BluShield - Kevlar-braided Pressure Washer Hose - Beta Test

[scooby074]

BluShield - Kevlar-braided Pressure Washer Hose - Beta Test Results

Due to the volume of pictures I thought that posting my beta test of the hose might be better in its own thread. If any other Beta testers want to add their test to it, feel free.

The good:
Overall the hose is quality and is just a few tweeks away from being perfect.

It's lightweight and flexible, maybe a little stiff under pressure compared to a hydraulic hose, but it's not a deal breaker.

It lays nice and flat and coils up nice when being stored. Even though it came in a very tight coil, it shows virtually no memory when stretched out. Excellent performance!

It handles 4000PSI with no problems .

The outer covering is very nice, smooth, it also appears to be a Non-Marking hose although I have no idea if thats the case because I received no literature on the product.

 

[scooby074]

The Bad (or needs improvement)

The main thing holding this back are the threaded couplers on either end. They are cheap and poorly plated. The threads are too sharp and they leak. The flats were also damaged during crimping? in the plant.
The chrome plating is poor, and their is already rust on the parts. Both ends of the hose are the same.

I can likely get the leak too stop with some teflon tape. I dont know if this is due to them being a beta and the production version will be better or what, but if this is the production version, its unacceptable.

There are also no swivels on either end for the threaded couplers. This makes installation hard.

Ideally, the threaded sections should be made out of stainless or brass as on my other pw hoses. A small investment here would make the hoses that much better. These are my other PW hoses, both stainless and brass.

The outer covering of the hose is nice. It appears to be non-marking. It does attract dirt however, but it is a pressure washer afterall so this isnt that important.

The hose should be labeled as to its size, standard, and pressure rating like other hoses. This hose is a new Valley Industries hose I bought a few months back. It was the primary hose I was comparing the Demo hose to. Both hoses were quite similar, but Id give the edge to the Blushield hose for lightness and flexibility.

Overall the hose is great. Its lightweight and just a little bit of money spent, particularly on the threaded portions, would go a long way to making this hose a "premium" hose.

Side note, if this hose is a general indicator of BluBird's quality, Ill strongly consider them for air hoses etc in the future. Id be more than happy to clarify any opinions offered here if asked.

 

[rishavrastogi]

Hi,

Thank you for the detailed review. Exactly what we were hoping for!

We are going through your points in detail one by one and addressing the issues.
Since this is a new field to us, the end fittings haven't been fully developed yet and what you received were WIP. We are developing their design from scratch as the ones available are meant for steel braided hoses.

In the production material, the fittings will be fixed fully.

Will reach out to you to check about particular points. Thank you!

Best
Rishav

 

[scooby074]

Hi,

Thank you for the detailed review. Exactly what we were hoping for!

We are going through your points in detail one by one and addressing the issues.
Since this is a new field to us, the end fittings haven't been fully developed yet and what you received were WIP. We are developing their design from scratch as the ones available are meant for steel braided hoses.

In the production material, the fittings will be fixed fully.

Will reach out to you to check about particular points. Thank you!

Best
Rishav

No problem Rishav, glad to help. Look forward to hearing from you.

 

[aczr2k]

The 200 degree max heat is a deal breaker for me. Why have a steamer if the hose can't withstand the temp? Hose definitely needs to swivel otherwise you are constantly fitting it.

 

[rishavrastogi]

The 200 degree max heat is a deal breaker for me. Why have a steamer if the hose can't withstand the temp? Hose definitely needs to swivel otherwise you are constantly fitting it.

Hi,

The production units will have swivel fittings, we are just developing them. And the max. temperature rating will also go up as we test further. With Kevlar and our rubber, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't. We just haven't tested it at temperatures higher than 200 to claim that.

Will keep you posted. Thanks for the input though.

Best
Rishav

 

[kythri]

Apologies for the delay in posting my review of the hose sent to me.

Echoing scooby074, I'm very impressed by the lack of memory, and very impressed as to how tight this hose will coil up:



My sample hose also had some finish/rust issues with the 3/8" NPT ends:




That said, I did not/do not have any leak issues with mine.

My pressure washer (a consumer-grade Troy-Bilt model I bought off CL several years ago, originally sold by Lowe's) utilizes M22 fittings:




Sourcing adapters was part of the delay in my review. I found a local shop that specializes in pressure washers (http://www.surecleannw.com) that had exactly what I needed, and, awesomely, cheaper than it would have cost me to source them online.

Using those fittings (and after teflon-tape wrapping the hose ends, pressure washer outlet and gun inlet), I converted my pressure washer and new hose over to a 3/8" quick-connect setup.

Zero flow issues, and the hose performs as well, if not better, than the stock hose that came with the washer.

I didn't buy swivels at the pressure washer store, as they were rather more expensive than the fittings I purchased, and I half regret not doing so. If the production version of the hose incorporates quality swivels, then it'll be a no-brainer for me to buy one when they're released.

About the only negative thing I can say about the hose is that the cloth-feel outer wrap in the light blue color will turn brown in no time. My immediate use in cleaning my gutters and blasting my back patio has already lightly stained the wrap:



Now, for me, the appearance really isn't a big deal - it's on an object that's meant to clean other objects, and as such, will generate a lot of scum/silt/etc. in doing so, but, a darker shade of blue, and perhaps something that isn't as prone to holding onto grime, such as a slicker-coated wrap that could be wiped off easily, and it'd be perfect. As is, it's pretty close.

I'll update as my use increases, however, it is the season that I expect to be doing far less pressure washing, so it might be a bit.

Thank you for including me in this beta test, Rishav! I will most definitely be looking at your other products as the need arises.