I've lived with this shower head now for about five months, so I'm past the honeymoon period and can post a more objective review. I would like to piggyback on other reviewers' complaints about the stiffness of the hose, with which I completely agree. In fact, I was curious about what a Techniflex hose actually is. I'm not the sort of person who's taken in by tikky-techy euphemisms, like calling a mattress and box-spring, "high performance sleep system technology". Therefore, I did a little research. It turns out that Techniflex is a manufacturer of industrial grade hoses used in the defense and aviation industries. Impressive. It's another example of the quality of the materials used. However, it perhaps also explains why the hose always seems to be flying on autopilot. I know it sounds like nitpicking at first, but in reality, not only was I forced to remove the shower caddy to accommodate the hose, the stiffness continually causes the shower head to pivot unpredictably in its holder. As a result, I can never quite situate it in a stable central position for long. Even the change of water pressure or water temperature can affect the pliability of the hose and cause the head to turn away. Mind you, this is a complaint I'm making after five months of continuous daily use, which hasn't had any effect in softening the hose. It simply persists, and even thwawps me in the chest on some days! Again, as others have said, the nicest design feature is the push-button to change the flow settings. My last handheld shower head had a cumbersome dial built into the head, so every time I wanted to change the setting while I was showering, it meant futzing with the dial through a face-full of water. The placement of the push-button in the design of the Hansgrohe is thoughtful and ergonomic, and you can effectively use this feature without having to keep your eyes open--which just makes sense in a shower. I'm not as wowed by the actual flow settings, themselves. I tend to rely on the main shower setting because it's the one that's most effective at doing anything. In this regard, I'm disappointed with this shower head, especially for the money. As poorly constructed as my last shower head was, it always put out a strong enough flow or spray of water; the alternative "massage" settings were water effects that I could actually feel, and its "rain" setting actually felt like rain. This is not the case with the Hansgrohe. Granted, the product's name is "Raindance," so that's the major effect it is supposed to communicate. The product description, however, sets up significantly high expectations in claiming, "Extraordinary shower fun,...three unique spray modes: Rain AIR, Rain, and Whirl AIR. Each droplet of water is infused with air, delivering an invigorating high performance shower." Yeahhhh--"high performance" it is not. I can't be one hundred percent certain of this, but I think buyers should be aware of the possibility that this product will not perform as well if the water pressure falls under a certain level. And, for the money spent on this device, I really expected it to have done a better job aerating the water and "invigorating" me. In fact, the statement, "Each droplet of water is infused with air," may be accurate, because droplets are all you get. On the other hand, when something is described as "infused with air," you anticipate extra flow. I expected the Hansgrohe to put out at least as strong a flow as my last shower head, rather than a substantially weaker one. The regular rain setting--not the Rain AIR (why is "AIR" in all caps, anyway?!)--might be just right for an infant, because it's so gentle you can barely feel it on your skin. However, neither this nor the Whirl setting are strong enough to feel as if they're doing much else but rinsing you and leaving half your body exposed to the chilly air. Unfortunately for me, that's not the kind of shower I like to take, nor is it the kind I find relaxing! So far, I can't disagree with any of the other reviewers who have commented on the quality of the materials: they are holding up very well, and it's nice to use something that isn't just a shiny veneer over cheap plastic. Although more time may be needed in order to determine if there's any corrosion or wear, so far the product seems like it was built to last... I'm just not sure I really want it to. Honestly, as well made as the Hansgrohe 04520000 is, I'm probably going to search for another shower head in the coming year. As the opening sentence of this review suggests, I feel like I'm just "living with it" because I spent $110 on the product and feel like I should give my investment a chance. However, if I'm to be perfectly honest with myself, this relationship isn't working out. I'm actually rather disappointed.
