# Which pressure washer?!



## nickbow (Jul 17, 2015)

Hi guys, I would appreciate your advice.
I need a new PW. Never really liked my Makita. I think they're better at making chordless drills than PWs and, lately, it has started making some horrendous noises and has a pressure leak. I want to replace it before it dies while the car is covered in snow foam
I have two cars to wash roughly weekly, so I'm not a heavy user, but I would prefer to save up and buy something decent that is a pleasure to use and will last.
My question is, as I am fairly new to this, at what price point do PWs become decent, without being ridiculously expensive? For example, when I've bought a chordless drill, for £60, you get plastic gears and a shorter life, while for £150, you get metal gears, serious battery life, speed of recharging etc.
What do I need to spend to get the equivalent in a PW?
My only particular requirement is a long hose, as both the cars are Hiluxes. My current 5m hose is too short.
Thank you all in advance for your help on this brilliant website!
Nick.


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## Paul04 (Jul 26, 2013)

I have a K4 which is good but I only use it once a month. If you want a decent bit kit get a kranzle. See this review from someone who had a K2 and upgraded to Kranzle

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=401419


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

The price to get something decent is something over £300 in my opinion. That gets you into the domestic Kränzle range, the Kärcher Pro HD range, maybe a Nilfisk P150 on offer.

If you can stretch to it, the Kränzle K1050 TST is cracking value, although it isn't cheap.

https://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/product/kranzle-k1050tst-home-use-high-pressure-washer/

Elite do a Kränzle group buy every so often, might be worth looking out for that and trying to get in on the next one.


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## Soapybubbles (Feb 10, 2014)

steelghost said:


> The price to get something decent is something over £300 in my opinion.
> 
> If you can stretch to it, the Kränzle K1050 TST is cracking value, although it isn't cheap.
> 
> Elite do a Kränzle group buy every so often, might be worth looking out for that and trying to get in on the next one.


Steel I'm assuming we can't buy Kranzle without the hose and lance....!


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## rob2278 (Jul 18, 2009)

https://www.trafalgarcleaningequipm...ssure-washer-free-dirt-blaster-worth-100.html

Great machine, recently bought one to replace my nigh on 10 year old K7.85.


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## Mcpx (Mar 15, 2016)

I’d agree with Steely that for build quality and longevity you are looking at £300+. But I would guess that for your needs that might be a little too much. I would consider anything under £100 as a consumable, but it’s not uncommon for such machines to last a good few years. My current Nilfisk was 45 quid in an amazon deal and still going strong after 18ish months of a schedule similar to your own, however I do have an upgraded industrial hose and gun, plus a proper foam lance. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking more pressure/bar makes a better washer, look at flow rate and remember that too much power can actually do more harm than good. 

My advice would be to decide on a budget first and then take into account £25 for a foam lance (or less for an adapter if you already have one and are just switching fittings) and also £50-60 for a decent hose. Qwashers on eBay is the only place to go, you will never hear a bad word said about them. I have a 10 meter hose which takes me from one headlight to the other going the long way, if that makes sense, so not all the way around the car but long enough to be workable. I usually put the washer at one end and then work down each side from there. For convenience (or for my next hose) I would go at least 15 meters, 20 would be better but then you would start to get handling issues and rubber pressure hose is pretty weighty. 

If you don’t want to stretch to a Kranzle then probably best to stick to Karcher or Nilfisk for ease of obtaining parts/accessories, plus the fittings are consistent throughout the range so you could for example buy a cheap Karcher now, but still be able to use your hose and accessories if you decide to upgrade in the future.


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## percymon (Jun 27, 2007)

Karcher K4 from the Karcher outlet would get you a fairly decent spec machine for around £100. 

But ultimately the more you spend the better the quality and in theory the longevity - you're more likely to send a quality 5 yr old machine away for repair too, rather than it being a throw away consumable.


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

Soapybubbles said:


> Steel I'm assuming we can't buy Kranzle without the hose and lance....!


I'm guessing so - as far as I know each machine is supplied to the retailer as a complete kit, so unless they want to take the risk on selling the hose or gun separately, they would only be prepared to sell them on in the same way.


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

Mcpx said:


> Don't fall into the trap of thinking more pressure/bar makes a better washer, look at flow rate and remember that too much power can actually do more harm than good.
> 
> ...
> 
> If you don't want to stretch to a Kranzle then probably best to stick to Karcher or Nilfisk for ease of obtaining parts/accessories, plus the fittings are consistent throughout the range so you could for example buy a cheap Karcher now, but still be able to use your hose and accessories if you decide to upgrade in the future.


Whilst you don't need 200 bar to wash a car, it's not true to say that the pressure doesn't matter, otherwise folks wouldn't bother with pressure washers at all! After all, the actual flow rate of even a pretty serious machine eg 11 litres per minute is nothing very special compared with your average garden hose. The pressure quoted in PW specs is the maximum back pressure that the high pressure pump can work against. The point being, that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the pressure experienced by the thing you are washing, which will depend on the nozzle size, fan angle, and distance to the surface in question.

For instance my Kranzle HD7 is a relatively tame 7 litres per minute, at maximum pump pressure of 122 bar. But feed that through a rotary "Dirtkiller" lance and you can strip paint off concrete driveways - it's not a nozzle you'd want to take anywhere near a car!

I'd say for washing cars you want at least 100 bar - but you also need that combined with a reasonable flow. I find 7 litres per minute to be fine, but I'm sure the 10 litres per minute from the HD10 would be even better.

I'd also say - if you're buying upgrades like lances or guns, try your best to avoid buying manufacturer-specific terminations permanently attached. If the manufacturer changes the fitting in the next generation of machine, or you decide to change brand, you're stuck. Better (in my view) to buy generic fittings (ie, commonly used thread sizes like M22 or 3/8" BSP, or the commonly available QR fittings) and then adapters to connect those to your machine. Then if you change, you're only out the price of the adapter (which will have some resale value anyhow to someone else).


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## OvEr_KiLL (Mar 2, 2015)

budget nilfisk over budget karcher  get atleast the nilfisk c130, i have one and its great for doing cars and the drive


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## nickbow (Jul 17, 2015)

Thank you all for your brilliant advice. I have some research to do! Probably can't quite afford what I was after, but looks like I could buy something decent for around £200.
Many thanks, everyone.


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## alex020869 (Aug 4, 2008)

Has anyone any opinions on the 150 bar Stanley washer for sale in B&Q for £80??


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