Pressure Washer advice

stoofa

stoofa

stoofa

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OK - there are plenty of people who will wash my car and will generally do a good job of it.
However I think maybe I should be doing my own - stop being so damn lazy!

So, I think it is time to invest in a pressure washer.
Want something I can use to do the initial wash over and knock that dirt off.
Something with a foam attachment I expect would be tops.
Then simply wash off again at the end.

My budget - well it will be a birthday present from my mum (ah, bless her) so not unlimited.
Anyone point me in the direction of some good makes/models?

Ta
 
This with the 3 year extended warranty (this is important for any pressure washer). Don't be fooled by its size, its got plenty of punch and it remains extremely portable.

I paid £60 for that and the warranty, but its gone up £10 since so £70 - bargain.
 
I was going to say Kranzle but it might be more than you need and more expensive than you want to pay.

What ever model you get, get a heavy duty foam lance from clean your car as they are much better than the standard ones that may come with the power washer.
 
and dont be stupid and try and wash your hands with the lance, mine cut me straight to the bone, didn't initially hurt or bleed. 30 seconds later it went on to do both, a lot!!

yes I am a muppet
 
lol my £30 one isnt powerfull enough to do that

just hurt a little bit. No cut skin etc..

But rest assured Will, your not the only one to do it :D
 
Captain_Slick said:
This. Quieter, more reliable, last longer.

Nilfisk are probably the best for the money.
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Yet the last person who's car I did could not believe it when he tried my baby little Karcher as it was far more powerful than his £160 Nilfisk.

Who cares about reliability when you can have one for £70 with a three year warranty - if it does break you just take it back to Argos and walk out with a brand new one five minutes later. (I've done this once in the last year).
 
For info Nilfisk ones are 2 year warranty.

Also, look out for the offers on the Nilfisk at Screwfix, I got my Nilfisk ALTO C120.4-6 X-TRA Pressure for £120.
 
MikeHiow said:
Yet the last person who's car I did could not believe it when he tried my baby little Karcher as it was far more powerful than his £160 Nilfisk.

Who cares about reliability when you can have one for £70 with a three year warranty - if it does break you just take it back to Argos and walk out with a brand new one five minutes later. (I've done this once in the last year).
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His £160 Nilfisk was broken then.

The three year warranty is with Karcher, not Argos. After a year from purchase, Argos would tell you to get in touch with Karcher. From a supplier point of view, Karcher are fairly okay with regards to aftersales service but can be picky with regards to the user not following the instructions to maintain the product (stuff like not leaving water in it over winter etc).

MrLOL said:
you see people say this

But i bought a cheap £30 Karcher for Argos over 18 months ago now

and its still doing the job just fine !
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People don't just say it. It's science. A universal motor is not as reliable, not as quiet and will not last as long as an induction motor. It's physics.

18 months isn't a terribly long time, certainly not out of the ordinary. Units with universal motors (light and loud) start to pack up when people try to do things with them that they're not designed to do. For example running it constantly for an hour regularly, which many models won't do any way because they'll turn off when the motor reaches a certain temperature (water cooling only works up until a certain point). Induction motor pressure washers can run for much longer constantly and are generally more powerful.

If the OP is only planning to use it to clean his car and nothing else ever... Go ahead, buy a cheap Karcher, Homelite/Ryobi, Hozelock, (actually made under license for B&Q), etc. Some people, however, prefer to spend £350 on a Homelite Petrol pressure washer... just because they can. I'm certainly not suggesting that the OP does that though.
 
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Captain_Slick said:
The three year warranty is with Karcher, not Argos. .
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No its not. I go into Argos, tell them its broken, they bring me a new one out and off I go :)

Induction motors are a waste of money for home users, much more so for people just using the pressure washer to clean their car.
 
Captain_Slick said:
His £160 Nilfisk was broken then.

The three year warranty is with Karcher, not Argos. After a year from purchase, Argos would tell you to get in touch with Karcher. From a supplier point of view, Karcher are fairly okay with regards to aftersales service but can be picky with regards to the user not following the instructions to maintain the product
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The smaller units with universal motors are not made for long use, eg cleaning patios or larger vehicles. My dad has had 2 Karchers and both burnt out within warranty under normal use. He took them to Karcher directly and they said they had been over used and would not replace/fix them. After the 3rd died he bought a Stihl.
 
Captain_Slick said:
After one year, they will tell you to get in touch with Karcher. Argos will only cover faults for one year.
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I have done it after one year.

Captain_Slick said:
What about home users who want to clean their decking/patio/driveway in a single day? They're not a waste of money for such use.
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If you use an appropriate chemical, you don't need to go over it so slowly. I've done my patio twice with mine.
 
Felix said:
The smaller units with universal motors are not made for long use, eg cleaning patios or larger vehicles. My dad has had 2 Karchers and both burnt out within warranty under normal use. He took them to Karcher directly and they said they had been over used and would not replace/fix them. After the 3rd died he bought a Stihl.
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Exactly. That's why B&Q send people like me and my colleagues on courses to learn all of this stuff (about all of our products) so that we recommend the right ones for the jobs. That said however, our range of pressure washers is poor. Last years was better when we had the Bosch range.
 
MikeHiow said:
I have done it after one year.



If you use an appropriate chemical, you don't need to go over it so slowly. I've done my patio twice with mine.
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Then the person at Argos who served you didn't follow their policy and they replaced it when they were under no obligation to. The OP may be unlucky and be served by someone who is clued up on their policy and get refused.

So? You could do many jobs with the wrong tool just fine. It's easier and takes less time and puts less strain on the motor/unit if you use the right one though. Also, deck cleaner attachments work better with more powerful units.
 
The retailer can send you to the manufacturer after 30 days from purchase, however many choose to deal with it themselves to save the customer any agro. I expect Argos do this as part of their customer service.
 
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