Spec me a pressure washer

Soldato
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Idealy needs to be under 200 quid. The cheaper the better. Main use is to clean garden block paving thats badly lost its colour. Will also be used to clean the car too.

Karcher k2 and k4 seems to be in the price range but dunno if karcher is the one to go for or if its just the name and there are cheaper and better alternatives out there?
 
Soldato
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On the few occasions I've tried to use a pressure washer for car washing it didn't work very well. I can see that they'd be good if you'd driven a 4x4 across a muddy field, but for general road grime I've found it quicker and more effective to use a bucket of hot soapy water.
 
Soldato
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On the few occasions I've tried to use a pressure washer for car washing it didn't work very well. I can see that they'd be good if you'd driven a 4x4 across a muddy field, but for general road grime I've found it quicker and more effective to use a bucket of hot soapy water.
Did you just use the pressure washer and that's it? No soap and mitt whatsoever?

Or have I misunderstood??
 
Soldato
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On the few occasions I've tried to use a pressure washer for car washing it didn't work very well. I can see that they'd be good if you'd driven a 4x4 across a muddy field, but for general road grime I've found it quicker and more effective to use a bucket of hot soapy water.

Most people think a pressure washer is capable of cleaning a car on its own, in fact it is a part of a multi stage process
 
Soldato
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Beat me to it
Yup! Pressure washer is great at removing harmful grit, grime, stones, sand etc that might otherwise scratch/swirl the paintwork. You still need soap an a mitt (ideally not a sponge) to go round afterwards and then blast that down with the pressure washer and you have one clean car :)

EDIT: There's also snow foam depending how much you care about your paintwork and how much money / time you want to invest in cleaning the car
 
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Soldato
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I can rinse a car down pre/post wash perfectly well using a standard mains pressure hose.

All that a pressure washer adds (IMO) is the hassle of getting it out and putting it away, and the slight chance that you'll beat a door seal and get water into the car.
 
Soldato
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I can rinse a car down pre/post wash perfectly well using a standard mains pressure hose.

All that a pressure washer adds (IMO) is the hassle of getting it out and putting it away, and the slight chance that you'll beat a door seal and get water into the car.
Fair enough :) Can personally say I've never ended up with water in the car.

The thing with a pressure washer is the ability to use tools/attachments like a snow foam lance (which I don't believe is possible with a standard hose). Also great for blasting things like flies off the front bumper which I'd be there doing forever with my standard hose (if it would even work)
 
Don
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You don't need to spend £200. Have a look at Bosh and specifically the AQT40-13. About £80 and easily capable of cleaning paving slabs. I use the earlier model for that purpose and it's excellent. It's powerful enough to blast grime and mould from bricks, paving, windows, cars, anything.
Excellent piece of kit.
 
Soldato
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You don't need to spend £200. Have a look at Bosh and specifically the AQT40-13. About £80 and easily capable of cleaning paving slabs. I use the earlier model for that purpose and it's excellent. It's powerful enough to blast grime and mould from bricks, paving, windows, cars, anything.
Excellent piece of kit.

^^ £75 on amazon at the moment, id get that.
 
Associate
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I have a Karcher K4, I chose that one because the motor is water-cooled ( everyone loves water cooling ) and it requires no water pressure, it can suck its own water from a pond / water butt.
 
Soldato
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Don't ever rinse down a car with a pressure washer after the wash. Open pipe is the sensible option. You avoid a world of haze, pain and watermarks if you open hose compared to pressure washer.
 
Soldato
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You don't need to spend £200. Have a look at Bosh and specifically the AQT40-13. About £80 and easily capable of cleaning paving slabs. I use the earlier model for that purpose and it's excellent. It's powerful enough to blast grime and mould from bricks, paving, windows, cars, anything.
Excellent piece of kit.

I have a bosch too which has been faultless. Only thing I've struggled to locate for it attachment wise is a snow foam adapter. Bosch do one but apparently it's pitiful. Otherwise very good.
 
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