This blog post gives an overview of the sprinkler nozzels available on the market, also known as spray nozzles or sprayers. Sprayers release the water like a shower head in a torrent in all directions to be sprinkled. Unlike the geared sprinklers, which rotate and only eject the water in a specific direction in a concentrated jet. These are covered in a separate blog post on rotating sprinkler performance data.

Spray nozzles are used for irrigating rather small areas and release a relatively large amount of water to the irrigated area in a short time, so they have a high precipitation rate. Accordingly, they must not be mixed in a sector with geared sprinklers, which have a significantly lower precipitation rate, and they can only irrigate a smaller area in a sector than would be the case with geared sprinklers. An exception here are the rotating nozzle sprinklers, which are a cross between spray sprinklers and rotating sprinklers. These do not emit the water in torrents, but rather in fine jets due to their rotating nozzle and therefore also have a significantly lower precipitation rate than standard sprayers.

Spray sprinklers use less water pressure than geared sprinklers. They are best used for irrigating small areas up to a maximum length of 13 to 16 feet with a floor plan with many curves or corners. The targeted sprinkling of individual trees or bushes that have a very high water requirement is also a possible using scenario.

Separation of nozzle and body

Unlike geared sprinklers, spray sprinklers have a separate nozzle and body. So you don’t buy the complete spray sprinkler, but a spray nozzle and a body and then combine these two to form the sprinkler. This has the advantage that, depending on the application scenario, you can combine a specific nozzle with a specific body that is best suited for the scenario. It is also practical to use, since if a nozzle is defective or if you are experimenting with different nozzle types or sizes, you only have to unscrew the nozzle from the body and screw in a new one instead of digging out the entire sprinkler and installing the new one.

The nozzle of the spray sprinkler differs significantly from the nozzle on the geared sprinkler: With geared sprinklers, most sprinklers come with entire nozzle sets, sometimes with up to 8 or more different nozzles. These are small nozzles measuring maybe 0.5 x 0.5 inches, of which you insert the desired one into the sprinkler riser. The nozzles of the nozzle sprinkler, on the other hand, are much larger and combined with a filter. You screw it on top of the riser of the body. You don’t buy a set of nozzles here either, but rather the exact nozzle you want, i.e. the type of nozzle you want with the desired throw range. The nozzle also makes up a larger part of the total sprinkler price for spray sprinklers compared to geared sprinklers. This is especially true for rotating nozzle sprinklers, where the nozzle, filter and rotating mechanism make up the actual sprinkler and the body accounts for the smaller part of the cost.

In the following, I will present the nozzles available on the market across all brands, together with their specific performance data. The matching bodies can be found in a separate blog post.

As a beginner, you can easily be overwhelmed when it comes to the nozzles, as there are a large number of different nozzles on offer, the difference between which is not immediately apparent at first glance and which also have different designations depending on the manufacturer.

Fixed arc nozzles

These nozzles spray a fixed part of a circle, 90 degrees, 180 degrees or 360 degrees, depending on the nozzle selected. A sector deviating from this cannot be irrigated. The advantage is that they reliably irrigate the predefined sector, you don’t have to set it up and it can’t be adjusted. In addition, the precipitation rates of the different sector sizes are coordinated within the same nozzle size, so that a uniform precipitation rate (MPR) can be achieved if only one nozzle size is used within an irrigation sector.

Variable arc nozzles

With these nozzles, the sector to be irrigated can be variably adjusted. You don’t need a nozzle that is tailored to the section of a circle, but you can flexibly define the section to be sprinkled on the nozzle, which gives you greater flexibility.

MPR nozzles

The precipitation rates of these nozzles are matched to one another, so that you always have the same precipitation rate (MPR) even when using different nozzle sizes. The Rain Bird and Toro nozzles work like the typical spray nozzles, so they have a comparatively high precipitation rate. The MPR nozzles are fixed sector nozzles. Depending on the sector size to be irrigated, you have to use the desired sector model, e.g. full circle, semicircle or quadrant. At Rain Bird, the MPR nozzles also have the same precipitation rate across sectors. At Toro, the same precipitation rate only applies to the different nozzle sizes with the same radius – and again only approximately.

Rotating nozzles (rotating nozzle sprinklers)

This is actually a separate sprinkler category that no longer has much in common with the original nozzler sprinkler (sprayer), but is more of a cross between a sprayer and a geared sprinkler. The nozzle head includes a rotation mechanism that ensures that the water is not released in a gush, but divided into jets and that the jets are released at different points parallel to the rotation of the nozzle head. As a result, the precipitation rate is significantly lower than with a conventional sprayer. With the amount of water available, you can irrigate a much larger area at the same time. In return, however, it has to be watered longer than with conventional nozzles.

The radius of the rotating nozzle sprinklers is also greater than that of conventional nozzle sprinklers and reaches up to 35 feet. All three rotating nozzle sprinklers presented automatically also provide MPR, i.e. they are also MPR nozzles at the same time. The nozzles are a cross between nozzles with a fixed arc and nozzles with a variable arc: Different nozzles are required to cover all sector sizes, these can be adjusted within a specified range, e.g. 90 to 210 degrees or 210 to 270 degrees. Only the nozzle to cover a full circle (360 degrees) is not adjustable. The Hunter MP Rotator is my top pick for a sprinkler.

Bubblers

Deliver water directly to the root area of the plant. This comes out with minimal pressure and hardly any throw distance directly at the nozzle or in the immediate vicinity of the nozzle and is released at close range to the ground surface. Depending on the model, this can be done either in surges in the form of an umbrella or divided into jets. Bubbler nozzles are used for watering individual trees or shrubs that require more water than the surrounding vegetation, or for watering very small areas.

In addition to the above, there are the following types of nozzles for special tasks:

Strip nozzles

Used for watering narrow, rectangular areas (lawn strips). Three different nozzles are always required to water a rectangle (nozzle in the left corner, nozzle in the right corner, nozzle in the middle).

Short radius and stream spray nozzles

Short-radius nozzles are nozzles with a short throw distance that is always the same, regardless of the water pressure, for watering in very small spaces. Stream spray nozzles divide the water jet into individual jets and have a lower precipitation rate compared to conventional spray nozzles.

You can find the right bodies to turn the nozzle into a nozzle sprinkler in a separate blog post.

In order to choose the right sprinkler, knowledge of the properties and performance data of the sprinklers available on the market is necessary. This can be found mostly on the manufacturer’s websites or sometimes hidden in operating instructions or planning documents produced by manufacturers. I have compiled this information and put together an overview of the most important key data such as throw distance, flow rate and precipitation rate of the sprinklers commonly used in private use on this page. Important attributes such as MPR capability, the option of pressure regulation, the number of model versions, available nozzle sets and much more are also listed for each sprinkler.

Basic information on the four most important manufacturers Gardena/Orbit, Hunter, Rain Bird and Toro can be found in a separate article:

Blog post comparison of the 4 manufacturers Gardena, Hunter, Rain Bird and Toro

If you would like to know which sprinkler model from which manufacturer I personally recommend buying, visit the buying section of this website! There you will also find purchase recommendations for pipeline, connectors, control units, solenoid valves, etc.

A brief explanation of the technical terms listed here, such as flow rate, precipitation, MPR capability, pressure regulation, etc. can be found at the very end of this page following the performance data listed.

The geared sprinklers available on the market, also known as rotary sprinklers, are presented on this page. The smaller spray sprinklers (or just sprayers), which have a completely different functionality and other areas of application, are covered in the separate blog post “Overview of the spray sprinklers available on the market” . The Hunter MP rotators and Rain Bird R-VAN, which as rotating nozzle sprinklers actually form their own category and which can be used both in place of a geared sprinkler and in place of a sprayer, are included in both places for the sake of clarity.
The comparison is broken down by manufacturer. It starts with the Hunter products, followed by Rain Bird, Toro and Orbit. Each manufacturer is preceded by a short introductory text in which the manufacturer’s product range is summarized. This is followed by the essential performance data and a tabular overview of throw, flow rate, etc. at specific pressures or for specific models. I have also added my personal rating and a comment to each sprinkler and at the very end there are web links to purchase options for the corresponding sprinkler.

Hunter basically has 6 different geared sprinklers that are suitable for private users:

About the Hunter product range

There are also larger Hunter I-sprinklers, but these are aimed at commercial users with large areas to be irrigated and are not dealt with here. The Hunter SRM is also left out, which can’t do anything that the other products presented couldn’t do either.

The sprinkler models presented still have subgroups. These are distinguished by an additional number after the sprinkler designation (e.g. PGP Ultra-04) and represent different heights of riser, with the number indicating the height of the riser in inches. Thus, the PGP Ultra-04 designates a sprinkler with a 4-inch riser, the PGP Ultra-12 the variant with a 12-inch riser and if there is a -00 after the sprinkler name, it means that the sprinkler has no riser at all, i.e. it is a non-retractable standpipe sprinkler.

The Hunter MP Rotator is actually a completely separate category – located between a geared sprinkler and a spray sprinkler. This came into the Hunter range as part of the takeover of the Walla Walla Sprinkler Company in 2007 and has a completely different technology than the other Hunter sprinklers. The Walla Walla engineers were way ahead of their time and have already taken many things into account whose importance and usefulness are widely accepted today. They also differ from geared sprinklers in that the body and the actual sprinkler, including the nozzle, are separate. Sprinklers and nozzles can be combined with a suitable body according to the user’s choice. Since there is nothing else like it in this category and since they can be used like a rotor, the MP rotators are included in the rotors.

Now a brief definition of what fundamentally distinguishes the sprinkler types presented:

Classification of Hunter sprinklers

• The Hunter PGJ is the entry-level model. A stripped down sprinkler, reduced to the basic functions, at a very reasonable price
• The Hunter PGP is the battleship Hunter introduced to revolutionize the sprinkler market in 1981 and is still the world’s most sold sprinkler. A solid, well-functioning sprinkler, which is now getting a bit old and does not contain things that are state of the art today.
• The Hunter PGP Ultra is the successor to the Hunter PGP, which incorporates the findings of almost 30 years of market observation. It’s a bit more robust than the PGP, and Hunter offers a five-year warranty instead of the two-year warranty. In addition, more nozzle sets can be used and, above all, MPR nozzles can be used in this sprinkler, which makes it possible to adjust the precipitation rate. It also has (in the “PRB” version) a pressure regulating body that ensures that the pressure in the sprinkler is regulated down to a maximum of 45 psi. There are also practical things such as remembering and returning to the set sprinkler circle if the sprinkler is rotated manually.
• The Hunter I-20 was introduced a few years before the PGP Ultra and does essentially the same thing as the PGP Ultra. The only difference that I can see is that it is a little more robust (according to Hunter sports field suitability) and that the I-20 is also available in a stainless steel version.
• As previously written, the Hunter MP Rotator is a model with a completely different technical philosophy. Like a spray sprinkler, it releases the water in all directions at the same time, but not in one gush of water, but divided into many fine water jets by rotating the sprinkler head. This happens at a low flow rate, so the sprinkler releases water relatively slowly. This has the advantage that a relatively low water pressure is required and that more sprinklers can be operated in one sector. The MP-Rotator has an integrated MPR principle. This automatically ensures an even precipitation rate for all nozzles and models. In conjunction with a pressure-regulating body, the pressure is automatically reduced to 40 psi or 30 psi. You could describe the MP-Rotator as something like the carefree package among sprinklers that automatically prevents many possible sources of error that lurk in the implementation of irrigation. It is very suitable for small and medium-sized gardens and is also my top purchase tip for them.

Rating

Comment: The Hunter PGJ is Hunter’s entry-level model, but it’s already a solid sprinkler. The precipitation rates can be adjusted manually (MPR) using the 8 nozzles that are included as standard. There is no option to regulate the pressure, and no other nozzles can be used apart from the nozzle set that is included. I rate the PGJ 3 out of 5. There are better sprinklers out there from Hunter, but the Hunter PGJ offers pretty decent performance for the price.

Hunter PGJ on Amazon:

Rating

Comment: The Hunter PGP is a very solid sprinkler, it was the best selling sprinkler in the world for many years with good reason. Compared to the Hunter PGJ, it also has the advantage of a larger throw distance and that you can choose from a total of 3 nozzle sets. In principle, you can’t go wrong with the purchase of this sprinkler even today. Except that there are now even better ones that also handle MPR, pressure regulation and a few other small things. Rating of 3.5 out of 5 points. A bargain for this price! If you want it very cheap but still good, an alternative worth considering.

Performance Data Hunter PGP

Below you will find tables with radius, flow and precipitation rate for all available nozzle sets. For better clarity, this data is only displayed after clicking on the corresponding nozzle set variant:

Hunter PGP on Amazon:

Rating

Comment: The Hunter PGP Ultra is the further development of the PGP, in which the knowledge from several decades has flowed. The most important advantage is the possibility to use MPR nozzles, i.e. to coordinate the precipitation rate. The automatic arc return feature, which ensures that the sprinkler waters the correct sector if someone accidentally turns it, is also very pleasant in practice. I rate it 4 out of 5. Since it costs little more than the Hunter PGP Adj, you don’t need to think twice and can immediately go for the better model. A very good sprinkler at a top price!

The PGP Ultra is now also available as “Ultra PRB” in a version with a pressure-regulated body. The water pressure at the sprinkler is automatically reduced to 45 psi. Since the lack of pressure regulation was the last remaining shortcoming, I am increasing the rating for the PRB version to 4.5 out of 5 points. At the current time, a small negative aftertaste is the very strong price difference between the normal and the PRB version. Hopefully the price will fall as well.

Performance Data Hunter PGP Ultra

Below you will find tables with radius, flow and precipitation rate for all available nozzle sets. For better clarity, this data is only displayed after clicking on the corresponding nozzle set variant:

Hunter PGP Ultra on Amazon:

Rating

Comment: The Hunter I-20 is practically identical to the PGP Ultra in terms of performance data, it also uses the same nozzle sets. It is made a little more robust (according to Hunter sports field suitability) and is offered in a stylish stainless steel version. Like the PGP Ultra, I rate it 4 out of 5. Here, too, a “PRB” version with pressure regulation is now available. For this I increase the rating to 4.5 out of 5 points.

From my point of view, the additional robustness is not necessary for normal private use, the PGP Ultra is also very robust. Therefore I would – because the I-20 is a bit more expensive – resort to the PGP Ultra, which can do exactly the same thing. Unless you absolutely want a chic stainless steel version, which is only available on the I-20.

Performance Data Hunter I-20

Below you will find tables with radius, flow and precipitation rate for all available nozzle sets. The nozzle sets of the I-20 are identical to those of the PGP Ultra. For the sake of clarity, the data is only displayed after clicking on the corresponding nozzle set variant:

Hunter I-20 on Amazon:

MP1000, MP2000, MP3000, MP3500

Rating

Comment: The Hunter MP Rotator is my top pick! I give it a maximum of 5 points. It automatically provides an even precipitation rate (MPR) using built-in functionality, and when used with Pro-Spray-PRS bodies, it also has built-in pressure reduction to 40 or 30 psi. With its low water pressure and water volume requirements, it is also a good alternative when resources are scarce and it allows more sprinklers to be operated in one sector. The price is also good, even if you go for the more expensive pressure-reducing case, which I definitely recommend. The very easy exchangeability of sprinklers is also practical: If, for example, the range of the MP2000 turns out to be too short, an MP3000 is simply screwed into the housing and it fits again. You don’t have to pay attention to the precipitation rate, as this always remains the same across models in the MP1000, MP2000, MP3000 and MP3500 universe. Even if you change sector or throw distance! You could therefore describe this sprinkler as something like the carefree package among sprinklers, which ensures that the user automatically gets many things right.

Performance Data Hunter MP-Rotator

Below you will find tables with radius, flow and precipitation rate for all available models and model variants. For the sake of clarity, the data is only displayed after clicking on the corresponding  variant:

Hunter MP-Rotator on Amazon:

This is a so-called strip sprinkler, which was specially developed for sprinkling long, narrow areas. To irrigate a strip, 3 sprinklers “left corner”, “right corner” and “middle” must be installed.

MPLCS515 (Left Strip), MPRCS515 (Right Strip), MPSS530 (Side Strip)

Rating

Comment: Irrigating long, narrow strips is one of the most difficult tasks in irrigation technology. Sprinklers usually irrigate in a circle, but here a spray pattern that is as rectangular as possible is required. From my point of view, this is probably never possible in a 100% form. Even the MP-Rotator side stripe sprinkler does not succeed perfectly, but in an appealing way that you can work with. In view of the other advantages of the MP-Rotator model series also contained here (see evaluation of the MP-Rotator sprinkler above), I rate it with 4.5 out of 5 points.

Below is a tabular listing of radius, flow and precipitation rate for the three strip models:

Hunter MP-Rotator MP Strip on Amazon:

Below is an overview of the Rain Bird sprinklers that are of interest to private users:

About the Rain Bird product range

Like Hunter, Rain Bird has a wide range of rotors. Part of it is explicitly aimed at commercial users such as golf courses and large parks and not only makes no sense for private users, but would also not be usable at all due to the sometimes very high water pressure and water volume requirements. Therefore, the sprinklers of the Eagle series and the 500 and 700 series are not presented here. The Rain Bird 8005 is also left out, as its use makes no sense for 99% of readers.

It is obvious that almost every Hunter sprinkler has a counterpart at Rain Bird and vice versa. The Rain Bird 3500 is comparable to the Hunter PGJ, the Rain Bird 5000 is the counterpart to the Hunter PGP Ultra and the Rain Bird R-VAN is clearly modeled after the Hunter MP rotator. You can see that there is fierce competition between these companies and good ideas from one are immediately incorporated into the product range of the other.

The Rain Bird Maxi-Paw has a unique selling point in the Rain Bird range. It is not a geared but an impulse sprinkler. So the classic sprinkler that you know from fields or large meadows and which makes the noises typical of impulse sprinklers when sprinkling by breaking the jet. Impulse sprinklers are indeed also offered by other manufacturers, but not – as by Rain Bird – in a retractable version.

Rain Bird R-VAN is the counterpart to the Hunter MP-Rotator – i.e. a hybrid of sprinkler and sprayer – and (almost) equal to it.

Now a brief definition of what fundamentally distinguishes the Rain Bird sprinkler types:

Classification of Rain Bird sprinklers

• The Rain Bird 3500 is Rain Bird’s entry-level model and a direct counterpart to the Hunter PGJ. A properly functioning sprinkler reduced to the basic functions at a very attractive price.
• The Rain Bird 5000 is my favorite Rain Bird sprinkler. The counterpart to the Hunter PGP Ultra and absolutely on a par with this very good sprinkler. It can be used with MPR nozzles and is available with a pressure-regulating housing. Compared to the PGP Ultra, the pressure-regulated version has a clear price advantage at the time of my research.
• The Rain Bird Maxi-Paw is the only retractable impulse sprinkler available on the market and an interesting alternative for fans of this sprinkler shape and if the slightly higher noise level is not a problem.
• The Rain Bird Falcon 6504 is already very close to the limit of a sprinkler for the purely commercial sector. Very robust and the only sprinkler with a so-called “high-speed mode” (particularly fast rotation). However, important functions such as MPR and pressure regulation are missing.
• Rain Bird R-VAN is the counterpart to the Hunter MP Rotator. So actually not a sprinkler, but a sprayer with a rotating head. The Rain Bird version of the multi-jet rotary sprinkler is also very successful.

Rating

Comment: The Rain Bird 3500 is the Rain Bird entry-level sprinkler and direct opponent of the Hunter PGJ. Just like this one, it’s a very solid sprinkler. With the 6 nozzles included, only a very rough adjustment of precipitation rates is possible. There is no way to regulate the pressure and no other nozzle sets that can be used optionally. I rate the Rain Bird 3500 3 out of 5. If the demands are not too high, a good alternative, especially for the low price!

Rain Bird 3500 on Amazon:

Rating

Comment: The Rain Bird 5000 is an excellent sprinkler, very reliable and has all the important features. He is the direct opponent of the Hunter PGP Ultra and on the same level. MPR nozzles can also be used with the Rain Bird 5000 and thus achieve a uniform precipitation rate. And it can also be purchased with a 45 psi case pressure-regulated body (Rain Bird calls this option “PRS”). So here too there are 4 points for the standard version and 4.5 points for the more expensive version with PRS.

It is worth mentioning that the price of the Rain Bird 5000 with PRS is significantly lower in my research compared to the Hunter PGP Ultra PRB counterpart. And with the PRS versions, Rain Bird gives you the stainless steel version for practically the same price. Not that you would necessarily need it, but it definitely looks chic.

Performance Data Rain Bird 5000

Below you will find tables with radius, flow and precipitation rate for all available nozzle sets. For better clarity, this data is only displayed after clicking on the corresponding nozzle set variant:

Rain Bird 5000 on Amazon: