I actually tried one of those smaller rainfall heads (think mine's about 7 inches?) after my old showerhead decided to spray everywhere but down, lol. Honestly, pressure-wise it's been pretty decent without any extra boosters or valves. Not exactly a power wash, but definitely enough to rinse shampoo out comfortably. Might be worth grabbing a cheaper one first just to test how your plumbing handles it before investing in anything fancy...
Good call on trying out a smaller rainfall head first—it's a smart move to test how your plumbing handles things before dropping serious cash. Sometimes bigger isn't always better, especially if your water pressure isn't super strong to begin with. I've seen people jump straight to those oversized luxury heads and end up disappointed when they're left standing under a sad drizzle. Sounds like you found a decent compromise between comfort and practicality...nice when that happens, right?
"Sometimes bigger isn't always better, especially if your water pressure isn't super strong to begin with."
Haha, ain't that the truth? I learned that lesson the hard way when I got super excited and installed one of those giant rainfall heads right after moving into my first house. Ended up feeling like I was showering under a leaky watering can—pretty sad stuff. Did you have to tweak anything else besides downsizing the showerhead to get it working right, or was that enough to tame the rogue spray?
I get the appeal of downsizing, but honestly, you don't always have to ditch the big showerhead. Had a similar issue myself—water pressure was meh, and the spray was going everywhere but down. Turned out the real culprit was mineral buildup in my pipes. Gave them a good flush with vinegar (yeah, sounds weird but it works), swapped out the old shower arm for one with a better angle, and boom...rainfall bliss without sacrificing size. Might be worth checking before giving up on your dream showerhead altogether.
Good call on the vinegar flush—it's surprising how often mineral buildup is the sneaky culprit behind shower woes. Had a similar issue myself, but in my case, it was actually the showerhead itself clogging up over time. Took it apart, soaked the pieces overnight in vinegar, and the difference was night and day. Didn't even need to mess with the pipes or swap arms. Definitely worth trying before downsizing or buying something new. Plus, there's something oddly satisfying about seeing all that gunk dissolve away...
