Garden sprayers are useful tools for any garden or lawn – they help you to easily apply various types of liquids such as weed killers, fertilizers, insecticides or plain water.

Here we present you our most recommended models with ratings, prices and reviews:

Comparison with other recommended models:

No matter if you are a homeowner or a professional landscaper, it will help you take care of your yard, dispense fertilizers, pesticides, weed killers or just water wherever you need. But you can also use it for cleaning your car, boat, garage floor or home exterior, it’s a versatile tool without a doubt.

How to choose a garden sprayer?

We can say there are three main types of sprayers:

• Backpack – the most convenient units. The large tank enables you to maintain even large properties and thanks to the padded straps and waist belt they are also comfortable to wear. Plus the large pump handle enables you to spray with one hand and build pressure using the other hand at the same time.
• Handheld – suitable for smaller gardens and yards. They are inexpensive and compact, you just carry them in your hand or over a shoulder using a strap. Also you can get a few of them to avoid cross-contamination – 1 for fertilizer, 1 for herbicide etc. Only the pumping can get a bit frustrating, you have to take it off your shoulder every time, pump it on the ground and then put it back on.
• Spray Bottles – very cheap and perfect for indoor use or some smaller tasks outdoors. Again, thanks to the low price you can get one bottle for cleaning solution, one for plain water, vinegar, fertilizer and so on.

So we advise you to start this way – think about where and for what tasks are you going to use your sprayer on and decide which type will be the best option for you.

Prefer a certain brand?

If you have owned some sprayer in the past, chances are you would like to search for products from that particular brand – so here they are:

Parts of a garden sprayer

Tank and harness

Most garden sprayers offer a quality tank that is durable and resistant to chemicals. Backpack units mostly come with a 4-gallon one – but don’t worry, thanks to the harness system with padded straps and a waist belt it doesn’t feel as heavy as you might think. The harness distributes the weight evenly and you won’t feel overly tired even after a few hours of use. And if you encounter any trouble when putting it on, place it on a table (or another elevated position) first.

Considering handheld models, 1-gallon is the most popular option, followed by the 2-gallon one. The 3-gallon is probably too heavy to be carried in your hand or over your shoulder using a strap.

But one of the main advantages of smaller tanks is their lower cost so you can get a few of them and use each one for different task to avoid cross-contamination. For example you can use one for herbicide, one for fertilizer or bleach and so on.

Pump

To be able to spray the liquid, you need to develop enough pressure first. Handheld sprayers use a simple manual pump and keep the entire tank under pressure (like when you use a pumping water gun) – so be careful not to open the tank before releasing the pressure first (by spraying some liquid out or using a pressure relief valve), otherwise the chemicals can burst out and into your face.

Backpack sprayers use more sophisticated pump mechanism – the solution is sent into a pressurizing chamber first and seals and valves hold it under pressure there until you squeeze the trigger. So the tank is not under pressure and you can open it whenever you want.

Hint: Look for Viton seals, they offer the best chemical resistance and protection against leakage.

Considering the power of these tools most sprayers provide about 60 PSI but even 150 is not that rare. You can expect reaching up to the first storey of your house using a narrow stream.

Types of pumps

We can distinguish piston and diaphragm pumps; however, all sprayers we reviewed use a piston pump (which is cheaper but not suitable for highly abrasive chemicals) – so let’s focus rather on manual versus motorized pumps.

The manual type is the most common – simpler, cheaper and doesn’t require batteries to operate, you just pump using the handle. Good news is that most manual pumps are very effective these days, the pumping is smooth and easy and you can spray and build pressure at the same time.

On the other hand, battery powered pumps keep the pressure on the desired level automatically and make spraying even more comfortable. The working time of these units is fairly long (from 40 minutes to 1.5 hour per one battery) but they are also more expensive of course.

Wand and nozzles

When you press the trigger, the liquid is pushed through the hose and wand onto your desired target. The wand itself enables you to spray hard-to-reach places or around thorns more easily and also reach over your head. It should offer a comfortable grip and also a lock-on so you don’t have to hold the trigger all the time.

And some sprayers present even additional functions like a shutdown mechanism to prevent dripping of chemicals or wand extensions to offer you a better reach.

Depending on the particular sprayer, you get also a selection of 2-5 exchangeable nozzles with various spray patterns and coverage so you can select the most appropriate one for the current task. The most popular are the adjustable tip (offering all kinds of spray from a stream to fine mist) and various fan sprays for covering areas of different sizes – from a small flower patch to an entire orchard.

Some units also accept TeeJet nozzles so you get access to another huge collection of tips.

Considering material, bronze or brass tips are more expensive of course but also last much longer. So the most common situation is that you receive one brass tip (the adjustable one most often) plus some plastic nozzles.

Filtration system

The last thing you want to happen is getting your wand or nozzles clogged by debris. That’s why garden sprayers offer a protection in a form of several stages of filtration, mostly 2-4. For example one filter in the tank opening, second between the tank and hose and third in the wand itself.

Classical versus Euro style

You may be confused that there are two different styles of backpack sprayers – but there’s not a big difference between them and it comes down to each user’s preference.

The Euro style is more compact when compared to the bulky classical model, but the pump handle is located firmly on the left side and you cannot select its location like on most classical units.

Maintenance

The most important procedure to ensure your sprayer will last a long time is cleaning. Make sure to clean the tank after each use and spray at least 1/2 gallon of clean water to flush out the hose, want and nozzles. Leave the cap off for some time to air dry.

And of course make sure to check the manual which chemicals can or cannot be used with that particular sprayer. For example some units do not accept acidic solutions and there have been cases of people destroying the pump by spraying vinegar.

Safety

• Wear protective equipment at least on your hands and face (depending on the nature of the liquid of course).
• Inspect your sprayer for any leaks frequently – your don’t want chemicals running down your back.
• Keep it away from kids
• Release the pressure if you are not using the sprayer, particularly in extreme conditions (winter storage). Also do not leave a pressurized unit on direct sun.