Pressure Washers

[Maz]

Afternoon all,
I'm thinking about buying a pressure washer and have a budget upto £150.

Any thoughts on what to splash the cash on?

 

[JD09]

Hi Maz,

Good sizeable budget to be honest. This really is a case of you get what you pay for. The big name with these is Karcher, but for £150 you will get a very decent piece of kit. I wouldn't think you need to spend quite that much - but one point, make sure the Karcher is a "3 series" and above.

We bought a "2 series" years ago. Within two years it had broken due to lots of use and freezing weather (our fault). However, when we took it to Karcher's repair place, locally, they said because it was a low spec one, they can't open them up to replace parts, we would have to replace the whole thing. "3 series" and over are able to have parts replaced, so we were advised to buy this next.

TOUCH WOOD, no issues in the last two years.

 

[JD09]

http://www.wickes.co.uk/120Bar-Pres...3_1270129990_2518f15211c230212a5c617291f1b4ef

Version of ours, prices have come down substantially

 

[Maz]

Hi Maz,

Good sizeable budget to be honest. This really is a case of you get what you pay for. The big name with these is Karcher, but for £150 you will get a very decent piece of kit. I wouldn't think you need to spend quite that much - but one point, make sure the Karcher is a "3 series" and above.

We bought a "2 series" years ago. Within two years it had broken due to lots of use and freezing weather (our fault). However, when we took it to Karcher's repair place, locally, they said because it was a low spec one, they can't open them up to replace parts, we would have to replace the whole thing. "3 series" and over are able to have parts replaced, so we were advised to buy this next.

TOUCH WOOD, no issues in the last two years.

Thanks for the info, I've been meaning to get one for a while now.

What would you make of this one http://www.karcher.co.uk/product.php?pr=92 teamed up with a polished bliss foam lance.

 

[JD09]

Exactly the one I posted chap.

Glad you're into your pre-foaming! Yes, coupled with the PB foam lance (remember to check the "karcher fitment" box) it works very effectively. Would show you some photos, but currently on the works computer.

 

[Maz]

Never tried pre-foam before but after seeing various write-ups on here, thought I might give it a go.

Never mind about the photos, post them later.

Cheers.

 

[S3 Rav]

then you can post some pics of clean wheels and brakes mate!

 

[Maz]

That's the plan Rav, the car looks shabby at the mo and the sun shows no signs of coming back out any time soon

 

[johnnythepie]

Well im in the market for another pressure washer too.My first was a little old champion that was a hand me down.Brilliant.Real small but powerful with a decent adjustable nozzle.Really happy with it until the frost got it.So, got a new one at buy and queue that was half price at ninety quid.A karcher k4.130, 1.9kw 130 bar with a dirtbuster and variolance attachment with built in detergent bottle.Certainly cant moan about the cost, but i can **** harder.The vario lance is less than useful, and only good at a range of 10cm on full power.The dirtblaster is ok at 15cm.So its more of a posh hose than a pressure washer.My mains supply is ok, but compared to the old one is shyte.I got the pb foam lance, and use it on the washer using some meguires hyper wash.Tried every combination possible, but its more of a suds lance that clings on the side of my car for less that one minute.And theres no point having a variable foam setting on the lance, cos anything else than having it screwed tightly down is dishwater.To top it off, the crap is still on my car(doesnt seem to clean anything) and i might have well just given it a soft clean water rinse before washing it.Id personally not bother with the lance, and definately not get a 4 series karcher.Upon futher investigation into the specs of the washer, i found that the most important spec is how much water goes through it per hour.Mine is 440 litres which is a dribble.Problem is its not the type of thing that you can try before you buy.And whats with the stupid karcher model numbers?Mine doesnt exist on thier website!!

 

[wyliss]

I have the Karcher 7.85M. It is superb. The hose even retracts onto the unit itself. Although a bit more than what you wanted to spend at least it is serviceable.
Cheers

Afternoon all,
I'm thinking about buying a pressure washer and have a budget upto £150.

Any thoughts on what to splash the cash on?

 

[N8]

Kranzle.

 

[Jimmeh]

What N8 said - I'm on my third Karcher now and it's soon to be replaced with a K7 Kranzle unit.

 

[N8]

Jim is full of win.

 

[johnnythepie]

Kranzle....HOW MUCH wtf!!!!

 

[The Maestro]

Well, I personally found Karcher to be overrated? Had two, 120Bar then a 150Bar and wish I'd discovered "Clarke" beforehand. I now have a Clarke ELS145R and couldn't rate them highly enough

 

[Maz]

I have the Karcher 7.85M. It is superb. The hose even retracts onto the unit itself. Although a bit more than what you wanted to spend at least it is serviceable.
Cheers

Thanks but that unit + a foam lance is way over what I'm prepared to spend.

Kranzle....HOW MUCH wtf!!!!

Well, I personally found Karcher to be overrated? Had two, 120Bar then a 150Bar and wish I'd discovered "Clarke" beforehand. I now have a Clarke ELS145R and couldn't rate them highly enough

OMG you guys, thats serious wonga for a pressure washer.

I just want one that does a good job without paying through the nose. I know you get what you pay for with some things but there must be a unit out there that does a good job within my budget.

 

[JD09]

Not had an issue with the one posted above in the last 2 years. And it's left out in the cold/freezing conditions (although I really should do something about that ). Well within the price range. At the end of the day, it really depends on it's intended use.

 

[The Maestro]

OMG you guys, thats serious wonga for a pressure washer.

Granted but I do get a lot of use with mine. Does the drive and the patio with the attachment, plus I wash 2 cars and 3 motorbikes weekly.

 

[James.Asbri]

Hi all

My sister, the idiot that she is, has left our pressure washer outside and it is now broken due to the freezing conditions as well as the snow! As it's a vital part of cleaning the car I'm looking to get one pretty quick.

Whats everyones suggestions on what Karcher I need, still the same? What sort of pressure do I need which will do a good job? It's 5 years since buying the previous one so I'm unsure what spec. it is?

Thanks in advance!

James

 

[johnnythepie]

Hi all

My sister, the idiot that she is, has left our pressure washer outside and it is now broken due to the freezing conditions as well as the snow! As it's a vital part of cleaning the car I'm looking to get one pretty quick.

Whats everyones suggestions on what Karcher I need, still the same? What sort of pressure do I need which will do a good job? It's 5 years since buying the previous one so I'm unsure what spec. it is?

Thanks in advance!

James

Dont be too hard on her.I left mine in the shed having blown all the water (or so i thought) out of it.Its now ******* low pressure water.Apparantly you have to fill it with antifreeze, and theres a special karchers 'kit' to do it with.

 

[James.Asbri]

**Bump**

Right, it is now time to purchase a jet wash, I've narrowed it down to two but not sure which one to pick?

The first in question:

Kärcher K2.65 Pressure Washer, 4039784470088

And the second:

Kärcher K3.540 Pressure Washer, 4039784465701

I'm more than willing to pay the extra £40 but I'm not sure whether it'll be worth it, the second has the better 'Bar pressure' of 100 and has a better water flow, is this going to make a whole lot of difference?

Thanks in advance

James

 

[shaksq]

Hi, i just recently became the owner of a karcher k3550 machine it was on special £199+7.99 for delivery, i was looking around for ages and the saw this one advertised on the idealworld shopping channel. It came with five different accessories and also a bag of detergent and also a bag of wash and wax for the car, it also comes with a foam bottle,vario lance,t-racer for patio,two extensions,delta brush and also plug in detergent bottle. I had a go today and was very impressed. Ok it might be a bit more than some shops but you do get alot more kit with it for different jobs. If you want to go to the site just type idealworld into google and then type karcher K3550 in the search bar. Hope this helps. I forgot to say it also is one of the latest models with the water cooled motor and also the fitments are very easy to clip in.

 

[James.Asbri]

Hi, i just recently became the owner of a karcher k3550 machine it was on special £199+7.99 for delivery, i was looking around for ages and the saw this one advertised on the idealworld shopping channel. It came with five different accessories and also a bag of detergent and also a bag of wash and wax for the car, it also comes with a foam bottle,vario lance,t-racer for patio,two extensions,delta brush and also plug in detergent bottle. I had a go today and was very impressed. Ok it might be a bit more than some shops but you do get alot more kit with it for different jobs. If you want to go to the site just type idealworld into google and then type karcher K3550 in the search bar. Hope this helps. I forgot to say it also is one of the latest models with the water cooled motor and also the fitments are very easy to clip in.

And what 'Bar pressure does that offer? Not sure whether I'd be happy spending that on a jet wash?

 

[shaksq]

Its got 120bar pressure and a 1800w motor, I too did not want to spend alot on a machine i looked at bosch,karcher and black and decker all around the £100-150 price range, i even went to b&q and saw the models you were looking at, trouble was that the machines did not come with all the kit that i wanted, I definetly wanted the foam bottle for use with snow foam and also the t-racer for cleaning the patio. If i was to buy the karcher foam bottle by its self on ebay that alone is £21 + p&p. I then saw the one on the idealworld shopping channel and it had over a £130 worth of extra accessories with it. Ibis edition just take a look at thier website and compare to other simular machines, this machine also comes with a 3 year warranty. It was delivered in 5 working days. I hope this helps you if you can stretch your budget.

 

[James.Asbri]

Can anybody tell me if theres much difference between 110 and 120 'Bar pressure'?

 

[MOOSH]

Karchers are toffee guys get yourself into a nilfisk 130¬! Awesome machine, ive had 2 karchers previous, one went up in flames and the other one gave up the ghost for no reason
Im rolling with this one atm

NILFISK - ALTO E130.2-9 PAD X-Tra 130 Bar electric power cleaner is loaded with extra's, 2 nozzles, rotary brush, patio cleaner and fixed wash brush

Metal internals and 2 years warrenty and coupled with a proper snow foamer its a great machine and the chassis extension is excellent.

 

[MOOSH]

Can anybody tell me if theres much difference between 110 and 120 'Bar pressure'?

Theres not a huge amount mate but bigger the better lol

Have a look on world of power at nilfisk machines mate as ive link previously, thats one is a little above you budget but there other 120 models for just over the £100, that would leave you with enough to buy a snow foamer!

 

[James.Asbri]

I need a Karcher though because I have a foam lance ready for it which won't fit anything else, if there's not much difference between 110 and 120 I think I'll take the cheaper option

 

[MOOSH]

the fittings to swap them are pennies mate and may even be the same?

Nilfisk for the win and they dont go belly up with the cold lol

 

[robp_kent]

Karchers are toffee guys get yourself into a nilfisk 130¬! Awesome machine, ive had 2 karchers previous, one went up in flames and the other one gave up the ghost for no reason
Im rolling with this one atm

NILFISK - ALTO E130.2-9 PAD X-Tra 130 Bar electric power cleaner is loaded with extra's, 2 nozzles, rotary brush, patio cleaner and fixed wash brush

Metal internals and 2 years warrenty and coupled with a proper snow foamer its a great machine and the chassis extension is excellent.

Totally agree. Had several Karchers and now got the Nilfisk P150 and it's in a different league. The E130 gets really good reviews and so does it's little brother the C120

 

[robp_kent]

the fittings to swap them are pennies mate and may even be the same?

Nilfisk for the win and they dont go belly up with the cold lol

Nilfisk and Karcher are different fittings but Autobrite will sell you the Kew/Alto/Nilfisk one to swap yours

 

[Turkster]

what ever you do, don't get a LAVOR they are crap and stuff up in months, ALTO E140 / Karchersof over 140bar are good,