Customer Reviews

Gilmour Turbo Nozzle FD1 Black

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

 

 

I just bought one of these at Lowes. It both looks and feels very well built and seems like a good product, but it requires a high-flow-rate feed to get the satisfying effect you're probably looking for. My hose is fed from a separate, unregulated line for irrigation and other exterior services, and I had always considered it to be high pressure & flow rate. However, this nozzle is so wide open that, even in fine spray mode, it creates a coarse, limp spray pattern. In stream mode it dumps out plenty of water, but in a limp, floppy stream not far off from a hose end partially restricted by a thumb. The firehose-type valve is nice since it allows shut off without adjusting the spray pattern.

Bottom line, I'm glad I didn't remove the tag, as I'm going to have to return it. If you have the right pressure/flow then it's a good product.

I agree with the other reviews posted here. Bought this product expecting to get a nice forceful spray for car washing & then adjusting the nozzle to get a lighter spray for watering plants & flowers. Upon trial, I found it to be useless for any of those purposes. As another reviewer stated, when on full force, water comes out just like it would if no sprayer were attached to the hose ~ there is absolutely no inkling of "turbo" power. Spray distance on all pressure levels is not very far and the water comes out in an odd sort of cone like shape. Back to Lowes this product goes!

I agree with the review below. I bought one of these at Lowes as an impulse because it just looks so cool. Then I came home and looked it up on Amazon to compare prices and read reviews. It was late at night so I had to wait until this morning to take it outside, hook it up to the hose, and try it out. And sure enough, it really doesn't perform as hoped for. I don't have high pressure here at home either (barely 60 psi, if that). On "stream" mode, the water coming out of the nozzle looks exactly like it does when it comes out of the hose itself without anything attached to the hose. And on "spray" mode, the water just fans out in a sloppy, wide cone that's really no good for anything. And those are the two extremes of the very easily adjusted range, and none of the settings inbetween are really useful, either. You can go to the 99cents Only store and get a cheap plastic thing for a buck and get better results.

That's the truly sad thing here. This nozzle is physically a beautiful thing - well built, solid, and ergonomically well designed. The shutoff handle works great. It just doesn't perform well, and I suspect the water pressure issue is the reason. It truly is a fire hose nozzle, but apparently it needs fire hose pressure to do its job. Unfortunately, I don't have a convenient way to hook it up to the hydrant across the street.

like the man says, NOTHING TURBO about it. My husband removed the washer, fiddled around with it; but, the result was the same. I can't believe the manufacturer did not know what a failure this product is. To label it as turbo is beyond 'misleading'.

I wish I had read the reviews below before buying this nozzle. It allows water to flow through at high volume, but you'll get No pressure with this nozzle. The stream shoots about 6 feet, that's it. Keep your receipt! Gilmour Turbo Nozzle, #FD1, Black

Has awesome power and distance BUT you have to have sufficient pressure and most of all volume. I have 1" pipe most of the way and about 70 psi. My only complaint is that it won't shut off completely after about one year of use.

This Gilmour fire hose nozzle FD1 is ergonomically shaped for your hand, and its pistol shape is comfortable to hold. It has a nice low-high pressure feature that turns around it's collar, but the high pressure is not quite high enough. It does put out a lot of water, and has a nice setting to "fan" the water, or stream it, but it helps if your neighborhood has a higher water pressure in the pipes already (higher than 50 psi). The fanning water power is far superior to the streaming water power which is somewhat puny. Great for washing cars, gardening, or shooting each other (when your phasers are on stun). One idea I have to make the stream stronger is to use a thinner hose. I give this a 4 star rating overall.

After reading the other reviews, I can see all of the points made. In my case though, the faucet comes right off my well pump and I must have the proper pressure to make it work well. I can shoot a pretty good stream 30-40 feet with enough pressure to dislodge grime. When you fan it out, I get a pretty good fog pattern. Not sure what practical uses it would have but my kids like putting on my old helmet and playing fireman. Anyway, if you don't have the pressure I'd probably skip it, but a neat novelty.

It's a well built gadget, but it needs something like 15gpm at 60psi to function correctly. That's a 3/4" hose and a garden hydrant, not a 5/8" hose on a sillcock or hose bibb.

I agree with the others. I bought this at Friedman Brothers here in northern California in the hope of finding a sharp stream that would carry far enough to dislodge the dratted squirrels out of my 50' pecan tree, but this "stream" didn't carry nearly as far as the one produced by my old nozzle, and lacked any kind of punch at all. I'm returning it today. Big disappointment!