# NILFISK C100 - mini review



## Scotty Pro (Nov 12, 2008)

OK guys
with all the talk recently about these pressure washers, I went out a couple of weeks ago and bought one along with a Foam Lance (thanks to Mark at Autobrite)
I'm going to give you a little review of my thoughts on this little PW and considering its only £43, this might help others decide if its what they want.

first off here it is next to my extension cable, its a nice compact unit, and as you can see does not come with wheels although I have not found this a problem, it just sits there fine.









Here is the lance attached to the PW gun, just the trigger half, the Nilfisk has a two part gun made of what is I think High Impact PVC, although I'm not sure of this. One thing is its pretty solid and has some weight to it.









The next photo's are not all that good to be honest, there was no one too take the pics for me and its pretty hard trying to use the PW and take photos at the same time. They should give you an idea though.

Here is the test subject, my car after a week of driving around in this miserable British weather.









Snow foam applied and left to dwell for a few minutes (wish I had a one of it coming out of the lance, but like I said its hard taking photos and using the gun at the same time) You can tell how much foam it produces just look on the ground. Snowfoam used was Autobrite.









Rinsing off with the second part of the gun attached









Finally after a quick dry down with a big fluffy drying towel we have the finished result. There was no polishing or waxing after the PW stage, just a drying off, as you can see the foam and rinse removed the dirt no problem.









My thoughts are that if you just need a personal Pressure Washer for your own car then the Nilfisk C100 is more than capable. At £43 its a no brainer.


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

looks good Scotty, i take it the drying towel was still clean after being used, as you did'nt hand wash after foaming?


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## Cheesy231 (Apr 6, 2009)

no mitt wash before you dried??? :tumbleweed:


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## big ben (Aug 25, 2009)

your a brave man!!

looks a good little PW though


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## Guest (Feb 14, 2010)

Kev,

Completely agree with you. this is the same kit I brought a couple of weeks ago after reading through the different threads on here. For the money and the result you can't go wrong, although I still 2 bucket wash afterwards.

As you say the spray gun bit feels weighty and very well built.


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## Scotty Pro (Nov 12, 2008)

-Kev- said:


> looks good Scotty, i take it the drying towel was still clean after being used, as you did'nt hand wash after foaming?


I looked at the paintwork to see what it was like before drying, there was no dirt at all, towel was clean, but wet :lol:



Cheesy231 said:


> no mitt wash before you dried??? :tumbleweed:


didn't see the need to be honest, the car had a couple of coats of Colly applied just over a week ago, the dirt just dripped off with the foam. TBH the before picture looks a lot worse than what it actually was


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

fair play, do you rinse with an open hose to sheet the water off too as i find that leaves next to no water to dry up with a towel


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## Scotty Pro (Nov 12, 2008)

-Kev- said:


> fair play, do you rinse with an open hose to sheet the water off too as i find that leaves next to no water to dry up with a towel


Hey, might try that, saves getting my nice new towels soaked, thanks.


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## Bbarnes (Aug 22, 2009)

Ive had a few washes where i think "a snow foam will do to clear the mess, no need for a 2 bucket wash today" so i foam it and rinse it off but i cant bear to dry it with the dirt a foam inevitably leaves so i just end up 2 bucket washing it anyway so i can dry it..

"quick foam wash" turns into "hour long full wash"


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## I'mRonBurgundy? (Aug 18, 2008)

Nice review. 

How much noise does one of this make?


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Thanks for the review

Where did you buy it for £43?


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## yetizone (Jun 25, 2008)

As Russ said - good review and thanks for posting it up :thumb:

Edit: Hi Russ. Available at Machine Mart for £43.00...

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/p...e-pressure-washer/path/domestic-power-washers


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## parsman (Jan 20, 2010)

Just bought one of these from MachineMart yesterday. At £43 i'd have been daft not to give it a go. Not had a chance to try it yet, but good to hear it performs well.

Just need to order the foam lance today. :thumb:


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## m4rkie23 (May 19, 2009)

so whats the cheapest you get the washer and the lance for?


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## Scotty Pro (Nov 12, 2008)

I'mRonBurgundy? said:


> Nice review.
> 
> How much noise does one of this make?


I found it to be not that noisy, but then I have nothing to compare it too. It only makes a noise when you pull the trigger and actually squirt the water out, no noise when not in use. :thumb:


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## Scotty Pro (Nov 12, 2008)

m4rkie23 said:


> so whats the cheapest you get the washer and the lance for?


see this thread, post number 9 :thumb: but I don't know if the group buy is still on, look in the Autobrite section of the Forum


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## Scotty Pro (Nov 12, 2008)

This is the offer for the lance looks like its finished but PM Mark at Autobrite, he might have another coming up


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## amiller (Jan 1, 2009)

Brilliant.

So if this relatively low spec. PW can produce a touchless wash then there is no reason at all why the higher spec PW's can't do it.


What foam was used? :thumb:


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## tris harris (Sep 13, 2008)

amiller said:


> What foam was used? :thumb:


he said it was autobrite foam in the first post, so assume it is their own brand "supa snow foam" or whatever its called :thumb:


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## Matt. (Aug 26, 2007)

I keep hearing these good reveiws about Nilfisk. Im going to get one me thinks. 

I see there is c100 or c120, which one is good enough for average usage? Is it worth the extra for the c120? I imagine it has more pressure than the c100, is this correct? :tumbleweed:


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

the number indicates the maximum pressure in bar, so a c120 is 120 bar and a c100 is 100 bar. I've got a c120 which is very good but there's no reason why a c100 won't do the job you want it to do


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## Matt. (Aug 26, 2007)

Thanks Kev, Does the c120 come with the extended hose? If not do you know where sells them? I have looked at Machine Mart but cant seem to find them


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

the c120 comes with a 6m hose as standard. got the extension hose for mine from here:

http://www.worldofpower.co.uk/brands/Nilfisk/Pressure-Washer-Accessories/b1707/sc1708/p8212.aspx

I thought it was a bit expensive but it makes life alot easier with 13m of hose 
in total


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## Matt. (Aug 26, 2007)

Hmmm, might just get the c120, see how i go, then i can always get the extension if needed. :thumb:


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## Lump (Nov 6, 2008)

Used my 100 yesterday, coming down from the K7.85 it didnt make snow, just soapy water. same mix as i always use. so maybe 120 would be the better way to go.


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## Scotty Pro (Nov 12, 2008)

Lump, are you using a Lance or the one that came with the PW, I get loads of snow out of the C100.


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

Lump said:


> Used my 100 yesterday, coming down from the K7.85 it didnt make snow, just soapy water. same mix as i always use. so maybe 120 would be the better way to go.


might be worth it as the c120 has a higher flow rate than the c100..


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## Lump (Nov 6, 2008)

yeh lance, and i used VP as i know the snow is thick, maybe ill have to have another look at it :thumb:


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## CliveP (Feb 1, 2009)

amiller said:


> Brilliant.
> 
> So if this relatively low spec. PW can produce a touchless wash then there is no reason at all why the higher spec PW's can't do it.
> 
> What foam was used? :thumb:


I'm a fan of snow foaming but I'm not convinced it will always produce a touchless wash, the OP has done remarkably well without needing to then do a 2 bucket wash (I've got a Nilfisk 120 and Autobrite snow foam too)



mattastra said:


> I keep hearing these good reveiws about Nilfisk. Im going to get one me thinks.
> 
> I see there is c100 or c120, which one is good enough for average usage? Is it worth the extra for the c120? I imagine it has more pressure than the c100, is this correct? :tumbleweed:


Personally for the few extra pounds I think the c120 is worth it (it is the model I have recommended originally by Kev), but overall I think you can get away with the c100.

Certainly recommend people get the extension, like Kev I have a total of 13 metres with the extension which means I don't have to bother moving the PW...

Regards,
Clive.


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## fozzy (Oct 22, 2009)

I've had the c100 for a couple months and it's been fab. I got it teamed up with a foam lance from Mark at autobrite a couple of weeks ago. as I have the citrus foam I wasn't expecting it to be super thick foam, boy was I wrong. masses of thick foam with an excellent cling and dwell time. Big thumbs up from me for this little pw performer (and marks lance)


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

Sounds like a good deal for 43 quid but would it stand up to much long term use?


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

you still not made your mind up then Ross?


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

-Kev- said:


> you still not made your mind up then Ross?


I think so Makita HW 131:thumb:No weedy C100/C120 here:lol:


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

RosswithaOCD said:


> I think so Makita HW 131:thumb:No weedy C100/C120 here:lol:


bog off!  :lol:


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

-Kev- said:


> bog off!  :lol:


:lol::lol: Here is the beast in all its glory dont get too jealous :wave:


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

just googled the makita your looking at getting, looks like a decent bit of kit, but then for that price it should be :lol:


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## Scotty Pro (Nov 12, 2008)

Ross, you going into the artic lorry cleaning business ??
:lol::lol:

you could buy *eight weedy C100's* for that price
:lol::lol:


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

Scotty Pro said:


> Ross, you going into the artic lorry cleaning business ??
> :lol::lol:
> 
> you could buy *eight weedy C100's* for that price
> :lol::lol:


Not yet:lol:Its maybe overkill but I want a machine with guts:thumb:


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## CliveP (Feb 1, 2009)

Ross said:


> Not yet:lol:Its maybe overkill but I want a machine with guts:thumb:


Ross, I agree with you, it's your hobby so if you want something overspecked why not!

Slight aside, one thing I have noticed with PW, if you've ever used the ones at the supermarkets they are a bit of a pain to handle as they seem too powerful and are ready to lift up to wash the sky! I like my Nilfisk as it's more than powerful enough to do the car, but it's not trying to get out of your hand, it's easy enough that you can hold it with one hand if needed (I occasionally grab the mitt and wipe a slightly missed area whilst PW the area off)......

Regards,
Clive.


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

CliveP said:


> Ross, I agree with you, it's your hobby so if you want something overspecked why not!
> 
> Slight aside, one thing I have noticed with PW, if you've ever used the ones at the supermarkets they are a bit of a pain to handle as they seem too powerful and are ready to lift up to wash the sky! I like my Nilfisk as it's more than powerful enough to do the car, but it's not trying to get out of your hand, it's easy enough that you can hold it with one hand if needed (I occasionally grab the mitt and wipe a slightly missed area whilst PW the area off)......
> 
> ...


I know what you mean Clive but I will be able to handle to but I do expect it to have a little bit of kick with it:lol:


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

get a cheaper PW Ross, and you'll have more money to spend on shampoo


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

-Kev- said:


> get a cheaper PW Ross, and you'll have more money to spend on shampoo


I dont really want to go down the cheap PW route again.


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## toxicnerve (Feb 20, 2010)

Hi guys!!

This is my first post so please be gentle, I'm thinking about buying a Nilfisk C120 like below:

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/38209...TO-C120-2-6-Pressure-Washer-120bar-1-7kW-240V

And intend to use it with the following foam lance:

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washing-and-drying/foam-lance-various-fittings/prod_371.html

Does anyone here have any suggestions/opinions on this combination? I belive the fitting I require for the foam lance is a Kew/Alto, is this correct?

Any opinions would be most welcome!

TIA


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## fozzy (Oct 22, 2009)

Ross said:


> Not yet:lol:Its maybe overkill but I want a machine with guts:thumb:


That's it then PW wars, I'm going to get stripes on mine:lol::lol::lol:


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## Sonic (Jun 28, 2007)

toxicnerve said:


> Hi guys!!
> 
> This is my first post so please be gentle, I'm thinking about buying a Nilfisk C120 like below:
> 
> ...


Spot on, thats what i ordered last week.

The kew/alto fitting is correct.


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## toxicnerve (Feb 20, 2010)

Sonic,

Thanks for the info. Having seen a couple of threads about lances flying off I am having second thoughts...not sure I want a foam lance dinging the side of my car!! 

Little bit concerned about that now!

EDIT:

It seems the issues relates specifically to the Karcher fittings...I'll bite the bullet and give this a go. Any further thoughts on the foam lance I linked to from Clean Your Car?

Cheers!!


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## Scotty Pro (Nov 12, 2008)

toxicnerve said:


> Sonic,
> 
> Thanks for the info. Having seen a couple of threads about lances flying off I am having second thoughts...not sure I want a foam lance dinging the side of my car!!
> 
> ...


Cannot see the lance flying off the Nilfisk, the fitting twists in about 90 degrees and drops back onto itself. To release it you have to pull & twist, there is no way thats coming out of its own accord.


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## toxicnerve (Feb 20, 2010)

Indeed, I just picked up a C120 from my local Machine Mart:

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/c120-2-6-power-washer-patio-cleaner

2 year guarantee too which is nice. Extra £15 over the Screwfix one but it has a couple of extra attachments which shoudl come in handy.

Out of interest, those of you with a Nilfisk C100/120 do any of yours make a "whine" when you stop spraying? I gave mine a little test just now and it seems to work ok (the width of the jet on the vario-lance could do with being a little wide IMO) but when you stop, you can hear what I assume is the pump kind of "flutter" to a stop but there's also a more mechanical whine/squeal at the same time.

Is this normal?

EDIT:

Also, I assume I am ok to connect this PW to my outdoor (mains fed) tap right?


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

fozzy said:


> That's it then PW wars, I'm going to get stripes on mine:lol::lol::lol:


Ha PW Top Trumps:lol::lol:


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

toxicnerve said:


> Indeed, I just picked up a C120 from my local Machine Mart:
> 
> http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/c120-2-6-power-washer-patio-cleaner
> 
> ...


yep, thats normal. mine runs fine off the outside tap


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## toxicnerve (Feb 20, 2010)

Wicked guys! Really appreciate the help.

If anyone is interested just posted a thread about some other bits I am after. Would be much appreciated if you guys could give your 2 penneth!!

Thanks again!!


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## Lump (Nov 6, 2008)

Just an update on mine, went back today had another go. spot on little machine, and coming down from the K7.85 god knows why i bought that great big thing. This little machine worked spot on for the money. Very happy


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

Lump said:


> Just an update on mine, went back today had another go. spot on little machine, and coming down from the K7.85 god knows why i bought that great big thing. This little machine worked spot on for the money. Very happy


better foam this time?


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## Lump (Nov 6, 2008)

yup spot on. Cleaned out the lance before i started, as i guessed it could do with it. and worked fine. I was also thinking about mounting the washer on some sort of wheeled board. that way can pull it around as i work. will look into this abit more i think


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## Scotty Pro (Nov 12, 2008)

Pleased you got sorted Lump, I think the C100 is a cracking little PW. :detailer:

FWIW I just move my Nilfisk once when I do my car, start off on the right hand side front, this enables me to do the front, roof, passenger side and boot area and then I move it over to the drivers side and finish that side off. 

Must be easier if you have a little car like me


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