Do you know which is one of the most overlooked bathroom parts?
You guessed it – the shower arm.
The shower arm is supposed to be as unnoticeable as possible. That just means that it has to be reliable – the best gooseneck shower arm is the one you don’t ever have to worry about because it fits perfectly and holds for 10 years or more.
We prepared a Top 5 straight and gooseneck shower arm reviews. Three of them are “S” shaped (gooseneck shower arms) that lift the showerhead for 5” or more, and two of them are straight, strong and long – perfect for mounting rainfall showerheads.
Oh, if you haven’t picked up a shower head, you can check our Top 5 picks of best rain showerheads.
You pretty much know by now if you need a gooseneck or a straight shower arm depending on where the piping enters your shower area. Here is a simple rule of thumb:
- Piping far above your head? You need a straight shower arm.
- Piping in your general head area? You need a gooseneck shower arm (lifts the showerhead above your head).
How much does a shower arm cost? The arms are relatively cheap and durable – you’re looking somewhere between $10 to 30$ for standard models (which are more than enough). Of course, you can find MOEN shower arms that cost more than $100 – here is one for about $150.
Best Shower Arm Reviews – Top 5 List
| Shower Arm: | Purelux 16'' Extra Long | LDR 520 Gooseneck Arm | SARLAI 16'' Shower Arm | MODONA Gooseneck Solid Brass | HANEBATH Brass Gooseneck |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  |
|
| Material: | Stainless Steel | Thin-Walled Brass | Solid Brass | Solid Brass | Brass |
| Distance From Wall: | 16'' | 8'' | 16'' | 12" | 12" |
| Rise: | 0'' | 10'' | 0'' | 6" | 7" |
| Quality: |  |  |  |  |  |
| Price: | $$$$ | $$$$ | $$$$ | $$$$ | $$$$ |
| Rating: | | |  | | |
| Warranty: | Lifetime | Lifetime | Unknown | 5-Year | Unknown |
| Top5er status: | Best Overall | Best Gooseneck Arm | Best Budget | Most Beautiful | Best Luxury |
| Availability: | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
1. Purelux 16” Extra Long Review – Simply The Best Pick
Picking the best shower arm is not rocket science. Purelux 16” shower arm is all about not being noticed – and that’s exactly what you want in a shower arm.
This is a straight and very long model (16 inches). The simple design and the length make it suitable for pretty much any showerhead. It will hold anything from the standard 8” showerhead to the big 16” rainfall head. Why?
Purelux shower arm is made out of stainless steel. If you go through the Top5er table again, you’ll see it’s actually the only shower arm that is made out of stainless steel – others are out of varying qualities of brass. Brass is a standard material for shower arms but if you want a higher grade material, you go for stainless steel shower arm.
It has a nickel polish that fits neatly in every bathroom design.
Basic features: It’s 16 inches long – that is very long for the shower arm and it enables you to fit any showerhead (you don’t have to worry about tight spaces). Of course, if you have a small shower room area, go for a 12-inch one instead.
It comes with the flange (the part that surrounds the arm at the wall) and it’s easy to install (2 minutes and no tools).
You can check the price of this shower arm below – it should cost $20 or so.
Pros And Cons Of Purelux 16” Shower Arm
- Best and simplest shower arm
- Will hold any showerhead (from 6” to 16”)
- Stainless steel material (top-notch)
- Very long (16”)
- Easy 2-min installation
- Beautiful brushed nickel finish
- Not suitable for very small shower areas (too long)
- Doesn’t lift showerhead like “S” shaped arms
2. LDR 520 High Rise Review – Best Gooseneck Shower Arm
If you need to raise the showerhead with a new shower arm, the straight models won’t help you. That’s what the gooseneck shower arms are for. The best one of those (that also raises the showerhead the most) is LDR 520 High Rise model.
This arm will raise the showerhead for full 10”. Other models elevate the head 6 or maybe 7 inches up. However, unlike with Purelex or other straight shower arms, you have to be careful what kind of showerhead you want to attach to it. Look at the LDR 520 design first to see where to screw on the showerhead:
At one end (the one which goes into the wall) you see a flange that comes with the arm but I want you to focus on the other side. If you see how the angle of the arm looks like you should be asking yourself what kind of showerhead can you mount of the shower arm.
For example, the big square 16” rainfall shower head won’t work here because it’s simply too big. The LDR 520 gives you the 10” inch rise but, when considering it, have in mind that this shower arm is most appropriate for a standard-sized showerhead. For example, a 6” shower head would be a perfect fit. Luckily, most of us have standard showerheads which can be simply mounted on the LDR shower arm in a minute.
You be careful about two things:
- Less distance from the wall (about 5”).
- Thin-walled brass.
With straight shower arms, you can get even 16” inches away from the wall. On the other hand, the “S” shaped arms put less distance between the wall and the showerhead, so keep that in mind, especially with the LDR 520.
The other thing to be careful about is the thin-walled brass. Brass is a great material but if it’s thin-walled you must not twist it because the outer layer will just peel away and the whole things will rust. It also isn’t resistant to damage as much as solid brass is.
Pros And Cons Of LDR 520 Gooseneck Shower Arm
3. SARLAI 16” Shower Arm Review – Best Budget Straight Arm
SARLAI is a well-known brand when it comes to bathroom supplies such as showerheads and other faucets. And yes, they have their own 16-inch long shower arm as well.
The great thing about these longer shower arms is that you can mount any showerhead on it. In fact, anything from the standard 8” head to the big 16” rainfall showerhead will fit on the end of the arm (look at the 2.5” extension at the end).
The design and the dimensions are pretty much the same as with the #1 pick. Here are the dimensions:
You can see the 1/2” NPT that is the standard with all shower arms. When figuring out how much weight can a shower arm handle, the 1/2” screw is designed to hold up even if you mount the heaviest rainfall showerhead on it.
However, compared to the #1 shower arm pick, there are two differences:
- SARLAI’s shower arm is made out of solid brass (instead of stainless steel).
- It has a chrome finish (instead of a brushed nickel)
Of course, it is better to have stainless steel and brushed nickel (that’s why Purelux shower arm is the #1 pick) but SARLAI is somewhat cheaper – even up to 20%.
Other than that, the SARLAI is a solid choice regardless of if you’re choosing one of their dual showerheads or their best straight shower arm.
Pros And Cons Of SARLAI 16” Arm
- Best budget straight shower arm
- Long 16” reach – perfect for rainfall showerheads
- 1/2” NTP will hold up any showerhead
- Comes with a flange
- Made out of brass
- Brass is not as excellent as stainless steel
- A small showerhead might look funny on the long arm
- Doesn’t lift the showerhead like “S” shaped arms
4. MODONA Gooseneck Solid Brass Shower Head – With Satin Nickel Finish
The “S” shaped shower arms have a bit of an advantage over straight ones; namely, the producers can play a bit with the design to create a beautiful shape. This is most distinctly seen with the MODONA shower arm – it’s one of the most beautifully designed shower arms out there.
On top of the beautiful “S” design, what gives the MODONA shower arm an edge is the satin nickel finish. That is a high-end finish that will fit in the well-decorated bathrooms. Here is the arm with the satin finish:
If you look closely, the “S” neck part of the shower arm actually goes to the wall a bit – this is a design feature yet unseen with other arms. What this does is give you the space to mount even the biggest shower heads.
The “S” shaped arms usually lack this extra space. Yes, they do lift the showerhead for up to 10”, you simply can’t put a 16” rain shower head on it. Well, with the MODONA you now can.
The distance from the wall is also an incredible 12 inches. Usually, only a straight shower arm will deliver such a distance, but the unique design of MODONA is much longer than a standard “S” shaped arm for the shower.
It is also made out of solid brass through and through and with a 5-year warranty, you won’t have to worry about the durability. The beautiful design and the quality material, however, do raise the price somewhat – this shower arm will cost you a little less than $30.
Pros And Cons Of MODONA “S” Shower Arm
#5 HANEBATH Gooseneck Shower Arm – Most Luxurious Pick
When designing a high-end bathroom, you should look at details and a shower arm is usually a detail that is easily missed. For luxury bathrooms, a HANEBATH Gooseneck shower arm is a smart and elegant choice.
The core of the shower arm is made out of brass and you can choose between brushed nickel and oil-rubbed bronze finish. For most bathrooms, the brushed nickel fits in nicely but if you have darker colors in the bathroom, the bronze is a more elegant fit. Here is how the bronze version of HANEBATH Gooseneck looks like:
As you can see from the design, you can fit a 12” square showerhead without tilting it. Can you fit a 16” head without tilting it? Sadly, no. The very large showerheads cannot be used with the HANEBATH shower arm.
Many people go absolutely mad because the bronze color you see is something they were looking for for a very long time. However, here is a fair warning: the picture shows the shower arm being darker than it actually is. Even when you look at the HANEBATH shower arm, you see that isn’t bronze color – it’s too black. That’s probably the angle or the lighting of this particular show – just be prepared that when you unwrap it, it will have a bronze-like shine, not a black one.
The price of the HANEBATH arm is the highest in our top 5 selection of the best shower arms. You’re looking at something like $30 or so.
Pros And Cons Of HANEBATH Shower Arm
How To Pick The Best Gooseneck Shower Arm?
When picking the best gooseneck shower arm, there are all the things from the shape of the arm to the distance from the wall and the material that you have to consider. For example:
- What is shower arm made out of? The material most commonly used for bathroom faucets is brass. Just a warning here: there is a difference between solid brass shower arms and thin-walled brass arms. The solid brass is always better; however, if you can get a shower arm made out of stainless steel, go for stainless steel – that’s top-notch material.
- How far does the shower arm extend the showerhead from the wall? The dimensions here are very important because there is an optimum place where a showerhead should be. Any distance from 10” to 20” is ok. Obviously, if you have a bigger shower head – maybe something like the big and popular 16” LORDEAR rain showerhead – you’ll need a longer shower arm (for straight arms) or will have to count a bit if you have an ‘S’ shaped arm. The simplest way, of course, is just to get the long 16” shower arm (just be careful if you have a really small shower area).
- Do you need to raise your showerhead with a shower arm? If you have the shower piping somewhere around your head area, you’ll need an ‘S’ or ‘gooseneck’ shower arm to get some extra height. You don’t want to crunch while taking a shower, right? The ‘gooseneck’ shower arms can raise the showerhead even up to 10”.
Where To Learn More About Shower Arms?
Of course, we didn’t cover everything in this Top5er piece. You’re welcome to research on your own but here are some great blogs with shower arm reviews:
- A Great Shower – they feature top 8 shower arm extensions and help you out of a jam if your piping was installed by a hobbit.
- Best Shower Heads – this is a site primarily about shower heads but they have an excellent guide on how to buy a shower arm for every kind of showerhead.
- jchansdesigns – if you need to look at some high-resolution photos of shower arms, this is the right address.
Back To You
Now it’s time for your questions or recommendations.
If you’ve used a specific shower arm, tell us how it went. If you have problems with how to install a shower arm, you can tell us the model in the comments and we’ll try to help.