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Metal vs plastic hose spray gun: when the weight pays

Updated: 21 October 2026

The plastic Hozelock-type gun on the outside tap has split, and amazon.co.uk offers another light pistol or a zinc-alloy gun with the heft of a small hammer. A metal vs plastic hose spray gun decision hangs on three checks: which part failed, whether the new inlet opens your hose, and whether you can hold the weight for a whole border. Peter F. treats this as a conditional choice beside the ranked shelf. Listed weights come from the amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison. This is not a bench we ran. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The guns sit on the [metal garden hose spray gun comparison](/hub/painting-supplies/metal-garden-hose-spray-gun).

The plastic Hozelock-type gun on the outside tap has split, and amazon.co.uk offers another light pistol or a zinc-alloy gun with the heft of a small hammer.

Our top picks

Onarway Onarway metal spray gun

Best overall

Onarway Onarway metal spray gun
8.5/10about £15.74
View offer
YMTEEDIO YMTEEDIO 8-pattern gun

Alternative

YMTEEDIO YMTEEDIO 8-pattern gun
8.2/10about £16.99
View offer
Draper Draper 7-pattern gun

Best value

Draper Draper 7-pattern gun
8.3/10about £12.49
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What actually breaks
  2. 2.Weight and cold
  3. 3.Frost does not care which body you bought
  4. 4.When metal, when plastic

What actually breaks

A crack through the body is a different job from a weep at the joint. When the plastic shell or the trigger housing keeps splitting, a metal body is the part that changes that failure. When water creeps from the nose or the inlet, the usual culprit is a flat washer or an O-ring, and a zinc body does not replace an O-ring. Reviewers then meet plastic clips, thumbs, and tabs on the new gun. Fred in the Shed argues that a metal body still depends on plastic fittings and rubber washers. That is one person's testing, not a lifespan you can budget. On The Woodhaven II thread, owners say Hozelock plastic goes brittle in winter. Those notes have no sample size. BBC Gardeners' World in 2026 takes a heavy die-cast gun when durability is the point, and does not test the zinc guns on this table. The inlet and what a listing means by metal are on the metal garden hose spray gun buying guide.

Weight and cold

A higher gram figure still has to earn its place against your wrist. In the listings kept for this comparison, the FASBET is listed at 140 g, the Onarway at 460 g, the FANHAO at 750 g, and the YMTEEDIO at 1.05 kg. The English Garden cites a die-cast Hozelock at 610 g as hard on a weak wrist. A kilogram at arm's length is a short session. A zinc body conducts a February morning into your palm, so a light gun can still be unpleasant. Take the weight when the old housing kept splitting and you water in short bursts. Price and review history are on the best metal hose spray gun page.
Onarway Onarway metal spray gun

Testsieger

Onarway Onarway metal spray gun
8.5/10about £15.74
View offer

Frost does not care which body you bought

Water left inside the gun is what a hard frost acts on. Plastic can split, and a casting can split, when that water expands. Metal is not a frost pass. Hozelock's Ultramax FAQ sells the die-cast gun as a non-rusting alloy and still tells you to drain it and store it frost-free. Drain either type with the trigger open, the nose down, and the gun indoors. The order is on the how to use a hose spray gun page. If the body cracked because it was full and frozen, a metal gun with the same habit meets the same water. If empty plastic had gone brittle, a metal housing is the part that changes.

When metal, when plastic

Choose a metal gun when the body or the trigger housing keeps splitting, and when the new inlet matches the hose you already use. Stay with a matched plastic gun, or a lighter metal-and-plastic gun, when the connector pair works and the weight matters. A water-stop that only opens its own male can leave a sound zinc pistol dry. Thread names are on the hose spray gun fittings page. If the leak is a flattened washer and the housing is whole, fit a new washer before you pay for a heavier gun. Brass is a connector material. A zinc body is the shell. One does not stand in for the other, and neither deletes the O-ring. If the inlet disagrees, keep the plastic pair that already runs.

Common questions

Is a metal hose gun better than plastic?
A metal hose gun is the better buy when your plastic body or trigger housing keeps splitting and the new inlet still matches the hose. A plastic gun, or a lighter metal-and-plastic gun, is the better buy when the connector pair already works or when you cannot hold the extra weight. The sources here do not give a lifespan in years.
Why do plastic guns split?
Owners describe a crack through the body or trigger housing, and pin-prick leaks that then run. On The Woodhaven II thread, Hozelock plastic is said to go brittle in winter. The posts have no sample size and do not give you a year you can budget.
Will a metal gun still leak?
A metal gun still leaks when the washer, the O-ring, or a plastic clip is the part that has failed. People who move to metal then describe plastic thumbs, tabs, and clips giving up. A zinc shell changes the crack in the housing. It leaves a flat washer as a leak.
Is a metal gun too heavy?
It is too heavy when you cannot hold it for the watering you actually do. The FASBET is listed at 140 g, the Onarway at 460 g, the FANHAO at 750 g, and the YMTEEDIO at 1.05 kg. The English Garden cites 610 g on a die-cast Hozelock as a wrist problem. A higher number is a mass, not a quality score.
Does metal survive frost better?
A metal body does not skip a British frost. Hozelock's Ultramax FAQ calls the die-cast gun a non-rusting alloy and still says to drain it and store it frost-free. Water trapped in a closed passage expands in plastic and in metal. Empty either type, with the trigger open and the nose down.
Should you replace the gun or the washer?
Fit a new washer when the housing is intact and water weeps at the joint. Replace the gun when the body or the trigger housing has split, and renew the seal anyway. A missing O-ring leaks on the first squeeze.
What if the connector matched and the new metal one does not?
Keep the plastic gun, or buy the metal gun only with an inlet your water-stop will open. Many click connectors pass water only when their own male fitting pushes the valve. A heavier zinc pistol with the wrong end stays dry at the hose. That is a mismatched pair, not a broken gun.

Related pages

Metal garden hose spray gun

Best metal hose spray gun UK: lock or cheaper pick

Metal garden hose spray gun: checks before you buy

Hose spray gun connector UK: water-stop and clicks

How to use a hose spray gun: flush, lock and drain

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures saved for this set on 19 October 2026.

  1. Water Industry Act 1991, section 76 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. Flood and Water Management Act 2010, section 36 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. Water UK, hosepipe bans (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. Thames Water, temporary use ban (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. Water Regs UK, hose union taps (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. WaterSafe, hosepipe backflow (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. Ofwat, water pressure (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 20 October 2026)