Top 5 compared
The best watering cans
A gentle shower for seedlings and enough water for the pots on the deck, in one trip from the faucet.
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The top 5 at a glance
A watering can takes water to the plants a hose doesn’t reach easily: hanging baskets, window boxes, houseplants and pots by the door. Small cans are easy to lift up high and to steer between pots; bigger 2-gallon cans water a bed or a row of planters in fewer trips, but take more muscle to carry and pour.
Every can here is plastic, with a removable shower head, and Chapin and Root & Vessel make theirs in the USA. A full can is heavy all the same: water weighs a little over 8 pounds a gallon. Drips are the complaint owners raise most, often where a spout or shower head joins the can.
What matters
- A long spout, so the far side of a bed is in reach.
- A sealed joint at the shower head, against drips.
- A rear handle as well as a top one, for heavy pours.
- Measurement marks, if you mix in liquid plant food.
#1Chapin 48010 2-Gallon Watering Can (blue)
$10–$20
Made in the USA from recycled plastic, with a rubber gasket in the two-piece shower head to stop drips and a large opening that fills fast. Chapin has been making cans since 1884, when it started out with kerosene cans in Oakfield, New York.
What owners say: Sturdy enough to last many seasons, owners find, and easy to fill, even at the kitchen sink, while holding plenty without getting too heavy. Drips divide them: some have none, others get a leak after every pour.
A closer look: The shower head pulls apart in two pieces, so rinse it now and then if your water is hard or you mix in fertilizer. A full two gallons is heavy to carry, so fill it halfway for hanging baskets or anything above waist height.
- Gasket stops shower-head drips
- Two-piece head rinses clean
- Large opening fills fast
- Made in the USA
- 1-year limited warranty
Best for: Flower borders and vegetable rows
- Capacity
- 2 gal
- Material
- Recycled plastic
- Removable shower head
- Yes
#2Nerub 1-Gallon Watering Can (green)
$10–$20
Light and easy to carry, with an extra-long spout for reaching into hanging baskets and the back of a planter, and a gasketed shower head that comes off for a quicker pour. The one-piece body leaves fewer joints to leak.
What owners say: Sturdy and easy to fill, and the right size for two or three plants at a time. Owners are split on value and on drips from the spout, and several say it holds nearer half a gallon than one.
A closer look: Kept by the back door, a small can like this is ready for the deck pots and light enough to lift above shoulder height. Leave the shower head on for seedlings and new plantings, and take it off to water straight at the base of established pots.
- Extra-long spout
- Fewer joints to leak
- Weighs 8.8 oz empty
- Shatterproof
Best for: Baskets, planters and deck pots
- Capacity
- 1 gal
- Material
- Plastic
- Removable shower head
- Yes
#3Giftsfaloy 2-Gallon Garden Watering Can (dark blue)
$20–$30
A stainless steel shower head for seedlings and tender plants, and a long spout that comes off for storage. Take the head off and it pours a strong, direct stream for established beds and big pots.
What owners say: Two gallons means fewer trips around the pots, owners say, and they like the easy-pour handle and the look of it. The weak points they mention are the spout and the plastic around the shower head’s metal plate, which broke or cracked for a few, and some get drips.
A closer look: Push the spout fully into its base and tighten it before the first fill, as the maker says, so the joint doesn’t leak. At the end of the season, drain it, unscrew the spout and store both pieces in the garage or shed, out of the frost.
- Long spout comes off
- Strong stream without the head
- Wide filling opening
Best for: Seedlings, then established beds
- Capacity
- 2 gal
- Material
- Plastic, steel shower head
- Removable shower head
- Yes
#4Qilebi 2-Gallon Watering Can (alpine green)
$10–$20
Two handles share the load: one on top for carrying a full can, one at the back for a balanced pour. The long spout comes off for storage, a filter plug keeps debris from clogging it, and the stainless steel shower head gives a gentle spray.
What owners say: It fills without splashing, the sprinkler head comes off easily, and one owner finds it classier than the old plastic cans. Price opinions vary, and several had leaks where the spout screws on.
A closer look: Carry it full by the top handle and switch to the back one to pour, which keeps the weight off your wrist. When filling from a rain barrel, rinse the filter plug now and then, so leaves and grit never reach the shower head.
- Top and rear handles
- Filter plug stops clogs
- Long spout comes off
- Stainless steel shower head
- Weighs 14.4 oz
Best for: Carrying across the yard
- Capacity
- 2 gal
- Material
- Thick PP plastic
- Removable shower head
- Yes
#5Root & Vessel Classic 2-Gallon Watering Can (hunter green)
$20–$30
A classic hunter green can with a sunflower embossed on each side, made in the USA from thick, UV-resistant plastic built to sit out in the sun, with measurement marks on the side.
What owners say: Owners like that it holds enough for several plants in one trip, but many say it leaks around the spout and from the top opening, and some don’t think it worth the price.
A closer look: The capacity marks on the side make it easy to dose liquid plant food without a measuring cup. The nozzle pulls off for cleaning or a straight pour into pots, and the wide spout gives a broad shower over beds.
- Measurement marks on the side
- Sunflower embossed each side
- Wide spout for showering
- Made in the USA
Best for: Mixing plant food
- Capacity
- 2 gal
- Material
- UV-resistant plastic
- Removable shower head
- Yes
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Chapin 2 gal | #2Nerub 1 gal | #3Giftsfaloy 2 gal | #4Qilebi 2 gal | #5Root & Vessel 2 gal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | |||||
| Picked Rating | 9.1 | 8.6 | 8.5 | 8.4 | 8.4 |
| Price | $10–$20 | $10–$20 | $20–$30 | $10–$20 | $20–$30 |
| Capacity | 2 gal | 1 gal | 2 gal | 2 gal | 2 gal |
| Material | Recycled plastic | Plastic | Plastic, steel shower head | Thick PP plastic | UV-resistant plastic |
| Removable shower head | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Flower borders and vegetable rows | Baskets, planters and deck pots | Seedlings, then established beds | Carrying across the yard | Mixing plant food |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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