So my little Nilfisk made an unpleasant noise before giving off a strong burning smell this afternoon, and appears to have passed over the rainbow bridge...
Had it a few years after advice to use the Nilfisk outlet on here. Can't say it seemed any better than the Karcher it replaced, so open to suggestions on a replacement.
What's the current pressure washer of choice then - needs to do cars, patios, and tone it down for non bearing parts of bikes
Nilfisk aren't especially great, they just tend to be good value and durable. My main thing is I leave them outside all year and they still stand up well, most washers hate being left out in the cold. The outlet store seems to be pretty much dead now unfortunately, it used to be ridiculous value sometimes (I got my last one as a return, it was basically as-new but had been repacked, and came with a box of attechments that I stuck on ebay and sold for more than I'd pay for the whoe thing)
If you can afford it (and hopefully have many decades more on this planet to enjoy its engineering quality) the answer is Kranzle.
Bleedin' expensive. Bleedin' quality. Like Hope where you can rebuild and get all parts if you do break it through mis-use or years of constant use.
I was going to say Nilfisk as that's my current one, been OK although the hose has kinked so will need to sort another one, probably an aftermarket hose. I went Nilfisk because I have a Nilfisk wet dry vacuum for workshop duties and it's been bomb proof (and I bought another 30 odd for use in industrial environments and they lasted OK). I've had Karcher, Bosch, Screwfix own brand, all seem to die after a few years as they eventually seized mid operation (always kept in a garage when not in use with heating to keep the temperature above freezing). Nilfisk apart from the hose is doing OK but hasn't reached the age the others died at.
I think the trouble with the cheaper ones of any make is the parts are just too cheap to cope with the tolerances and mechanical demands of high pressure operation over an extended time.
I’m on my 2nd Nilfisk
I had a £130 one that started going wrong. Nilfisk said themselves cheaper ones are not economical to repair ie anything less than there professional series that cost £1k plus
2nd time round I’ve spent £300. It’s got a 10m flexible cable which is brilliant and a better hose. This one I just made sure I registered the 5 yr guarantee
I recently bought a Ava after their live demo (i.e. there was a whole bank of them for competitors to use) at a recent CX race. Just worked nicely, had all the attachments I need in the box and is nice and compact. Too soon to comment on longevity but I believe they have a long warranty (iirc).
I've had an Ava Evo P60 for about a year, not sure about recommending it though as I had the hose (the bit between the machine and the gun) split at the connector where it goes into the machine. Ava were good though in that getting them to send a replacement hose under warranty was simple enough so hopefully it was just a bad hose and the new one lasts. I do like that you can buy spare parts on their web-site to
I have had a few washers over the years, I have a stihl in the garage for washing car etc. it’s without doubt one of thee best washers I’ve had. Very compact need and tidy with onboard storage. Can’t go wrong with stihl
Bought a nilfisk on the back of recommendations and it was rubbish and died completely just outside warranty. Despite the naysayers, bought the cheapest (I think?) Karcher K series and it's been absolutely fine. About 6 or 7 years old and used regularly.
Check out the Karcher professional models.
Some are crazy expensive. I have the HD 4/10 Classic which is the same price as the consumer models, but better built with lots of metal fittings and mechanicals. Can be had for about £250.
My first pressure washer was a Bosch and that lasted 7 or 8 years.
I then bought a Nilfisk and that is still going strong 15 years later.
Mine is always kept in the garage when not in use. Even still, I can imagine it has been below freezing because it can get pretty cold here at times in the winter.
After a few years with the Nilfisk I bought a new flexible hose and that makes it a lot easier to use.
The original hoses that come with them are horrible stiff things.
I'm still on Karcher K series. Recent K4 compact is currently leaking badly - my fault as must've left some water in it while stored in garage which got (very) sub-zero recently. Replaced it with a K3 Horizontal direct from Karcher for £80 with a 5-year warranty. Not as powerful as the K4 compact but still good enough.
Planning to take the leaky K4 compact to local place for repair (if feasible) and keep as a back up.
The original hoses that come with them are horrible stiff things.
Best thing I bought was a 'proper' 12mtr hose and spray gun - I think from Qwashers. Much nicer to handle and coil up for storing. Means I leave the pressure washer inside the garage and the hose is long enough to go all around the car/van.
So....
Karcher: [allegedly] Crap
Nilfisk: Actually not much better
Something good: Really expensive
Am disappoint.
I've got a Karcher that lasted about 15 years but died last year and we haven't got round to replacing yet - I was hoping for enlightenment. Actually vaguely considering a petrol one.
Hmmm, that seems a little unfair as Karcher are universally reviled on the internet, where as you have a few bad report about the Nilfisk on here. Had my Nilfisk for three year, making sure I empty the pump for winter, but it would defnitely be improved by a longer hose, will check out Qwashers.
We've had a Karcher K4 for at least five years now. Only issue is the elbow that comes out of the unit where the hose attaches is plastic, it wears slightly, and the hose can pop off under pressure. I upgraded it to a metal one (it's an official Karcher part) and no such issues since. Prior to that it was a Halfords one that lasted about 10 years but replacement hoses etc were getting impossible to get. At least with Karcher, consumables are readily available, same with Nilfisk
Fwiw, I found a Karcher K4 on their outlet site that is somewhere in a DHL van as I type.
I've had a cheap Karcher for , guesstimate , 15 years. It's falling to bits superficially ( the carry handle is the latest casualty) but still keeps pumping.
I am however considering a replacement as one thing that it can't do it power a terrace washer effectively. So, if you have a terrace washer, what pump rate do you reckon to need to make it work usefully? Wood and blockwork terrace, 150m2 , so a pain at the moment
I am however considering a replacement as one thing that it can’t do it power a terrace washer effectively. So, if you have a terrace washer, what pump rate do you reckon to need to make it work usefully?
Do you mean the spinny thing? I had much better success with my K4 compact than the K2 that preceded that - it still clogged up with sand occasionally (stopping the spinny arm spinning) but not as often with the K4 as the K2 powering it. Unsure on the pump rate off the top of my head.
And as MCTD mentions, the Karcher outlet is a good place to look.
I've had several Karchers. I kill them with frost, but until that happens they continue to work perfectly well. Current one is er, 3-4 years old, been stored in the non-freezing garage, and works fine. I have a K2 and it works with the spinny patio washer just fine for me.
