Pressure Washers

[Rum Lad]

Hey,
Gonna start getting into this proper detailing rather than just the old bucket and mitt.
Which pressure washer would any of you recommend? It's a choice between karcher and stihl. Budget of around 150quid, just for doing oddjobs in the garden but mostly for cleaning the car/s

Thanks

 

[CHEZ]

i got a nilfisk c110.3 from argos when they had a sale on! it has 2 nozzles, plus a patio brush thing and a detergent bottle!
you can get the snow foam lances too for this!
paid £80 for it and i love it!
not sure what they go for now mind when not on sale!

 

[Ultra Violent]

I've got that Karcher K2, which works a treat for me.
bought from Homebase on sale for £79 also got 3 year cover for £18, anything goes wrong, get brand new machine.
Also use it with the snow foam lance, not a very big container, but its enough for my A3.
Don't think theres much difference between Karcher and Nilfisk, each to there own.

 

[seandom]

I've just bought the Karcher K4 compact and what a lovely little machine it is. If you can get a little bit more dosh then I can highly recommend it. No more faffing around trying to unscrew hoses as it has quick locks. And has a little bit more power from a liquid cooled motor for those stubborn spots. Oh and you can use a water butt with the syphon hose if you like. I use juicy detailings snow foam lance and it's an excellent combination.

 

[Steve220]

Karcher have a better accessory range IMO.

 

[BoutTime]

Have a look at the Karcher Outlet store. Much cheaper.

 

[riggssuzuki]

I got this one. Awesome and a good long storeable (reel) hose too.
Hozelock Heavy Duty Pressure Washer 150 | Auto Express

 

[Rum Lad]

Cheers for the replies lads. Was swaying towards a karcher had some offers in argos but was told stihl are better quality but not sure if it really matters.

That hozelock one looks a good shout though

 

[seandom]

Rum Lad go careful when you choose some of the less known pressure washers as you may not be able to find the accessories that you need. I've just looked at the foam lance that I purchased on Juicy Jens site and it hasn't got a fitting for any of the hozelock washers, but I'm not saying that nobody does them. Just have a look around for accessories before you buy a washer.

 

[seandom]

Sorry scratch that last post as just had a look around on eBay and they do have the foam lances for the hozelock washers lol. So all in all they seem pretty good too.

 

[sidibear]

I have a question. Can a pressure washer be fed from a water filled bucket or other container, if so what roughly is the water usage?
Say for instance I have 5 gallons of water in a container, how long would it last for?

My problem is that I don't have a water feed to the front of the house and its impractical to run a hose.

 

[Rum Lad]

Karcher defiantly do a washer that can be fed from a bucket or such like but as to how quick it empties it I'm afraid I'm not sure

 

[sammi]

We had a karcher k2 which recently stopped working at a year old so karcher replaced it with a better model the karcher k4 compact as they come with a two year warranty letting us keep the k2. We then discovered the original didnt wouldn't work because the nozzle was full of lime scale... All descaled and working now. Karcher customer care was 2nd to none along with their pressure washers and for this reason i would highly recommend them.

 

[riggssuzuki]

Cheers for the replies lads. Was swaying towards a karcher had some offers in argos but was told stihl are better quality but not sure if it really matters.

That hozelock one looks a good shout though

I would happily recommend the hozelok one and there it does take a snowfoam lance which is readily available at most suppliers of such things.

 

[wuta3]

+1 for the K2 + Snow foam lance.

 

[Chris-Vspec]

We had a karcher k2 which recently stopped working at a year old so karcher replaced it with a better model the karcher k4 compact as they come with a two year warranty letting us keep the k2. We then discovered the original didnt wouldn't work because the nozzle was full of lime scale... All descaled and working now. Karcher customer care was 2nd to none along with their pressure washers and for this reason i would highly recommend them.

samantha you beat me to it!!!, karcher customer service was really really good I find the machines really easy to use.


on another note, where is the best place to get a snow foam lance for the K2 home machine?

 

[A3sportbackMark]

I have just bought a Karcher K2 and am impressed with it.....so far! After talking to a guy who worked at the place I bought it, the K2 have brushes in the motor, which tend to wear out if used excessively. the K4 has an induction motor, which means it will in theory last longer. Pay your money and take you choice.

Several years ago I bought a hozelock, and after 20min became unusable. the water leaked at the input. the DIY place replaced it, and continued to work. however, when I got it out the shed this year, it failed in the same way as before.......not very impressed.

So now I have a Karcher k2, only time will tell if this lasts.

 

[CHEZ]

however, when I got it out the shed this year, it failed in the same way as before.......not very impressed.

So now I have a Karcher k2, only time will tell if this lasts.

there is your problem, right there mate!, you need to store it somewhere else! AWAY FROM FROST AND ICE!
store it in the house!

 

[A3sportbackMark]

there is your problem, right there mate!, you need to store it somewhere else! AWAY FROM FROST AND ICE!
store it in the house!

Aaggghhh, that did not cross my mind!
Does everyone else keep their pressure washers indoors?

 

[scotty76]

What happens is the water inside expands when it freezes and cracks the internal plastic bits. In my Karcher K3.97 manual it advises you to run the motor for a few seconds after you unplug the hose to force the water that's inside to come out. Just don't do it too long or you'll damage the motor.

I store mine in the garage raised up slightly. My garage is quite well insulated so doesn't get frosty.

Here's what the manual says:

Prior to longer periods of storage, e.g. in the winter:

Completely drain all water from the appliance: Switch the appliance on with detached high-pressure hose and detached water supply (max. 1 minute) and wait, until no more water exits at the high-pressure connection. Turn off the appliance.

Remove filter from suction hose for detergent and clean under running water.

Pull out the sieve in the water connection using flat-nose pliers and clean under running water.

 

[Rum Lad]

there is your problem, right there mate!, you need to store it somewhere else! AWAY FROM FROST AND ICE!
store it in the house!

That never even crossed my mind., very good advice.



I was told to buy stihl if you want it to lastly and to be fair with regards to accessories the only one I'm interested in is the snow foam lance so that's fine. I was also told that certain karchers do "wear" out as some of you have said.

 

[scotty76]

I believe the Nilfisk pressure washers are a good buy as the key internal bits are metal rather than plastic so should last longer. Also the Karchers do vary. Like a previous poster, I have a Karcher with an induction motor which is supposed to last longer. I've had it 7 years and the only thing that's gone wrong is the lance developed a fault and I had to get a new one but it wasn't expensive.

 

[sammi]

Aaggghhh, that did not cross my mind!
Does everyone else keep their pressure washers indoors?

We keep ours in a garden shed and have never had a problem I think it's just common sense to make sure you drain the water just as you do the hose pipe after it has been used especially in the cold weather !