12380 Heavy-Duty Brass Adjustable Hose Nozzle

Not sure I ever owned one of these before remember them from back when I was a kid I wanted a good one and this doesn’t let down. I grabbed one at the Home Depot and just picked it up and can tell it didn’t have the weight or the precision quality bill that this one has course it was only six bucks but overall I’m extremely happy with the performance of this little nozzle creates a great fanning ability to use it to water, grass or flowers and a very nice jetstream so the true value will be how long it lasts, and we shall see.

The build quality on this hose nozzle is excellent. It’s made the old-school way from one solid piece of brass, not two separate pieces pressed together where the threads meet the shaft. The O-rings are easy to replace, which makes this a really reliable nozzle overall.

I've had them all, cheap ($5) nozzles and an expensive ($90) nozzle (Griot's Garage). Given I've had the expensive nozzle for over 10 years now without a hicup lends strength to the adage; 'you get what you pay for'. But who in their right mind would pay $90 for a hose nozzle? Well, I did once but the good news now is that this $10 nozzle is the best I've ever used in this price range and unlike others in this price range, should last virtually forever (because there are no inherent design flaws). Others have raved about the Gilmour nozzle and so I bought one only to find out that it breaks. Turns out it is made from three pieces of brass, two of which are press fit together; the inner core and the part that screws onto the end of the hose. The outer jacket, the part that is supposed to turn to adjust the spray is the third piece. When you torque the outer jacket down to shut off the flow, stress is induced on the press fit joint which eventually fails. The press fit joint is now so loose, that I can't turn the outer jacket to adjust the flow without the core spinning at the joint. That is, the core begins to turn and it leaks at the place where the two pieces are press fit together. Worse yet, I can't turn the jacket to shut off the flow. Only took 4 months of light use to happen. THIS nozzle is only two metal pieces! The outer jacket, that turns to adjust the spray and shut off the flow, and the inner core which is one piece of machined brass all the way from the part that screws on to the hose to the center tip of the nozzle. Internally there are a couple of replaceable 'O' rings in addition to the requisite washer where the nozzle screws onto the hose end. The spray pattern is typical from wide mist to hard stream. Brass is soft, relatively speaking and I do not recommend leaving this nozzle outside in a presurized state after the outside temp falls below freezing. (to help you appreciate the $90 nozzle, you could leave that thing anywhere, anytime of the year, and even bury it, only to dig it up and find that it works like new. Combined with a good hose you could even leave the whole set up outside year round and forget about it. Which I've done for over ten years. Come spring thaw, it would be right as rain.) Gilmour makes some great products, like their Flexogen hose, but I'll stick to Dramm for the brass fittings. **UPDATE** 18 Dec 2012. I don't remember when I wrote this (I see it now, over two years ago) but it really was under $10 at that time....as of today it's 30% more?! The good news is that while the 'O' rings may need replacing, there's no reason the brass nozle shouldn't last a good many years.

UPDATE 5 MAY 2018: So it has been more than 4 years and I finally had to replace one of the O-rings. This nozzle takes 011 and 111 O-rings. If you don't know what size/dimensions they, do a cross-reference. I bought the 011 and 111 Viton O-rings from Amazon and while the cost for the 100/pk O-rings costs almost as much or more than a new nozzle, the nozzle will last forever and you just need to swap the O-rings from time to time. I used silicone lube as well. The washer/gasket for the main nozzle is just a standard garden hose washer. Original Review: This brass nozzle is Made in the USA out of solid brass. There are only 3 items that may require replacing in a few years: 2 O-rings and the gasket for the hose attachment. These are easily found, and I expect to replace the O-rings with Viton O-Rings if the originals ever wear out. One can procure a small bag for a few dollars, which would last almost a lifetime. The hose easily/gently twists open with a light fan-cone spray pattern, and as I turn it more and more, it progresses towards a powerful stream of water. It still relies on your existing water pressure, so don't expect any type of massive venturi action to magnify the pressure of the water. I find that it is plenty strong for washing cars, and the nozzle patterns are adequate for use with a garden hose. The water stream is powerful enough to blast off residue and road debris stuck onto a car. Turning the water on or off is the easiest thing, simply turn the nozzle tip clockwise or anticlockwise, it is smooth thanks to the O-rings. The nozzle is made out of brass, so try to avoid dinging it on the ground. The one thing that does concern me is that there is a warning on the box that indicates the brass contains lead, which seems to be the norm for brass. Overall: 5/5 stars, one of the best nozzles I've ever used to wash cars. it is extremely easy to use, and built like a tank with only 1 moving part (the adjuster portion) and 3 wear items (2 o-rings and the gasket) that are easily replaceable. It is also made in the USA.

All nozzles I have owned in the past are now in a landfill. Some lasted a few years, some a few weeks. While I've only had this nozzle for about a month I can tell the build quality is more substantial than my previous ones. And it's a simpler design; two pieces of brass. My other nozzles like this were made of three pieces of brass, two of which were pressed together. That was the point where they would invariably fail. So far this nozzle is performing very well. The fine mist setting is full and not broken up like the spray pattern of previous nozzles. While the full stream setting may not be as tight as other nozzles, it puts out such a volume of water that I actually like it better. Moving debris off my driveway is easier since the stream is fuller. This is the best nozzle I have owned in terms of performance and durability. We'll see how it holds up over the next few years but my initial impressions are that it will perform well for a long time.

We have several gardens and thus have a need for several hose nozzles for the hoses we leave rolled up near each garden. Two of them have American-made brass nozzles that I bought in the seventies, both of which still work fine. Our third and fourth hoses have had a succession of what you can find in stores now: cheaply-made, low-grade imported junk that barely works when you first get it, but breaks within a few weeks or months. Despite being made in the "low-cost manufacturing capitol of the world", most of them ain't cheap, either. Imported crap has worn out its welcome with me. After some searching, I came across the DRAMM brand and saw that it was made in the US, so I bought one. I am very pleased with it and intend to buy another shortly. This Dramm hose nozzle is heavy, with good-quality machining, is visibly well-made, and works well out of the box, and shows no sign of giving up prematurely. Spray pattern is exactly what I remember from the similar hose nozzles all manufacturers in the USA used to make back in the sixties. In short, I like it and will buy again.

I have been using this same Dramm product for several years. It works well and is much better than the cheaper versions you can buy at your local discount retailer. It isn't cheap, but it is well made. I have had zero issues with leaking. It still works the same as the day I purchased it. I decided to purchase another one when the price went lower than normal so I would have another should I ever use them for our other hose or if mine ever needs replacing. No complaints whatsoever. If you need a hose nozzle to allow a variable level of spray including an intense spray (I mainly use mine for washing cars), this is a good product that will last many years.

The Dramm nozzle is beautifully machined from brass and functions perfectly. The water can be completely shut off or adjusted into mist, up to a tight pattern for powerful cleaning and rinsing. The only trade off is that it takes two hands to adjust the flow / pattern, unlike nozzles with a handle. To me, that's a minor trade off for the quality and function of the nozzle. This one is built to last!

Europe & US have different thread types so much to my surprise, I had no problem finding a metal 3/4 thread to Hozelock-style-bayonet adapter to fit this for use here in the UK. Quality is superb as was value for money. I have no problem recommending this item.

Good old fashioned nozzle. Very well made.

Nice and solid and shouldn't fall apart like the plastic ones. Good spray. An update one year later: Don’t buy another plastic hose garden hose nozzle – buy this one. The plastic ones break if they freeze, and if they survive the winter the plastic will become brittle and they will break within a year or two anyway. Buy this old school, fully adjustable (from mist to jet to flood) nozzle made out of brass with no plastic parts. Mine survived the winter outside and many drops onto the pavement. It is MADE IN THE USA and appears to be identical to the one I used as a child 40 years ago. I like it so much I just bought a second nozzle (one for the front yard, one for the back). Eventually in many years it will need new O rings or hose gasket, but those are just pennies at the hardware store.

I have had one of these Dramm solid brass nozzles for 20 years. I bought this one for another hose, at the back of my house. These made in the USA nozzles are well made ,durable ,and with proper care will last for years. Built of solid brass they never leak. Some of the cheaper brass ,imitation nozzles, are made in 2 pieces and the piece the hose screws onto is ,press fitted to the barrel. Drop them a few times and they leak. The Dramm nozzle allows for even distribution of water streams, without having to" click "the nozzle position on the cheaper plastic nozzles. I highly recommend this product, for its durability, and its ability to deliver water in many different kinds of flows ,and stream, without leaking.

Well made and you know straight away it will last a life time.