The Best Impact Sprinklers

Materials

• Impact sprinklers can be made out of plastic or brass. The advantages to choosing a plastic impact sprinkler is that it resists corrosion and is less expensive than brass sprinklers. But brass sprinklers are generally considered to be more durable overall, although the brass will rust over time. The composition of the sprinkler does not affect performance, however, and either material is an acceptable choice for all applications.

Low Flow

• Some impact sprinklers are specifically designed to use less water than others. These are called low-flow impact heads, which use up to 25 percent less water during the same period of time as regular heads without sacrificing even coverage. These sprinklers are a good choice if your lawn does not require large volumes of water or has drought-resistant species of grass or other plants. Low-flow impact heads are marked on the package with the volume of water per hour that they distribute. Compare labels to find the sprinkler that best suits your needs.

Brands

• A wide variety of sprinkler manufacturers produce impact sprinklers, but there are differences among them. Raid Bird sprinklers, for example, use water to lubricate the mechanics of the sprinkler while other brands require the use of synthetic oils to maintain the sprinkler heads. Hunter is one of the largest manufacturers of sprinkler heads and offers in-ground, above-ground and riser-mounted impact heads. Toro sprinklers are generally considered good options for commercial landscaping while Orbit offers a line of residential impact heads.

Cost

• The cost of impact sprinklers has a lot to do with the type of material used and the installation method. Underground plastic impact heads, for example, generally start at about $15 at most home-improvement stores as of July 2011. Brass impact heads can cost up to $30 each, however. Impact heads that attach to hoses are usually the least expensive, ranging from $10 to $15 each. Impact nozzles that mount on sprinkler risers, which are good options for gardens, cost about $12 each.