Which Brand of pressure washer is best?

I've often been asked. Which brand of pressure washer is best? Over the last several years, most brand names have been bought and sold to the extent that the name itself can mean very little. You can be sure of good value at your local big box store, but don't try to fool yourself; you're not going to find a unit suitable for hard use without spending about $1000.00. Most everything in the retail big box store is under severe pricing pressure and the suppliers have done whatever they have to to maintain some profit margin. Failing any other easy comparision, check out the size of the pressure washer pump. See if the motor is a cheap "China copy" motor. The latest "copy" motors have familiar sounding names, but it won't be Honda, Kohler, Briggs, or Subaru. Home use units can be bought at good deals, but as I mentioned earlier, don't fool yourself into thinking that a $400. pressure washer will be a long lasting commercial use unit. They can last a "light use" homeowner ten years or more, and at best help you start up a business with a cheap, one-year, commercial use unit.

Belt drive pressure washers have always been the commercial/industrial choice. However, many contractors have compromised and bought direct drive units so that they don't have to send out more than one man on a job. The best direct drive units usually have 13HP Honda motors..or more. Kohler, even Vanguard motors are well proven.

In pumps, generally, the bigger the better. Annovi Reverberi, General(Italian pumps), Giant, and Cat have all made good pumps. Cat, (Made in Japan pump) until recently, was most consistantly recognized to be a quality leader...and pricey. AR and General offer some of the best values along with reasonably priced parts.
Call 513-242-4500 for service. Thanks, Doug

Lowe's John Deer 3800 4000 psi 13HP Pressure Washer

Lowe's recently featured a new John Deer Pressure Washer that sold for under $1000. While most of this unit is put together well, featuring the reliable 13HP Honda motor and a good cart assembly, I was surpriced to see that John Deer would agree to put this new miniture AR pump on their unit. In the "race to the bottom" in pricing while still trying to feature big PSI numbers, this new Annovi Reverberi pump has been offered up to the consumer market. With a rating of 4000PSI, many commercial customers have put a little too much trust in the John Deer name, and have bought a unit they thought suitable for hard use.

I have recently seen problems with these units that is normally uncommon for "crankshaft" type pumps. Appearantly, AR has bowed to Lowe's (and their consumers) demand for cheapness and has finally come up with a design that is prone to catastraphic failure. You'll hear it if it "goes". Otherwise, if you're use is not too heavy, and you keep a clean, high grade oil in the pump crankcase, you'll find that first the valves, and then the water and oil seals will fail within a few years. If you have lost most of your pressure and your crankcase oil doesn't "milk-up" with water too quickly, (some is inevitable and okay), you might just get your pressure back by replacing the valves. Valve pressure loss occurs gradually, while sudden pressure loss is most often caused by the pressure unloader mechanism.(Under the adjustment handle)

Karcher pumps on consumer pressure washers

While Karcher has a fine reputation as a premium brand in the industrial and commercial market, the demands of a low cost product in the consumer market has lead to some problematic units.

One persistant problem has been their flow-initiated, high pressure kick-in, feature on their pumps. Especially on the lowest cost units that feature an aluminum head housing. White corrision and hard mineral deposits easily inhibit the required sliding action in the "spill-valve" housing and the actual valve's O-rings.

This problem is easily diagnoised by the washers progressively worstening hesitation to "kick-in" when the trigger is pulled. And then the complete failure to "kick-in" at all.

There are some tricks to making this a one hour repair and keeping the total cost to $79.00, but that is what several days and lots of experience with dozens of these little pumps will get you when you bring this unit for repair at my shop. 513-242-4500
Thanks, Doug

Karcher Pressure Washers

Karcher is a well known name in the pressure washing business. They are a German company that has been selling pressure washers and associated equipment here in the US for many years. Originally they were known for their high-quality hot water machines for industrial and commercial uses. They design and manufacture their own pumps and accessories. This tends to make their parts a bit expensive and their availability less than good. Over the last ten years or so they have entered the very competitive market of the "big-box" stores and have designed many models to be much more price competitive. So much for a name.... Beginning with a few models of very inexpensive electric washers, they have made several entries now that are gas powered. These cost/price competitive designs seem to be at least as good as their competitors....understanding that consumer models are not intended for heavy daily use, and that pressure washers, in general, may be significantly more vulnerable to customer misuse. Reading the operational manual is a little more critical for pressure washers than say, lawnmowers.
One of Karcher's unifying features is that almost all pump models use a flow based unloader system. This feature is designed to offer a smooth kick-in of pressure when the trigger is pulled. It does, however, complicate the replacement of spray tips, or the operation of the pump if anything inhibits the flow of water through the pump...such as any small foreign matter stuck in the tip, or the addition of too much pressure hose, or addition of a long extension pole, or hose reel. Inhibited flow will cause the pump to not "kick-in" to the high pressure mode. On certain 2200 to 2800psi models, it is common for the unloader/spill valve to get stuck after a couple of seasons and not allow the pressure to kick-in also. The repair can be a little tricky and time consuming if you haven't had the opportunity the develop the proper technique. This problem is most readily identified by what starts as a slight hesitation in the pressure "kick-in" and quickly deteriorates into no "kick-in".
Call me at Midwest Spray, 513-242-4500, should you care to get an estimate on repair cost.