OMORC Water Timer vs Gardena Water Timer: two quality garden watering systems compared

Summer is well and truly here, bringing with it some delightfully sunny days and warmer evenings. But with that comes a greater need to protect your precious lawn and shrubs. To help out, we've found the best garden watering system and today we're comparing two excellent water timers from OMORC and Gardena.

If you're like me, "garden watering system" brings to mind something very grand advanced; a network of robots that seamlessly move across the grass, watering and tending to it as they go. The reality is a little different, but no less useful.

From OMORC and Gardena, two venerable sellers on Amazon, you get a choice between high-tech and low-tech watering systems, both of which easily plug into your hose or sprinkler system. No need to buy anything else.

So, let's jump into our comparison guide.

• The best lawn sprinklers

OMORC vs Gardena: features

The first and biggest thing you'll notice about these two is simple: the OMORC includes a fancy 3-inch LCD while the Gardena is a much more standard arrangement, a circular timer that controls when water can be released. 

If you fancy something futuristic, then the choice has basically been made for you: the OMORC includes controls for daily water scheduling, length of watering, and a rain delay. There are also two types of outdoor tap connection and a selection of rubber washers to make things just so. 

The Gardena has taken a different tact: a spring-loaded timer can be set for anywhere between five and 120 minutes (plus a continuous setting for when you're around), letting water pass through to your sprinkler system or hose with ease. 

It's pretty much that simple. Being a gadget website, you can guess which one our preference is but you also can't be the simplicity of a physical timer controlling how and when the water runs and the garden becomes that much greener. 

The only downside to the OMORC system is that it needs two AA batteries. 

• The best hoses

OMORC vs Gardena: design and use

The design differences between the two aren't hard to miss. One includes a futuristic-looking screen, the other is basically one giant timer. Your preference will absolutely come down to how you feel about having a screen on something that could only be a timer. 

In terms of using the two water systems, the OMORC water timer is the clear winner, going far beyond simply turning your hose on and off again. You can change how long water flows through, how often, when the next start time is, and loads more. It's a fully-featured control panel for watering your garden and we love it. 

Of course, some of you might be content with the simplicity of off/on and for that, you can't go wrong with the Gardena. 

• The best hose guns

OMORC vs Gardena: verdict

By now, you've almost certainly made your choice but we'll spell out the differences one last time, just in case you skipped straight to the end. 

If you want a fully-featured watering system, the OMORC is the ideal choice: the LCD display gives you tonnes of insights into how things are set up, when the next watering will be, and so on. While this might be too much information for some, we think it's the best way to closely control how your garden is fed this summer. 

For anyone that wants something a bit more simple, the Gardena is the ideal choice: a spring-loaded timer can be set for up to two hours, ensuring you never accidentally leave the hose on overnight or while you're away. 

Good deals can likely be found on both models, but overall we recommend the OMORC just because it can do that little bit more. 

• The best outdoor solar lights
• The best patio heater
• The best garden tools