Pressure washer

Swiftz

Swiftz

Swiftz

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Joined
20 Jul 2016
Posts
122
I'm looking to get a pressure washer to clean the car, patio and driveway and had been looking at a Nilfisk as I read reviews that the Karcher's has poor build quality but there are many models (C110, C120, C125 and C135) and not sure if there is any difference other than the pressure, water flow and the hose length between them?

Reviews seems to suggest the C135 has induction motor which is better and more reliable than others that has universal motor.
 
To be honest, I really wouldn’t overthink it, lots of people will say X is better but I’d just buy whatever Nilfisk or Karcher was on offer in that particular week unless you already owed a load of accessories from one particular brand. They are both very much built to a price until you get up to their professional ranges.

The only real differences as you go up the consumer level SKUs are bundled accessories, hose length and how much water it puts out at what pressure.

I wouldn’t be looking to spend a lot of money unless you know your going to use it all the time.
 
You're right, it's generally max pressure, water flow rate, hose length and accessories.

The 125 and 135 are similar except the 135 has a higher pressure/flow rate.

I went for the 125 over the 135 purely due to price — the 125 was on offer and I didn't think the difference in price was worth it for the 135.

If you're into car cleaning (specifically snow foam) you may have heard that the lower pressure units don't make good foam. I can confirm that the 125 combined with an Autobrite Direct Snow Foam Lance & Magifoam creates great foam, but before I got the AD I went for a cheap Chinese snow foam lance which was utterly useless.

I purchased it in April 2019 and it's had a decent amount of use, my only complaint is that I've already had to replace the spray gun lance but that may have been due to user error. :o
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
To be honest, I really wouldn’t overthink it, lots of people will say X is better but I’d just buy whatever Nilfisk or Karcher was on offer in that particular week unless you already owed a load of accessories from one particular brand. They are both very much built to a price until you get up to their professional ranges.

The only real differences as you go up the consumer level SKUs are bundled accessories, hose length and how much water it puts out at what pressure.

I wouldn’t be looking to spend a lot of money unless you know your going to use it all the time.
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I'd say there are two big differences to consider:

- Metal v plastic pump - The K4 and below Karchers will likely be plastic pumps which tend to be the first thing to fail and one of the reasons for "poor build quality". The Nilfisk are (I think) all metal pumps, and the K5 and above Karchers are
- Motor - Cheaper ones will be universal so noiser and less efficient. Induction motors are better if the budget stretches to it. I'd class this as a second consideration after the pump

Personally I'd just go Nilfisk, every time this question pops up they are the go-to recommended pressure washers.
 
To avoid starting a new thread, thought I'd add to this. In the market for a pressure washer to clean the patio and the occasional car wash.

Have spotted what seem to be some good prices, but would like people's opinions:

1. https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8874582
2. https://www.argos.co.uk/product/1577941

They both seem to have the same power output and flow, with aluminium pumps, same connectors and accessories, but the titan has 3 years warranty vs 2 for the core, and the core seems like a more tidy package.

Anyone have any experience with either? Leaning towards the core due to it being a bit more tidy.
 
Abyss said:
I'd say there are two big differences to consider:

- Metal v plastic pump - The K4 and below Karchers will likely be plastic pumps which tend to be the first thing to fail and one of the reasons for "poor build quality". The Nilfisk are (I think) all metal pumps, and the K5 and above Karchers are
- Motor - Cheaper ones will be universal so noiser and less efficient. Induction motors are better if the budget stretches to it. I'd class this as a second consideration after the pump

Personally I'd just go Nilfisk, every time this question pops up they are the go-to recommended pressure washers.
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This, my Dad's had a couple of Karchers fail in the 10 years I've had my Nilfisk.
 
M1k3H said:
To avoid starting a new thread, thought I'd add to this. In the market for a pressure washer to clean the patio and the occasional car wash.

Have spotted what seem to be some good prices, but would like people's opinions:

1. https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8874582
2. https://www.argos.co.uk/product/1577941

They both seem to have the same power output and flow, with aluminium pumps, same connectors and accessories, but the titan has 3 years warranty vs 2 for the core, and the core seems like a more tidy package.

Anyone have any experience with either? Leaning towards the core due to it being a bit more tidy.
Click to expand...

They're only 85 bar, I think? Argos is a bit confusing. I have a 130 bar one (different brand) and even that can struggle at super baked in dirt of patio tiles at times so the higher the better - I'm not using detergent mind so that could be why.

I would go for one of their higher output models which are around the same price at Toolstation, e.g.:

110 bar: https://www.toolstation.com/nilfisk-c-1107-5-pc-x-tra-compact-home-pressure-washer/p21403
120 bar: https://www.toolstation.com/nilfisk-c-1207-6-pca-compact-home-auto-pressure-washer/p87855

(please don't use the car brush on your car, sponges/brushes scratch paintwork)
 
Pho said:
They're only 85 bar, I think? Argos is a bit confusing. I have a 130 bar one (different brand) and even that can struggle at super baked in dirt of patio tiles at times so the higher the better - I'm not using detergent mind so that could be why.

I would go for one of their higher output models which are around the same price at Toolstation, e.g.:

110 bar: https://www.toolstation.com/nilfisk-c-1107-5-pc-x-tra-compact-home-pressure-washer/p21403
120 bar: https://www.toolstation.com/nilfisk-c-1207-6-pca-compact-home-auto-pressure-washer/p87855

(please don't use the car brush on your car, sponges/brushes scratch paintwork)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response.

They are both 125 bar max (85 sustained), so slightly more powerful than the ones you linked. It's annoying because the next one up (130 bar max) does not have the patio accessory. Then the one that does is £200 and is only 135 bar max, but is 110 bar sustained.

And no, I wasn't planning on using it on paintwork, perhaps on rims only.
 
M1k3H said:
Thanks for the response.

They are both 125 bar max (85 sustained), so slightly more powerful than the ones you linked. It's annoying because the next one up (130 bar max) does not have the patio accessory. Then the one that does is £200 and is only 135 bar max, but is 110 bar sustained.

And no, I wasn't planning on using it on paintwork, perhaps on rims only.
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Ahh apologies! Might work out better to buy the patio head separately? https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01G5482YK. There's also https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B011YNIEAE - not sure which one you'd need.https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01G5482YK

I could really do with one of these actually, got to work out how to connect it up to my pressure washer.
 
If you want to clean then you need flow rate, not pressure.

It’s weight of water that actually does the cleaning. Pressure just dictates how far the muck is thrown when the water hits it. Anything under 420l/hr (7l/min) isn’t going to clean well. 540l/hr is about where the cleaning starts to get decent. Anything over 660l/hr is serious kit.

More flow rate also gives you more options on the foam lance. It’s a venturi pickup so the amount of chemical you can suck up into the stream of water is proportional to the flow rate. More flow = more chemical. You might not want more chemical but a higher flow rate gives you that option.

Over £250 and Kärcher are fine. Under £250 and you want a Nilfisk. Over £400 and you should be looking at Kränzle.
 
So the C135 has the same flow rate as the other two cheaper ones. Would you say their performance would be identical? I was leaning towards the C135 due to the motor and pressure difference, but if it isn’t gonna make a difference might as well save 60 quid and get the cheaper one.
 
M1k3H said:
So the C135 has the same flow rate as the other two cheaper ones. Would you say their performance would be identical? I was leaning towards the C135 due to the motor and pressure difference, but if it isn’t gonna make a difference might as well save 60 quid and get the cheaper one.
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The devil is in the detail. The i models have an induction (better) motor. The big difference between C125 and C135 is the hose reel. I’d probably pay the extra for the hose reel over the motor because it will actually make the washer easier to store away when you’re finished. The X models come with some stuff that may or may not have value for you. The included foam lance isn’t great.
 
I've heard stories of Karcher owners going through their devices quite often. I think its the lowest end models like the K2 as the motor as not water powered in the K4s and above I believe.
My K4 lasted years before I got my Kranzle for car washing.

I just think its general maintenance which people need do after using their pressure washer, disconnect the water hose, pressure out any remaining water and air till the gun drips water and store away. I think people leave too much water in the machine itself which can clog up with limescale and hard water. I think with general good maintaining you can use the pressure for quite a long time. Also dont use it once and leave it sitting for 6 months before getting it out again. I personally think thats bad practise and waiting for hardware to brake.
 
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