quoting someone from the plumbing forum:
Go in any hardware store and look in the section with the generic plumbing parts and you will find a very small solid brass shower head, about 1" in diameter and it has one ring of needle sized holes. (cost about $4). Most people seeing it laugh at that little cheapie. How can anything that small and that cheap be any good you say? Well, if you like the feel of a strong force of water against your skin I can promise you, that little cheapie rivals a pressure washer nozzle in use. (It was actually originally designed for one of the major motel chains because they we tired of getting complaints about no water pressure in the showers.)

Hi David, thanks for the suggestion. Though I am hoping to find something that will match the Hansgrohe hand shower and rainshower heads that I plan on installing. I do care (more than just a bit, I must admit) about the looks of our shower, definitely want to avoid any motel looks. ALso, i am not sure that DH really wants a pressure wash every day, lol!

Lots of people say that the Speakman Anystream is one of the strongest out there but it is not that nice-looking, IMO, although it is a far cry from what David describes. I almost went with a Hansgrohe Clubmaster, which I was told was an excellent head as well. Opted for a rainhead instead.

Samuel Heath Xiara V173
Watermark Designs SH-RMN50

I only have Samuel Heath accessories, so no 1st hand knowledge of these.

anything that has a reduced set of nozzles might spray hard.

usually, it is deemed a desirable feature and highly promoted.
This means you will read text about it.

Call the 1-800-free phone service of several handshower manufacturers of the highest quality. After one or two phone calls you will latch on to the terms they use and this will enable more searching. Amazon and EBay give you alternatives once you begin searching... Post again and others will help more. If no-one has yet posted, don't give up. Within six months the various "best" alternatives will be posted.

nycbluedevil, the speakman faucet doesn't look too bad. great price too. it would be worth trying out in my current shower with little investment. i will check out the hansgrohe clubmaster also. that might be a good way to go since i am getting other hansgrohe fixtures.
IzGudea, thanks for the models. i will check them out to see. I am thinking that as long as i choose chrome finishes, i probably can mix and match showerheads easily among different companies.
David, thanks again, for more helpful suggestions. I will take a look at various showerhead specs to see how many nozzles they have. that might be a good way to determine how good their pressure is.

+ 1 on the Speakmann - though don't get the lower priced version that is mostly or all plastic. It's usually around 3-40 bucks. The metal ones are around a hundred.

I also like the Clubmaster - but it''s really expensive by most people's standards. Small price though if you really like it's spray. It'll get use everyday.

Moen makes a combination rain/focused force shower head. just flip a switch on the head and it converts from an 8" rainshower to a focused 4" center shower. it's rated at 2.5gpm, but you can remove the constricting washer and have it at full force of your water pressure. Might be a good compromise between your wishes and your DH's; it starts at a bit above $100 on Amazon.

Kramer, Newman and a 'salesman' are at the back of a van in an alley.

Salesman: All right, I got everything here. I got the Cyclone F series, Hydra Jet Flow, Stockholm Superstream, you name it.

Newman: What do you recommend?

Salesman: What are you looking for?

Kramer: Power, man. Power.

Newman: Like Silkwood.

Kramer: That's for radiation.

Newman: That's right.

Kramer (pointing to the largest one): Now, what is this?

Salesman: That's the Commando 450, I don't sell that one. What about thi-

Kramer: Well that's what we want, the Commando 450.

Salesman, Nah, believe me. It's only used in the circus. For elephants.

Newman: We'll pay anything. We've got the (hands a wad of money to Kramer). What about Jerry?

Kramer: He couldn't handle that, he's delicate.

Sorry, I don't actually have any recommendations, but your question reminded me of this Seinfeld episode. :)

antss, i saw the clubmaster for around $88 at homedepot.com. Does hansgrohe make cheaper versions and quality versions, or is this a good deal?
orchidOCD, thanks for the recommendation. that sounds like an interesting showerhead. i will definitely check it out.

bishop8, thanks for the laugh!! LOVE seinfeld.

Recommend AquaDance, Speakman, definitely a powerful and high pressure shower head. When I lived in an apartment with a very low water pressure, the water in the ordinary shower head dripped directly in the shower, there was no water pressure at all, and there was no way to shower and rinse. I was frustrated with the shower and I started researching again. The first time I used the Speakman shower head shower, I was very happy because I was able to use a shower gel, wash my hair and rinse thoroughly, and felt that the neat water flowed freely. The new Speakman shower heads finally make the shower pleasant, they provide enough pressure to make me really feel clean.