Value for Money: Watering cans

This week, Value for Money runs the rule over four types of watering can

Ikea Watering Can

€0.89

Eighty-nine cent! Eighty-nine cent! This is, frankly, a ridiculous price to pay for a watering can – a litre of milk costs more. It is not just amazingly cheap, it’s also amazingly cool with its sharp lines and moulded red plastic shape. It holds plenty of water and comes in a range of equally vivid colours. It is not entirely without flaws, however – the funnel through which the water pours is open on the top, so vigorous pouring leads to vigorous spillage particularly if you leave it in the possession of a small child for any length of time.

Verdict: Amazing

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Victoria and Albert Museum

€45.95

This is clearly at the opposite end of the spectrum to the Ikea watering can and was bought in a shop — Avoca – which may also be considered at the other end of the price spectrum. It is undeniably very pretty (in a Laura Ashley kind of way) and does water flowers and plants but we reckon it is more of an ornament than an actual watering can. We also reckon it is prohibitively expensive. It is better for outdoor watering and offers excellent coverage but when it comes to indoor plants it leaves a lot be desired.

Verdict: Pretty, dear

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Frog King

€9.95

Ah, here now, this luridly green, bug-eyed beast is just silly. It looks a whole lot cheaper than it is and by our reckoning is vastly over-priced. It’s also of questionable use when it comes to its main function - watering flowers and plants. The nozzle sits on the nose of the frog and offers little by way of accuracy and coverage and we can’t see it having much of a life outside of a child’s bath in the years ahead.

Verdict: Sloppy and ugly

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Esschert Design

€16.95

This is another very cool product which, if treated well, and not left in the garden to die over a long, cruel winter, will give its owners many happy years watering. While it is utterly useless for hard-core outdoor watering, it is the business for indoor pots as it offers a precision that all the other products are lacking. It is so natty and precise, in fact, that you could almost forget about the watering altogether and use it instead to drizzle olive oil over your summer salads.

Verdict: Neat and tidy

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