I was pretty skeptical about silicone nozzles too, until we finally got one after our old showerhead started spraying sideways and hitting the wall more than us. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much, figured it was just marketing hype. But yeah, the cleaning really is easier... no more vinegar baths or toothpick surgery every couple of months. Just a quick rub with your thumb and the deposits come right off.
But you're totally right about the prices lately—they've gotten ridiculous. We lucked out and grabbed ours during some random clearance event at the hardware store (pure luck, honestly). If it hadn't been marked down, I probably wouldn't have bothered. But now that we've had it for a while, I'm glad we did. It just feels sturdier than those brittle plastic ones we used to have. I remember once soaking our old plastic showerhead in vinegar overnight, thinking I was doing something smart—next morning it literally cracked apart in my hands when I tried to reattach it. Lesson learned.
Anyway, if you can catch one on sale or clearance somewhere it's definitely worth considering. It's not life-changing or anything, but it definitely solved our rogue shower spray issue without much fuss. And hey, fewer surprise sideways sprays means fewer slips and trips in the shower—which is always a win in my cautious homeowner book.
Totally agree silicone nozzles are easier to maintain, but honestly, if you're stuck with an older plastic one right now and it's spraying all over, there's a quick fix. Usually, it's just mineral buildup causing uneven sprays. Try soaking it in vinegar for just an hour or two (overnight is overkill, learned that the hard way myself...). If you're careful and don't overtighten when reinstalling, it shouldn't crack. Not a permanent fix, but it'll buy you some time until you spot a decent deal on a better replacement.
Good tip about the vinegar soak, tried that myself once and it worked surprisingly well. But honestly, how do you avoid overtightening? Every time I reinstall mine, I'm paranoid it'll leak, so I end up tightening it just a bit more...and then a bit more. Next thing I know, crack city. Maybe I just need to chill out with the wrench, lol.
Totally get that paranoia, been there myself. One trick I learned early on—wrap the threads with plumber's tape (PTFE tape). Usually, two or three wraps is plenty. Then hand-tighten first, and after that just a quarter-turn more with the wrench. If you're still worried about leaks, turn the water on slowly to test it before tightening further. Saves you from cracking plastic fittings... ask me how I know, lol.
Good call on the plumber's tape, saved me more than once. Learned the hard way myself about overtightening plastic fittings—cracked a showerhead connector clean off and ended up with an indoor fountain. Not fun. One thing I'd add is to always double-check the rubber washer inside the showerhead. Had a similar spraying-everywhere-but-down issue once, and it turned out the washer was warped. Swapped it out, problem solved. Also, careful with metal wrenches on plastic fittings... I usually wrap a cloth around the fitting first to avoid scratching or cracking. Better safe than sorry, especially when water's involved.
