After Years of Testing Hose Nozzles, These 7 Are the Best

Best Overall

Husky PRO Thumb Control Multi-Pattern Nozzle

$15 at Home Depot

My favorite type of hose nozzle is easy to use, versatile, doesn’t leak, and can withstand the inevitable drops on a concrete patio. The Husky PRO Thumb Control Multi-Pattern Nozzle completely won me over during our latest round of testing for all these attributes. I think it’s an excellent value, and if you can only get one new hose nozzle, get this one.

The thumb control makes it so comfortable to use, even if you spend a long time watering. After selecting a spray setting, you just need to turn the nozzle on with your thumb, and it stays on. I also love that the spray settings are clearly written, with no vague, hard-to-understand illustrations. It has five settings, and although more settings would make it even more versatile, I think it has enough for almost any watering task.

We had no trouble connecting the nozzle to the garden hose, so it was a tight seal and never dripped or leaked. We found that every setting reached a good distance except for the mist setting. But that setting is designed for delicate tasks, like watering seedlings, so we didn’t mind the gentler pressure. 

We love the metal construction and rubberized grip that is a perfect combination of durability and comfort. But if you want something a bit more stylish and unique (but just as useful and sturdy), we also love our best for plants pick. It has similar features and four additional spray settings (nine in total).

_{Materials: Metal and plastic | Dimensions: 7.33 x 4.96 x 2.64 inches | Weight: Not listed | Spray Patterns: 5} 

Best Budget

Flexzilla Twist Action Garden Hose Nozzle

$8 at Amazon

I was intrigued by the design of this sleek, adjustable hose nozzle, and have been just as impressed with its performance. The most affordable option on our list (less than $7!), this basic hose nozzle easily threads onto the hose and has two settings—a lighter mist for plants and a strong jet spray for watering and cleaning—at just a simple twist of the nozzle. 

It has a basic design, but I think it’s the best affordable option for a variety of watering needs since you can control the pressure as you twist the nozzle between those two settings. We used the misting option to water our potted plants up close.

The jet spray was a better option for watering our lawn since it directs the water in a concentrated flow. I think it’s also great for cleaning off a patio, filling up a watering can, and long-distance watering—in the jet setting, the water can travel as far as 20 feet. 

While plastic isn’t as durable as metal, we liked how lightweight this nozzle was, and it’s never leaked during use. It also has a soft rubber grip that makes it easy to turn, so it’s perfect for a variety of users. Although nose nozzles generally take up very little space, this one is even more compact since it’s not much wider than a hose itself. You can easily toss it in a deck box or a toolkit. 

_{Materials: Plastic | Dimensions: 7.25 x 3 x 1.5 inches | Weight: 4 ounces | Spray Patterns: 2} 

Best for Plants

Vego 9 Pattern Spray Nozzle

$18 at Amazon View on Walmart $18 at Wayfair

If you've spent a lot of time watering potted container plants, raised garden beds, and in-ground flower beds during the hot summer months (like I have!), you’ll want a hose nozzle with many distinct settings. The Vego 9 Pattern Spray Nozzle is just what you need, with a wide range of spray settings for your delicate flowers, hardy plants, and cleaning tasks. 

We found it incredibly easy to thread this nozzle onto our hose (it took just 15 seconds!), and it never leaked. It also rotates easily through the nine settings pictured on the nozzle, which include mist, shower, soaker, and vertical, a concentrated stream for outdoor cleaning (although the settings can be hard to read). We kept our spigot at about mid-range while testing, and the shower setting reached about 2 to 3 feet, so it maintains great pressure at a distance. 

I also love that it's made of durable metal with a soft, rubberized grip that is comfortable to use, and you don’t have to worry about dropping it onto a concrete patio one too many times. It has the same thumb control design as our best overall, too, so you can just turn it on and it stays on, without having to squeeze it constantly.

While we love almost everything about this nozzle, it does cost more than similar heavy-duty options on our list, like our best overall pick. However, if you are a gardener with a wide range of watering needs, we think it’s a high-quality, unique pick that’s well worth considering.

_{Materials: Metal, plastic, and rubber | Dimensions: 4.5 x 2.5 x 6.9 inches | Weight: 9.6 ounces | Spray Patterns: 9}

Best Wand

Orbit Max 8-Pattern Wand

$20 at Lowes

Similar to our best overall pick, if you can only get one hose nozzle—in this case, a watering wand—get this one. I love watering wands because they give you more reach to water hanging baskets, or when you don’t want to drag the hose as much around your yard. I have one that is covered with paint from a DIY project I no longer remember, but I love it so much I haven’t replaced it (it’s also an Orbit model). 

One of the best features of this wand (that my old model doesn't have) is that the head pivots. That's essential if you have hanging baskets, so you can adjust it to the right angle to get the water inside the basket (and not waste it all over the ground). We also loved that it never leaked, and was very easy to thread onto the hose.

This Orbit wand has eight spray patterns and a thumb nozzle, and we loved how comfortable it was to use—even though its size could make it more unwieldy than a traditional nozzle, it was lightweight and easy to grip. With eight settings, you can use it for a variety of watering tasks, too, so you don't need to swap it out or take it off.

The settings are clearly marked, and it was easy to rotate between them. I love everything about this wand, but keep in mind that it is harder to store than a traditional nozzle.

_{Materials: Metal and rubber | Dimensions: 36 x 2.75 inches | Weight: Not listed | Spray Patterns: 8}

Best Pistol

Flexzilla Pistol Grip Garden Hose Nozzle

$15 at Amazon $15 at Home Depot View on Northerntool.com

I've found that pistol-shaped nozzles are a great go-to for outdoor cleaning tasks because of their high-pressure spray, and this one is no exception. It has a rubber grip, which I find more comfortable to clench than all metal, and it's very lightweight (the second lightest on our list).

During six months of testing, we used the Flexzilla Pistol Grip Garden Hose Nozzle for tasks like cleaning off patio stones and were impressed by the nozzle's 25- to 30-foot reach (at the most concentrated setting). It saved us from dragging out our pressure washer.

While it doesn't have a large dial with clearly marked settings, you can control the pressure by turning a small knob, and it will go from a light spray to a highly concentrated one quickly. However, we do wish this knob were a smidge larger so it was easier to turn and that the settings were more clearly marked.

Because of this, we found it wasn't the best hose nozzle for delicate watering tasks. We preferred another option for hanging baskets, vegetable beds, and flower gardens. It did work well for watering arborvitaes and our lawn.

_{Materials: Metal, rubber | Dimensions: 8.5 x 11.25 x 1.5 inches | Weight: 6.4 ounces | Spray Patterns: Not applicable}

Best Fan Sprayer

Dramm Fan Nozzle Sprayer

$28 $20 at Amazon

I tested this unique fan-style hose nozzle for six months (weather permitting) for watering vegetable and garden beds (both raised or in the ground), a small lawn, shrubs, or basic outdoor cleaning tasks. While it's not the only hose nozzle I used, I found it effective (and fun) for those watering needs.

I love how the fan sprayer design covers a wider area at once, saving me time. I even used it to clean off a very dirty patio in the spring and was surprised by how well it performed. The water pressure was strong enough to remove dirt and moss. While I can use my watering wand and round hose nozzle to water anything in my yard, I liked how this nozzle is thin and wide, similar to a traditional lawn sprinkler.

The thumb control comes in handy here since there's only one spray setting. You can easily control the pressure that way. For instance, I move the thumb control all the way on while watering my lawn or shrubs, but when watering my raised garden beds, I lower it to avoid damaging the delicate herbs and flowers. 

The only downside is that this nozzle doesn't work well for hanging baskets unless you use very low water pressure. I found the water spray is too wide, making for a big waste of water. You also have to take it off to fill up watering cans, since it doesn't have a narrow enough spray (like a jet setting).

_{Materials: Aluminum | Dimensions: 8 x 3.5 x 7 inches | Weight: 11.2 ounces | Spray Patterns: 1}

Best Long Reach

Melnor RelaxGrip 8-Pattern Watering Extension Wand

$28 at Amazon $24 at Walmart $17 at Home Depot

Every spring, I love putting up hanging baskets on our front porch. But I don't love taking them down almost daily in the summer when I need to water them. That's where a hose wand with a long reach, like this one comes in handy. Instead of grabbing a small ladder, you can extend this wand from 33 to 48 inches, and the head pivots to the right angle to water inside the pot (and not everywhere else).

We tested this wand for six months and found it comfortable to hold with easy-to-understand settings. Thanks to its targeted aim, this nozzle was helpful in a compact space with obstacles, saving us from having to climb over potted plants on a small porch to water other plants effectively. We were also impressed by its durability throughout months of use—we accidentally dropped it many times without a scratch.

It has a thumb control, so we could easily lower the pressure or turn it off when needed, and a grip halfway through the pole to help hold it up without tiring out our hands. It has eight spray settings, too, so you can change the settings depending on what type of plants you are watering.

Design-wise, this wand is part of Melnor's QuickConnect system, which means you can swap out attachments without having to touch your spigot. This is especially helpful if, like me, you go back and forth between different watering tools (from a wand to a regular nozzle to a pistol, etc.). However, a wrench is needed to make it tight enough not to leak.

Also, if you like to empty your hose of water when you are done, the adaptor needs to come off, which we found isn't that easy. Those issues aside, we love that this wand provides extra reach when we need it, and that Melnor designed it for those with hand mobility issues, so it's super comfortable to use.

_{Materials: Plastic, rubber | Dimensions: 32.95 to 48 x 4.96 x 2.48 inches | Weight: 15.2 ounces | Spray Patterns: 8}