Pressure washer shite - recommendations from shiters

[dave21478]

God damn, i hate pressure washers...i FUCKING HATE THEM. Unfortuntely, I need one, so am open to recommendations.

 

I used to have a shitty wee thing bought from Argos decades ago that was about the size of a handbag. It has terrible nylon hose tube that kinked if bent past more than about 40 degrees and was just generally crap. Since you couldnt coil up the hose neatly and it didnt have swiveling couplings it was just a nightmare of tangled pipe and power cable and it took up about as much space in the garage as a small car. However, it worked well enough. It eventually died and I wanted to invest a bit of cash into a decent one. I did my usual and spent about a month going back n forth between a few shops and internet sites comparing details and specs in anal detail and eventually settled on an Erbraur. It certainly looked the part with a storage reel to wind the hose on, internal soap tank etc, and according to the spec was the most powerful in that price bracket.

It was DOGSHIT from day one....significantly weaker than the cheap Argos job it replaced. I found in the user manual in tiny print near the back that the claimed pressure and flow figures that feature in large print on the box are "theoretical maximums measured under laboratory conditions" and the actual usable ratings were about 40% lower. ie the sly wankers had over-driven the pump to the point of it blowing and measured what it put out for half a second before it died and used that as their fucking rating.

It was plagued with other problems including a weeping trigger valve which let out a thin trickle of water which meant it kept cycling on for half a second and off again to keep the pressure up to the point the thermal cutout would trip. The hose reel was designed by a lunatic and literally impossible to use as intended and .....holy fuck I am having anger-induced palpitations just thinking about it. Of course the shop didnt see anything "wrong" with it and refused to take it back so I raged out and binned the bastard at two days old.

I ended up buying a Lavor branded one, which are supposedly good. it was......ok at best. High pressure but relatively low flow rate so ideal for scribing thin lines in the dirt but not actually washing it away. It had quick-release couplings to change the end of the lance between the fan and rotating thing. I found out the hard way to be very careful and triple-check its fully locked before pulling the trigger by firing the end off and putting a dent in the bonnet of the Metro.

It lasted EXACTLY the length of its guarantee period and suddenly started leaking from every single joint within a few days of each other.

 

I just fucked it off and for car cleaning use a jetwash in town which is fine, but I have about a million square miles of patios and steps and stuff at work to clean so need to buy one. I am happy to put decent money into a good one, but holy fuck how are you supposed to know which ones are good? I have been warned off Karcher stuff as the modern ones are Fischer Price quality as pictured above.

 

I will re-type a previous rant on the subject here.....

You want a nuclear powered robot remotely exploring Mars? yeah no problem, there are half a dozen up there now. 

You want a miracle machine that can give real-time images inside the human body? easy...every hospital has them.

You want a small hand-held device that gives access to the entire knowledge, history and experience of the whole human race? Tesco sell them for fifty quid.

You want a pressure washer that isnt shit? lol nope.

You want a wheeled device that doesnt fall over if the ground isnt mathematically flat? A sprung reel for cable storage like even the cheapest vacuum cleaners have had for decades? A larger, stronger version of that reel for the pressure hose like those air-line reels I can buy for fifty quid? you want the pressure hose to be made from actual rubber so its flexible and resistant? you want the end couplings to swivel to allow for the gun rotating as you walk round the car so the hose doesnt twist which are available for a few quid from hydraulic suppliers?

nah mate, thats literally impossible. you are asking too much there.

[cobblers]

holy fuck I am having anger-induced palpitations just thinking about it.

Hahahahah, I used to get as angry as this about pressure washers. Now it's lawnmowers. Last week I kicked a hole in the side of a 2 week old Flymo, just to make doubly sure to myself that I would never have to use it again

[FiatPhil]

I had a Karcher K2 with all the accessories, and initially it worked well for the money (it was about £70 - £90), I put in the garage over winter and went to use it the next year, and it worked for a little while, then started to slow down and not have much pressure, I checked that the water supply to it was fine and there were no kinks in the supply pipe. It then started making a burning smell and slowed down even further. I let it cool down for half an hour and tried it again, it was still running at that slow speed and making a more pronounced burning smell, and then after more tries it slowed to a stop.

 

I checked the receipt (bought it from B&Q) found that it was 15 months old and therefore out of the warranty. I separated the accessories (as they had hardly been used) and took it down the tip. I'm not sure but I think I must have left water in the pump when I used it first time and that froze over winter damaging an internal part. I decided I didn't want to mess with something that combines mains electricity with mains water so I didn't bother taking it apart.

[garbaldy]

This has been my faithful servant for over 20 years now and only once broke down, i can live with one new starting capacitor in that time,

It's powerfull enough with a measured 130 something or another's which means it's pretty good at what it does.

 

[AMC Rebel]

God damn, i hate pressure washers...i FUCKING HATE THEM. Unfortuntely, I need one, so am open to recommendations.

....., thats literally impossible. you are asking too much there.

 

Great rant AAAA++++++ would (in fact have) read again.

[AMC Rebel]

May I just point out that this thread couldn't have happened under the current regime?  Just saying.

 

Thanks to all who have contributed.

[Eddie Honda]

I've a (Lidl) Parkside PHD 150 A1 I think. The handles on the winding drum fall off (but not yet on mine as I was mega-mega careful). But it was from the wank batch where the shitey plastic gun decides to spring a leak after a few sessions. I haven't replaced it yet, but I did buy telescopic gun the other day in Lidl. This has completely different QR fittings, so I'll have to hunt down some adaptors or give up.

 

dave21478, maybe you need to get something like this:

 

https://www.screwfix.com/p/evolution-evo200-petrol-engine/84325

 

and slap the pump on it

 

https://www.screwfix.com/p/evolution-evo-system-pw3200-175bar-pressure-washer-output/53205

 

 

Yes it costs a few bob, yes you have to get a load of add-on bits, yes they don't ship it offshore, but it'll be fun to read the write-up when the engine blows up and you've decide to marry a Fiat Panda engine onto the pump or something.

[AMC Rebel]

 

Yes it costs a few bob, yes you have to get a load of add-on bits, yes they don't ship it offshore, but it'll be fun to read the write-up when the engine blows up and you've decide to marry a 290 V8 AMC  Fiat Panda engine onto the pump or something.

 

[Slartibartfast]

I got one from Aldi. I have literally no idea what make it is. It's quite capable, but the mains cable arrangement is maddening.

[Zelandeth]

Think when my current one (can't remember the brand off the top of my head...Nilfisk?) dies, which it will relatively soon I think given that there's been a notable drop in pressure and it leaks, it will be petrol for me.

 

I can deal with managing a hose or a cable...but trying to keep both of the suckers from getting tangled up in each other I find drives me mad in a hurry.  Plus no matter how careful I am, I wind up managing to soak the extension lead 1 out of 5 times out and that trips our over-enthusiastic RCD.  I've replaced virtually every other outdoor power tool I own with ones that have an engine attached, time the pressure washer followed suit I reckon.

 

Aldi seem to have one in every now and then for not unreasonable money, and I'm tempted to give that a shot to be honest.  I've been surprised by the few tools I've bought there before, and apparently they're really good about returns if things don't live up to expectations.

[tapir]

It's making next to no pressure and the switch has failed for the second time.  Have you seen the insides of these?  The meaty looking switch on the casing...

 

Mines the older model, from your pictures I can see why your still looking.

 

Just as an aside I bought a proper hose for mine from here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Pressure-Washer-Extension-Hose-Quick-Release-Karcher-K-Series-6-8-10-Metre-M/330737172429

 

I hesitated as it was £40 for 10 meters but so so much better than the supplied one.

 

There is a good thread on detailing world here about upgrades and what to choose: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=401943 

They seem to rate the Kranzels - http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=400686

[Dan the van]

I've got the Aldi 2.2kw one,cost £60 down from £80.TBH it's a bargain at full price.Bloody powerful,very noisy but good quality and a 3 year warranty.And when I accidentally* drove over the lance no quibbles getting a whole new (and improved) machine.They got em in at the moment to.

[kinkersaab]

I bought a petrol thing from costco. Its great, although very noisy and its good not needing to be neat a plug, but you still need to be near a tap.......

[artdjones]

The Aldi ones used to be Kärcher but with a cheaper looking casing.I had a 2.2 KW one and it was great,then I sold it because I needed a petrol one.Mistake.

Pressure washers are like any other tool,the really good ones are not cheap.I've used a Kranzle a few times and liked it,but the cheapest model is around £500 and some are now described as semi industrial,which is probably code for cheapened.They do a tiny industrial one for your £500 but if you want an industrial quality one with wheels they seem to be around £700 up.

[dave21478]

What do we think of Nilfisk stuff?

Im thinking semi pro-level big dollar investment, sadly.

 

Karcher have the market sown up here to the point where the name has become a synonym like everyone in UK calls a vacuum cleaner a Hoover, everyone here calls a pressure washer a Karcher, no matter what brand it is.

The usual retailers all have the same half-dozen models and the best I can see is the K7, which has nice spec, but looks and feels like a childs toy and has some kind of digital bullshit built into the handle to control pressure and detergent concentration - that looks like a recipie for disaster to me and how the fuck does it signal the machine? is there yet another wire to fuck about with or is it built into the pressure hose?

 

Anyway, for similar dollar I can get the snappily named Nilfisk P160.2 which has equally high pressure and flow ratings but seems like its just a basic washer with no fancy gizmos which appeals to me.

 

Any thoughts?

[smellypoo]

I bought a domestic-grade Nilfisk one earlier in the year, this one in fact;

 

http://www.argos.co.uk/product/1577941

 

it was reduced to £95 on a 'special offer' at the time. I wanted it to replace a freebie one that I received from my parents, Dad had bought a B&Q special (Champion branded I think) about 10-15 years ago which had been used very sparingly, probably because it was utter crap and leaked from every joint before finally dying.

 

The Nilfisk one 'feels' much better quality, it's all plastic stuff but it feels like it'll take a few knocks, particularly compared to the old one. The patio washer takes a bit of getting used to, and it's probably a good idea to buy some kiln dried sand to replace the stuff blown out if you decide to clean a block paved drive.

[artdjones]

What do we think of Nilfisk stuff?

Im thinking semi pro-level big dollar investment, sadly.

 

Karcher have the market sown up here to the point where the name has become a synonym like everyone in UK calls a vacuum cleaner a Hoover, everyone here calls a pressure washer a Karcher, no matter what brand it is.

The usual retailers all have the same half-dozen models and the best I can see is the K7, which has nice spec, but looks and feels like a childs toy and has some kind of digital bullshit built into the handle to control pressure and detergent concentration - that looks like a recipie for disaster to me and how the fuck does it signal the machine? is there yet another wire to fuck about with or is it built into the pressure hose?

 

Anyway, for similar dollar I can get the snappily named Nilfisk P160.2 which has equally high pressure and flow ratings but seems like its just a basic washer with no fancy gizmos which appeals to me.

 

Any thoughts?

You just bought a Makita impact gun.Kranzle would be the equivalent quality in a power washer.I only know Nilfisk from different product lines, but in those the quality is nothing special.

[dave21478]

I completely fail to see what the Makita has to do with anything. There is a very large difference between stuff I buy for personal use/tinkering/fun and equipment I have to buy to do my job.

 

As for Kranzle stuff, whilst I can buy them online, I want to see and feel something of this value in my hands before paying over more than most of my cars are worth. The Kranzle website needs* my email address, phone number and post code before it will even tell me where my nearest distributer is so they can get bent.

 

 

Moot point though as I just trundled down to town and bought the Nilfisk. Due to the joys* of French shopping, I went to a different branch of the same chain of DIY stores to where I had seen it previously and they had it for 30 eurosheckels cheaper and advertised some kind of offer where I register online with the manufacturer and will apparently get 60 sheckels cashback (along with a lifetime supply of junk mail I imagine), which put it well under the price of the Karcher K7.

 

While the Karcher claims a slightly higher max pressure, it has a lower flow rate and frankly flow rate is more important for washing away dirt than a little more top end pressure for stripping the lacquer off my cars.

Side by side in the shop, the Nilfisk feels much better quality. They are both heavy beasts and the Nilfisk is the heavest of the two, but the body plastics, hose fittings, storage clips etc all feel stronger than the Karcher, and tbh I was pretty brutal with the display models while nobody was looking.

The Karcher gun/wand/handle thing has a digital display and controls the pressure and detergent concentration on the fly. This needs batteries....yeah, batteries, electronics and an LCD display on the wet end that will get dropped and knocked about....fuck off.

It has some proprietary system for the soap too....there is a receptical on the top with some kind of needle valve and you buy a wee bottle of soap or whatever that goes upside down and clips into this valve. Seemed super fragile and of course you are then stuck with having to buy their own products or faffing trying to refill one bottle with your own soap. The Nilfisk just has a thing built into the body that you fill with whatever you want.

The final decider was the pressure hose itself. I unspooled the Karcher and it stayed kinda spiral laying on the floor, obviously somewhat springy and bending in my hand it would kink...its just plastic. The Nilfisk hose just immediately flopped flat on the floor and even folding it hard in two it doesnt kink....seems to be actual rubber with some kind of reinforcing. The end fittings swivel too, so should be much less likely to knot and tangle.

 

I thought I was having a Big-Mac induced heart attack at the checkout, but it was probably just my natural Scottishness coming out at the thought of spending so much money on an electric hosepipe.

 

That lovely supple, flexible hose....

 

Cable storage is mediocre, but way better than the dogshit I am used to on these things.

 

No electronical bullshit. On/Off and detergent concentration.

 

The handle telescopes out like luggage. Feels sturdy though. Hose reel looks like it will actually be useful.

 

 

Of course its now pissing with rain and forecast to continue for days, so a test-drive will have to wait.

 

 

[Eddie Honda]

Of course its now pissing with rain and forecast to continue for days, so a test-drive will have to wait.

GIRUY

 

It's (unusually) dry in the North half. Seems the weather has flipped. Bit cooler today than it has been

[Zelandeth]

That looks like the big brother to my one.

 

 

It's starting to struggle a bit now, but I just looked in the receipts/warranties folder and it's actually seven years old now.  It's had reasonably heavy use for a cheaper (£75 off Amazon) unit, and we live in an area with ridiculously hard water that tends to kill anything connected to the water supply in next to no time...so I really can't complain really.  Both of the previous Karchers lasted well less than two years and cost more...and were utterly useless even when they were "working."

 

Definitely have hose storage envy though!  Mine gets slung over a hook in the garage once nicely coiled up, but about 85% of the time I come back later to find it having ejected itself from the hook and sprawled all over the garage floor, almost invariably tangled around something immovable.

[406V6]

I've got a Bosch Aquatec that cost about £180 a few years back and wouldn't recommend it.  Even when connected to a good water supply through a long-ish hose it constantly pulses and the jet pressure coming out is only OK.  Then a year ago the retracting power cable drum thingy broke so the cable won't go back in. And it looks impossible to dismantle to try to fix.

[dave21478]

Busted already. Back to the shop tomorrow.

Just fucking kill me fam.

[DodgeRover]

My Nilfisk appears to be the same as the one above (not Dave numbers one) it's excellent way better than the expensive Karcher thing I also have .

[gadgetgricey]

Any good to anyone, daily deal on Amazon

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MRWOSJE?tag=22&th=1

[Aston Martin]

We have an ancient Karcher k2.35, it’s alright I guess. It did a good job of cleaning the pavers.