Product Review: Gilmour Gardening Innovation's Adjustable Oscillating Sprinkler Model 8800D

The Gilmour® Gardening Innovation's Adjustable Oscillating Sprinkler is an oscillating sprinkler which has an oscillating tube which can be adjusted to oscillate left or right, as well as how wide or narrow the spray area is. If part of a lawn is long and narrow, the Gilmour® Gardening Innovation Adjustable Oscillating Sprinkler can be adjusted to full oscillation but set to sprinkle a narrow area. If the sprinkler is moved to a wider part of the lawn the spray can be adjusted to accommodate the wider area.

Gilmour® Gardening Innovation Adjustable Oscillating Sprinkler: My History with Product

I bought my first Gilmour® Gardening Innovation's Adjustable Oscillating Sprinkler in 2002. I purchased it because part of my lawn is narrower than the rest and the sprinkler's adjustability appealed to me. I have bought two since. (More on that later.)

Gilmour® Gardening Innovation Adjustable Oscillating Sprinkler: Ease to Use

The Gilmour® Gardening Innovation Adjustable Oscillating Sprinkler is easy to adjust and will adjust to nearly any odd shape lawn. It will cover an area as small as 248 square feet or as large as 4000 square feet. The ends of the oscillating tube will move up and down to give the desired width of spray. The swing of the oscillating tube can be adjusted to full, left, right or part with a turn of a knob.

Gilmour® Gardening Innovation Adjustable Oscillating Sprinkler: Care

The ends of the Gilmour® Gardening Innovation Adjustable Oscillating Sprinkler will twist off allowing water to run through the sprinkling tube to clean it out. Also, the plugs have needle-like ends so they can be used to clean the spray jets. It is recommended the water be drained out of the sprinkler after each use, especially in cold weather.

Gilmour® Gardening Innovation Adjustable Oscillating Sprinkler: Workability

The Gilmour® Gardening Innovation Adjustable Oscillating Sprinkler can be adjusted to water several different configurations. It can be set to spray narrow on one side and wide on the other (great for next to fences or buildings), or to spray a narrow areas (between two fences or buildings), or a wide area (a medium size yard).

Gilmour® Gardening Innovation Adjustable Oscillating Sprinkler: Longevity

The Gilmour® Gardening Innovation Adjustable Oscillating Sprinkler has a lifetime replacement policy. The policy is for the lifetime of the sprinkler, which I do not know how the company determines. But, personally, this is where I think the sprinkler fails. The problem I had with the first sprinkler was my fault. I drained it and put it away for the winter in an outside storage area. In the spring I hooked the sprinkler up and turned the water on. Water sprayed out of a crack in the side of the sprinkler and I immediately knew I hadn't gotten all the water drained. I bought a new one and at the end of the watering season, I drained it and stored it in the house for the winter, which I did every winter thereafter.

The second one worked well for nearly four seasons. Towards the end of the fourth summer, I noticed the water was spraying out of the bottom of the oscillating tube. A close examination revealed the plastic holding the oscillating tube to the tube that supplies the water to the oscillating tube, broke. Since the season was nearly over, I used two plastic tie-downs to hold the parts together. This worked well but within two weeks I noticed the clip which holds the oscillating tube at the proper width adjustment was also broke.

Although I feel an oscillating sprinkler should last at least five watering seasons, I liked the adjustability of the Gilmour® Gardening Innovation Adjustable Oscillating Sprinkler so much, I bought a new one. The plastic piece which broke on the Model 8800 looks to be of better (stronger) design on the new Gilmour® Gardening Innovation Adjustable Oscillating Sprinkler (Model 8800D).

Gilmour® Gardening Innovation Adjustable Oscillating Sprinkler: Cost

The Gilmour® Gardening Innovation Adjustable Oscillating Sprinkler I bought in 2003 (Model 8800) cost $19.99 at the local Ace Hardware store. The Gilmour® Gardening Innovation Adjustable Oscillating Sprinkler Model 8800D I bought this year cost $20.99 at the same local Ace Hardware store. There are some differences between the old Model 8800 and the new Model 8800D. Besides the stronger design at the new model's connection where the tube feeds the water to the oscillating tube, the base on the Model 8800D only has three sides instead of four. Also, the old Model 8800's box stated the sprinkler was made in USA. The new Model 8800D states it is assembled in the USA from imported parts.