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If you’ve got a budget in mind, then the best pressure washer can be found no matter what your budget is.
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Our 2020 write up will get you cleaning and blasting faster than ever before.
Pressure Washer reviews you can count upon
Pressure washers vary a LOT in price and specifications.
If like I did a few years ago, you REALLY want to spend “8 long gruelling and not so fun” hours trying to clean your patio then choose a super cheap, super low pressure washer and just smile when your neighbours keep looking at you (even when the sun starts to set and you’re wet and tired).
Been there, got the (wet) t-shirt… no thanks.. not again!
If you are looking for an electric OR petrol jet wash for sale at a good price then this review will effectively weed out the rubbish machines, saving you embarrassment and frustration.
Before you read on, if you’re in a rush, here is a quick summary of what we think are the VERY BEST.
- For under £150 choose the Nilfisk C105 6-5 Pressure Washer with 1400 W Motor.
- For £150 to £350 choose this Kärcher K5 Compact Home High Pressure Washer with Home Kit
- For £350 to £1000 choose this Nilfisk P150 2-10 X-Tra High Pressure Washer and finally
- For £1000 upwards this Kiam Business Start-up Pack might just be the best investment you ever make.
What’s your budget?
£50 to £150
Typically these pressure washers will clean between 10 square metres and 20 square metres an hour
Pros:
- Good solid basic machines – some with gadgets/extras
- The ones we feature here are great for basic home use
- Affordable cleaning power
- With care, they should last several years
Cons:
- If you are in a rush these may not be the best option as the water flow rates are typically lower, so completing a job will take longer
- May sometimes use cheaper components which may not last as long as more expensive models (not all are like this though, several are still EXCELLENT machines at a brilliant price).
- Not every lower priced pressure washer is good, thankfully we’ve weeded those out already
- Not ideal for small business use when being used regular
“We consider these as our favourite Top rated under £150″
£150 to £350
These pressure washers will typically clean between 25 square metres and 35 square metres an hour
Pros
- Fairly powerful machines
- May get gadgets
- Great for home use and some bigger jobs
- Can be used in a semi professional capacity
Cons
- While some may have the power for big commercial jobs be aware that a lot of these state “only for DIY use”, so going against that would invalidate your warranty
“We chose these as our Top rated £150 to £350″
£350 to £1000
These pressure washers will typically clean between 40 square metres and 60 square metres an hour
Pros
- High end powerful machines
- Get the jobs done FAST
- Choose only top rated machines that will last.
- Take care and keep them in a warm place over winter
Cons
- Some machines may simply be average machines but with “lot’s of frilly extra’s” that aren’t always necessary
“We chose these as our Top rated £350 to £1000″
£1000 to £20,000
Typically clean upward of 60 square metres an hour
Pros
- Professional use machines for daily use without stopping.
- Large scale company use
Cons
- Can be incredibly expensive, but we are talking large use, large scale machinery here
“We chose these as our Top rated £1000 to £20,000″
- Hyundai 14 HP Portable Petrol Pressure Washer 4000 PSI HYW4000P
- Karcher HDS 5/11 UX Hot Water High Pressure Washer – 1.064-033.0
- Kiam Business Start-up Pack Driveway Block Paving – Includes: Warrior 3000P 6.5hp Industrial Petrol Pressure Washer (3000PSI 12.6 Ltr/Min), KVH-38H Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner, VT62-300S Rotary Cleaner, Turbo Nozzle, 1000L IBC and Accessories
- Lavor Tekna 2021 LP Hot Water High Pressure Washer Jet Cleaner (3 Phase)
Handy Tip!
How to pressure wash your whole house. This interesting article over at Bobvila.com gives handy hints on how to take the right care washing your whole house using a pressure washer. Some good pointers!
Before you continue… a few things to consider:
- Do you need petrol, or is electric just fine?
Do you need the ability to suck from any water source (ie a large water butt) or is it just fine to work on a standard home “outside tap” ?
Does this sound like you?
Imagine you’ve just told your partner you’ll get the patio cleaned ready for summer…
You venture out into your local B&Q or Wickes and with a smug smile you buy what appears to be a “superb” pressure washer.
“Nice… only £45 and it’s sure to impress the wife!”
Your partner looks and you and smiles as you say
“leave it to me Doris, I’ll have things cleaned up in no time”.
She smiles at you, happy to know the patio is going to be shipshape by the end of the day.
Back home you assemble your pressure washer, feeling confident and ready to blast dirt into oblivion.
You look at your partner and shout out:
“Doris, please turn the tap!”
She turns on the tap and you begin to “do your thing”.
Adopting your tough and rugged pose… wellies on, and you fire up the start button.
A blast of water comes out and you point it towards your next victim (the dirtiest corner of your patio known to man).
10 minutes later you’ve managed to clean a size about the same as a baby’s arm, and you’re covered in moss and dirt.
£45 spent and you feel a bit disappointed.
You had hoped to have cleaned things up in a few hours but at this rate you’re looking at a full day.
Forget about watching the football, as you now have a lengthy cleaning regime to contend with.
So what is a pressure washer?
Simple. A machine that forces water from your tap, through a machine and out through a small narrow pipe in a lance that you hold. The water comes out at such a high pressure that it literally blasts dirt and grime away from chairs, decking, walls, floors etc.
If you want to clean faster you need a more powerful machine.
If you are happy with occasional use and aren’t in any rush then value for money budget models would be your best option.
If you have a large area to clean, or are hoping to use the pressure washer for a business then you will need something that is very powerful, very reliable and can clean large areas day in day out with no hints of getting tired.
| Pressure Washer | Features | Click For Best Price | |
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1: Nilfisk C105 6-5 |
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2: Draper 31562 |
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3: Kärcher K2 Compact Our Choice!
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4: Karcher K2 premium |
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5: Karcher K5 Home Premium Our Choice!
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6: Nilfisk E 140.3-9 X-Tra Our Choice!
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7: Waspper W2100HA Our Choice!
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8: Vax P86-P3-T |
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9: Kranzle Hochdruckreiniger 1152 TST Our Choice!
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10: Hyundai HYW3000P |
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How much are we looking at for a pressure washer?
- At the high end, for industrial pro machines anywhere from £1000 to £17,000 – clearly not the thing for once a year at home.
- At the budget end of things, you can choose as little as about £60 to £150, most are from well known household names such as Karcher or Nilfisk
- In the mid range there are a good number of very powerful machines in the £300 or so region, such as Karcher Nilfisk and then other names come in who usually cater to more professional pressure washers such as Kiam or Hyundai .
So, this write up has been extensively researched to find out the good from the bad, and where you should be putting your money.
This review is aimed at mainly the home user and smaller business user, so typically in the range of £80 to £500, although as a business user if you look at models around the £1000 mark (and up) you suddenly get greeted with a wide range of models like the Hyundai 14hp unit that can push as much as 15 litres a minute through the hose.
Our Top 10 BEST Pressure Washers Overall
1:Nilfisk C105 6-5 Pressure Washer with 1400 W Motor Review
Nilfisk are not as widely known as the Karcher brand which seems to dominate TV, magazines etc. however they are what many of us feel as being superior.
Tough metal internal components and superb build quality (not to mention they do a great job of shifting muck and built up grime.
Sure it’s not a £60 unit, but it is “superb”.
Powerful to shift muck. Not powerful enough for some of those pesky dead flies off your car bodywork.
(yet comparably better than similar rated machines)
We feel this is the best electric pressure washer within our “budget” price range (and deservedly so, too).
Pro’s and con’s:
Pros:
- Metallic internal components
- Trusted brand that’s been around since 1906
Cons:
- No wheels (but only a minor niggle)
2: Draper 31562 1500 W 230 V Pressure Washer Review
Draper are a long standing tool brand. They started out in life in 1919 when the founder Bert Draper sold surplus government goods in and around London (Kingston Upon Thames). Since they began over 9 decades ago, they have come a very long way and now import and brand some of the world’s finest home tools.
3 generations of investment and family values make Draper products “real genuine good value products”.
The 31562 pressure washer from Draper is super cheap at a touch under £70, and also very much a great machine.
While it’s never going to clear 3 car parks a day, for the price, you get a machine that will happily remove dirt and grime from your garden area – patio’s decking, pavers etc.
Box Contains
- 1x Pressure Washer
- 1x 3M of hose and gun
- 1x Turbo nozzle
- 1x Fixed jet nozzle
- 1x Detergent spray bottle
- 1x Instruction Manual
Pro’s
- Light weight
- Very affordable
- Draper trusted brand
- Features an automatic total stop system when not being used.
Con’s
- We cannot find any faults with this machine. Super value for money
3: Kärcher K2 Compact Pressure Washer Review
The best pressure washer under £100 – our opinion
The K2 from Karcher is one of their entry level machines that provides plenty of thrust. Remember all the washers in this top 10 list are GOOD. We have already weeded out the poor ones to leave the top 10 best pressure washers so much of what you buy boils down to budget and needs.
So let’s look at the Karcher K2 compact.
Features the following:
- Power, beauty and everything you need to sort out your outside spaces.
- Protection for the motor from devris and dirt coming in.
- It also features storage for the lance, cable etc so it can be stored nice and neat when not in use.
- You get a detergent suction tube, so you can mix in your favourite cleanser.
- 2 year warranty comes as standard.
- Dirtblaster lance cleans 50% better than standard lances!
- Remember every single Karcher is individually tested before leaving the factory.
- All Karcher K2 Pressure Washers can also be used from a gravity fed harvested water source such as a water butt tap
- The pumps are their own design – a corrosion-free “N-COR” material which is a combination of polyamide and glass fibre.
- This standalone unit measures 32.2 x 21.2 x 40 cm – compact is the name!
- Weighs 4kg
4: Kärcher K2 Premium Home Air-Cooled Pressure Washer Review
We can’t decide if the modern X shape design resembles a womanly physique, or “X marks the spot” or even that it perhaps has the “X factor”.
Putting aside our initial talking points, we had to give this unit a good run for it’s money. After all, Karcher products do have some of the best brand awareness currently.
With strong roots going back top 1935, Karcher has earned it’s reputation and indeed it’s crown as one of the best there is around for the average home user.
The DS 350 in 1950 was their first foray into pressure washer design, and this led the company into the cleaning market for professional and domestic use.
So what’s it like?
Good. We really like it. For under £160 it’s a SUPERB piece of kit.
Pressure wise, looking at 110 bar which isn’t too bad for a machine like this.
It looks good too.
Pro’s
- German engineering
- Air cooled 110 bar pressure washer with quality craftsmanship behind every single component.
- Comes with the standard Vario lance, the T150 patio cleaner (rotary component), the dirtblaster lance and detergents for patios and decking.
Con’s
- Hose is a touch on the small size
- Can fall over (not like it’s the end of the world, but just saying)
5: Kärcher K5 Compact Home High Pressure Washer with Home Kit Review
With this improved “water cooled” model we have stepped up in price. We have also stepped up in a number of areas. The power is now 145 bar pressure (whereas the K2 is just 110 bar).
Blast through muck with the aid of 500 litres of water per hour and get the job done fast.
Use the included upgraded T350 and get the job done as much as 5 times faster. The added cost of this improved machine means your cleaning jobs are accomplished in a far shorter time.
The video below introduces you to the power of Karcher pressure washing – well worth a minute of your time.
Measuring 46.8 x 39.7 x 59.1 cm it has a powerful 2100 Watt motor.
The water cooled patented motor ensures reliable performance that lasts longer than ever before.
This unit is one of oour favourites within this list. price wise it sits at a fairly good price under £250, but the performance is what makes it stand out.
The patio cleaner makes it feel like you are hoovering the patio, so say goodbye to backache!
Highly rated!
Features:
- Patented water-cooled motor for more power and longer life
- Quick connect system for the high-pressure hose
- Telescopic handle for comfortable use & compact storage
- Detergent suction hose for chemical injection
- Automatic motor stop
Pro’s:
- Our favourite by far. If you can go the extra mile then this comes highly recommended
- Everything you need to QUICKLY deal with dirt and grime
Con’s:
- No anti-kink hose (just a minor niggle!)
6: Nilfisk E 140.3-9 X-Tra Pressure Washer with 2.1 KW Induction Motor Review
We feel this is close to being the best electric pressure washer.
Feel the force of a rock solid pressure washer. This Nilfisk pressure washer review will help clear the path right before your eyes.
This unit BLASTS muck away. You can REALLY feel the extra pressure when using this. Be aware when using near stones in case they flick upwards into eyes.
Before we used this, we had high expectations.
Nilfisk after all are a strong contender. Plenty of power. Good long heritage and solid reliability.
The E140.3-9 X-Tra pressure washer is powerful.
- 2100 watt motor
- Metal pump – for strong reliability
- A simple “Click” of each lance to pop it into the hose and it locks into place. A click on the quick release button then enables removal.
- Motor-saving automatic stop-start feature (the motor turns off when you are not pressing the trigger)
- Long 9 metre hose that will not twist or kink
- Long 9 metre electric cable so you can reach 18+ metres away!
- Hose that winds back onto it’s own built in wheel
- Can be used with a water butt tap
- Does not come with patio cleaner attachment unless you go for the “complete” package (below) for a little more money.
Get the complete package with all the extras and rotary patio cleaner here
Pro’s:
- Extremely powerful and reliable
- Nilfisk trusted brand
Con’s:
- Don’t use it on outside paint
- Be wary standing close to anything precious such as car body paintwork
7: Waspper W2100HA Petrol Powered High Water Pressure Washer Portable Surface Washers Heavy Duty Pro Cleaner 2100 psi W2100HA Review
For a Slovakian company, we are mightily impressed. The Waspper brand is ticking all the right boxes. These petrol pressure washer reviews are based on testing and thorough research.
Petrol jet wash for sale:
- Petrol power – oh yes!
- Powerful – oh yes!
- Great customer service!
Need we say more?
Our machine performed flawlessly. Was easy to start and use and blasted away muck from a patio table and chairs in under 10 minutes. Nice.
Here is the assembly video:
What’s good about ?
- Wash and clean anywhere, no electrical supply is needed.
- Light and portable. 4 feet keep it stable. A carry handle lends itself to easy movement.
- Weighs just over 19kg
- The High Pressure and Great Flow is Created By a Full Aluminium Axial Pump Which Has a Much Greater Lifespan Than Electric Pressure Washers (4-5 years longer).
- PERFECT for domestic use and for smaller business use.
What we didn’t like:
- No immediate offerings in the way of circular patio cleaners however I’m sure they will do this at some point. Although it is possible to use 3rd party rotary cleaners when you have the right 3/4 inch quick release couplings.
8: Vax P86-P3-T Pressure Washer Review
Like many people, I thought Vax were a hoover manufacturer. Seems I was quite wrong. They have products in a few different areas that also include irons and of course pressure washers.
As things turn out, VAX pressure washers are not bad… IF you are lucky
The P86-P3-T features a high power wattage and high water flow rate that helps you complete the job far quicker.
This washer come with:
- A patio cleaning rotary cleaner
- A car wash kit
- A jet nozzle and a turbo nozzle
It will handle the cleaning of 28 square metres per hour with ease.
Pro’s:
- For an entry level product it delivers ok (but not excellent) power!
- If you get one that doesn’t break it will do an adequate job.
Con’s:
- Some units had poor fitting plastic casings.
- The power dos not seem to be strong enough for seriously heavy duty work such as cleaning brickwork or moss removal
- One of our units had a snapped inlet nozzle. A replacement nozzle then snapped again
- Sadly, it seems that cheap parts may be used, meaning it’s hit and miss if you get a good one or a poor one.
9: Kränzle Hochdruckreiniger K 1152 TS T Review
This is a commercial grade pressure washer so comes with plenty of punch, features and high end build quality. It’s a mid to high 3 figure priced unit but you certainly get what you pay for.
If you need a quality unit for your own home or for a business then this is definitely very highly rated.
If a Karcher can be likened to a Toyota (reliable and well bult) then a Kranzle can be likened to a Bentley. Premium, class, exemplorary build quality. The Kränzle Hochdruckreiniger K 1152 TS T is quality through and through.
Let’s see what’s included:
- 15 metre (HUGE!) hose length.
- Dirtkiller spray wand
- Turbo spray wand
- 10 year pump manufacturer guarantee
- 2 year jet washer guarantee
Pro’s:
- Outstanding capabilities
- Long lifetime expectency
- Blasts through 10 litres of water every minute so super powerful.
Con’s:
- Comes with a German/European plug so will need a travel adaptor
10: Hyundai 3000 PSI 7 HP Portable Petrol Pressure Washer HYW3000P Review
High end commercial grade petrol powered machine here.
Is this the best petrol pressure washer?
It’s a high “3 figure” priced pressure washer, but one that will work hard by your side, day in, day out.
It delivers a huge 3000psi and forces through 10 litres of water per minute.
Featuring:
- Heavy-duty Annovi Reverberi (AR) pump for professional use
- Powerful 7 0hp Hyundai 4-stroke engine helping to produce a maximum output of 3000psi
- Turbo nozzle for high-powered cleaning and quality finish
- Thermal relief valve to help regulate the temperature of the pump
With it’s variety of standard 3/4 inch threaded connectors, you can happily interchange a variety of nozzles you may already have, as well as rotary patio cleaners to enable far faster cleaning.
We like the power of this unit and would recommend it for business use, or for those who simply want “high end quality”.
Pro’s:
- Heavy duty construction with tough wheels for maneuverability
- Hyundai quality
Con’s:
- Does not come with a patio cleaner, although can can attach 3rd party cleaners to enable faster cleaning of larger areas.
Resources:
Understanding pressure washer pumps – http://pressurewashr.com/pressure-washer-pumps/
– Helped with understanding of pumps
Vax company – http://vax.co.uk
– Provided us additional research opportunities for the Vax pressure washer
