The old screw holes decide more than the finish does
A rail set is a rail, a sliding holder, a hose and usually a hand shower, and it is nearly always bought to replace one that is already screwed to a tiled wall. That makes bracket spacing the number that decides the job: if the new brackets land on the old holes, it is a ten-minute change; if they miss by 3 cm, it is drilling into tile. Several makers publish an adjustable spacing range for exactly this reason, and those are worth paying for. Rail diameter matters if you plan to keep your existing holder — 18, 22 and 25 mm all exist and do not interchange. Then the ordinary things: rail length, which sets how far the holder travels, hose length, and whether the holder tilts or only slides. We compare rail length, bracket spacing and whether it is adjustable, rail diameter, what the set includes, hose length, and holder adjustment.
Rail set · four-mode hand shower · separate water-saving seal supplied · height-adjustable slider · complete fixings · German maker
A complete rail set for fifteen euros whose most interesting part is a separate water-saving washer you can choose to fit — or not.
Best for: A first fit or a rental where the whole set has to be replaced cheaply, on a wall being drilled fresh.
≈ £18 / 15 €
Rail set · 70 cm two-part stainless rail · 22 mm diameter · brackets 30–65 cm · holder slides and turns 180° · NO head, NO hose
A rail and a holder, fully dimensioned — and deliberately without a hand shower or a hose, because you already have those.
Best for: A rail that has corroded or a holder that has snapped, where the hand shower and hose are still perfectly good.
≈ £24 / 20 €
Rail set · 65 cm rail · 100 mm two-mode head · 160 cm hose · EcoSmart limits to 9 l/min at any pressure · 5-year warranty
A rail set whose flow is held at 9 l/min whatever your pressure does — which is a different and better promise than a saving percentage.
Best for: A household with variable mains pressure, where the shower should feel the same every day.
≈ £45 / 44 €
Rail set · 70 cm two-part stainless rail · 22 mm · brackets 30–65 cm · 10 × 12 cm three-mode head · 150 cm stainless hose · holder turns 180°
The complete version of the rail above: same 70 cm bar and same 30 to 65 cm bracket range, with a three-mode head and a stainless hose added.
Best for: A full rail replacement on an already-drilled tiled wall, where the existing holes are 30 to 65 cm apart.
≈ £18 / 30 €
Rail set · 60 cm rail · three-mode head · 175 cm hose · 8 l/min · full flow from 1.0 bar · glue or drill, ADHESIVE NOT SUPPLIED
A rail set that can be glued instead of drilled — and does not include the adhesive, which is the sentence to read before ordering.
Best for: A rented flat with tiles nobody wants drilled, on a supply that may be weak.
≈ £58 / 49 €
