Choosing between an electric shower and a mixer shower is not really a matter of preference; it comes down to what the property's existing hot water system can actually deliver, and the two options make very different demands on it.

Neither option is a universal upgrade over the other; each solves a different starting condition, and the right call is decided by the pipework already in the property, not by brand preference.

The kilowatt rating printed on an electric shower's box is the single number most buyers look at first, and it is also the most misunderstood. A higher kW rating does not mean a more powerful shower in every sense; it means the unit can heat a given flow of water through a larger temperature rise. Those two things, flow rate and temperature rise, are locked together by the electrical supply available, and pushing one up necessarily limits the other.

Explore this further at trade plumbing supplies.

Cost is the other real variable. Braided hoses cost more than rubber equivalents, and for buyers working through volume on multiple jobs, that difference adds up over a year of trade supplies. The right call is matching hose type to the duty and visibility of the specific connection, rather than defaulting to one type across every job regardless of application.

A braided hose is built around an inner core, usually rubber or PTFE, with an outer layer of woven stainless steel strands wrapped tightly around it. That braid does not stop the core from ageing, but it does two useful things: it takes on most of the mechanical load and abrasion resistance, protecting the inner core from damage, and it gives a visible early-warning sign if something is wrong, since a failing braided hose often bulges or shows a strand starting to fray before it lets go completely. Rubber hoses tend to fail with far less warning.