New pressure washer recommendations please

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flango

flango

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Hi All

Well after about 5 years my trusty Nilfisk pressure washer has died so it's time to buy a new one and was after the panel's experiences good and bad. I'm not a Karcher fan as I had 2 high end ones before the Nilfisk and they both died within 3 months. With 5 cars to keep on top of, a large patio and double drive my pressure washer gets some serious use and the Nilfisk has done me proud.

Time to reinvest though and will get all the accessories as well, snow foam applicator, patio cleaner etc..

So all thoughts welcome

cheers
Ian
 
They must have made Nilfisk better five year ago because the one I bought about a year ago isn't very good at all Ian.

It's a bit like triggers sweeping brush; I'm onto my third and if this one plays up, it'll be going in the bin.

It'll be good to see what people recommend on this thread.
 
Just shows you Lee that was my experience with karcher, looking forward to what gets recommended and was probably going to buy another Nilfisk but your comments have certainly put me off that now :eek:
 
Take a look at kranzle.co.uk certainly not the cheapest but probably the ones with the best reputation.
 
My Nilfisk is excellent. I bought one with all the attachments but frankly I only use the basic set. Mine is coming up for 7 years old now.
 
I've been using a Wickes own brand one now for over 5 years with no problems at all. All the attachments etc are compatible with Karcher which helps.
 
Kranzle is the PW to aspire to.

Expensive as they start at around £450 for the entry model.

You get the feeling they are bullet proof though.

Remember pressure is not the bee all. You need a good flow rate to clean well.
 
With the capacity you require buy a professional range Karcher (HD range). They really are nothing like the domestic models.

I have a (range topping) domestic model and find it fine but I only have a drive, one car and 60m2 of decking to keep.

Here in Surrey I won't be able to use it post 5th April due to hose pipe bans.

Thread here you may wish to read:-

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=202498
 
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Cheap Karchers up to the K5 series all have plastic pumps which is one reason they don't last very long. All Nilfisks have a metal pump, even the £60-£80 ones. I have a Nilfisk P.150 Xtra which i havn't used in over a year because the valve in the gun broke and stays open and a new gun is £70. Plus since I work from my car now it wouldn't fit in there anyway it is a beast! So I use a little sealey pressure washer that so far has withstood all I've thrown at it and fits in my boot with all my other gear. Only hickups its had is taking a few minutes to work in the freezing weather we had. I'd love to get a new gun for the Nilfisk because it's an awesome machine and I can leave it one spot but for now my little sealey is doing me well. Plus spares are easily available for the sealeys from machine mart etc... should it ever go wrong. Could also look at Stihl which look exactly the same as the Nilfisk machines except the colour!
 
Just saw an advert on the main forum page from Karcher with half a dirty 4x4 and half a clean one. At least they're being honest... you'd only get have the car done before it broke! :D
 
Some good advice already offered about the pumps etc.

I wouldn't touch anything from B&Q, Homebase, Tesco.. I'd also avoid a Karcher.

I have a Nilfisk - this one. LINK.

It's a good machine apart from the weak plastic winding handle on the hose reel (easily modified).

I've used all sorts of steam cleaners and pressure washers at our unit over the years and the Nilfisk just about makes the grade in comparison to the industrial rated stuff as far as value for money goes.

Flow rate is important. No less than 540ltrs per hour (9ltrs per minute) with a decent psi makes for a decent machine.

A useful site. LINK. There are others.


If you want to have a test drive of my Nilfisk you are welcome to call at my house, Ian. I'll be free for a few weeks.
 
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First whatever jet wash I would buy I would throw away all the plastic crap that comes with it and buy a pro gun and hose, if you have 5 cars and other duties then I would opt for a petrol Briggs and Stratton, use mine 2-3 days per week and 5 years still going, not even a service money well spent.

In storage are 3 karcher and 2 nilflisk/alto great machines till they breakdown and very few engineers will touch them or charge to much.
 
Ream said:
First whatever jet wash I would buy I would throw away all the plastic crap that comes with it and buy a pro gun and hose, if you have 5 cars and other duties then I would opt for a petrol Briggs and Stratton, use mine 2-3 days per week and 5 years still going, not even a service money well spent.

In storage are 3 karcher and 2 nilflisk/alto great machines till they breakdown and very few engineers will touch them or charge to much.
Click to expand...


I had a HONDA petrol pressure washer that I bought in an emergency when the electricity went down on our site.
I had it for around 7, years without any real problems and it was a powerful machine, but I found it to be far too noisy to use in a residential area so opted for the Nilfisk.

I always try to buy decent kit and before the Nilfisk I had bought a STIHL RE142 plus which had a good flow rate but was a little disappointing pressure-wise. Luckily I was on good terms with the supplier and was able to get a refund on a technicality (they advertised the machine as 140psi but it is 128psi for the UK market for some reason).


You can increase pressure on a machine by buying an adjustable (goes to pencil jet) lance for around £30 from ebay.
 
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I bought a cheap Makita pressure washer 2 years ago after one of the lads mangled the cheap Woolworths one (it still works but the plastic fittings stripped their threads). I must say that for about £130 IIRC, it has been brilliant. We use them to strip 200 years' worth of lime paint from brick cellar walls before tanking, so it's not as if they get an easy life...
 
ringway said:
I had a HONDA petrol pressure washer that I bought in an emergency when the electricity went down on our site.
I had it for around 7, years without any real problems and it was a powerful machine, but I found it to be far too noisy to use in a residential area so opted for the Nilfisk.

I always try to buy decent kit and before the Nilfisk I had bought a STIHL RE142 plus which had a good flow rate but was a little disappointing pressure-wise. Luckily I was on good terms with the supplier and was able to get a refund on a technicality (they advertised the machine as 140psi but it is 128psi for the UK market for some reason).


You can increase pressure on a machine by buying an adjustable (goes to pencil jet) lance for around £30 from ebay.
Click to expand...


Yeah the noise bit can be a pain but really it's just you that's noticing it as you are 5 feet away. I think you can pick them up from £250 with no spending for 5 years that's much better than the money I spent (£2500 on Karchers and £800 on alto only for them to break down within 2 years) that kind of saving noise I can live with.
 
Can anyone recommend a decent pressure washer for under £80 and what bar will be suitable for the car/patio cleaning?
 
rob_miller said:
I would go for the K3.540 over the K2.400. The reason being that I have had the cheaper Karcher's in the past and they only last a year max. I have the K3.550 which is similar to the K3.540 and I have had it 3 years, the water cooled motors seem to last longer than the air cooled ones.
Click to expand...

Cheers for the advice Rob, I am wanting to snow foam my car, what else do I need?
 
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