Enlarge imagePhoto:
Rainer Claaßen
Many otherwise popular leisure activities are currently cancelled - so your own garden is becoming a popular alternative. "Get out into the countryside" works just as well in your own home as it does behind many apartment buildings. Provided that it is green at all - because even a few days without rain in summer cause brown-dried lawns and withered plants. If you don't want to risk that, grab the sprinkler. But which one?
The tested devices cost between 15 and 35 euros and all work according to the same principle: A garden hose is plugged into a receptacle on the device via the Gardena connection in 1968/3-inch format, which has been established since 4. The water pressure sets in motion a gearbox that allows an integrated pipe to rotate slowly in the longitudinal axis - the direction of rotation changes regularly. Nozzles are embedded in the pipe next to each other, through which the water "rains" evenly over a larger area.
The products at a glance:
Gardena Square Sprinkler Aqua M (25,33 Euro): The name of the manufacturer is synonymous with garden tools. The standard model offers few adjustment options, but irrigates a fairly large area, the length of which can be flexibly adjusted.
Gardena Square Sprinkler Aqua S (18,42 Euro): In the entry-level model of the market leader, only the angle at which the sprinkler swivels can be adjusted. A lateral narrowing of the irrigated area is not possible. The water sprays through holes in a bent metal pipe.
Grüntek Regner Primavera (16.85 euros): Here, too, the water flows through a metal pipe, but small plastic nozzles are embedded in it. As with all test candidates, a small plunger is integrated into the cap opposite the hose coupling for cleaning the nozzles.
Grüntek lawn sprinkler up to 462 m2 (31.98 euros): In the more expensive model from Grüntek, three nozzles can be switched on or off at each end. In this way, the irrigated area can be set wider or narrower.
Kärcher OS 5,320 SV (33.18 euros): The most expensive model in the test field offers the most setting options. And, although it is mainly made of plastic, it makes a fairly robust impression.
Here's how we tested:
Settings: The devices offer different options for setting the area to be irrigated. We tried out how flexible these settings are - both in terms of the swivel angle and the lateral radiation.
Irrigated area: We measured how far the irrigation extends in different directions. Attention: Depending on the available water pressure, the results can vary greatly.
Uniformity: At intervals of 0.5 meters and 4 meters, we set up glasses and let the sprinklers run for 5 minutes at maximum power. It was then measured how much water had ended up in the glasses in each case.
Handling: Of course, we also tested the general handling.
Gardena Square Sprinkler Aqua M
The device doesn't really live up to its name: While the irrigated surface of the other models actually largely reached a rectangular shape, this one was more like an oval. In the swivel direction, its length was about 15 meters, transverse to the installation just under ten meters. The device is easy to use - the sliders, which can be used to adjust the beam angle, slide into the desired position with comfortable resistance.
Due to the large area, the water yield was relatively low: At a distance of four meters, 5.1 milliliters of water ended up in the test container within 6 minutes. In the immediate vicinity of the sprinkler, the yield was significantly lower - only 0.5 milliliters arrived here.
Gardena Square Sprinkler Aqua S
Even with Gardena's second test candidate, there is no way to block individual nozzles. While the angle at which the pipe swivels back and forth (which took a relatively long time of 44 seconds) can be flexibly adjusted, there is no option of narrowing the irrigated area in the other direction.
Since - unlike the "small" Gardena model - the corners of the square also received a lot of water, the yield in the test containers was even lower: 1.1 milliliters arrived at a distance of four meters, 0.6 milliliters at a distance of 50 centimeters.
In the test, the Aqua S was able to water an area of about 15 x 10 meters well - this can be reduced to 7.5 x 10 meters by adjusting the angle. If the area to be irrigated is even smaller, the water pressure on the tap may have to be regulated - there is no option for this on the device.
Grüntek Sprinkler Primavera
The basic construction of this model is similar to that of the Aqua M from Gardena - here, too, the water sprays out of a bent pipe. However, with this model, the water yield in the corners of the irrigated area (approx. 15 x 10 m) is significantly greater. Again, there is no option to switch off individual nozzles. It took just under half a minute for the pipe to swing back and forth for both Grüntek models.
This model provided a fairly even distribution of water: the glass near the sprinkler contained 1.2 milliliters after five minutes of running time, and the one at a distance of four meters contained 2.1. The two controls, which can be used to adjust the spray angle, snap into place with a clearly audible click in some intermediate positions.
Grüntek lawn sprinkler up to 462 m2
As already mentioned in the introduction: How large the watered area actually is depends heavily on the water pressure with which the devices are operated. However, we doubt that even at very high pressure, the value stated in the product name will be achieved. In the test, the irrigated area was just under 130 square meters (16 x 8 m) - and thus slightly below the cheaper model from Grüntek.
On the other hand, the last three of the 20 nozzles can be switched on or off on both sides at the touch of a button. Thus, the width of the irrigated area can be significantly narrowed.
A regulator directly at the inlet is supposed to control the water pressure - but turning this knob did not have any significant effect in the test. Classy, however: In the more distant water glass, a comparatively large amount of water arrived here with 3.5 milliliters. The closer glass contained only 1.1 milliliters after five minutes of rain.
Kärcher OS 5.320 SV
The most expensive model in the test also offers by far the most possibilities: With a regulator on the intake valve, the amount of water passed through can be precisely controlled - up to and including complete shutdown. As with all other test candidates, the angle is controlled by two rotatable controllers. On both sides of the jet tube, three of the ten pairs of nozzles can be switched on and off with the help of smooth-running buttons - so this device is also suitable for narrow surfaces.
The maximum area covered is comparatively small at 14 x 8 meters (112 square meters), and the water yield in this area is correspondingly high: 2.6 and 3.9 milliliters were found in the two test containers at intervals of 0.5 and four meters. The nozzles atomize the water jets relatively finely, so that gusts of wind can deflect the water quite far.
Result
The basic principle of the square sprinklers is the same in all tested models - and each of them does its job well. However, experience reports show that the mechanics of these devices are susceptible to failure. They should therefore be emptied after using residual water and stored in a dry place.
Even with the cheapest model in the test - the Grüntek sprinkler Primavera, an area of about 150 square meters can be watered evenly. If you want to adjust the width of the irrigated area, you can use the more expensive model from this manufacturer - or the Kärcher sprinkler, which offers the most adjustment options. Although these are not particularly diverse in the two Gardena models, they are particularly reliable when it comes to handling.