Customer Reviews

Waterpik RPB-173 Drenching Rain Fall Showerhead

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Waterpik makes a brushed nickel version of this showerhead, model # RPB 179. I know, because I purchased 2 yesterday that I stumbled upon at HomeGoods for $19.99 each. Oddly, even Google can't as of this date find the RPB 179 - perhaps it is brand new version? Anyway, it is same as RPB 173 except finish is pretty brushed nickel and face is putty colored rather than black. I love this model because:
1) Installation - Having now installed 2 in my home, I'm pretty sure I could install a third in under 60 seconds if I really hustled! Only tool you'll need is pliers to remove old showerhead.
2) Flow - My goal is to get drenched, not massaged, and this model, with it's six inch wide head and dozens of firm but not stinging streams, succeeds marvelously.
3) Simplicity - I like simple things. This thing is very simple with a clean-looking design. And it should last.
4) Positioning - Best feature of all. The adjustable nine-inch arm enables you to position the head so that at it's lowest point it is around 5 inches higher than a conventional fixed head. My old head was around 5'11" off the floor of tub, this one is around 6'4". It also enables you to position the head perhaps 6 inches further out from the wall. So, no more bending over backwards or bumping into the shower caddy, or maneuvering through the spray and around the head to get the shampoo, etc.
5) Adjustability - the arm adjusts off the pipe, and the head adjusts off the arm, so you can have the starting point and angle of flow just how you like it, and such that it won't splatter on drywall, out of shower, etc.
6) Looks - quite handsome. Get yourself a brushed-nickel caddy for a good looking combo.
7) Quality - Early to say, but the two I installed don't leak at all, not even a single drop.
8) Value - I love the little one-time changes that make life a tad better daily. This thing does that, and if it lasts six years, it does it for a penny a day.

It is a winner. Waterpik, you're gonna sell a lot of these if you make them available.

I love the articulation of the arm which allows for lots of movement, but it is made out of the junkiest, most worthless pieces of cheap plastic. I had to use a permanent sealer to get the inner ball attachment to stay fixed to the nipple pipe, since the regular movement of the arm would often result in the ball becoming loose from the nipple pipe.

I would not recommend this at all due to the low quality of the pieces.

These are perfect - and were able to be installed in about 5 minutes (in fact you spend more time unscrewing your old one than it takes to hook these up). No wrench or tools required, and the "6-inch arm" rotates up and down or you can also set it left or right to get the right fit. The "head" also is 360-movable so again really convenient. Probably the most impressive feature though is the fact that you really can tell the difference in water pressure (it helps that its like a strong rainfall effect) and its several solid streams coming out from the nozzle. In the end, for the money this is really a great product!

This was a replacement for the old showerhead that originally came with this mid-1960's house. This item is truly a "rainmaker" and "breathtaker". I felt as if I was lost deep within the jungle during a weighty spring rain. I felt no hints of violence from the predatory creatures within this jungle at my human presence; merely universal bliss from the sparkling, soothing rain beads. We were all in our happy place. The crickets. The panther. The ant. Just close your eyes. Easily adjustable, simple install, immediate getaway.

This showerhead does indeed drench the user. I was drenched almost instantly, which is the intended purpose of the showerhead. The head's spray pattern is fairly narrow, so a lot of water is in a small area. I really liked the included arm, as it's a good 8-9 inches long. This places the showerhead almost directly in the center of our place's "pocket" shower. The upside to this is that there's much more usable room inside the shower enclosure, and much less water splashed onto the shower walls. It makes a small shower much more spacious and usable due to the narrow spray pattern, effectiveness at drenching the user, and better positioning afforded by the arm. Having a "dry" area in a "pocket" shower where one can stand fully upright and not under the stream of water to take care of showering needs is fantastic.

Granted, I haven't tried more expensive drenching rainfall showerheads except at hotels. After trying this one, I don't see a reason to get a pricier one, except for a super-spendy bathroom remodel where chromed plastic would look out of place.

I'm not going to mention installation since everybody else has tried it, except to say that a single wrap of Teflon tape on the wall pipe does indeed help.

5 stars from the other reviews helped prompt me to order this shower head. The description says "Chrome" very clearly. This isn't chrome, it is unbelievably cheap, lightweight plastic. It installed easily, and seems to work fine. It is misleading to call it chrome, though. The shower head was 10 bucks more at Lowes, so the Amazon price was good. Shipping was free and quick from Amazon.

Love this shower head.
Super easy installation, and has a really good water flow. Doesn't bother me that it's plastic, I think it looks really nice. Much more relaxing shower than my old showerhead (which had about 5 jets that actually worked and practically tore your skin off)

Overall very happy with this one, hopefully it lasts awhile.

I'm 6'2", and I've finally found a shower that feels like I don't have to squat under it. Water pressure is nice (not super powered, but still good), and I love the height.

i just cannot get this to stop leaking. i tightened best i could. but it is PLASTIC for heavens sake! i gave up and will live with the leaks. this will fall apart i am sure, maybe a pound of silicone seal? more plumbers tape?
water sprays nice, it does drench! but plastic? no wonder it was cheap.. you get what you pay for!

Installed it about a week ago. It was easy to install but the instructions make no mention of how to remove the flow restrictor. The water pressure is low due to the well system at my place. I determined that removing a white plastic piece in the ball that screws onto the shower pipe improved the flow considerably. Now it does just what the description says - Drenching Rainfall.