Pressure Washer Opinions wanted

Oneheadlite

Oneheadlite

New member
Hey Gang

Looking to replace my 5+ year old baby Ryobi (baby like it`s just a lil guy, not that it`s a prized possession! 1600/1.2gpm). Trying to decide what route to go. Use will largely be split between pressure washing the house and car use (pre rinses, foam cannon work, etc).

Obviously anything is an upgrade from what I`ve got right now. To be perfectly honest, not having had a pressure washer before I`ve been happy with the lil Ryobi. For doing the house they make a 16` extendable setup that makes it so I can do the whole house without having to clamber around on a ladder, so if I went super high output I could see that turning into quite the workout.

While I`m a buy-right-buy-once guy, I`m trying to keep it under $400. Also needs to be a 15amp unit - the wiring was very poorly thought through at my house and on top of barely having any outlets in the garage/outside they`re all 15 amp. Doing the outside of the house I end up having to move the unit around a bunch and make use of both hose spigots outside. Side note, I`m not currently in the market for changing hoses, so I`d like to stick with the M22/M14 connections to be able to use my extension hose.

Originally I was leaning towards getting the 2300psi 1.5gpm AR Blueclean Maxx from Griot`s. I know you can get it for a few bucks cheaper through other means, but I`ve had such positive experiences with their customer service I figured I`d go through them. They`ve got their whole lifetime guarantee thing; though full disclaimer I totally understand that a Pressure Washer has wear and tear written all over it, so my expectations are realistic.

It`s hard not to look at the Active V2 unit with the higher GPM. Has anyone seen/heard how the newer gen is holding up? I thought I had read the first gen had various issues that killed my interest in it.

Any other washers out there worth taking a look at?

Thanks all for their input.
 
I bought the CAT pressure washer (maxes out at 1800 psi and 2 GPM) about a year ago. I focus on a high water flow rate for working on cars. The first unit had a minor fail (wouldn`t shut off when trigger was released) and they sent me an entire new unit. I guess they don`t even make any attempt to repair these things. It works well for my needs. I also bought the simpler Griot`s foam cannon for it. The foam cannon can lay down some serious foam, should that be what you want.

We also got a SunJoe unit a couple years ago and my wife lent it to her friend who was running it without water. It makes bad noises now, not sure how much longer it`s gonna work. Lesson learned: Never loan your pressure washer to someone who doesn`t know how to use it.

My ancient Karcher was given to a friend a couple of years ago, still running strong!

While I covet the Kranzle, etc., I don`t think I`d ever spend that kind of money given how little use it would see and how I view these things as kind of disposable.
 
I bought a Kranzle. Beautiful machine. But I kinda maybe shouldn`t have, hard to justify the cost for how much it gets used. Thats that product (hobby) fever making the purchases.;)
 
Oneheadlite- I hear you Re buying the AR (both of mine are still great despite zero maintenance) from GG, but I`d worry that they might switch to a different pw brand and then leave AR buyers SOL. Just thinking how I`m stuck with broken Facom tools that GG sold with a lifetime warranty..."lifetime" apparently meaning the life of GG`s affiliation with Facom :(
 
I own both an AR 630TSS and a Kränzle 1322TS. Both require a 20A circuit (must be dedicated in the case of the AR w/ a foam cannon). The cost difference between the two is significant and I think most would be happy to save the $$$ (or put them towards accessories).

I don`t know if I could ever go back to a big box branded unit. These professional machines offer much more performance and a far superior user experience. Even if the cost is a hard pill to swallow they will last you forever.
 
sf_car_guy said:
I own both an AR 630TSS and a Kränzle 1322TS. Both require a 20A circuit (must be dedicated in the case of the AR w/ a foam cannon). The cost difference between the two is significant and I think most would be happy to save the $$$ (or put them towards accessories).

I don`t know if I could ever go back to a big box branded unit. These professional machines offer much more performance and a far superior user experience. Even if the cost is a hard pill to swallow they will last you forever.
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Oh I fully agree it`s quality. I just didn`t break it oit that much last summer, I was lazy I guess and just used the hose.
But it is a luxery machine for sure, an AMG Mercedes.
 
I was in your shoes and bought an AR610 after a husky unit started leaking a bit. What a turd the AR was. I usually have great luck with tools. The AR spit a chunk of metal outside the metal case after two years IIRC. The $40 greenworks unit that replaced it is still going strong. Even after using it for 4-8 hours at a time doing things it was never meant to do.
 
Dan said:
I was in your shoes and bought an AR610 after a husky unit started leaking a bit. What a turd the AR was..[meanwhile].. The $40 greenworks unit that replaced it is still going strong. Even after using it for 4-8 hours at a time doing things it was never meant to do.
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Heh heh, that sounds like my experiences with (pricey) Karchers vs. my (cheapie) ARs! Seems almost like a crapshoot, trying to guess which PWs will last. I`ve been expecting my older AR to die (!any day now!) for years, but it`s still going strong.
 
I only buy cheapie pressure washers and I too have had some luck with my Wal-Mart special lasting. I`m currently using it in a household project.
 
I’m going to replace my cheapie Ryobi soon. I would like more GPM. It struggles a bit with the 50ft hose.

Given the hit and miss with quality in the lower-price ranges, whatever Costco sells may be my choice.
 
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