Best Shower Head Review – Top 5 List

Take your time, relax, and enjoy Groom+Style’s Best Shower Head Review.

It’s hard to believe, and it’s a shame. There really are people who don’t enjoy one of the great pleasures of life: leisurely enjoying a long, relaxing shower. The joy of lingering in a calm cocoon of water; the pleasure of a sharp, piercing spray stimulating the senses; the bliss of warm steam and hot water suspending time and rejuvenating the body – shower-haters miss all of it in their rush to get in and out as quickly as humanly possible.

For the rest of us, there are top-quality shower heads. They turn what might be a pitiful, slow drip into a cascade of comfort, satisfaction, and even luxury. They’re what make a simple shower into a wonderful shower. All that’s required is selecting the right fixture.

Please find our detailed analysis and buying guide after the summary table below.

Image	Product	Features
	Best Premium ShowerheadMoen S6320 Velocity Rainshower Showerhead	Very Large, Eight-Inch Showerhead Excellent Total-Body Coverage Self-Cleaning Nozzles Built To Last Easy Installation	Check Price on Amazon →
	Best Balance of Cost & PerformanceSpeakman S-2252 Icon Anytime High-Pressure Adjustable Shower Head	Hotel-Quality Showerhead Diverse Spray Settings Durable, Solid Brass Construction	Check Price →
	Best 2-in-1 ShowerheadDelta 58467 4-Spray In2ition 2-in-1 Shower Head	Known and Trusted Brand 4 Powerful Spray Options 2-in-1 Dual Showerhead	Check Price →
	Best Water Saving ShowerheadAmerican Standard 1660.717.002 Flowise Water-Saving Showerhead	Uses 40% Less Water Three Spray Functions Angle Adjustable Showerhead	Check Price →
	Best Budget ShowerheadCulligan WSH-C125 Wall-Mount Filtered Showerhead	Easy-To-Install, No Tools Required Anti-clog Rubber Spray Nozzles Five Selectable Sprays	Check Price →

What Features Make for the Best Shower Head?

Of course, everyone has their own idea of what makes a shower head the “right” one. A firm massage, a gentle rain, an energizing pulse; what’s perfect for one person is simply an annoyance for the next.

Once you’ve decided the type of spray pattern that’s right for you, selecting the “right” shower head becomes much easier – unless, of course, you share the shower with someone whose preferences don’t match yours.

In that case, a hybrid shower head combining several settings can solve the problem, and perhaps even keep the relationship a happy one. That’s why the Groom+Style review team has focused on models which provide multiple spray options.

Quality of Build, Fixed or Handheld, Water Saving and Filtration

Shower heads can be simple or intricate, fixed or handheld, inexpensive or pricey. In our rankings of the top 5 best shower heads, the team look at all of those possibilities but focus even more on the construction, reliability and pure satisfaction that each fixture can provide once the door is closed or the curtain is pulled shut.

And in these days of droughts and water shortages, we also give “extra credit” to low-flow shower heads which save water while still delivering a satisfying shower experience.  Some shower heads even come with a filter to remove chlorine and sulfur etc. from the water.

In other words, ranking shower heads is much more subjective than ranking toasters or yo-yos; our #1 could very easily be your #5, simply because the type of spray Groom+Style thinks is just right could be your pet peeve. So take these reviews with a grain of salt, and rest assured the Groom+Style review team has tried to include at least one terrific choice for just about everyone.

1. Moen S6320 Velocity Rainshower Showerhead

Let’s start with the obvious: this is an expensive shower head. But consider this as well: it’s a fabulous fixture. Moen is well known for its outstanding faucets, and this fits right into their lineup.

The Velocity Rainshower is a very large, eight-inch showerhead that provides excellent total-body coverage with straight-out power. The power comes from what Moen calls its “Immersion” technology, which relies on internal pressure to boost water flow’s force as it leaves the head, and a “spoke” nozzle design to focus and magnify the power of the water coming from each nozzle.

That design is able to provide as much as three times the power of an ordinary showerhead. The self-cleaning nozzles also have rubber spray formers so it’s simple to remove the minerals which build up over time.

There are 100 separate nozzles on this large shower head, but not all of them are necessarily in use at the same time. You can use the full force of the Immersion technology by selecting the high-pressure spray of the Velocity, which concentrates water flow through 30 of the center nozzles for a powerful, invigorating shower. Or you can flip a switch to send the water to all 100 nozzles, which activates the calmer rainshower function of this showerhead for a gentle, relaxing experience.

Those are the two types of flow most users want in a multi-function shower head, and both are exceptional – as long as you have decent water pressure reaching your shower, of course. Most showerheads offer three settings instead of two, but with these two, you won’t want or need a third unless pulsing streams are important to you.

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The construction of this Moen head is also exceptional, as we expected from having reviewed other of the company’s products in the past, The strong and durable brass head comes standard with an attractive and reflective chrome finish, but the Rainshower is also available in brushed bronze, antique bronze, oil-rubbed bronze or brushed nickel (expect higher prices for the bronze models) so it can fit with any existing bathroom décor.

You should bear in mind, though, that the showerhead’s large eight-inch size might not allow it to fully tilt and adjust on some shorter shower arms, so you may need to purchase an extension to get the full benefit of this model.

There’s a maximum water flow of 2.5 gpm (gallons per minute) when you’re running it at full blast, so there’s enough pressure for even the pickiest shower fanatic. The Velocity is also available in a model that’s WaterSense certified at 2.0 gpm.

Wall or ceiling installation is relatively easy and can be done by most people without calling a plumber (but that call would be a good idea if you have any doubts, naturally).

2. Speakman S-2252 Icon Anytime High-Pressure Adjustable Shower Head

Many people decide that it’s time to replace their old shower fixtures after experiencing the joys of an adjustable shower head while staying in a hotel. And the chances are excellent that the shower head that’s such a revelation to them – is a Speakman.

There’s an inexpensive model (the S-2005-HB) that’s used in many lower-level motels, but the shower head the team is reviewing here is more like the ones used in upscale hotels and inns.

The performance of the Icon is due largely to Speakman’s trademarked “Anystream” technology, which allows you to easily rotate the handle on the side of the shower head to change the water stream to whatever suits your needs or mood.

From a full and intense spray to massage-style pulses, to light streams for gently rinsing the soap off the body or simply enjoying the moment – all are selectable, with a gradual transition between spray types occurring as you slowly move the handle.

There are 48 spray nozzles on the Icon and even though they are directed from just six plungers, none of the sprays ever intersect. That’s not easy to accomplish, but if anyone could do it, it would be Speakman; the company has been manufacturing bathroom fixtures for more than 150 years.

This hotel-quality shower head is made from solid brass with a polished chrome finish (polished or oil-rubbed brass and brushed nickel are other options), has self-cleaning nozzles, and delivers a 2.5 gpm water flow with a 2.0 gpm model also available.

3. Delta 58467 4-Spray In2ition 2-in-1 Shower Head

Delta is one of the two best-known and trusted faucet and fixture companies in America (American Standard, of course, is the other). For example, you’ll find a Delta (or American Standard) shower head in nearly every hotel room in the U.S. What many people don’t know, though, is that Delta makes some pretty cool products that aren’t the run-of-the-mill fixtures you’d expect.

A great example is the Delta In2ition 2-in-1, which features a high-performing swiveling shower head which can be securely docked on the wall or used for a European-style handheld shower. And what’s really cool is that the removable hand shower docks in the middle of the large shower head – so you while you’re using the fixture in handheld mode, you can have water spraying from above at the same time.

There three selectable spray options: full body spray, fast massaging spray, and full body spray with massage. There’s also a pause function that lets you temporarily stop the spray while shaving or scrubbing; what’s great about that is when you resume showering, the water will still be at the same temperature. The In2ition shower head is easy to install and available in either chrome finish or stainless steel, but you’ll pay about an extra $50 for the stainless model. One note: the 2.5 gpm flow rate does not meet California standards, so it can’t be sold in or shipped to that state.

4. American Standard 1660.717.002 Flowise Water-Saving Showerhead

You can’t see yourself spending a ton of money on a showerhead, but still want performance? American Standard is a well-respected fixture manufacturer, and they have what you’re looking for.

The Flowise is another brilliant water saver shower head that uses 40% less water than most heads, but at the same time doesn’t skimp on function; it pressurizes water and then uses a turbine to increase force, instead of just letting the power of the water determine the flow. The end result is a strong and satisfying choice of regular spray, more powerful and directed turbine spray, or a combination of the two.

The way this head conserves water is by using just a 1.5 gpm flow for normal use, increasing it to 2.0 gpm when turbine spray is selected or 1.8 gpm for combo spray, and then automatically returning to the lower, water-saving level. The adjustments are easy, as is the installation.

5. Culligan WSH-C125 Wall-Mount Filtered Showerhead

Groom+Style finish our list of the top 5 best shower heads with a bargain-basement model which may be invaluable if you have hard water or problematic water quality.

This Culligan head has a filter and an anti-clog spray nozzle to remove chlorine, sulfur, scale and other material before the spray reaches you, yet still delivers a strong flow for a good shower. The company claims the filter is 99% effective – and with Culligan’s reputation for filtration, we believe it.

There are five selectable sprays including different levels of full body, pulse, and spray; while the flow isn’t quite up to that of the other models we’ve reviews, it’s very close. And the water reaching your body will be cleaner and healthier than with any of the other shower heads we’ve looked at.

It’s made primarily from plastic and the filter has to be changed (at least) every six months or so, but it may be just what you’ve been looking for if you’re tired of leaving the shower smelling like sulfur.

Delta Faucet 58045 In2ition Water Saver Shower Head

We replaced this model with the superior Delta 58467 4-Spray In2ition 2-in-1 Shower Head in position 3.

We’ve just mentioned people who stay in hotel rooms and decide they need a shower just like the one in their room. The same thought often occurs to people visiting another country where the majority of shower heads aren’t mounted high on the wall (or ceiling).

They’re taken with the flexibility and convenience of a hand shower, which can fit into a wall bracket for full-body use and then be removed to be used to direct the spray exactly where it’s needed most – or used to easily wash children, pets and even the shower itself.

The Delta In2ition goes the hand shower one better because it combines the benefits of a traditional wall-mounted faucet with those of a hand-held faucet. This fixture installs just like a regular shower head, but part of the head is a removable hand-held unit.

For “normal” use the shower head provides four types of showering experiences: steady or pulsing full-body sprays, and fast or slow massage sprays (plus a “pause” setting which reduces flow to a trickle for lathering).

But the middle section of the showerhead has a long, 69-inch hose attached to it, allowing you to slip the hand-held unit out to use in any way you’d like, and then slip it right back in when you’re done. And when the inner ring is removed to be used by hand, the outer one stops spraying. It’s an ingenious approach and a very effective one. It’s also the best water saver shower head on our list with low-flow, at 2.0 gpm.

The sprays provided by the In2ition are strong and effective, and Groom+Style love the idea and performance of this shower head. Then why is it only ranked #3 on our list of the top 5 best shower heads? There are two reasons: most people still prefer a traditional wall fixture, and this one is made from chrome-finished plastic (other colors are available) rather than metal or brass.

It is very well-built and should hold up for quite a while, but it won’t be as durable as the top two showerheads on our list.

Delta has another model (the 58469) with some bronze in it, but it is more expensive and still primarily plastic. The review team thinks this is a better buy.

The Groom+Style review team hopes you enjoyed this review.  While you are replacing your shower head why not consider replacing your kitchen faucet as well?