When shopping for a shower hose, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Which length is best? Which connections and finishes match your existing taps and shower? Find out what goes well, fits and works – and how the models differ. When making a purchase, please also consider your health and opt for a shower hose that complies with drinking water standards.
There are a myriad of shower hoses out there and plenty of places to buy them, including building supplies stores, discount supermarkets, specialist bathroom retailers and online. As you’re getting to choose, wouldn’t it be good if the shower hose stood the test of time and blended in perfectly with your overall bathroom design? And if it could cascade nicely, with no kinks or twists? What’s more, no-one wants a shower hose that scratches or rubs the skin when showering, having a bath or washing their hair. So make sure you choose one that feels nice. And perhaps most importantly of all, choose a shower hose that won’t release any plasticisers (phthalates).
Our recommendation, if we may, would be to buy a shower hose certified as safe for drinking water. If the water is polluted with harmful substances containing sub-standard plastics, that cheap purchase will suddenly no longer seem such a bargain. All hansgrohe shower hoses are suitable for drinking water. The premium brand uses only flawless, high-quality parts and materials, so the water only comes into contact with surfaces certified as safe for use with drinking water. The same can be said of good hand showers.
The ideal length of your shower hose depends on several factors: do you shower in the bath tub or a shower cubicle? And do you sit down or stand up when doing so? Are you tall and do you have a shower rail that allows you to slide your shower support far above your head? Does your shower hose hang from a low bath mixer or a high-up thermostatic shower mixer? Or does your water come straight out of the wall (as with a concealed installation system)? You need to take your individual bathroom setting into consideration when determining the best length.
Standard shower hose lengths are:
Durable shower hoses are made of robust, high-quality materials. If this is not the case, they kink, tear, develop holes or become porous and soon spring a leak. A leaky hose is a bad hose – and wastes water. In the past, the classic metal hose stood for high quality, but these days good plastic hoses are durable too. They also have plenty of benefits: plastics are gentler on both your skin and your bathroom’s ceramics and are easier to clean. Above all else, make sure the shower hose is described as ‘kink-proof’ or ‘kink-protected’. This will prevent annoying water blockages and premature wear. Also do a ‘scratch test’ in the shop: how does the shower hose feel against your skin? Hands off any poor-quality finishes and scratchy materials!
Cleaning: clean your shower hose with any regular, mild bathroom cleaner. High-quality plastic hoses are easy to clean and hygienic because they lack grooves where limescale and other residues can build up.
Sustainability: shower hoses should be made from sustainable, i.e. recyclable, materials that are harmless to health. Are you already familiar with the innovative technology that obtains the plastic for yarn from recycled PET bottles? This helps to protect the environment.
A classic metal aesthetic or a modern plastic look? It’s all a matter of taste. For metal designs, we recommend purchasing a shower hose with an additional plastic jacket so that little hairs and skin don’t get pinched when showering. And what about the colour? Hoses with chrome film go perfectly with chrome showers and taps. The shiny metal look creates a timeless and elegant feel in your bathroom. The trendy metal-effect coil winding made of plastic, which ‘fakes’ the classic metal hose, also acts as a visual highlight. A white hose is perfect for a purist look as it looks beautifully sleek with white hand showers or tiles. Trendy colours such as gold, green, blue or red can also create fresh contrasts.
A high-quality shower hose is easy to screw on and unscrew, so replacing it is easy. To make sure you’ll be able to seamlessly connect your new hose to your tap and shower, please check the connection sizes before making a purchase. Most shower mixers have a 1/2-inch thread, and almost all shower hoses are standardised to this size (on both ends). The 3/4-inch thread is much rarer. (Tip: connectors can be used to make these connections fit 1/2-inch hoses). If you’re not sure what size you need, simply unscrew your old hose and take it with you to the shop. It’s also worth checking the quality of the connections and the thread on the hose: a high-quality nut – made of brass, for example – is an added bonus. You should also check whether the hose comes with the two seals needed for installation.
Technically sophisticated, of high quality and aesthetically pleasing: this description not only applies to hansgrohe taps and showers but also to hansgrohe shower hoses. Most of the premium products are manufactured in the company’s own factory in the south-west of Germany, so they proudly bear the label: ‘Made in Germany’.
All hansgrohe shower hoses are:
Find out more about the various materials and designs from the hansgrohe range. The following shower hoses are available in the standard lengths of 1.25/1.60/2.00 metres. The models made of robust plastic are highly flexible, so the hose cascades nicely.
Do you still remember the analogue days when the telephone cord would get tangled? The same thing can happen with shower hoses, and it’s annoying. However, the ‘ball-bearing-mounted pivot joint’ in the hansgrohe Isiflex hoses prevents annoying tangles in the shower and bath tub. How? The shower union nut is designed in such a way that it can rotate freely. This prevents the hose from getting tangled and won’t hinder you when showering. The hose always looks elegant attached to the wall bar too.
hansgrohe has been enhancing the design and functionality of shower hoses for more than 40 years. The hoses naturally have all the necessary approvals to protect consumers but many new hansgrohe products go much further than this and far surpass the required standards – the premium brand simply has its own set of quality standards. As such, every shower hose is put through its paces in stress tests, but if you ever do have a reason to complain, hansgrohe shower hoses come with a voluntary five-year warranty.
When it comes to the Designflex range, sustainability, comfort and feel literally go hand in hand. The multi-coloured braiding gives the shower hose a pleasant, fabric-like feel while still being waterproof and water repellent. This promotes optimum hygiene and makes it easy to clean. Made from recycled PET plastics, the yarn adopts the principle of a circular economy and goes perfectly with the concept of ‘green’ development at hansgrohe.
