Wanted to see what you guys think or experience is with different electric pressure washers. Looked a bit at Kärcher and Kranzle. I would be using it for cleaning the siding of the house, washing blacktop driveway and using a foamer on the car. I’d like a versatile, quality unit with low drama if that’s possible. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

I'm in the habit of borrowing my neighbors, but I did see this at Sam's last weekend and it got great reviews. I'm positive its just a rebranded chinese machine but CAT usually doesn't put their name on trash so YMMV.

The problem with electric pressure washers is they are limited to about 1,500 watts which limits the GPM and PSI. We bought a Kärcher for washing cars because our 13hp Honda powered pressure washer is way too much flow and pressure for that, but handles cleaning driveways, sidewalks, pavers, and pool cages much better. With a surface cleaner, we can clean in an hour what takes our neighbors eight hours with their electric pressure washers.

I have a Ryobi electric pressure washer. I am very satisfied with it. It cleans the vinyl siding on my 12 x 16 shed with no problem. I also use it to remove the black tannin stains on our driveway. Used it to strip old weathered and worn stain from our deck.

I have about the same use case as you.
I have one that advertises 1800psi & unknown flow, my guess is it's in the lower tier 1-1.3GPM. Brand/Model don't matter because I bought it on clearance 10+ years ago. I'd like a little more flow with 25/40* nozzles on cars.

If you are considering Kranzle, you're not afraid of price. The 1122 is what I want, but I don't want to spend that money. It would probably be the last one you'll ever buy.
An Active 2.0 + a hose reel & a 'custom' (aka half-assed) cart is probably what I will go with. I have a good gun, extensions, foam cannons, etc. My one hang-up on machines with a hose reel up high is that I pull the one I have over all the time. It's also a cheap reel that is hard to wind up. I'd rather slap together a cart that is low to the ground & rolls nice than deal with that on my next one.

I had a Ryobi, only used it to clean the driveway before returning it.
No fault of the PW, issue was the Ryobi surface cleaner attachment.

Since it was a package deal, had to return it all. Just never got around to getting another, yet.
Nearly got a Karcher through a work promotion, but it dropped off before I could redeem.

quote:

Originally posted by RR:
Looked a bit at Kärcher and Kranzle. I would be using it for cleaning the siding of the house, washing blacktop driveway and using a foamer on the car.

I have a Karcher, gas powered, and it has been running for the last 15 years or so, even though it leaks a little bit of water when I run it nowadays, great water power. Only use it maybe three times a year. I did look at the electric Kranzle units last year and my interest dropped when I saw the prices, plus I was never to my satisfaction get any input on how well it did cleaning driveways, sidewalks, patios, etc. Seems the market for these cleaners are car detailers. But I'd be open to an electric unit IF it can compete with powerful gas units.

quote:

Originally posted by oddball:
I'd be open to an electric unit IF it can compete with powerful gas units.

I don't think you'll find one. The corded electric are designed not to blow a standard 15 amp electrical circuit, and thus are limited in PSI and GPM. The battery units are even more limited. I have a mid-sized corded unit, branded "Swipe Smith" which, I suspect, comes out of the same Chinese factory as dozens of other brands. I don't remember the PSI and GPM specs., but it is adequate for most light and medium duty. I have to get within an inch or two of concrete/asphalt to get a usable action, but it works well enough for car cleaning, windows, etc. If I need a heavy-duty unit, I'll just rent a gas-powered one. I did have to replace the (cheap PVC) pressure hose which split upon my first use, but even with having to do that it was cheap enough that I don't regret the purchase.

I bought a Greenworks Pro 2700 a couple of years ago and it works nicely and is good for general household duties.

Keep an eye out for a sale on it.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Green...re-Washer/1000990966

I've been happy with my cheap Sun Joe electric pressure washer, which I've had for ~5 years now. I believe mine is a SPX3001.

As mentioned by several other posters, you just have to understand the limitations of electric pressure washers.

Mine's been solid for basic stuff like foam cannon and rinse duty while hand-washing my car or giving the soffits, deck, windows, and doors a quick wash twice a year.

If you're needing to do serious work, or clean serious grime, an electric won't cut it. But for basic homeowner use, they're fine.

I've definitely gotten my ~$175 worth out of it.

Cheap $89 Ryobi 1800psi from Home Depot. Basic uses are car, quail & rabbit cages, and mildew off deck, siding, and walks. Works just fine for these uses and if it breaks, its disposable at that price. Best part is how portable and light it is. Been 3 years now and still going without replacement.

ETA: Just checked the website. Looks like they went up to $99 this year.

i have one but it is made for washing cars and it does not have enough power to do much more than that. I have a gas one for other jobs. I can tell you to avoid Dewalt. When I was taking my Dewalt nail gun in for warranty service last year, they told me they get a lot of the Dewalt pressure washers returned for warranty repairs.

For the jobs you mentioned, an electric should do. Too much pressure is often a big problem on siding. The chemicals or cleaning agents and technique are more critical.
Unless your calling concrete blacktop, be careful what you used on actual asphalt. You could shorten the lifespan considerably with too much pressure or the wrong cleaner.
If you're talking concrete, that's where a higher pressure unit and/or attachment is needed.

I have a Kranzle. You need a full 20 amps to run it. I also had to rebuild it after very little use. I like it but I don't think its worth the cost and maintenance.

It really depends on your objective, light to middle level pressure washing a small electric is right at home and even if you have a big psi gas model, they can step in an help because they are light, easy to transport, and do a pretty decent job for most needs.

Harbor Freight 1750 PSI electric $89 retail, typically drops to $79 or less on sale. Buy the extended warranty and you're covered.

I have a 4000psi gas for the big jobs, but it rarely comes out since we have the little electric. Wife likes it because its simple, no gas and not overpowering.


https://www.harborfreight.com/...re-washer-63254.html

I've got a Sunjoe SPX3000 that has worked perfectly for me.
For a really big job like a large driveway the little rotating doohickey they sell doesn't work anywhere near a commercial unit, but for patios, porches, pier, concrete parking pad, etc. the nozzle setup and flow is fine.

Thank you all for the suggestions. It’s appreciated

A few general items on pressure washers:

Cleaning units = pressure * flow rate. A 3000 psi, 1.2 gpm pressure washer will have same cleaning ability as a 1800 psi, 2.0 gpm pressure washer.

Generally, 2000 psi is considered the upper end of pressure washer for washing a car. Ideal is considered 2.0 gpm at 900 to 1200 psi. You can damage paint (e.g. peel off the paint) above 2000 psi, but there are ways to make it lower the psi and increase the gpm (see below).

Generally, all of the pressure washer manufacturers mislead consumers on rating, but especially the Chinese made electric ones on Amazon and in big box stores. GPM will be measured with no nozzle inserted (i.e. no restriction so higher flow and nobody uses it this way), and psi will be measured with a 0 degree nozzle with small orifice diameter (i.e. lots of pressure by travelling through small orifice but significant drop in flow rate). In other words, you'll rarely find a manufacturer that gives the psi and gpm rating in actual configuration the user will use their pressure washer. For example, the Sun Joe that I used to have claimed 1.8 gpm but was 1.2 gpm like a normal person would use it.

Generally, the electric ones at Big Box stores and Home Depot have 100 hour rated pumps. The Sun Joe that I used to have was $175 and I wore it out in 2.5 years.

Generally, the hoses and wands that come in the box are junk. Hoses will have tons of memory in them (i.e. want to kink) and once kinked it forms a weak spot and that is where it eventually fails.

For electric: I have an Active 2.0 which is one of the few legitimate 2.0 gpm electric pressure washers on the market. It's also 1800 psi so I've swapped out the factory provided tips for ones with larger diameter orifices to get the pressure down for washing my truck. Additionally, the pump is rated at 200 hours. It's about $350 but everything else on the market at this gpm is $700 to $1100. Additionally, I can use it on a 15-amp circuit which is important as my garage has zero 20-amp circuits.

For gasoline: I'd get a Simpson with a Honda motor. The GX is Honda's commercial line of engines and better built than their residential grade GC. It comes with a AAA triplex pump.

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

quote:

Originally posted by Cookster:
I bought a Greenworks Pro 2700 a couple of years ago and it works nicely and is good for general household duties.

Keep an eye out for a sale on it.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Green...re-Washer/1000990966

We have the greenworks pro 3000psi version. I like it because my wife likes to use it. Just hook up the hose and hit the power button. When we had the gas one, it always needed the carb cleaned, and then it was all my job ( and it was LOUD)

tatortodd brings up a good point about changing pressure by using nozzles with different size orifices. We use a pressure gauge between the hose and the pump to see what the pressure is and have a variety of orifices to get the pressure we are looking for.

However, GPM won’t change as long as the nozzle’s orifice is sized to keep the pressure at or lower than what the pump is rated for. The motor speed is fixed thereby the pump speed is fixed as well which means the amount of water pumped is fixed regardless of the orifice size.