Showerhead: How to recognize the width of the spray before buying?

Hey guys. I have a probably rather unusual question regarding shower heads/shower sprays.

A few months ago I bought a new shower spray from Hansgrohe, specifically this Pulsify Select S model. Compared to my very old, completely run-down shower spray, the shower head of the Hansgrohe part is almost DOUBLE! as large in diameter.

But to my harsh disappointment, the width of the spray is abysmal and causes my body not to get properly wet while showering.

Why is that? Although my old shower head was only 7 cm in diameter compared to the new one with 11 cm, the surface with the nozzles was rounded on the sides. This caused the water jet to open up quite a bit when showering, resulting in an overall wider spray.

The new one, on the other hand, is completely flat and all the nozzles shoot straight down. The result is that despite the much larger surface and more nozzles, the spray is too narrow, which has been incredibly annoying when showering ever since, because I constantly have to move back and forth to get properly wet.

My question now is, so as not to throw 30-40 euros out the window again: How do I even recognize which shower head has a suitable width for the spray? Because even if some shower heads are rounded, that doesn’t mean that the nozzles are angled. It may still be that they are all aligned straight down.

It may sound like a small thing, but it annoys me terribly and a replacement is necessary. I really don’t know where to start. I can’t find any information anywhere.

It would be great if someone of you had an idea or maybe some expert knowledge in this area.

Thanks in advance and best regards!

P.S. A rain shower, in case anyone suggests it, can’t be properly installed here. Rental house, half-timbered, and anyway only a bathtub in which I shower.

My question now, to avoid throwing 30-40 euros out the window again: How do I even recognize which showerhead has a suitable width for the spray? Because even if some showerheads are rounded, that doesn't mean the nozzles are angled. It could still be that they are all pointed straight ahead.

By looking at the product beforehand:
Hansgrohe at least shows it very clearly. In addition, flow rates are given – and when I see the 10cm showerhead with up to 19 liters per minute, I can't even imagine how big your body must be not to get properly wet – cheeky wink...

By looking at the product beforehand: At least Hansgrohe shows it quite clearly. Next to it, flow rates are given – and when I see the 10cm shower head with up to 19 liters per minute, I don’t even want to imagine how huge your body must be to not get properly wet – cheeky wink…

You imply that I wasn’t able to look at product photos before buying; fun fact -> I even thought of that idea before the purchase ;-). Unfortunately, these product photos, mostly patched together with Photoshop, are not really meaningful. Even if they are “real” at all, you still can’t tell how far the spray ultimately spreads from them. Just as little as these product photos are meaningful, so are the liters per minute. What do liters per minute have to do with the width of the spray? Right, nothing. I can shoot even more water through a garden hose and still the stream remains smaller compared to a larger hose with fewer liters per minute. Quite logical, actually. It’s not about the water pressure being too low or too little water coming out; it’s about the width of the spray. I already wrote that the area of 10 or 11cm is much larger than my previous shower head, which produced a much wider spray. Still, thanks for your answer, maybe someone else has more insight! :-)

You imply that I wasn't able to look at product photos before buying; fun fact ->

No fun fact. But if you look at the pictures, you see a relatively straight stream. And if you then know that the shower head hangs 30cm (?) above your head, you have to realize that the stream does not widen even after 30cm.

Just as little as these product photos are meaningful, so are the liters per minute. What do liters per minute have to do with the width of the stream?

Sorry, but the pictures are meaningful. The stream comes out as shown in the pictures. And if you don't get properly wet with a stream more than 10cm wide (when it hits you), then it's due to the amount of water. Because with this shower head and proper water pressure, any normal person can take a normal shower. That much water flows out that you don't have to jump around.

maybe someone else has more insight! :-)

Try it out. Buy one at the hardware store or Amazon, connect it, test it and return/exchange it. Or try the showers of acquaintances and friends. Or explicitly look for a shower head that has an extra wide spray angle. The normal brand shower heads all make a more or less straight stream. The internet is always your friend. Take a shower head from Schütte – the stream won't get any wider (even though it's more of a shower mist).

No fun fact. But if you look at the pictures, you see a relatively straight jet. And if you then know that the showerhead hangs 30cm (?) above your head, you have to realize that even after 30cm the jet does not widen.

Sorry, but the pictures are meaningful. The jet comes out just like in the pictures. And if you don’t get properly wet with a jet over 10cm wide (when it hits you), it’s due to the amount of water. Because with that showerhead and decent water pressure, any normal person can take a normal shower. That much water comes out that you don’t have to jump around.

Try it out. Buy one at the hardware store or Amazon, connect it, test it, and return/exchange it. Or try the showers of acquaintances and friends. Or explicitly look for a showerhead that has an extra wide spray angle. The normal branded showerheads all produce a more or less straight jet.

The internet is always your friend. Take a showerhead from Schütte – the jet won’t get any wider then (even if it’s more like a shower mist).

Please forgive me, maybe you weren’t entirely wrong with the pictures. I just looked again more closely and you’re right, with the Pulsify Select S part you can clearly see that the jet is practically perfectly straight, while others, often the rounded ones, spread out wider in the pictures. I was probably a bit hasty.

I just looked at one myself from Schütte. I had actually been at the hardware store here back then and took photos of all showerheads, but in the end ordered the Pulsify online anyway. But I just looked through the pictures again to see what they have there on site, simply to do some online research.

In the end there are two options: Either go with a rounded one, hoping that the jet spreads out wide enough (although you never really know exactly how the nozzles are arranged).

Or go directly for one that has at least a 150mm diameter, which probably should make the spray area wide enough even with a too straight jet.

Regarding the flow rate, I’ll stick to my point: My problem is not that I don’t get properly wet. It’s that the size of the jet is simply too narrow. The Pulsify even has more pressure than my old showerhead. Still, it’s just that the water hits only my head and then runs sideways, whereas my old one sprayed both head and shoulders. That made showering simply very pleasant (or normal for me), while the current one constantly leaves the sides of my upper body free. Sure, you can still shower with it, but it’s annoying.

When I come home in the evening, want to take a good shower, also to relax and unwind, I just want to stand under the water and not have to constantly move around, left to right, to be completely under the water stream.

That’s all it’s about for me.

Do you have experience with the specific Schütte model?

Update: I got myself a showerhead with a 150mm diameter from Schütte earlier, but not the one in your picture. The surface is also rounded, but the result is even worse than the one from Hansgrohe. Even narrower spray, despite 150mm. Also, it barely builds up any pressure. It’s just f***ing awful.

There is NOTHING I can use as a reference, absolutely nothing. Neither the rounded surface nor the width of the showerhead, nor anything else says anything about the width of the spray. My old showerhead is only about 6 or 7 cm in diameter, looks inconspicuous, but the spray opens up so much wider and the showering is pleasant, as one would expect.

And with all these water-saving things, I get such an attack. I want to shower normally, not stand under a dripping gutter. It simply can’t be true.