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Best watering cans
The rigorous Which? Gardening tests reveal the cans that are easiest to fill,
carry, pour and clean
Ceri studied horticulture at the University of Reading and RHS Wisley. She edits Which? Gardening magazine and our online gardening content.
: Watering cans can be so cheap and easy to pick up at the garden centre, they hardly seem worth thinking about. Yet this is one tool you could be using almost every day in the spring and summer, so it’s worth getting one (or two) that won’t make watering harder work than it needs to be.
The Which? Gardening researchers tested the cheapest options up to some of the priciest, and put them through their paces to find which ones will become old friends and which might get left in the shed.
Alternatively, take a look at the best garden irrigation systems and best garden hoses
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Best watering cans
Full results for watering cans
Only logged-in Which? members can view the garden irrigation systems test results below. Join Which? now to get instant access to our test scores and Best Buy recommendations below.
| Product name | Price | Overall score | Filling from a tap | Filling from a water butt | Carrying and lifting when full | Pouring with a rose - seed trays | Pouring with a rose - soil and pots | Pouring without a rose - pots | Cleaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B&Q Verve Dark Green Plastic Watering Can | SQUIRREL_TEXT_50020855 | ||||||||
| Burgon & Ball Waterfall Watering Can | SQUIRREL_TEXT_50020858 | ||||||||
| Draper 84296 Plastic Watering Can | SQUIRREL_TEXT_50015909 | ||||||||
| Geli Big Watering Can in green | SQUIRREL_TEXT_50020854 | ||||||||
| Haws The Bearwood Brook Green | SQUIRREL_TEXT_50020856 | ||||||||
| Haws The Cradley Cascader in green | Haws: £35.99 | ||||||||
| Ikea Salladskal | Ikea: £22 |
USING THE TABLE: OVERALL RATING The more stars the better. Ignores price and is based on: filling from a tap 15%, filling from a water butt 15%, carrying and lifting 20%, pouring with a rose – seed trays 15%, pouring with a rose – soil and pots 15%, pouring without a rose 15%, cleaning 5%. Filling from a water butt is a combined score of assessments for using the tap and dipping the can in from the top.
How to choose a good watering can
Filling
A large opening makes filling the watering can easier, but if the handle arches over the top, it can be awkward to get it under a tap. Water butt taps are particularly tricky.
Carrying and pouring
Despite the potential problems with filling from a tap, handles that arch in the same direction as the spout allow a more natural hand position when carrying a full can than handles that go across the width, so they feel more comfortable.
Roses
All but one of the cans in the trial came supplied with a rose, but many of them would be too coarse for delicate watering of seed trays. Some of the roses were not only coarse, but had such a random and uneven flow pattern that water went everywhere. It’s often difficult to check this until you’re using the can, but if you need the rose for a particular use, it’s worth having a close look at it if you’re in a garden centre or reading any description carefully when buying online.
Price
Although our Best Buy cans are more mid-range in price rather than a budget option, both our recommended cans cost less than £10, so there’s no need to spend a lot. Also, beware of style over substance. For example, the Eva Solo Globe got a low score because the stylised design makes it unstable – water slops out of the filling hole on the side and the rose pours with large, erratic drips.