# End of corded power washers for car cleaning ??



## dhali (Mar 12, 2006)

https://www.toolstation.com/shop/p3...10:09-20180327EasterDeals-Body-WorxHydroshot-


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## petebak (Jul 19, 2017)

Seems like it could be a good idea , but I would like to see it tested by detailers, perhaps something that can be tested by DW


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## dholdi (Oct 1, 2008)

One or two opinions here - http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=389352&highlight=Hydroshot&page=3


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

They're nifty little things and definitely have their uses, but the constraints placed upon them by being cordless means they are never going to compete with a mains powered PW for flow or pressure.


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## dhali (Mar 12, 2006)

I didn't realise it had been out for over a year . Mixed reviews then .


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## fatdazza (Dec 29, 2010)

Yup - as likely as the paperless toilet :lol:


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## Forsh (Jun 13, 2014)

Brilliant Fatdazza!

Combine a WC and cordless PW for a paperless bog - genius!

Wish I'd thought of that!


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## Naddy37 (Oct 27, 2005)

As battery technology improves, no doubt so will the amount of pressure these things kick out.

This one is pointless IMHO as it has no onboard water container, as per some others on the market such as the Nomad.


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## MBRuss (Apr 29, 2011)

Also only 120litres/hour. I think most domestic pressure washers do around 500l/hr (my Nilfisk does at least). The Kranzle I've just replaced it with does 600l/hr, so this thing is waaaay less powerful than your average PW. Also, I wonder how long the battery lasts. No good if you can't get around the whole car with it, as it says "5 hour charger", so it's a long stop before you can go again, unless you buy multiple batteries and then remember to charge them all before each use.

I'm usually big on battery tools, but something as powerful as a PW, probably not. Another consideration is how long it will last. A lot of the consumer PWs last a couple of years and then bite the bullet, hence my buying a Kranzle. The Kranzle weighs 30kgs. This little thing doesn't weigh a fraction of that, and as such the pump will have to be made from very lightweight and flimsy materials, as the entire thing is hand held - nothing sat on the ground.

It's probably OK to washing house windows or doing light cleaning, but other than that, I suspect its uses are limited.


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## Matt_Nic (Apr 15, 2011)

MBRuss said:


> Also only 120litres/hour. I think most domestic pressure washers do around 500l/hr (my Nilfisk does at least). The Kranzle I've just replaced it with does 600l/hr, so this thing is waaaay less powerful than your average PW. Also, I wonder how long the battery lasts. No good if you can't get around the whole car with it, as it says "5 hour charger", so it's a long stop before you can go again, unless you buy multiple batteries and then remember to charge them all before each use.
> 
> I'm usually big on battery tools, but something as powerful as a PW, probably not. Another consideration is how long it will last. A lot of the consumer PWs last a couple of years and then bite the bullet, hence my buying a Kranzle. The Kranzle weighs 30kgs. This little thing doesn't weigh a fraction of that, and as such the pump will have to be made from very lightweight and flimsy materials, as the entire thing is hand held - nothing sat on the ground.
> 
> It's probably OK to washing house windows or doing light cleaning, but other than that, I suspect its uses are limited.


Beat me to it. At 120 L/H it's probably about as good as putting your thumb over an open ended hose.


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## MBRuss (Apr 29, 2011)

Matt_Nic said:


> Beat me to it. At 120 L/H it's probably about as good as putting your thumb over an open ended hose.


Exactly. You'd point it at the car and have to stand there waiting for the panel to get wet.

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## TonyH38 (Apr 7, 2013)

Matt_Nic said:


> Beat me to it. At 120 L/H it's probably about as good as putting your thumb over an open ended hose.


It's a lot better than that I can assure you, I use it to clean the car it saves getting the main p.w. out gets all the salt off quick wash


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## Deje (Aug 12, 2016)

MBRuss said:


> Also only 120litres/hour. I think most domestic pressure washers do around 500l/hr (my Nilfisk does at least). The Kranzle I've just replaced it with does 600l/hr, so this thing is waaaay less powerful than your average PW. Also, I wonder how long the battery lasts. No good if you can't get around the whole car with it, as it says "5 hour charger", so it's a long stop before you can go again, unless you buy multiple batteries and then remember to charge them all before each use.
> 
> I'm usually big on battery tools, but something as powerful as a PW, probably not. Another consideration is how long it will last. A lot of the consumer PWs last a couple of years and then bite the bullet, hence my buying a Kranzle. The Kranzle weighs 30kgs. This little thing doesn't weigh a fraction of that, and as such the pump will have to be made from very lightweight and flimsy materials, as the entire thing is hand held - nothing sat on the ground.
> 
> It's probably OK to washing house windows or doing light cleaning, but other than that, I suspect its uses are limited.


Nilfisk specifies two values for water flow, where the highest value is meaningless to be considered, it is the low value that is relevant, that is when the machine is under pressure.

What nilfisk machine do you have?


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## MBRuss (Apr 29, 2011)

Deje said:


> Nilfisk specifies two values for water flow, where the highest value is meaningless to be considered, it is the low value that is relevant, that is when the machine is under pressure.
> 
> What nilfisk machine do you have?


Mine is the E145.3, so one of their mid-tier machines in the "Excellent" range.

I've only seen one value when I looked. 500l/minute. They don't make that machine anymore though. I've had it a good few years now.

Either way, it's irrelevant - I highly doubt it's anywhere near as low as the 120l/minute that the cordless washer being discussed is claiming to produce.

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## Deje (Aug 12, 2016)

MBRuss said:


> Mine is the E145.3, so one of their mid-tier machines in the "Excellent" range.
> 
> I've only seen one value when I looked. 500l/minute. They don't make that machine anymore though. I've had it a good few years now.
> 
> ...


https://www.nilfisk.com/sv-se/produ...128470508#opentab-tab-TechnicalSpecifications
Water flow Qmax/Qiec (l/h)	500 / 400

of course, 400 liters are clearly more than 120 liters, it's unfortunately that people do not generally understand Nilfisk numbers, which I've seen several times in other threads, which makes it wrong to compare with, for example, a kränzle machine, which specify the correct number


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## MBRuss (Apr 29, 2011)

Deje said:


> https://www.nilfisk.com/sv-se/produ...128470508#opentab-tab-TechnicalSpecifications
> Water flow Qmax/Qiec (l/h)500 / 400


So the 400 is the "actual"?

Should mean my new Kranzle will feel significantly more powerful then, as that supposedly chucks out 600l/HR, despite only being 130bar.

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## Tim662 (Aug 19, 2014)

Everyone who has actually used one of these seems to really rate them. 

Looks like there's a new 40V version in the states too, hopefully that makes its way over here. Can see it being very handy, especially when used with DI water.


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## Deje (Aug 12, 2016)

MBRuss said:


> So the 400 is the "actual"?
> 
> Should mean my new Kranzle will feel significantly more powerful then, as that supposedly chucks out 600l/HR, despite only being 130bar.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk


Yes!!


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## pump (Dec 14, 2016)

dallas paint correction on youtube did a few videos on this for any one interested. not something i would bother about but it could be worth buying for some people.


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## chunkytfg (Feb 1, 2009)

Im seriously considering one of these but with the addition of an extra battery or 2. For those of us living in a flat and having no access to a running water supply or power outside the ability to have some form of pressurised water supply that can be fed from water barrel is a massive step up from trying to rinse a car down with a watering car going through gallons of wasted water.

I know it'll never replace a proper pressure washer but it's a good start.


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## DIESEL DAVE (Jul 26, 2007)

Not too impressed with mine


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## voon (Apr 28, 2010)

The end? 20 bars for 15 minutes at a lousy 120l/hour? Yeah ... right. I'll go back to my 130 bar 600+l/hour Kränzle. No thanks  Waterflow is most important to actually wash away all the crap.


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## ferrariF50lover (Jun 4, 2015)

I can see the advantage, but, as others have said, we're a long way from battery operated devices being genuine replacements for mains powered stuff.


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## graeme (Jan 7, 2006)

I am tempted by one for a quick blast in winter to remove worst of salt. I do 30 miles to and from work dailyon mix of roads so car is minging by time I do first trip. My thinking with this was I could carry it and a bucket and pump sprayer of citrus wash / apc / tfr or whatever and give a quick spray over on a lunch break couple of times a week then rinse. Never going to do as good a job as a proper PW but for a quickie maybe would do.


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## Harry_p (Mar 18, 2015)

Matt_Nic said:


> Beat me to it. At 120 L/H it's probably about as good as putting your thumb over an open ended hose.


Which is a lot better than having no hosepipe at all.

It's not going to replace a proper washer, but looks like it could be a handy thing to have for those who don't have access to an outside tap nevermind a hosepipe and power.

Would give a better rinse than just using a bucket or watering can.

Hopefully einhell make one so I can use my existing batteries / chargers...


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## HEADPHONES (Jan 1, 2008)

I used to use a hosepipe.
Then moved house and no outside tap or means to install one.
Used buckets for 1 year and had enough so last year bought the Worx Hydroshot.
Without doubt the water flow is no match for a hosepipe or pressure washer for rinsing and both would be faster at rinsing.
However it sure beats bending down repeatedly to load a sponge to rinse.
Also I'd need at least 3 buckets to rinse body and wheels by hand, whereas with the Hydroshot it's done with one.

By hand rinsing wheels and calipers was nearly impossible and dangerous.
Shampoo left near calipers meant loss of full brakes for the first few presses as they cleared off deposited shampoo!
With the Hydroshot it's all good.

Pre wash like Powermaxed Jetwash and Wax or TFR were out of bounds using a bucket and sponge.
Now even with the snow and grit baked on for 2 months I can have 95% off with a prewash and rinse.
Admittedly it's much slower than using a proper pressure washer but at least I have the capacity to do one.

I can also wash the kids muddy bikes and wellies, pressure rinse my car mats etc, all things I couldn't do without an outside tap.

So no, it won't ever compare to a pressure washer and I am still envious of all you pressure washer owners.
BUT
I'd never go back to JUST buckets and would pay double if I had to rather than do without!


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## daveb975 (May 4, 2007)

I've just placed an order for one of these as Amazon are doing the full kit for £113 at the moment. It is out of stock at the moment, so looks like I'll have a few weeks to cancel if I change my mind.

Do current owners think it will be worth it for my usage?

I have currently got a Karcher K5 and access to a tap in my garage. The main hassle with Karcher is getting it's own hose straightened out at the start and put away at the end. That is taking about half of the total time I allocate to a 'quick wash' now!

I am currently looking for a non-kinking, more flexible hose for my Karcher, but this machine doesn't work out that much more expensive and might have other uses.

The specific questions I have are:

1. Is snow foaming useless compared to a proper PW?

2. Is the pressure reasonably good? I am looking for something far more powerful than a tap with regular hose, but realise it is going to fall short of a proper PW. The comment above that a regular hose would be better concerns me a bit, but I guess that is using it fed from a bucket rather than a tap?


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## robwils (Nov 17, 2013)

Bought one after watching a you tube video of a guy using it in his garage without too much spray going everywhere, used it a few times on the mountain bike, golf trolley etc too.

Not bad if you can get a deal on it too.


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

daveb975 said:


> I've just placed an order for one of these as Amazon are doing the full kit for £113 at the moment. It is out of stock at the moment, so looks like I'll have a few weeks to cancel if I change my mind.
> 
> Do current owners think it will be worth it for my usage?
> 
> ...


For the money you've spent on the cordless machine, you could have installed a hose reel and a new hose in your garage. It's the single best upgrade you can make to your PW in my view, assuming you have the space to install and use it in that way. Before you use the new machine, I'd look into the reel / hose upgrade options.


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## daveb975 (May 4, 2007)

steelghost said:


> For the money you've spent on the cordless machine, you could have installed a hose reel and a new hose in your garage. It's the single best upgrade you can make to your PW in my view, assuming you have the space to install and use it in that way. Before you use the new machine, I'd look into the reel / hose upgrade options.


Thanks. That's the dilemma.

I haven't received the new machine yet, and won't for a few weeks.

I might try to install a new hose and reel for my K5 instead, but still haven't found the right one.


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## Naddy37 (Oct 27, 2005)

I’d take a look at the Nomad cordless pressure washer. Comes with it’s own onboard water tank, which makes it easier, but also heavy!!


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## fishersj (Jan 30, 2011)

daveb975 said:


> I've just placed an order for one of these as Amazon are doing the full kit for £113 at the moment. It is out of stock at the moment, so looks like I'll have a few weeks to cancel if I change my mind.
> 
> Do current owners think it will be worth it for my usage?
> 
> ...


I have a Karcher K5 Eco and Worx Hydroshot and as a pressure washer, I think you will be disappointed with the Hydroshot.

I used it a couple of weeks back on my Abarth that wasn't too dirty. One big advantage it has over the K5 is you can use warm / hot water in the bucket that is supplied with it. I pre-sprayed the car with Bilt Hamber Auto Foam and this in combination with the hot water did a good job of removing 95% of the dirt. I then continued with my two bucket wash and the Hydroshot hooked up to a hose. It did a good job but it was quite a slow process. For the very dirty C-Max, I got out the K5. Difference was like night and day.

Having said all this, the main reason I bought the Hydroshot was to use rain water from the water butt to give the cars a final rinse and not have to dry them. The fact I can fill a bucket with harvested water was a major plus for me as running a hose from the Water Butt was a not going to happen. I'm also hopefull that in the winter, the fact you can use it to get the majority of the salt off your car as described above and then use rain water to rinse it off would be another big plus.

In addition to the above, it has also done a great job of cleaning muddy wellies, cleaning mud off the patio and because it has less power, I'm going to use it to clean the UPVC round the home without me getting soaked in the process. I've also read people use it to clean shower enclosures because of its portability.

I didn't try the foam bottle that comes with it as I apply the Bilt Hamber with a pressure sprayer.

Not sure whether any of this helps you but just my honest opinion. Good luck whatever you decide on.


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## daveb975 (May 4, 2007)

Thanks for all of the opinions. I think I'll cancel the order for the Worx and put the money into a decent hose/reel for my K5.

I should have done it earlier, I just find it a bit galling that the reel/hose is about the same prices as the K4 Full Control is itself on the current Amazon deal!


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## ikon66 (Jul 23, 2008)

Can you use the hydroshot from the water mains or just from a bucket or trough etc?

Cheers


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## tosh (Dec 30, 2005)

ikon66 said:


> Can you use the hydroshot from the water mains or just from a bucket or trough etc?
> 
> Cheers


You can, just don't open the tap all the way. Apparently the manual says not to do it.

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## TonyH38 (Apr 7, 2013)

Had one since they first came out, very handy for when the car isn’t that dirty saves lugging the power one out and goes a reasonable job and I think they have now doubled up on the battery power


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## toni (Oct 30, 2005)

I have recently bought a Hydroshot as I don't have access to running water. It's good for the occasional blast of wheels, wheel wells, dead bugs and other hard to reach places. 
It's better than a hose due to the higher pressure, but no match for a pressure washer as it has very low water flow. For people who don't have access to a pressure washer but want to have the option of pressure washing some areas of the car it's good enough.But I don't see it used for washing the entire card.


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## tosh (Dec 30, 2005)

I bought my Hydroshot, because washing wheels with a pressure sprayer or watering can wasn’t cutting it. 

The Hydroshot is perfect for wheels, arches, bumpers, scuttle panel, all the fiddly bits basically. Good for engine bays as well, since it’s low pressure. 

But getting rid of soap off large panels would /does take ages. You can do it but you wouldn’t want to do it every week, defeats the purpose of it saving time. 

But you can get a soda bottle attachment and jet wash your shower or window frames as well, so it’s a handy little tool. 


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## ikon66 (Jul 23, 2008)

I’m getting the car gtechniq ceramic coated and was wanting to use this as a first and last stage rinse. Just seems so much less faf than getting a pressure washer :detailer:

Plus the full kit is reduced to £99 today on amazon


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