to drag up and down the hill.

Understand. Fortunately I don’t have rocks in my soil. For your situation I would get several good quality impact sprinklers and mount them in a pattern and adjust where they will provide the coverage you need. Then leave them there perfectly adjusted and just move the hose to the different sprinklers based on time.