I just put the new tub and fixtures in last year , Niagara makes a shower wand that is half decent and at 1.5gpm
Earth® Handheld Showerhead by Niagara Conservation
The Moen valve did have the threaded connections ,you can buy it with or without the threads. I wish I bought without the threads , as I did not trust the threads so I took the valve out and soldered the threaded joints together.
My house has copper plumbing and plastic drains which I like. I do not want nor trust the Pex to be safe to drink from or last any longer then any other plastic article does. Garbage in my opinion and expect a failure in 10 or 20 years is my predication.