rfish's Full Review: LR Nelson Turbo-Heart 17-Jet Oscillating Sprinkler...
It seems like a plastic lawn sprinkler only lasts about one year. Fortunately the one I just replaced has been working fine for three years. Since I had such good luck with the Nelson brand I decided to give another one a try. I went to my local Wal-Mart and looked around and had no problem finding a Nelson model that fit my needs. I decided on the Nelson Turbo-Heart 17-Jet Oscillating Sprinkler with 3,000 Square-Foot Coverage.
Product Detail
The Nelson Turbo-Heart 17-Jet Oscillating Sprinkler has a coverage area of 3,000 square-feet. It has a TURBO-HEART cam which prevents puddles. This is really important if you are watering a newly seeded lawn. If puddles form, the seed could rot and not germinate leaving bare spots that you will need to re-seed at a later date making your lawn look spotty. My lawn is established (20+ years) so this feature really isn't very important to me. I do, however, want my lawn to be watered evenly.
This model is of medium duty construction with a body of flexible lightweight plastic. It has a curved aluminum arm with 17 precision jet nozzles that are designed to prevent clogging. The Turbo-Heart cam insures an even and consistent water distribution. The internal drive parts have been used in the Nelson sprinklers since 1984 with great success.
The base feet are 18 inches long and are spaced 6 inches apart making the unit very stable. I have run this for about a week and it hasn't tipped over or moved any.
The pattern control dial has 4 basic patterns (full, right, left, and center). With all the positions, in-between those 4 basic ones, there are a total of 54 different positions.
My Experiences
As I said earlier I have only used this sprinkler for a week but I have been very pleased. It is very quiet and covered my entire front lawn by only moving it once (This is because the lawn is wide). I didn't see any puddles and I looked because there are some little low spots in places. I was actually quite impressed with how much area got watered without moving the sprinkler like I had to do with the old one (but that was a bit smaller).
If you are looking for a sprinkler that does a very good job the Nelson Turbo-Heart 17-Jet Oscillating Sprinkler is worth the price. I only paid $7.95 but this could have been an end of season price. Actually if I can find another one on clearance this fall I would buy a backup.
I haven't tried all of the pattern control dials settings yet and have used the full setting most of the time. I did try the left setting, next to my house, to prevent watering the house. My wife gets upset when water comes in the windows (I guess I don't blame her). I have had no problems with nozzle clogging.
Rectangular spray pattern up to 3,000 sq.-foot Impact-resistant plastic base Curved aluminum spray tube with 17 precision jets, Weight: 2.04 lbs., Man...More at Amazon
rectangular spray pattern up to 3-000 sq. ft. turbo-heart. impact resistant plastic base. curved aluminum spray tube with 17 plastic precision jets.More at UnbeatableSale, Inc.
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