Interbath All Directional Chrome Showerhead
by Interbath
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List Price: Our Price: $19.99 You Save: $18.96 (49%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Interbath All Directional Chrome Showerhead
Customer Review: Cheap Way to Gain Height and a Decent Rain Shower
Summary: 4 Stars
After moving into a new apartment, I discovered to my dismay that the shower had been designed for someone 5 feet tall. After a few days of hunching to get my head under a shower head pointed squarely at my shoulder blades, I started the search for something to extend the height of the shower. I stumbled across this unit while looking at extending arms that cost more without a head. I was interested in a new shower head anyway, so I pulled the trigger on this one.
SETUP:
Setup was easy, and it took me 2 minutes to remove the pre-assembled arm and showerhead from the box, and connect it to the shower outlet. I then adjusted the arm to an ideal height and angle, and twisted the two wing nuts to tighten them into place.
QUALITY:
The unit stays in place on its own, although it doesn't seem like it would hold up to repeated adjustment. There were no visible leaks in the hinges or otherwise. Although made of brass inside, the finish feels fairly cheap.
SIZE:
One thing that might be unclear from the photos is the size of this unit. The arm extends about 9 inches, and the head is fairly small, less than 3 inches in diameter. The angle set the spray perfectly above my head.
RAIN vs PRESSURE:
It should be clear that this is a "rain" type showerhead, and not a "pressure" type. It has many small openings that gently pour water on the user, rather than blast a powerful spray. Even with the small pink flow limiter removed from the unit, you still won't do better than medium-low pressure with this showerhead. I would prefer closer to a medium-high pressure, but I can still get a decent shower with this showerhead. One thing to note is that you cannot remove the showerhead and add a different one; it won't fit the connector.
Overall I'm happy with this unit and the fact that I paid less than half the price of what its parts would have cost separately. If you need adjustability and like rain showers, this is the unit for you. If you need lots of pressure or plan to move the arm a lot, look elsewhere.
Customer Review: If I could replace the head it would be perfect. But it's still good.
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this because it was inexpensive and I thought I might be able to replace the head if it wasn't quite what I wanted. Well, the head is pretty generic and I would like to upgrade it (continuing to use the nice extension), but that doesn't work. Still, if you are OK with a plain vanilla spray, this is an excellent value.
Pros:
--All metal and seems well-made (some similar models are reported to be flimsy plastic).
--Easy to install (good thing, since there are no directions).
--Gentle flow with good coverage for one person (with flow limiter still in).
Dimensions:
--Pivot-to-pivot = 8.5"
--Max extension (from original pipe to center of shower head) = 11"
--Shower head diameter = 3.5"
Cons:
--The main con for me, and maybe others, is that you can't remove the shower head and replace it with another head. It does not have a standard fitting at the shower head end. Yes, the picture looks like it does, but it doesn't. So if you are getting this as an inexpensive extension for a fancier head, you'll be disappointed. Which is a shame because it's a pretty good extension at less than half the cost of some extensions by themselves.
--If that's not an issue for you, there really are no cons unless you're looking for a pummeling spray (which might be available if you remove the limiter, but I haven't tried that).
Other:
--Both pivots rotate in the same plane. Up and down (unless you install it at an angle, and then only in that plane). Not really a con, since the head does rotate, but not quite "all-directional."
--The 2 up-down pivots are easy to adjust (firm thumb and finger pressure are sufficient to loosen and tighten) but my sense is that they may be the weak points (or maybe the leak points) if your family adjusts them a lot. OTOH, who cares if they end up leaking a bit? You're taking a shower, after all. I haven't had any trouble, so this is just a guess.
Customer Review: Better than my basic apartments head.
Summary: 4 Stars
Well, I got this but remained skeptical because of some of the negative reviews. I think the trick with getting this shower head is to realize you are not going for pressure. There is pressure, and it is great, but it really is a totally different experience than a normal shower head. I am fortunate to have a 6 1/2' shower head spout, so I did not need the extension bar to give me height, but (and this is the important part that I think others may miss), this allowed me to put it straight out from the wall. It may be important to note that I am just over six foot, and it does feel a little unusual at first having a shower head directly above you and so close. Thus, I can point the shower head straight down, and get a full rainfall effect. I can totally see where angling the head may cause issues, especially if you are expecting a powerful jet. It will not deliver if this is the case. However, having the head directly, well, overhead amplifies the experience. Another great thing is it almost partitions off half the shower, so I can get a good lather without it all washing away.
Of course, it could be bigger (twice the size) and could be stylized a little. But if you can live with a hockey-puck on a stick, and have a tall enough shower head mount, than this may be a great alternative to the more expensive (4-8 times more) downpour heads. I think the price makes up for the short comings big time.
Customer Review: Not well placed, but functional
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm a tall guy and I like a showerhead I don't have to get under by bending down and straining my back. I also like a large flow of water. I figured this showerhead would do the trick. It came in a plain box almost like it would from a manufacturer. I was very disappointed when I set it up that the piece that screws into the arm is not a ball & socket joint, so whatever angle the unit becomes tightly screwed is the angle at which you'll have to aim from. As it happens, the unit is off at an angle of about 30 degrees. I almost returned the unit, but I found that because all of the other joints are adjustable, I could still easily get a good shower. The flower of water is great. I'm not a huge sucker for high pressure. I just like it to feel like water is simly falling on me at the same rate gravity would bring it down. I feel great after showers now. For it's faults, I would still say this is a good showerhead. Be aware of the manufacturing faults before purchasing though so you're not surprised, though.Customer Review: Works for me
Summary: 4 Stars
You can't beat the price, if this is what you're looking for. The quality is adequate, etter than the price would imply.
My son is 6'4", so he needed something with an extension arm to make it high enough. I figured re-plumbing the arm wouldn't be much cheaper and definitely harder and riskier, too.
He likes it, so I'm happy. He said he used to spend so much time in the shower because he would turn around and around trying to stay warm. He does spend less time in the shower, but I think it is due in part to the motion sensor/timer I put on the light. :) When the light goes out, he knows he's been in ten minutes, and he can wave his hand outside the shower for another ten minutes of light, but he needs to start thinking about getting out.
One more thing: I figured if he didn't like the shower head, I could put his old head on the extension (I've done this with another brand), but that is not an option. As I said, though, it's not a problem either.