Speakman S-2252-BN-E175

Most people would define a good shower as a sufficiently strong stream of sufficiently warm water in a spray pattern that is directional and covers much of one’s physique.Speakman’s AnyStream shower heads are truly the benchmark. Many of us first discovered these shower heads while staying in a five five star hotel in New York or London, and it defined our view on what an ultimate shower should be.The build quality of these shower heads…..tank like. Forever durability is a function of design, material and build, but for something to really last it also needs to be as simple as it can be and still work. Superfluous features just mean more components to break. Speakman AnyStream shower heads are also a benchmark in this sense. They are a lot less complex than any number of spa-type shower systems, and yet create an equal to or better showering experience.We have been using the 8 module heads and the smaller 6 module heads for years. While the 8 module head is aesthetically dramatic, from a shower quality standpoint, it’s hard to tell the 8 from the 6; and lately when we added an AnyStream head to a new house, we tend to favor the 6 module model.2 GPM is sufficient for the shower to feel luxurious given the flow and water pattern of a Speakman AnyStream head if your water pressure is sufficient. If not, you may want to get the 2.5 GPM model.CONS?:For the past few years, all-brass Speakman shower heads, when installed correctly, are EXTREMELY difficult to adjust the direction of flow when new, thanks to excessive friction in the ball joint pivot. This did not used to be the case on older Speakman heads. This issue is well-documented on the Web.But this isn’t a major con because there's an easy fix.After you install the head, work the ball joint pivot by moving the head up and down, side to side for a few dozen iterations which will loosen up the pivot. It also can help to coat the ball joint pivot with clear silicone grease when you install the head, but the more important fix is just to work the ball joint until it loosens up slightly and allows the angle of spray to be adjustable.All in all, Speakman AnyStream shower heads aren’t inexpensive, but they are way more inexpensive than the vast majority of super-premium comparable shower systems.There are inexpensive plastic, big box store versions of Speakman heads, but the one to get is all metal, solid brass, with a solid brass control lever.If you’re someone who loves simple luxuries, things built to last, a relative bargain compared to competitive items and most of all, a perfect shower; and if you haven’t experienced a Speakman AnyStream, you may want to give it a try.

to improve so-so water pressure. I bought my first one of these these 6 years ago to replace the lackluster showerhead at what was then a brand-new home. It worked great. But when I moved from there a few months ago, I couldn't find the original showerhead that came with the house so I had to leave the Speakman behind for the new owners.My new home has decent pressure but the showerhead didn’t deliver a strong enough flow. I really wanted something more powerful. For the past few months I've been reading the reviews here on Amazon on the various Speakman heads and some other brands. I held off buying one because it seemed like with every model, there were people who were disappointed. I was also concerned Speakman may have made changes to the head in the past few years since several people remarked it was difficult to figure out how to remove the flow restrictor and you had to be really careful.I finally decided a few weeks ago to buy this same model and couldn't be happier. What a difference it makes -- it really delivers a powerful flow making for a totally invigorating shower.It was very easy to remove the black "O" restrictor -- nothing to unscrew, just reach into the top with a needle nose pliers or long tweezer and gently remove it. It took my home maintenance person less than 3 minutes and I watched him closely as he did it.It took just another minute or two for him to replace the showerhead. The supplied tape is more than adequate. The existing shower arm and flange were strong enough to support it (knowing the Speakman would be heavier than the old head, I I bought a new one just in case, but will be returning it as it wasn’t needed.)When the old showerhead was removed, I saw that the flow restrictor was still in it. For comparison, before hooking up the Speakman, we removed the restrictor on the old head and hooked it back up. It did make a difference, which had me wondering whether I even needed a new showerhead as opposed to just needing the restrictor removed in the old one. Then we hooked up the Speakman. The Speakman was much so more powerful I had no doubts I made the right choice.It is really solidly built and I know from my old one it will last for years. So if your current showerhead is just ho-hum (as opposed to awful, which mine wasn’t, so I can’t speak to that) and you just want more power, I highly recommend this one and just removing the black ring restrictor.

My last apartment suffered from insufficient tap pressure.Taking a shower with a regular head felt like shaking an after-rain tree leaving much to be desired.I've gone through couple of well known shower-head brands and thought I had got the best I can fromthe bad water pressure mains. When a long-running shower head clogged, the replacements from the samecompany were the underwhelming low-flow models significantly inferior to the model 7 years prior.After receiving another shower of disappointment from a replacement got at a local major department store, it was searching time again.I was hesitant about this model, I thought the water throughput wasn't going to be enough, but I was wrong.The first thing that struck me, was the weight of the head. It feels very solidly built and its best feature is no crazy settings! Just simple strong stream, dribble and a blend between the two. Perfect option for the layman.My first attempt at installation sprayed everything around as I had not installed the important Teflon tape!Few turns of tape around the threads and I was in business.My once weak stream was now bordering on a nice pleasant massage!I took the shower head with me when I moved and greatly enjoy it at the new place which has even better water mains pressure :-DHighly recommend to anyone who wants a simple but strong water pressure head.Two thumbs up!