10 Best Lawn Sprinklers in Australia | 2024 Buying Guide

What are Sprinklers Used for?

Sprinklers aren’t just for lawns. While most people use sprinklers as an easy, hands-free way of irrigating lawns, they can also be useful for watering in new planting schemes and irrigating crops.

However, there are some downsides to sprinkling and mist irrigation, including over-humidifying tender plants and encouraging fungal problems and mould. 

That said, sprinklers are efficient, and perfect for watering lawns, and most planting schemes, provided you know how to use them. And don’t worry, we’ll be covering that in detail later.

Do sprinklers save water?

Sprinklers are not great for water-saving gardens, and can quickly expand your water bills, so we suggest using them sparingly, and when needed, rather than relying on them entirely for irrigation.

It’s also important to say that spray irrigation of any sort wastes water through evaporation, so jet sprayers, impact sprinklers, and rotary sprinklers are significantly more economical than misters.

Are sprinklers good for your lawn?

Sprinklers are great for your lawns, especially in the warm summer and early autumn months, when humidity is low, and the air is dry throughout most of Australia. 

Giving any lawn a regular soak with a sprinkler reinvigorates brown patches, encourages new growth and helps to maintain a lush, emerald landscape everywhere you look.

To keep your lawn looking at its best, and more importantly, even, move sprinklers around every so often to avoid oversaturating one area, and neglecting the rest.

What to Look for When Buying Garden Sprinklers

Sprinklers are more complex tools than you might first thank, with mechanical rhythms to help alternate and distribute spray as evenly as possible.

Below, we’ll run through some of the most important things to consider when buying any new sprinkler, and how to define the best sprinklers from the rest.

Lawn coverage

Sprinkler systems are tested in optimum conditions, with high-pressure systems, so take the area coverage on any listing with a pinch of salt. Sprinkler coverage is massively affected by your household water pressure and can vary greatly for any listing. 

For example, some oscillating sprinklers claim to cover 50m x 25m but with average pressure, it’s more likely to be 30m x 15m. Pressure and coverage are affected by a whole number of factors, like having other appliances running, or the time you use them. 

Sprinklers running at the weekend run on reduced pressure due to neighbours using similar products, and more water usage from the same main supply.

How easy is it to install?

Some sprinklers are so easy to install that they don’t even come with manuals. Simply connect them to your hose and drop them in the centre of the lawn. Easy. Done.

Others are a little more complicated but other than a few buried sprinkler systems that sit beneath the soil surface, they can all be installed in less than five minutes.

Are mist or jet sprinklers better?

Jet sprinklers are significantly better than mist sprinklers in terms of water saving, water pressure, and coverage. Mist sprinklers spray fine, pressurised mists of water evenly across the surface of your lawn.

This is great for some areas, where gentle watering is useful, but the reality of rain is that it’s harsher than that.

Sprinklers that mimic rainfall are the best for your lawns, with larger droplets that are less likely to evaporate, either from the grass, or from the air before it even reaches the ground.

Are oscillating or spinning sprinklers better?

The choice between oscillating (fan-shaped) and spinning (various circular patterns) sprinklers is less important than you might think. Both spray patterns water lawns fairly evenly, and the pressurised spray means lawns are evenly watered either way.

With both, the area closest to the sprinkler will receive slightly more water than at the edges, but not so significantly that it will damage, or impair growth.

Different Types of Sprinklers

There are quite a few different styles of sprinklers out there, and each serves a slightly different purpose. However, all can be used for general lawn irrigation with good effects. Below, we’ll look at each of these types of sprinklers in detail:

• oscillating sprinklers
• wobble sprinklers
• circular sprinklers
• impact sprinklers/impulse sprinklers
• travelling sprinklers
• multi sprinklers
• mini-Sprinklers

Oscillating Sprinklers

Oscillating sprinklers work with a simple rocking pipe, with even perforations to spray water out across rectangular lawns. Their spray pattern is a fan shape made up of many individual jets of water forced through tiny holes in the spray pipe.

The real bonus of oscillating sprinklers is the fun factor though. Whether you’ve got kids, or dogs, or just enjoy unleashing your inner child, there’s nothing quite as playful as running through the tall arcs of water from oscillating sprinklers in summer.

Wobble Sprinklers

Wobble sprinklers are designed to mimic rainfall. They are less pressurised, so cover a smaller area, but water lawns more deeply than most other types.

For most homeowners, wobble sprinklers are too much effort though, as they need to move around lawns fairly regularly to adequately water every corner.

Circular Sprinklers

Circular sprinklers is a pretty broad term. Essentially, any sprinkler that rotates 360, or sprays constant 360 veils of mist is a circular sprinkler. Pressure can vary greatly between different models, so check the area coverage, and spray types to be sure.

Impact Sprinklers/Impulse Sprinklers

Impact sprinklers, also known as impulse sprinklers are the traditional sprinkler systems. Essentially, your hose feeds into a vertical pipe, which sprays a pressurised jet of water against a rotating nozzle.

The angle of the jet forces the nozzle to spin slowly, while the jet leaving that nozzle hits against a rocking mechanism to create a multi-directional spray.

Impact sprinklers are still widely used in agriculture today, but tend to come with a higher price tag due to higher manufacturing specs.

Travelling Sprinklers

Travelling sprinklers are sprinklers that actively roll around your lawn to irrigate it. They come in a few different forms and work like mechanical versions of robot lawnmowers.

You’ll need to set up a path for them to follow, as they are propelled by water pressure, and produce a fairly light trickle of water. However, once they’re installed, they’re great fun to watch and irrigate lawns really well.

Multi Sprinklers

Multi-sprinklers come in all shapes and sizes, but don’t be scared off by the name. All multi-sprinklers means is that they have multiple functions, and can be used for spray irrigation, mist irrigation, or jet irrigation. Sometimes, that comes in pulses, or constant flows too.

Multi sprinklers are a pretty good choice for most Australian gardens as they can be used all year round, with changes to pressure and spray type to accommodate changing weather.

Mini-Sprinklers

If you’re planning on full-scale lawn irrigation, avoid mini-sprinklers at all costs. However, if you’re looking to set up an automated watering system for the whole garden, mini-sprinklers are exceptionally useful tools.

They can be installed in chains, or as individual units to water pots, hanging baskets, or pinned into the ground around beds and borders for even soil irrigation.

By far the best use for mini-sprinklers has to be watering seedlings in spring. As the weather heats up, and seeds are sowed out in the veggie patch, regular soaking improves germination and helps to keep the soil evenly moist, without being sodden.

When to Use Lawn Sprinklers

Regardless of the sprinkler you buy, you need to understand how and when to water your lawns. As a rule of thumb, late morning is always the best time to water any plants.

While the sun is out, and plants are photosynthesizing, but before the sun is at its highest and hottest. This reduces evaporation, saves water, and is better for plant health too.

Watering in the afternoon can lead to sunburn on some plants, while watering in the evening or at night can increase humidity, and cause fungal problems on many border plants, and even lawns.

1. Hoselink 9-Pattern Sprinkler

This 9-pattern sprinkler from Hoselink would suit any garden. Not only is it functional, but it’s really nicely designed too, in subtle sage-green, with a sturdy, easily adjustable valve.

It’s important to have tools you’re proud of, especially when they’re going to spend most of the summer sitting out in the centre of your garden.

Clearly, Hoselink understands the pride we take in our garden with this great-looking tool. But, it’s not just about looks. 

The 9-pattern sprinkler from Hoselink is made from powder-coated zinc, so has a good weight to keep it firmly in place, while watering everything from round and square lawns, to half-moons or rectangles in whatever pattern, or pressure you need.

2. GARDENA Pop-up Oscillating Sprinkler

By far the best oscillating sprinkler on the market right now is GARDENA’s pop-up sprinkler. It’s completely weatherproof, rust resistant, and drops down out of sight when it is not in use.

It’s entirely powered by water pressure, so when the hose is off it slowly drops down underground so lawn mowers can pass over it. When the hose is on, it slowly raises out of the ground and begins evenly spraying back and forth for a perfect rectangular spray pattern to suit most lawns.

The only downside is that it requires some installation, with channels dug out for hose lines, and a pit for the tool itself, which will then need to be compacted around, with grass re-sown to cover any bare earth.

3. Hozelock Rectangular Sprinkler

Not that Hozelock needs any extra promotion, with at least two of my neighbours having this exact sprinkler running right now within view of my office window.

But, the reality is that this is one of the best sprinklers you can buy. It works perfectly, evenly, and easily with adjustable pressure to target smaller lawns, or increased for larger lawns. 

The stainless steel spray nozzle is durable and long-lasting, with a bright yellow base that you won’t easily miss or trip over.

4. Hozelock Multi Sprinkler Water Sprayer

Hozelock’s multi sprinkler is one of the simplest garden sprinklers you’ll ever buy. It’s designed for quick and easy installation, with a straightforward dial to shift between eight different spray patterns.

At optimum pressure it has a coverage of 79 square metres, but this is reduced to around 50 square metres in a typical garden.

While the bright yellow base might not be to everyone’s tastes, there’s something reassuring about having the brand colours displayed when it’s such a trusted, well-respected irrigation brand like Hozelock.

5. Hoselink Rotating 3-Arm Sprinkler with Metal Base

If you’re after a basic sprinkler that has a touch of tradition, this rotating sprinkler from Hoselink is really quite beautiful. The gently twisted metal arms spin around under the jet of pressurised water from the hose, forcing out an array of multi-directional jets from the tips of each pipe.

The result is a highly pressurised, quickly spinning sprinkler that waters lawns evenly every time. The slight downside of this sprinkler style is pressure, with a maximum spray of around 50 square metres, but a more realistic coverage of 25 square metres.

6. Hoselink Oscillating Sprinkler

Hoselink’s oscillating sprinkler is their most powerful, with the widest coverage of any Hoselink product, but its spray mechanism does feel a little bit brittle at times.

The sturdy  metal, powder-coated feet are really well built though, and from what we can tell it seems really well built. However, there are benefits to oscillators with metal nozzles in terms of longevity, and potential accidents.

7. Rain Bird Brass Impact Sprinkler

Tools are what you make of them, and this rain bird impact sprinkler should be treated with serious care. It’s such a gorgeous sprinkler that it suits year-round exposure as a garden ornament in its own right.

The old-fashioned impact mechanism provides powerful, evenly distributed water to the whole lawn. All you need to do is find a hose system that’s as beautiful as it is.

8. Hoselink Impulse Sprinkler Spike

Impulse sprinklers can be tricky to set up, with specific fittings that often don’t work with standard hose connectors. This Hoselink impulse sprinkler is ideal though, with an easy connection and a basic ground spike so it can be easily moved around the lawn with minimal visible impact. 

The spray itself is heavy and works well to soak lawns quickly too, making it a more efficient use of time, and water.

9. Hoselink Mini Sprinkler Kit Rotor Sprinkler

Mini sprinklers are absolutely not designed for lawn irrigation, but they are by far the simplest way to water seedlings and borders, especially if you set them up in a chain with an automatic irrigation system.

The basic nozzles need smaller hose connectors and are designed to work as part of a set, but at such a low price you can easily buy a dozen and a few lengths of pipe to adapt your garden into an automated paradise.

10. Orbit Traveling Sprinkler

While installation is a bit of a faff with this travelling sprinkler from Orbit, it’s one of the most effective sprinkler systems for an even lawn.

The spiked tyres give it excellent traction, while the freely spinning front wheel will follow a hose laid out across the lawn, either in a circle, or a series of twists and turns to guide it around the garden in any direction.

The spray pattern is set, and fairly low pressure, but the idea here is drenching, not sprinkling. As it rolls around the lawn, it soaks, then repeats that same pattern until it is switched off.

The only downside is that you’ll need to move the guides every time you mow!

There are tons of great products in these reviews, and honestly, I’d trust nearly all of them to water my lawn at home, but we have to pick one as our top pick.

So, at the top of a tight race, the best sprinkler for 2024 is the Hoselink 9-Pattern Sprinkler. Its adaptability as well as its style help it to stand out from the crowd, and blend into the garden. 

With nine brilliant functions for any size, or shape, of lawn imaginable, and the Hoselink seal of approval, it’s hard to imagine a better all-around sprinkler for any garden.

It might not be cheap, but it’s not extortionately expensive either. This surprisingly affordable premium sprinkler by GARDENA has surprised us a little here.

We expected slightly better-known brands to come out on top, but when you’re faced with high-end gadgets like this GARDENA Pop-up Oscillating Sprinkler, there’s just nothing that can beat it.

Hidden away underground, it’s not only subtle, but you can mow straight over it, and its hose line, making it a completely perfect solution for busy gardeners who just want to turn a tap and be done with it.

Imagine having this linked up to an automatic tap timer too! You wouldn’t need to lift a finger! 

Just because it’s cheap, doesn’t mean it’s cheap if you know what I mean… Budget tools can often be underwhelming and poorly manufactured, but not this.

The Hozelock Rectangular Sprinkler is significantly better than any other sprinkler in its price range, with exceptionally good coverage and great pressure, reaching up to 180 metres squared, which would cover the vast majority of domestic lawns.

If you’re after something simple that’s easy to install, and simple to store, then go for the money-saving option with this rectangular oscillating sprinkler from Hozelock. You won’t regret it.

Sprinkler Systems Frequently Asked Questions

What type of lawn sprinkler is best?

Rotating lawn sprinklers provide more even irrigation, but for rectangular lawns, oscillating sprinklers are the best way to evenly irrigate your entire lawn without missing the corners, or wasting water on borders.

How long should you leave a sprinkler on for?

In hot weather, leave sprinklers running for around 1-2 hours, until the soil is moist. Do this two or three times a week in hotter parts of the country, or once a week in milder climates.

What is the best time of day for watering grass?

The best time of day to water grass is in the morning, preferably once the sun is out, but not quite at its hottest. This allows water to soak into the soil as much as possible before being evaporated by the afternoon sun.

Should I water the lawn every day in hot weather?

In hot weather, water your lawn two or three times a week. The idea is to soak the soil, rather than just the surface, so don’t water your lawn every day as this will simply waste water. Instead, water deeply every few days.

How do you water grass in extreme heat?

Even in extreme heat, it’s not worth watering grass every day. Soil can hold water surprisingly well under a thick carpet of grass, so watering really deeply a couple of times a week is better than watering lightly daily.

Aim to water lawns as deeply as possible (2 hours) around three times a week in a heat wave.

Here are more reviews to help you in watering your lawn:

• Soaker hoses
• Garden irrigation systems
• Tap timers
• Retractable hose reels
• Water flow meters
• Garden hoses
• Pop up sprinkler systems
• Watering cans