The Best Lawn Sprinklers (2026): 7 Picks by Lawn Size and Shape

The best lawn sprinkler for most yards is an oscillating sprinkler, because most lawns are rectangles and an oscillating sprinkler waters a rectangle. The one to buy is the Melnor XT45200M Metal Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler: 20 nozzles, coverage up to 4,500 sq ft, controls for width, range and flow, on a metal sled. Wirecutter made it its top pick after testing it against other oscillating sprinklers. For a big lawn, or one that is round or broken up by beds, step up to a pulsating sprinkler on a tripod or a gear-drive rotor on a spike. For a small or oddly shaped patch, a stationary turret sprinkler with a choice of patterns does the job.

What no sprinkler box tells you is how many times you will move it to cover your lawn, or how long to leave it running for an inch of water. This guide works both out from the makers' own figures: we lay each sprinkler's stated coverage over a 2,500, 5,000 and 10,000 sq ft lawn the way Rain Bird tells single-sprinkler owners to move theirs, and where a maker states a flow, we turn it into minutes per inch. The watering questions, grass seed included, are answered from named university extension services.

One note on who is writing: we make digging spades, not sprinklers, so nothing on this list is ours, and we did not run these sprinklers on a lawn of our own. How we picked is below.

Disclosure: some links in this guide are affiliate links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, Spear Head Spade earns from qualifying purchases. This is at no extra cost to you, and it never changes our honest, use-based recommendations.

The best lawn sprinklers at a glance

How we chose these

We did not test these sprinklers. We compared each maker's specifications (from the brand's own site where it publishes them, and the Amazon listing where it does not) against what named testers reported: Wirecutter's sprinkler guide and its smart hose timer guide, Bob Vila, Better Homes and Gardens and Popular Mechanics. The first four say they ran what they review; Popular Mechanics says its writer researched its picks. We read the two Wirecutter guides and Better Homes and Gardens in archived copies (July 2026 and July 2025). The watering advice comes from the University of Minnesota Extension, the University of Maryland Extension and New Mexico State University; where Wirecutter's sprinkler guide agrees, we say so. The minutes-per-inch arithmetic uses Rain Bird's precipitation rate formula.

Two rules shaped the list. First, every pick had to be in stock on Amazon when we checked. That knocked out four models the testers liked: the Gardena ZoomMaxx (named by Wirecutter, Bob Vila and Popular Mechanics), the Eden 94116 that Bob Vila tested, Bob Vila's smart pick the Aiper IrriSense 2, and the Aqua Joe SJI-OMS20 that Better Homes and Gardens and Popular Mechanics named. Where a tested model's sibling is in stock, we list it and say so: our Eden 96216 is the sibling of the 94116 Bob Vila tested. Second, where no tester named a model, the pick says why it is here anyway. Only the Rain Bird rotor is in that position, and it is here because it is the only pick whose maker's own site states both a nozzle flow and a coverage area.

The best lawn sprinklers, by lawn size and shape

1. Melnor XT45200M Metal Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler: the best lawn sprinkler for most rectangular lawns

The Melnor XT45200M (ASIN B0B9FC123W, sold on Amazon as the 65154AMZ) is Melnor's Metal 4,500 Sq. Ft. Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler with Flow Control. Melnor's page lists 20 precision nozzles with coverage up to 4,500 sq ft, TwinTouch controls for width and range, a Zoom Control that adjusts the overall watering area, watering width indicators so you can repeat a setting, a dirt-resistant drive for well water, a metal sled that keeps it from tipping, and a Melnor Limited Lifetime Warranty. The listing adds the reason it suits most lawns: zoom in for a small patch of newly seeded lawn, or all the way out to cover a large section of the yard.

Wirecutter tested four Melnor oscillating sprinklers and found the XT45200M "the most impressive in every category". Its spray covered "an approximate range of 8 square feet to 4,500 square feet", it "consistently soaked the 3 feet or so directly in front of it, even at the highest settings", and its wave of water "suffered from much less wind drift than those of any of the other Melnor models". Popular Mechanics, which researched rather than tested, names it for homeowners with well water, because it is built to handle gritty or unfiltered water.

Where it loses: it "doesn't let you shut the water flow all the way off at the sprinkler", Wirecutter's first flaw, which Popular Mechanics flags too. The body is plastic on the metal sled, and Wirecutter says "it would be nice if Melnor sold another model with more metal parts". Like every oscillating sprinkler it can stick in its cycle, usually at the top, though Wirecutter judges from long-term owner reviews that this happens less often on the XT45200M than on other models.

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2. Eden 96216 Heavy Duty Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler: the best oscillating sprinkler for the biggest rectangle

The Eden 96216 Heavy Duty Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler (ASIN B09NP5HHNC) lists coverage up to 4,973 sq ft from 20 precision nozzles, the largest rectangle of any oscillating sprinkler on this page, with sliding range tabs, a flow control knob, and three on and off nozzle switches on each side for width. Its title says 4,900 sq ft while its feature list says 4,973; Eden's own page for the 4,973 sq ft metal set gives 4,973, so we use that.

Bob Vila named the Eden 94116, which Eden sells as its Metal 4,973 Sq. Ft. Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler Set, its best oscillating sprinkler. That model is out of stock on Amazon; Eden's own listing for the 94116 points buyers to the 96216 as its upgraded set, and the 96216 listing repeats the same 4,973 sq ft figure, controls, sealed turbo drive and nozzle cleaning tool, on what its title calls an aluminum base. In Bob Vila's tests the metal base "never tipped or twisted" even at full pressure, the side buttons took it "from using 20 jet nozzles to only 14", and it watered "our large lawn and small flower beds without wasteful overspray".

Where it loses: Bob Vila's one listed dislike is "Might not meet listed coverage area without adequate water pressure", the catch with any big number on a box. Eden rates that 4,973 sq ft at 40 PSI with no wind. If your rectangle is under 4,500 sq ft, pick 1 has the stronger testing record.

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3. Melnor 65162AMZ Metal Pulsating Sprinkler on XT Tripod: the best for large lawns and watering over tall plants

The Melnor 65162AMZ Metal Pulsating Sprinkler with XT Tripod (ASIN B0CX2LPVR9) is a pulsating, or impact, head on a metal tripod. The listing gives coverage up to 85 ft in diameter, a tripod that extends to 48 in high to water from above, an all-metal pulsating head that adjusts to water where you need it, a Quick Connect set, and a Melnor Limited Lifetime Warranty.

This exact listing is the sprinkler Better Homes and Gardens named the best lawn sprinkler it tested. BHG found "no assembly was required" beyond setting the range and connecting the hose, the legs extend "for a longer watering range", it "doesn't need to be staked into the ground", and its base "is not easily tipped over, even when it's extended all the way in fairly strong winds". Height is the reason to choose a tripod. Bob Vila makes the point about direct-post sprayers in garden beds: they "are soon too short to spray over the growing plants to water the ones behind." At 48 in, this one waters from above.

Where it loses: BHG saw less than the box: "the radius of the water spray reaches about 30 feet", about half the area of the listed 85 ft circle, and "You may need more than one unit for a large yard." To set the arc tabs "the hose must be turned off", and "the water intensity can't be adjusted directly from the sprinkler". Wirecutter's objection to impulse sprinklers in general is the sound: their "machine-gun sound is often frowned upon in denser suburban neighborhoods."

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4. Rain Bird 42SASPG Gear Drive Rotor on Spike: the best gear-drive sprinkler for even watering on a timer

The Rain Bird 42SASPG Gear Drive Rotor on Spike (ASIN B0DYKS7X81) is a rotor on a metal step stake that Rain Bird says brings the performance of its underground sprinkler systems to the end of a garden hose. Rain Bird's page gives the numbers most of the other makers on this page leave out: a 26 to 38 ft radius, a coverage area of 4,536 sq ft, an arc from 40 to 360 degrees, a 3 gallon per minute nozzle pre-installed, a maximum flow of 3.7 GPM and a maximum pressure of 65 PSI. The listing adds a water-lubricated, gear-driven design with extra seals against hard or dirty water, and quotes its spray distances "with common residential water pressures of 45-55 PSI".

No tester we read covered a gear-drive rotor, which is half of why it is here. The other half is that stated flow, which lets anyone work out how fast it puts water down, and the answer is slow: moved head to head at its full 38 ft radius, about 0.20 inch an hour, or about five hours per position for an inch. Rain Bird describes larger water droplets that fall evenly, with less wind-blown overspray. Its instruction for one sprinkler is the rule this guide uses: after the watering time, move it so the pattern overlaps the last one, because this "head-to-head" overlapping coverage "assures all areas receive even water".

Where it loses: nobody has tested it, and we will not pretend otherwise. You set the arc and distance with a screwdriver, and it comes preset at 180 degrees. Its low rate means long runs, about 35 hours for an inch on 10,000 sq ft, so buy it for even watering run on a timer, not for speed; the listing sells additional nozzles separately to customize the flow rate, up to Rain Bird's 3.7 GPM maximum.

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5. Dramm ColorStorm 9-Pattern Turret Sprinkler: the best for small lawns and odd shapes

The Dramm ColorStorm 9-Pattern Turret Sprinkler (ASIN B0029EGJY6, model 15021 in red) does not oscillate or spin: turn the dial on the turret and it sprays one of nine fixed patterns. The listing gives a heavy-duty metal base with a molded hook for hanging and six colors; the detail page lists it at 14.4 ounces.

Three of the four sprinkler reviews we read picked it. Bob Vila made it its best overall: the heavy base "didn't move", the patterns "are accurately depicted on the dial's face, and each one offers a uniform water spray", and it can water "long, narrow areas; circular spots; or virtually any other spot in the yard or garden without inadvertently watering a neighbor's yard". Better Homes and Gardens tested the same turret in blue as its best for small yards and, on an irregular yard, "were able to set it to spray only the specific areas that required watering". Popular Mechanics named it best non-oscillating sprinkler.

Where it loses: reach. Bob Vila says it "may not be ideal for large yards", and Popular Mechanics says "Limited to smaller areas". There is no pressure setting, so you change the reach at the spigot, and Bob Vila lists "Manual shutoff at sprinkler is less than ideal". Dramm publishes no coverage figure, and the testers' spec lines disagree (up to 575 sq ft at Bob Vila, up to 1,200 at BHG, about 500 at Popular Mechanics), so it has no position count in our table.

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6. Gilmour Circle Pattern Spot Sprinkler: the best for a small patch or low water pressure

The Gilmour Circle Pattern Spot Sprinkler (ASIN B000NCV0RW, model 808763-1001) is a small metal sprinkler that sprays a circle. The listing gives a 30 ft diameter circle, metal construction, a 3-year warranty and "Works well in low water pressure areas"; the detail page names sod, new seeds and trouble areas on lawns as its jobs, and a maximum flow rate of 3 gpm.

Bob Vila tested it: it is "just 3 inches long by 4.5 inches wide and stands less than 1 inch tall", and at maximum water pressure it threw a circle "larger than advertised", nearly 45 feet across. Bob Vila calls it "best suited to watering small areas in landscaped beds, rock gardens, and anywhere else a bigger sprinkler would be overkill." Its listed flow also makes it the fastest sprinkler here whose output we can compute, within a range. At its 3 gpm maximum, moved head to head over the listed 30 ft circle, it puts down about 1.28 inches an hour, or a quarter inch in 12 minutes; at that maximum, though, Bob Vila saw the circle grow to nearly 45 feet, and the same flow over that wider spacing is about 0.57 inch an hour, or 26 minutes for a quarter inch. A tuna can test on your own tap settles it.

Where it loses: size. Bob Vila says the "Smaller coverage is not suitable for large yards and gardens", and it "Can only be adjusted by changing the water flow at the spigot". At high pressure it listed to one side; Bob Vila suggests lower pressure, or a nail through the small hole on top to hold it flat.

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7. Orbit B-hyve Gen 2 Smart Hose Watering Timer with Wi-Fi Hub: the timer to add

The Orbit B-hyve Gen 2 Smart Hose Watering Timer with Wi-Fi Hub (ASIN B0CGYVMR52, model 90204) screws onto the spigot and runs whichever sprinkler you buy on a schedule. The listing describes an app-controlled Wi-Fi watering timer with its hub, customizable watering programs, a weatherproof AA battery-powered housing and a two-year limited warranty. This is the listing Wirecutter links for its pick. Orbit also sells the timer without the hub, with Bluetooth control only; Wirecutter's advice is to skip Bluetooth-only timers, because they cannot reach the internet for forecasts or remote control.

Wirecutter tested 12 smart hose timers and made this one of its three picks. It found the timer skips watering when rain is in the forecast, and "if your power or Wi-Fi goes out or the device loses connection for any reason, it will continue to run the programs you've created in the app." The flow meter is why it is on this page: Wirecutter notes the Gen 2 has a built-in flow meter, and after a 30 second calibration, Wirecutter's app "estimated that running a single oscillating sprinkler for 10 minutes would use 71.1 gallons of water", the number oscillating makers do not publish. An inch on 1,000 sq ft is 623 gallons, so at that flow an inch on 1,000 sq ft takes about 88 minutes. That is one sprinkler at one setting; the timer gives you your own number.

Where it loses: Wirecutter found "The app is notably confusing", and the timer needs a strong wireless signal to its plug-in hub, which Wirecutter says may take some experimenting to place. If you want no app at all, a clockwork timer is in Also considered.

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Also considered: models that missed the list and why

Melnor XT45100 XT Oscillating Sprinkler. Wirecutter's runner-up: the same 20 nozzles and 4,500 sq ft listing figure as pick 1, on an all-plastic base. Wirecutter measured a longer spray, "more than 25 feet in each direction", for about 4,200 sq ft, but found it "prone to more wind drift". It missed because Wirecutter puts the metal-sled XT45200M first on stability and durability.

Orbit Tripod Zinc Impact Sprinkler 56667. Better Homes and Gardens' pick for large yards: on a quarter-acre lot it gave "great coverage of around 80 feet in diameter", and the tester "only had to move the sprinkler once". It missed because its listing gives no coverage figure and a one-year limited warranty, and BHG notes it "can't be staked in the ground"; pick 3 does the same job.

Orbit Traveling Tractor Water Sprinkler. Better Homes and Gardens' best traveling sprinkler: a cast-iron tractor that follows the hose at one of three speeds, with a six-year limited warranty. BHG ran it on a 2-acre yard. It missed because it is for acreage, not a house lot, its listing gives no coverage figure, and BHG says "It's about 19 pounds".

Orbit H2O-Six Gear-Drive Sprinkler on Metal T-Spike. A gear-drive head with six spray patterns, arc stops set by collar tabs, and a listed coverage range up to 80 ft in diameter. It missed pick 4's slot because Orbit states no flow for it, so its minutes per inch cannot be worked out.

Orbit Zinc Impact Sprinkler on Metal Step Spike (2 pack) 56351N. Two impact heads on step spikes, each listed at 85 ft in diameter and 5,670 sq ft, with a flow-through outlet to run them in series. No tester we read ran it, and pick 3 lifts the same size of circle over plants.

Rain Bird P5RLSP Impact Sprinkler on Spike. Rain Bird's plastic impact on a metal stake, which Wirecutter considered testing. Rain Bird gives a 25 to 41 ft radius, 5,281 sq ft and a maximum flow of 4.1 GPM, so it has a minutes-per-inch row below. It missed because Amazon showed it as limited stock when we checked.

Orbit Voyager II Professional Pop-Up Gear-Drive Rotor. An in-ground head, so not a pick; listed because Orbit states its precipitation rate, 0.24 inch an hour from the 3 GPM nozzle.

Orbit Mechanical Hose Water Timer 62041. A battery-free clockwork timer in metal: set 15 to 120 minutes and it shuts the water off, "just like an egg timer". It has no schedule and no flow reading, but it is the right timer for anyone who wants no app.

How many sprinklers do you need for your lawn?

More positions than the box suggests. Rain Bird's instruction for one sprinkler is to move it so each pattern overlaps the last, which it says assures all areas receive even water, and its own worked example sets 40 ft throws at 40 ft spacing. At that spacing each position of a full circle is credited with a square one radius on a side, about 32 percent of the circle's area. On the makers' figures, oscillating rectangles sit side by side without that loss; a tuna can test shows whether yours needs overlap too.

The table does that arithmetic for every hose-end sprinkler on this page with a stated coverage, picks first, and counts positions (moves of one sprinkler, or sprinklers linked in a row) for three lawn sizes. Read each count as a floor: lawn edges, beds and odd shapes add positions.

How to read it:

• Rectangles win on count. A 4,500 sq ft oscillating pattern and an 85 ft circle look alike on the box (4,500 against about 5,675 sq ft), but moved head to head the circle covers 1,806 sq ft per position. For a rectangular lawn under 4,500 sq ft, one oscillating sprinkler in one spot does the job, if the lawn fits its longest throw and widest setting at your pressure.
• Pressure moves every number. BHG's 30 ft radius from the 85 ft tripod is about half the listed area; Bob Vila's 45 ft circle from the 30 ft Gilmour, at maximum pressure, is more than double it. Rain Bird quotes its distances at 45 to 55 PSI.

How long should you run a sprinkler to water 1 inch?

It depends on how fast the sprinkler puts water down, and most of these makers do not say. Once you have a flow, Rain Bird's formula gives inches per hour: 96.3 times the gallons per minute, divided by the square feet watered. The 96.3 comes from one gallon over one square foot standing 1.604 inches deep, times 60 minutes. The same fact gives the other number worth knowing: an inch of water on 1,000 sq ft is 623 gallons, whatever sprinkler delivers it.

The table covers only the sprinklers here whose maker or listing states a flow or a precipitation rate. The Melnor, Eden and Orbit hose-end sprinklers are not in it because their makers state no flow; the Dramm listing gives a maximum flow of 6 gpm but no area.

Rotors are slow. The method is Rain Bird's own: its worked example of 40 ft impact sprinklers at 4.4 gpm on 40 ft square spacing comes out at slightly more than a quarter inch an hour, which is what this arithmetic gives (0.26). Rain Bird's page also notes that a precipitation rate should not exceed the soil's intake rate. The Gilmour rows use a maximum flow, so its 47 minutes is the shortest it could be. Total time tells the same story: an inch on a 5,000 sq ft lawn is 3,117 gallons, about 17 hours of running at the Rain Bird's 3 gallons a minute, or about 7 hours at the 7.1 gallons a minute Wirecutter's timer read from one oscillating sprinkler. That is the case for a timer.

Measure your own sprinkler with a catch-can test

For every sprinkler without a stated flow, measure it. New Mexico State University's catch-can guide allows a simple version it calls the "tuna can" audit: set food cans such as tuna, cat food or coffee cans across the area, run the sprinkler for a set time, and measure the depth of water in each can with a ruler. NMSU says food cans are hard to level and less exact than calibrated cans, but still give valuable information. Choose a calm day; NMSU recommends wind of 5 mph or less. Your run time divided by the average depth gives minutes per inch: 0.25 inch in 30 minutes means two hours for an inch. NMSU also uses the cans to judge how evenly the water falls, by comparing the driest quarter of the cans with the average.

Oscillating, impact, rotor or stationary: which type do you need?

• Oscillating (picks 1 and 2). Wirecutter describes a bar of nozzles that rotates through an arc of up to 180 degrees, dropping water in a rectangle, and calls them "easier to use and generally more popular", with "a gentle spray that won't knock things over".
• Pulsating or impact (pick 3). Bob Vila describes a single jet that clicks as it turns its full rotation, and Popular Mechanics says the stream travels long distances, making impact sprinklers best for extra-large yards.
• Gear-drive rotor (pick 4). A rotor turned by water-lubricated gears; Rain Bird says its larger droplets fall evenly, and Table B shows it is slow.
• Stationary (picks 5 and 6). A fixed pattern, or a set of patterns on a turret. Bob Vila puts the typical reach at a radius of 5 to 15 feet, best for small yards and compact gardens.

What type of sprinkler is best for watering grass seed?

One that puts down a little water, gently, several times a day over a small area. The University of Maryland Extension is plain: "New lawns are not tolerant of drying out." It says to water lightly and frequently to keep the top inch of soil moist but not saturated, apply about a quarter inch each session for seed, and expect seedlings to need irrigation "several times per day for several weeks" without rain, more on windy, dry days. It advises against watering in the evening, since leaves dry slowly overnight and wet foliage is more open to disease.

Three picks fit. The Gilmour spot sprinkler (pick 6) lists new seed among its jobs and, on its listed maximum flow, puts down a quarter inch in roughly 12 to 26 minutes per position, depending on how far your pressure throws it. The Melnor XT45200M (pick 1) zooms in to a small patch of newly seeded lawn, and Wirecutter calls a hose-end sprinkler "a great alternative for watering a newly seeded area". The Dramm turret (pick 5) sets a narrow rectangle or half circle so the seed gets water and the path does not. Then add the timer (pick 7), because several waterings a day for weeks is a schedule's job. If you are sowing the seed too, every spreader in our fertilizer spreader guide is rated for seed.

Is Orbit or Rain Bird better?

Neither across the board; compare models. The useful difference on this page is what each publishes. Rain Bird's hose-end spike line comes with a table of radius, coverage area, pattern, maximum pressure and maximum flow for each model, which is why its rotor and the P5RLSP are in the minutes-per-inch table. The Orbit hose-end sprinklers we looked at give coverage (the 56351N lists 85 ft and 5,670 sq ft) but no flow, though Orbit states a precipitation rate for its in-ground Voyager II.

On testing, Orbit has the larger record in the reviews we read: Better Homes and Gardens tested and named two Orbits (the tripod impact and the traveling tractor), and Wirecutter's smart timer picks include two B-hyve timers. None of the four sprinkler reviews ran a Rain Bird; Wirecutter only listed the P5RLSP among models it considered testing. Rain Bird's brass impact head, the 25PJDAC, was out of stock on Amazon when we checked.

How much and when to water your lawn

Deeply, not often, and early. The University of Minnesota Extension says lawns need only a quarter inch to one inch of water per week, minus any rainfall, depending on soil type and air temperature. It recommends watering deeply and infrequently, one time or less per week with enough water to wet the soil six inches deep; on some soils as little as half an inch does it. Sandy soils may need watering two to three times a week with less each time, clay soils only once. Water between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. to cut the water lost to evaporation and wind. Wirecutter agrees: water around dawn, and "less often and more deeply so that you soak at least 6 inches of soil".

To turn that into minutes, use the table or your catch-can number: if your sprinkler puts down 0.25 inch in 30 minutes and the lawn wants an inch this week, that is two hours per position, once.

The hose, the reel and the winter

A sprinkler is only as good as the hose feeding it. Our garden hose guide makes 5/8 inch the default and says to step up to 3/4 inch for long runs and sprinklers, because the wider bore loses far less pressure over distance; its heavy-duty pick, the Gilmour Pro Commercial 3/4 in. x 50 ft., is the one it names for running two sprinklers. Our hose reel guide keeps that hose off the lawn between runs, and notes that its retractable pick runs a 1/2 inch hose, while running two sprinklers wants a 5/8 or 3/4 inch hose. When the season ends, step 7 of our fall garden winterizing checklist covers draining the hoses and bringing in the timer and the sprinklers.

Common questions

What is the best lawn sprinkler?

For most rectangular lawns, the Melnor XT45200M Metal Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler: 20 nozzles, up to 4,500 sq ft, width, range and flow controls on a metal sled, and Wirecutter's top pick. For large or irregular lawns, a pulsating sprinkler on a tripod such as the Melnor 65162AMZ, Better Homes and Gardens' best overall. For small or oddly shaped areas, the Dramm ColorStorm 9-Pattern Turret.

What type of sprinkler is best for watering grass seed?

A gentle sprinkler you can aim at a small area and run several times a day. The University of Maryland Extension says to keep the top inch of soil moist, apply about a quarter inch each session, and expect seedlings to need water several times a day for several weeks without rain. A spot sprinkler like the Gilmour, or an oscillating sprinkler zoomed in to the seeded patch, on a hose timer, does that best.

What is the best sprinkler for a large lawn?

For a large rectangle, a big oscillating sprinkler such as the Eden 96216, listed at up to 4,973 sq ft. For other shapes, a pulsating sprinkler on a tripod such as the Melnor 65162AMZ, listed at up to 85 ft in diameter, or a gear-drive rotor such as the Rain Bird 42SASPG. Past about half an acre, beyond where Wirecutter recommends hose-end sprinklers, look at a traveling sprinkler or an in-ground system; Better Homes and Gardens quotes a Yardzen expert suggesting a sprinkler cart with an impact sprayer, or a self-propelled sprinkler, for really big lawns.

How long should I run a sprinkler to water 1 inch?

Divide your run time by the depth it puts down. Most of the makers here publish no flow, so measure it: set food cans across the pattern, run the sprinkler for a set time and measure the water with a ruler, as New Mexico State University describes. Where the maker states a flow, the math is quick: the Rain Bird 42SASPG, moved head to head at its full 38 ft radius, needs about 300 minutes per position for an inch.

Is Orbit or Rain Bird better?

Neither across the board; compare models. Rain Bird publishes radius, coverage area and maximum flow for its hose-end spike sprinklers, so you can work out their minutes per inch; the Orbit hose-end sprinklers we checked publish coverage but no flow. Orbit has more tested models in the reviews we read, including two Better Homes and Gardens picks.

What is the best sprinkler system for my lawn?

For a lawn under about half an acre, a hose-end sprinkler matched to its shape, plus a hose timer: oscillating for rectangles, a pulsating tripod or gear-drive rotor for large or irregular lawns, a turret or spot sprinkler for small areas. Wirecutter says hose-end sprinklers suit occasional or short-term watering but are not efficient enough to rely on year-round, which is where an in-ground system comes in.

The bottom line

Buy the Melnor XT45200M for a rectangular lawn; the Eden 96216 for a rectangle between 4,500 and about 5,000 sq ft, or if you want nozzle switches on each side; the Melnor tripod for a large or irregular lawn, or the Rain Bird rotor for even, slow watering on a timer; and the Dramm turret or the Gilmour spot sprinkler for small patches and new seed. Put any of them on the B-hyve timer, water in the early morning, and aim for no more than an inch a week including rain. Then run a tuna can test once: it is the one number no sprinkler box gives you. We make digging tools, not sprinklers; if the new lawn means cutting a bed edge or moving a shrub first, our spade finder matches a spade to the job.