Irrigation Product Listings & Reviews
Orbit Soft Top (TM) Spray Sprinkler Heads
Description:
This is Orbit's top of the line 5400 series spray-type sprinkler with a rubber “soft cap” added. It is marketed in both a professional and retail model. The soft rubber cap helps protect people from injury if they fall on the sprinkler. The soft rubber on the top of the cap can be pealed off, however it is well attached and should not come off with normal use. On the sample I randomly purchased at a local store the sprinkler cap had bonded to the body and required a wrench to remove. It appears that the wiper seal had somehow become “glued” to the cap. Some of the wiper seal was still stuck to the cap after I forced the cap off. This appears to be an abnormal incident, so I am not overly concerned about it. I would suggest checking the sprinklers before buying them as the cap would have been impossible to remove after the head was installed without removing the entire sprinkler from the ground.
This sprinkler has a good quality wiper seal. It has a good ratchet mechanism, although I would prefer that it be just a bit harder to turn in order to prevent slipping out of alignment. All in all, a good sprinkler for the price. A word of warning, a lot of industry pros look down their noses at Orbit products because the products are sold retail to the public and generally are not carried by the sprinkler wholesale stores that contractors tend to buy from. But I can't find any significant difference in quality between this sprinkler and any of the other sprinklers more often preferred by contractors.
Unfortunately this sprinkler is not available with pop-up heights over 4 inches. This makes in unsuitable for use in most shrub areas. The retail model comes with a 12' radius adjustable arc nozzle pre-installed, other radius nozzles must be purchased separately. Be sure to remove the nozzle before installing the sprinkler head. After you have flushed out the heads reinstall the nozzles.
I consider any sprinkler with a pop-up height less than 3 inches unacceptable in most circumstances due to the increased maintenance necessary to trim grass away from the head. I would only use low pop-up heights for bubblers or shrub areas with widely-spaced shrubs and no ground cover.
Professional Models:
- 54455 4" pop-up Soft Top
- 54456 4" pop-up Soft Top w/ check valve
- 54447 2" pop-up Soft Top
- 54448 2" pop-up Soft Top w/ check valve
Retail Models:
- 54114 4" pop-up Soft Top w/ 12' Adjustable Arc Nozzle
- 54113 2" pop-up Soft Top w/ 12' Adjustable Arc Nozzle
Specifications:
- Minimum pressure: 15 PSI
- Maximum pressure: 75 PSI
Features:
Features noted “(optional)” do not come standard with the product and must be specifically requested when ordering. For a description of each of the features below click here.
- Wiper seal.
- Spring retraction.
- Filter screen.
- Ratchet mechanism.
- Matched precipitation rate nozzles.
- Color coded nozzles.
- Universal female thread nozzle.
- Check valve (optional.) The part number for ordering the check valve without the sprinkler is 54461.
Manufacturer's Performance Data:
For available nozzles and nozzle performance data click here.