After purchasing a house a few years back, it became immediately evident that a power washer could serve many uses, washing the cars aside.

After finally convincing my wife of such, I ran out to the local hardware mega-depot and initially purchased a "viper" power washer, which looked strikingly similar to the Karcher equivalent, yet was much cheaper.

Well, after several problems (A loose fitting hose connection the main concern) I returned it and bought a true Karcher instead.

It turns out that the "Viper" model I initially purchased was indeed made by Karcher, but was simply a 'grey brand' model. Personally, I think that these units must simply have been Karcher's "imperfect" units, as other then being a different colour, they are identical both inside and out. However, no matter what I did, the Viper unit still insisted at leaking at the garden hose connection, often drenching the unit itself, as well as the user.

Strangly enough, my new Karcher unit, although a little fancier with the wheeled cart, had the exact same garden hose fitting, yet it didn't leak. My thought regarding the "Viper" line being Karcher's seconds still stands.

Anyhow, here we go!

First thoughts:

The unit is well built, feeling solid. The cart unit requires some assembly, however it is very basic, and only a single screwdriver is needed - anyone could do it.

The multiple heads included are stored in hanging holders molded into the top of the handle assembly - a great idea to keep different parts from going AWOL in a cluttered garage.

There is also a molded hanging area for the hose, as well as the (exceptionally long) power cord. Another good idea.

When everything is stowed and wound up, the unit is very compact and easy to wheel about. Nice.

Impressions:

Well, my scepticism regarding my earlier experiences with the Viper unit were quickly quieted - the garden hose hookup on the new Karcher leaks very little, with only a small drip every 3-5 seconds. Still not a perfect seal, but much better then the fountain spray that the earlier Viper produced.

The actual connection is designed in such a fashion that should the garden hose be pulled or yanked upon, it will "break away" from the actual power washer itself, rather then cause internal damage. Should this happen, it's as simply as clicking the attachment back to the washer unit, and away you go.

This seems to be where the problem laid with the Viper unit - this hookup seemed loose, and the single washer that was used to seal the breakaway connection simply didn't seal well enough.

The rest of the unit is very straightforward - a large rotary power switch is easy to operate even with a large washing glove on your hand, and the usual outlet hose connection and power cord.

The pressure-hose hookup is threaded and requires numerous turns to properly attach. The power cord is lengthy, so the unit can be used at a reasonable distance without the need for an extension cord - as long as your garden hose can reach it, obviously. Since the actual pressure washer hose itself is relatively short, this is certainly good.

During actual use, things are very straightforward.

The basic "fan spray" wand is for general washing, and is gentle enough for usage on finished paints, cars, etc, while still proving powerfull enough to remove grime easilly.

A common misconception regarding power washers is that they can do 100% of the work when washing a car. Don't kid yourself - unless you are just getting mud or bug splatter off your car, you will still need to do some hand-work with a washcloth to get all of the dirt loose. The pressure washer then does a fine job at thoroughly rinsing.

Also included is a 'power nozzle' which via the usage of a specially designed head on the end boosts the effective pressure of the unit beyond 2000 PSI, and albeit using less water, it does much more effectively blast your chosen surface.

Care should be taken with the high-pressure head - although it easilly peels grime and dirt away, usage should be limited to surfaces that can handle this sort of pressure - I accidentally sprayed my driveway with it once, and was greeted with a spray of ashpalt back in my face, and a divot in my driveway. Using it on wood can raise the grain if you hold it too close.

It did however work excellent to remove the old stain from my rear deck, and I routinely use it on my cars tires to blast away stubborn dirt, bugs from the windshield, etc.

Negatives / Gripes:

There is a small hose with a filter on the end that is used to draw soap, and mix it with the spray from the unit. The included hose is very short, and requires the jug of soap to be directly alongside the unit itself. A problem with this is that if the pressure washer is moved (easy to do while washing via a gentle yank on the hose) the unit will easily spill the soap jug, causing a great deal of waste.

The included high pressure hose is far too short, barely able to reach both sides of a car without repositioning the washer itself. This is a major problem, as physically moving the entire unit is not the easiest thing to do once all of the connections (Water hose, pressure hose, soap hose, power line, etc) are hooked up.

The factory hose is also a lower quality "plastic" style hose, instead of a good quality rubber. Should you accidentally drag this hose up onto your cars paint, and depress the trigger, the vibration from the unit's pump will trasmit through the hose, and will damage the pain finish - I speak from experience. The cheap hose design is also fairly rigid, so it easilly coils up, requiring the occasional stop to unwind things.

A higher quality rubber hose would not suffer from any of these problems as bad as the included cheapie hose.

Karcher does sell an "extension". however I was discouraged to see that it is nearly 1/3 the cost of the entire unit, which seems rediculous.

Shame on Karcher for either not making the factory hose long enough to begin with, or making the extension affordable.

My last gripe is relatively small, yet is a concern to me none the less. Although the actual wand does have a lock feature, the lock prevents the wand from being activated. Good if you plan on leaving the unit unsupervised near children (Which is probably a bad idea regardless), but useless otherwise. A lock which enabled the wand to be locked in the "On - Spray" position would be more usefull, as during an extended washing (2 cars, for instance) holding the trigger open for can become tiresome.

Overall, I'm really happy - this unit provides sufficient pressure for most wash jobs, tackling not only the mundane washing of the cars, but also cleaning windows, blasting brick and patio stones, and even stripping paint and stain from wood.

It's tough to find any other machine that is so versatile.

Need a pressure washer? Spend the extra little bit and get a genuine Karcher, and avoid the aggravation of the imitators.

Thank you for reading my review - I would greatly appreciate it if you could take a second to click on a rating button below! This helps me with feedback as to the quality of my reviews.

Thanks!

Regards;
Mark

Recommended: Yes