Customer Reviews

Giessdorf 8 Jet Shower Head - Chrome

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First, let me say that I am in favor of conservation. I myself consume less than the EPA daily recommendations for water use per person and am pleased by that. But I also believe that we should be free to choose ourselves how we wish to conserve and not have these choices made instead by government bureaucrats. There is something very wrong with the concept that you can dump thousands of gallons a day on your lawn to keep it green in the desert, but then are forced to used a low flow shower or toilet whose savings pale in comparison to other methods, while often producing very unsatisfactory performance.

Federal law prohibits the manufacturer from selling a shower head that uses more than 2.5 gallons per minute, but the law DOES NOT prohibit the home owner from using own a shower head that uses more water. Therefore, it is perfectly OK for you to decide you want a shower that uses more water if you want. However, since the early 90's finding such a shower head, other than older, used ones, has been difficult. Often customers don't even know this. They go to the Big box store and see a rain shower head that is 12 inches across and assume that more water comes out of this head, when in fact it is just decorative and the same amount of flow comes out of such a head as one with only a 1 inch diameter. Do not confuse flow with pressure. Just like a garden hose, you can increase pressure by restricting the outlet port without actually changing flow rate. So, some shower heads have more force behind the jets, but fewer jets to compensate for this in terms of flow.

I am a professional shower builder. I am the guy you call if you want a super luxury $30K plus shower. I have been dealing with this issue since the regulations first came out. In the early days after the regulations were first imposed most shower heads just came with a flow restrictor in the inlet neck added to existing designs to meet the new guidelines. Back then it was just a simple procedure to just remove the restrictor and go back to old school flow. Over time, however, more and more shower heads have gotten away from this technique and have just been manufactured with inlets built in to the correct 2.5 gpm size. These are very difficult to modify without damaging the shower head.

Over the years we have developed some tricks when building showers to try to tweak more flow through the heads which have become standard practices for me. While these techniques have helped some, the bottleneck has always been the shower head itself, and adding more heads doesn't necessarily help. Adding multiple low flow heads adds water volume but does not give the same effect as more concentrated, heavy streams which is what most people think of when they think higher flow. Especially women when washing their hair. And for an awful lot of my customers who have been wanting an old school, or European kind of shower experience, this has not been a satisfactory solution.

This shower head is the solution. It comes with a flow restrictor bushing that allows it to comply with federal reguations, but the homeowner is free to not use the restrictor. At least under current regulations as of this writing. If you install this head without the bushing you will get an old school flow through your shower head that everyone I know who has them has found very satisfying and refreshing. While the head has setting on it to adjust the pattern, the net result that my customers have desired and achieved is heavier and more vigorous streams of water over the body. In fact, many of my customers report taking shorter showers because they feel clean much faster. This shower head truly does solve the problem that my customers have been clamoring about for years.

The shower head is also very well built. This is not a cheap head that just gives you more flow. This is a high quality shower head of German construction (It is interesting that in Germany where they are far more environmentally conscious than we are in the US, they don't get worked up over shower head flow like we do here). This head is made of solid brass and you can feel it. It is a very heavy shower head and the fit and finish are excellent. These heads are perfectly at home in very expensive showers. The head comes in four different finishes that can be used to match almost any shower equipment you find these days without problem. I have never had to worry about a discerning customer complaining that these heads don't match the finish properly with the other expensive bathroom fixtures they have chosen. In my book, this shower head is a winner and worth the money. I will continue to use them as long as they are available. I fear the day when they too fall victim to the insular bureaucrats.

There is a downside to these heads that I do feel compelled to mention. Unlike low flow shower heads, if you take a hot shower with one of these you will steam up the bathroom very quickly. Your contractor grade shower exhaust fan may not be up to the task of removing all that steam quickly enough to keep you from being surrounded by London Fog. Especially in a very small bathroom. Not that this would be a problem for most people, but if you shower like this often and cannot remove the humidity, it might lead to increased mildew issues.

Another thing that could be a potential problem. If you are the kind of person who likes to get in a hot shower and just stay there a long time getting warm. With this head you will get warm very quickly and it feels great! Trust me. But if you have a small water tank and stay there long enough you will run out of hot water much faster than you would if you had low flow heads. On the other hand, in my opinion the hot shower is far more refreshing with this head than with low flow heads and you won't need to stay there as long to get refreshed. But if you have kids who use too much water as it is, and every shower in your house has one of these heads and you have a lot of people taking showers at once or consecutively, your water heater may not be up to the challenge. Of course you could always go with a tankless water heater system to solve this problem. I highly recommend tankless water heaters regardless of the flow of the shower heads anyway.

I just love these shower heads and given the number of my customers who do as well, I believe there are many people out there looking for this product. If you are, this is it.

This shower head feels like you're taking a shower under a fire hose. Obviously, you need to have some decent water pressure to take full advantage of this shower head. I've been using it for years, and I have no plans on getting anything different.

The Giessdorf 8 Jet exudes quality. It is so solid and heavy it feels indestructible. It makes Moen and some other name brands i checked out look like cheap toys. What truly makes this product great though, is its performance. Once the water limiter is removed - i thoroughly enjoy high pressure showers, even though i know it's not the best for the environment - the spray from the jets is unbelievable. Each of the eight jets sprays multiple streams in different directions, creating wide circular coverage with no real gaps. In other words you don't need to keep moving your body to find that strong spray. It really feels great! You'll look forward to every shower you take.

Length:: 0:26 Mins

I was a little shy to spend $90 on a shower head, but this blew my expectations away. 5 Stars all day. My apartment complex just green-ified our water fixtures with the Niagara Earth shower heads. Before those we had whatever Original pre 1990s regulation showerheads the apartment had when it was built, they were nothing special but it was a very nice shower. When the Niagara's were installed I began a hunt for anything that was close to what I had before. I've tried 5 showerheads so far and the Giessdorf is the only thing close to what I had before.. and it exceeds it. Excellent pressure, excellent coverage.. I could not ask for anything more out of a showerhead. $90 well spent!

I left behind my Giessdorf in my previous house, and it took me only one shower to decide I had to replace it and take it with me the next time I move. I have thick, knee-length hair, and nothing else can get through it all.

**Note: My review is for this shower head with the flow control washer removed. I haven't tried it with the washer in.**

When I re-built my house I got the high-efficiency clothes washer, dish washer, furnace, hot-water heater, etc. etc. After moving in, my shower experience was not what I was looking for. I had a Kohler Master Shower and it just wasn't strong/wet enough. It had one setting that had these powerful, but needle-like jets that actually stung a little if they caught you just right. I searched online for "Best Shower Head," and found this one. It was easy to install. I left out the flow-decreasing, water-conserving washer to get more power. It's awesome! My wife described it as showering with a fire hose (no stinging needle jets though). It puts out a wide, powerful spray that gets me drenched in about half a second. I can wash quickly and rinse quickly. I feel a little guilty about the amount of water I'm using but I generally take quick showers (even quicker with this setup)and I figure I'm doing enough for the planet with all the other energy efficient stuff I installed. I love my new shower head. Highly recommend it to others who can stomach not being water efficient in the shower.

Before I go on with the review, let me first state that I am the type of person who likes the kind of high water pressure that numbs your skin and blows you against the back wall as soon as you get in the shower. So it is with this criteria in mind that I am writing this review ...

I recently moved, and in my old apartment, I bought a Delta 75152 to replace the craptastic shower head that was installed when I moved in. I decided on the Delta model based on all the good reviews here. The water pressure in my apartment wasn't all that great to begin with, so I didn't think the Delta would be as good as everyone said it was, and of course it wasn't. Given the criteria above, and the constraints of the water pressure I was dealing with, I'd rate the Delta a 3 out of 5. The water pressure was decent, but not stellar.

So, my new apartment had an extra bathroom that needed a shower head. Of course, I brought my Delta with me, but needed another shower head for the other bathroom, and wanted to see if I could squeeze more water pressure out of a higher end/more expensive shower head than the Delta. So I went with the Giessdorf 8 because when I typed in 'showerhead firehose' into Amazon, it was the only one that popped up, and it had good reviews too :)

Well, I received the Giessdorf in the mail a couple of days ago, and immediately removed the water limiter and gave it a try. The results? I am sad to report that this shower head actually has a bit less water pressure than the Delta. The Giessdorf has 8 nozzles instead of 4, so the spray is a bit more spread out, but the spray from the Delta is just a little stronger.

So, if it is a firehose you're seeking, I would recommend the Delta over the Giessdorf. Even if the Giessdorf has a wider area of coverage, I really don't think it is worth it at 4x the price. Anyway, good luck with whatever you choose, and happy showering :)

This is an exceptiomal showerhead and I have purchased many.This has an array of spray patterns and its output in all patterns is vigorous. Taking a shower is now an invigorating experience. Well worth the price. I should note that I removed the low flow insert for better flow.

The pressure of this shower head is fantastic. I had a water saver 2.5 on before, and wow, what a difference. It used to take the majority of my shower to rinse the shampoo out of my hair, and with this thing, it takes maybe 30 seconds--if that. The side lever easily adjusts how the jets of water come out. I have even noticed that, when cleaning the shower, the pressure helps take off soap scum better than my other shower head. Needless to say, I will take this with me if I move. Great product.

IMO...this is the best showerhead. It is old school metal with even spray and lots of pressure. I see the comments about not enough water, etc. Let me shed some light on this. If you take out the water restricter then it is like standing under a waterfall and you will go through your whole water heater very quickly. If you leave in the water restricter then it is kind of like an ordinary shower. The trick is to pull out the restricter and take a power drill and drill each of the 3 holes to make them slightly bigger. Then put it back in and off to paradise you go. Again, it is just my opinion but this showerhead is going with me wherever I call home.