Sophie Conran for Burgon & Ball Indoor Watering Can Review

Overview

This is the thrift alternative to the Haws Fazeley Flow — the can to buy if you want a properly designed indoor watering tool without paying Haws prices. It is made by Burgon & Ball, which has been making tools in Sheffield since 1730, as part of its range designed with Sophie Conran. Burgon & Ball sells it as a greenhouse and indoor can.

Design and Build

The current version is galvanised steel — steel coated in zinc to resist rust — with a brass seal carrying the Sophie Conran logo on top. It measures 22cm tall, 39cm long and 12.5cm deep, and weighs 274g empty. Earlier colourways used a powder-coated finish over galvanised steel; at least one major retailer lists those as no longer available, so check which finish you’re buying.

The spout is the part that matters, and Burgon & Ball describes it as slender and designed for targeted watering — long enough to reach behind foliage and pour at the base of a plant. The company also describes the handle as sliding through the hand as the can tilts forward to pour, which is what you want from an indoor can: the pour comes from a tilt of the wrist, not a lift of the whole arm.

Pouring Precision

This is where you find out whether a watering can is serious or merely decorative, and the spout geometry is the tell. A narrow bore and a long, shallow curve give you a stream you can place — at the base of a Calathea or African violet, without wetting the leaves — rather than a glug you aim in the general direction of the pot.

Where it gives ground to the Haws is the spout tip. The Fazeley Flow’s spout is precision-cut so the stream stops cleanly when you tip the can back; the Burgon & Ball makes no equivalent non-drip claim. Expect to be slightly more careful at the end of each pour.

Capacity

At 1.7 litres, it holds 70% more than a two-pint (1-litre) Haws. For anyone watering more than a dozen pots in a session, the extra reservoir means fewer trips back to the tap. The trade-off is weight: 1.7 litres of water is 1.7kg, so a full can is around 2kg — still a one-handed lift, but you’ll notice it by the end of a long round.

Durability

Galvanised steel resists rust through its zinc coating rather than a layer of paint, so there is no finish to chip off and expose bare metal. If you buy one of the older powder-coated colourways, the coloured layer can chip if the can is knocked against a sink or pot rim often enough — dry it after use and don’t store it wedged against a ceramic pot.

Value

This is where the can earns its place. At £27.99 it costs around half the price of the galvanised two-pint Haws (£52.50) and well under half the brass one (£75), while holding more water. On a “things accomplished per pound spent” axis, it’s the better buy for most people.

Who Is It For?

This is the can for the plant keeper who wants the right tool but isn’t ready to spend £50 or more on a watering can. It’s also a sensible second can for a separate room — the same targeted pour without doubling up on the expense.

Where the Haws Wins

Two places. First, the Fazeley Flow’s precision-cut, non-drip spout is purpose-built for exactly this job, and Haws backs it with a five-year guarantee. Second, the Haws is available in solid copper and brass, which develop a patina rather than simply wearing — if part of what you’re buying is the object itself, that matters.

For most readers, those distinctions don’t justify the price gap. For some, they do — that’s a personal call about how much your daily watering ritual matters to you.

The Verdict

The Sophie Conran for Burgon & Ball indoor can is the right thrift option in a category where the temptation is to buy a £5 plastic can and regret it. Spend under £30, get a can that does most of what the Haws Fazeley Flow does with more capacity, and put the difference toward the rest of your plant care kit.

Sources

• Burgon & Ball: Sophie Conran Greenhouse & Indoor Watering Can – Galvanized — capacity, materials, dimensions, weight, price, spout and handle description.
• John Lewis: Sophie Conran for Burgon & Ball Indoor Watering Can, 1.7L — powder-coated colourway, listed as no longer available.
• Burgon & Ball: Our heritage timeline — Sheffield, since 1730.
• Haws comparison figures from our Haws Fazeley Flow review sources.
• Specifications and prices checked October 2026.

Correction, October 2026: an earlier version of this page described this can as a powder-coated Burgon & Ball can priced at £20–£25. It is the Sophie Conran for Burgon & Ball can, currently sold in galvanised steel at £27.99; the review has been updated to match the manufacturer’s specifications. See how we review.