Spec me a pressure washer

Cyber-Mav

Cyber-Mav

Cyber-Mav

Soldato
Joined
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Midlands
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?
 
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.
 
bremen1874 said:
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.
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Did you just use the pressure washer and that's it? No soap and mitt whatsoever?

Or have I misunderstood??
 
bremen1874 said:
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.
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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
 
terley said:
Beat me to it
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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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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.
 
bremen1874 said:
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.
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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)
 
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.
 
Rilot said:
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.
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^^ £75 on amazon at the moment, id get that.
 
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.
 
For the same reasons I bought a Nilfisk c105 last year for £62, money well spent and nothing more needed, came with 2 tips, one for car and such, the other for flags and concrete and a foam lance attachment.
 
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.
 
Rilot said:
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.
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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.
 
I got the Nilfisk C120 for £85 on Amazon the other week. Seems to be a good little washer so far and has decent reviews.
 
welshdragon said:
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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You can get an adaptor IIRC so it can use Karsher attachments.
 
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