Best Lawn Sprinklers: Top 7 Devices Most Recommended By Experts

Having a lush, green lawn or garden takes hard work and dedication. If you struggle to keep your lawn green and full, consider one of the best lawn sprinklers to help make your job easier. The top lawn sprinklers will keep your lawn watered in all those hard-to-reach areas and keep your yard looking great.

So, which sprinklers are most effective in getting your lawn looking its best? StudyFinds did the research, consulting 10 outdoor and home improvement websites in an effort to bring you a consensus list of the best lawn sprinklers. Our list comprises the seven most frequently listed sprinklers from across these sites. Think we missed a great sprinkler system and want to tell us about it? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below!

The List: Best Lawn Sprinklers, According to Reviews

 

1. Melnor XT Oscillating Sprinkler

The top spot on the list of the best lawn sprinklers belongs to the Melnor XT Oscillating Sprinkler. This classically designed oscillating sprinkler system offers a watering solution for lawns up to 4,500 square feet, explains Pro Tool Reviews. The Melnor XT features an adjustable flow rate and you’ll love the ability to adjust the width of the sprinkler head.

As The Pioneer Woman writes, this Melnor XT Sprinkler works for lawns of all shapes and sizes. The adjustable flow and width make it convenient to use for almost anyone. The Melnor also features a timer that can be set to shut off automatically for up to two hours, taking a lot of the guesswork and timing out of watering your lawn.

The Melnor XT Oscillating Sprinkler works with any ¾ inch hose and doesn’t need an adaptor to fit, adds Good Housekeeping. The Melnor’s spray pattern is perfect for narrow yards or long patches of lawn. The sprinkler provides quiet rain for your lawn, flower bed, or garden, and it works great with all types of water sources, including well water. The protective sieve keeps your sprinkler protected from dirt and grit and Melnor even includes a nozzle cleaning tool on the end of the plug.

2. Aqua Joe Oscillating Sprinkler

Next up on the list of the top sprinklers for your lawn is the Aqua Joe Oscillating Sprinkler. The Aqua Joe is perfect for a variety of lawns and gardens, notes The Spruce. This sprinkler features 20 nozzles that work to distribute water evenly throughout the area and it connects to a standard-size garden hose – ¾ inch. At just under two pounds, the Aqua Joe is easy to move around your yard so you can rest assured you’re hitting all of those trouble spots throughout your lawn.

Popular Mechanics agrees that the Aqua Joe is one of your top choices for a new lawn sprinkler. One aspect that sets the Aqua Joe apart from other sprinklers is its durable zinc fittings that prevent leaks and spraying from the connection. The fittings help the Aqua Joe connect securely to your garden hose so you won’t have to worry about breaking a plastic connector and ruining your new sprinkler system.

The Aqua Joe features a plastic housing but is designed with a metal base, furthers Better Homes and Gardens. This sprinkler also comes with a two-year manufacturer warranty and a built-in tool for cleaning the nozzles, ensuring your sprinkler lasts as long as possible. This model is also kid-friendly. The Aqua Joe can be set to spray vertically, providing lots of fun for your kids on a hot summer day.

3. Gilmour Circular Sprinkler

Next up on the list of the best sprinklers to keep your lawn green and watered is the Gilmour Circular Sprinkler. This small but powerful sprinkler is only four and a half inches wide, three inches long, and one inch tall, explains Bob Vila. Despite its small stature, this circular sprinkler is built to last. The body is molded from metal and the durable metal spray insert is attached to the top of the sprinkler.

Although this sprinkler isn’t designed for watering large yards, it’s perfect for those hidden nooks and small flower beds that just don’t seem to get enough watering from other units, notes This Old House. This small circular sprinkler can cover up to 450 square feet with a low-pressure watering system, meaning it won’t destroy valuable flowers or vulnerable garden crops.

The small circular sprinkler from Gilmour is ideal for watering newly seeded patches of the lawn when the seeds are still vulnerable to high-pressure watering systems, adds The Spruce. The gentle, fountain-like spray simulates a light rainfall and the small sprinkler head makes it easy to hide this unit in landscaping or flower beds. Of course, this small sprinkler works best with low-pressure spigots but if you have a high-pressure system, you can insert a nail or stake in the small hole to help keep it stable.

4. Rain Bird In-Ground Automatic Sprinkler System

The fourth spot on the list of the best lawn sprinklers is the Rain Bird In-Ground Automatic Sprinkler System. This sprinkler system is like having a professionally installed irrigation system in your yard at a fraction of the cost, notes Better Homes and Gardens. From the underground tubing to the sprinkler heads, this complete watering system comes with everything you need to keep your lawn watered and looking great for years to come.

The Rain Bird Sprinkler System comes with six sprinkler heads, tubing, fasteners, and a battery-operated timer that can be set for the time and duration of when you want your lawn watered, adds Real Simple. The sprinkler heads can reach up to 15 feet and have a water pressure of 45 to 75 pounds per square inch (PSI). The timer helps ensure your lawn isn’t overwatered, which can be as bad for your grass as underwatering.

Still, the Rain Bird Sprinkler System comes in a full kit and it’s one of the only in-ground sprinkler systems designed to be installed by homeowners themselves, eliminating the need to pay a landscaping crew for installation and parts, Good Housekeeping highlights. However, this isn’t a cheaply built system by any means. The Rain Bird System features retractable sprinkler heads that go back into the ground after it’s finished watering your lawn, so you don’t have to worry about running them over and ruining them with your lawn mower or weed eater. The timer makes it easy to set a watering schedule and the rotary sprinkler heads offer good coverage for medium to large lawns.

5. Orbit Brass Impact Sprinkler on Tripod Base

Next up on the list of the top sprinklers for your lawn is the Orbit Brass Impact Sprinkler. This impact sprinkler sprays over 80 feet and covers a staggering 6,000 plus square feet of lawn and comes with an adjustable tripod base, explains USA Today. The Orbit Brass Impact Sprinkler is widely considered one of the best choices for large yards or big vegetable gardens that sometimes require more than one sprinkler head.

This Orbit sprinkler can be set to various heights and features different spray options, notes Pro Tool Reviews. The brass construction of the sprinkler head makes it great for high-pressure connections and uncertain weather conditions. The design and customizable options on this sprinkler help make it one of the most versatile options on the market.

The tripod base is an incredibly useful feature of this Orbit Brass model. Each of the legs on the tripod base can be adjusted individually, meaning you can set this sprinkler head on uneven ground and still get coverage, explains Popular Mechanics. The tripod can be set up to four feet high and conveniently folds to just over one foot in length. Orbit even equipped this sprinkler with an extra five pounds of weight to help keep the tripod stable while it’s in use. Although this sprinkler is not ideal for small areas, it’s an excellent choice for medium to large yards or vegetable gardens.

6. Nelson RainTrain Sprinkler

The sixth spot on the list of the top sprinklers to help keep your lawn green is the Nelson Rain Train Sprinkler. This is a traveling sprinkler system designed to cover over 10,000 square feet of lawn in one cycle, writes This Old House. It is designed to resemble a small tractor that waters your lawn as it moves along the track. The water pressure from the hose helps power this small device to water your lawn. However, it’s important to keep in mind that these sprinklers work best with a high-pressure system as the water pressure moves the sprinkler along.

The Nelson RainTrain is built with a cast-iron body and a chip-resistant powder coating to keep it looking great for years to come, adds USA Today. The RainTrain also features adjustable aluminum spray arms capable of covering areas 15 to 55 feet along its 200-foot track. This means the RainTrain can cover a whopping 13,000 square feet of lawn, making it one of the best sprinkler systems for large tracks of land.

The RainTrain is equipped with an automatic shut-off ramp that can be set up where you want the sprinkler to stop, explains The Spruce. The sprinkler can be set to three speeds – fast, slow, and neutral. Neutral will keep the sprinkler in one spot to water the lawn in the same way as a traditional stationary sprinkler. Still, one of the coolest features of this sprinkler is the spiked wheels that help aerate your lawn as it moves along the track, making it even more effective at watering your lawn.

7. Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller

Rounding out the list of the top lawn sprinklers is the Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller. This smart system is designed for use with existing in-ground sprinkler systems, and it works with 99 percent of the in-ground systems. It isn’t as much of a sprinkler system as it is a useful tool to make using your sprinkler system easier, writes The Pioneer Woman.

If you’re looking for a way to save time and money with your sprinkler system, then this smart controller system is for you, adds Real Simple. The controller automates your sprinkler schedule and can even adjust for the weather and changes in the climate. You’ll initially program this system for the watering schedule that best fits your lawn and garden needs. The best part is this system is controlled with an app on your smartphone, so you’ll be able to ensure your lawn is receiving the water it needs to thrive.

Aside from the initial setup and integrating this smart controller with your other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, using this device is easy and simple, adds Good Housekeeping. Each of your sprinkler zones can be controlled individually through the app, so you can ensure those areas of your lawn that need to be watered more frequently are healthy while not wasting water on other zones. Rachio also produces a 16-zone controller for larger systems installed in bigger lawns.

Types of Sprinklers:

To further navigate the world of sprinkler systems, we have outlined the different types that you can expect to see below:

• Stationary sprinklers: Spray water in a single pattern over a fixed area. They are available in several different designs, including:
• Spike sprinklers: Pushed into the ground and are ideal for watering small areas, such as flower beds.
• Sprinkler heads: Attached to a hose or underground irrigation system and can be used to water larger areas.
• Oscillating sprinklers: Have a long tube with numerous openings that move back and forth, emitting a fan-shaped waterfall. They are ideal for watering rectangular or square-shaped lawns.
• Rotary sprinklers: Rotate around a central point, spraying water in a circular pattern. They are ideal for watering large, irregularly shaped lawns.
• Impact sprinklers: Use a hammer mechanism to rotate the sprinkler head. They are a good choice for windy areas or for lawns with uneven water pressure.
• Gear-driven sprinklers: Use gears to rotate the sprinkler head. They are more water-efficient than impact sprinklers and are a good choice for quiet operation.
• Traveling sprinklers: Move along a hose or track, watering a long, narrow strip of lawn. They are a good choice for watering long, narrow properties, such as driveways or fence lines.

Sources:

• Pro Tool Reviews
• Real Simple
• The Pioneer Woman
• This Old House
• Good Housekeeping
• Bob Vila
• USA Today
• The Spruce
• Better Homes and Gardens
• Popular Mechanics

Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations. This article may contain affiliate links in which we receive a commission if you make a purchase.