Karcher electric pressure washer opinions.

[JoeMcGov]

Can also be spelled Kaercher depending on who's doing the discussing.

Mrs. McGov. is interested in a around-home electric pressure washer for her around home needs. Pressure of 2,000psi or a little less. (Mr. McGov. runs a 3,600psi gas fueled behemoth cuz, well, he's a MAN).

I've found myself circling around the Karcher brand.

Budget is $450 out the door (or to the door).

Seeing what you folks know. Think. Or want to suggest other than Karcher.

Again. Corded electric.

 

[zendriver]

We had one of the smaller AR power washers for years that was awesome. Trigger valve in the gun finally quit and it’s obsolete so we just decided to buy a new model. I have not used it yet.

You could get an AR in the pressure you are looking for for way less than your budget.


Edit in between we bought the harbor freight Portland pressure sprayer and frankly stinks and the pressure was rated higher than a little AR

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[dacan23]

My philosophy is if its not a high end model with a triplex pump, then spend as little as possible. $100-150 is the optimal range I believe between junk and over paying for what will break in a few years.

When my gas monster was broken I bought this, think I paid $120, it works good enough.

https://www.bjs.com/product/sun-joe...asher-with-extension-wand/3000000000002996791

 

[JoeMcGov]

My philosophy is if its not a high end model with a triplex pump, then spend as little as possible. $100-150 is the optimal range I believe between junk and over paying for what will break in a few years.

When my gas monster was broken I bought this, think I paid $120, it works good enough.

https://www.bjs.com/product/sun-joe...asher-with-extension-wand/3000000000002996791

Mrs. McGov. apparently got your telepathic message and ordered a $150 Karcher.

Thanks for the quick comments guys/gals/folks/non-binaries

 

[captain14]

Let us know how it works out. I have an small used electric Karcher and it has done what I wanted .

It did fine removing the green #%*+<# that grows on the stained wood. I used it to pressure wash three sheds prior to applying new stain about 5 years ago. They may get another quick wash and stain again this year.

 

[4xdog]

I have one of the smaller electric Kärchers -- the K2 Ergo, a 120V, 1600 psi, 1.25 gpm unit. I got tired of firing up the Honda-engined DeVilbiss and rarely needed that unit's power for simple stuff around the house.

$120 on the Big A. It's super easy to use and works fine for small jobs. I'll be using it in the basement as I clean up my folks' old home for sale, something I couldn't do with the gasoline-engined pressure washer.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BMETDWS/

When I pressure washed the algae off three sides of vinyl siding last summer, the little Kärcher would have done the job, but it would have been painfully time-consuming. My neighbor works for a fire equipment distributor for the region and he brought home their shop unit. Boy, that was nice... But I probably couldn't use that much power around the house normally.

(BTW, in Europe the brand is so ubiquitous that any pressure washer is called a "Kärcher".)

 

[Robbie B]

Don't know about the quality now but I know 20 years ago when I worked in a pawn shop we wouldn't even loan on Karcher. They got burned on several of them and just stopped taking them all together.

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[MikeF2316]

I bought a Karcher electric about 25 years ago. A couple of years back, it started leaking through the trigger, there was a bad oring. Karcher was no help getting replacement parts (the oring was an odd size), and the dealer they referred me to didn't answer the phone and didn't return my call for days. I ended up getting the part from ereplacementparts.com, an expensive way to get an oring!

 

[MarvinBerry]

Couple years ago I replaced an electric Karcher with a $100 Ryobi and couldn't be happier. Pump on the Karcher burned out, not sure how old it was but probably 10 years at most. Maybe only 7 or 8.

Karcher liked to tip over a lot. Hose was short so always moving it around and slight tug, esp in side yard would knock it down like a weeble wobble.

Didn't like that the hose & gun on mine was fused... the Ryobi everything comes apart so I know I'm getting most of the water out of it. Also dig that since it comes apart I can store the thing in a small tote.

I don't use a pressure washer too often. Handful of times a year so while more power would be nice it's fine... can still peel paint or dig a hole in the deck if I'm not paying attention.

 

[Zewnten]

Be careful to unplug the machine when not in use. Had a young girl in my area get hurt with an electric pressure washer because the family thought it was off. Just my opinion

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Good luck with your purchase. I have a Karcher gas model from Costco. One thing I did notice is much of the system is specific to Karcher makes it difficult to find parts for on short notice.

 

[ehsan]

If your Karcher has the proprietary bayonet adapter, I recommend buying an adapter to fit standard quick release pressure washer fittings. 10 bucks on amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TX8RPZG/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I bought one to enable using my fancy foam cannon with my K2 and bought a second one to use standard pressure washer nozzles instead of the one it came with. I like my K2 overall. Bought it for similar reasons: installed a composite deck which specifies using a pressure washer below 2000 psi. My gas one is much higher. I use the electric way more nowadays buy keep the gas around for big jobs in the future. Electric is awesome for car washing where you are switching tools constantly. Would **** to listen to the gas motor the whole time or keep restarting it.

 

[theoldwizard1]

It is volume (GPM) that gets the job done ! If you are going electric, you will need one with at least 2 HO, which means 240V.

 

[justanengineer]

After buying a small electric 2k psi AR Blue based off a recommendation here 5’ish years ago I’ll prob never go back to gas. Normally they’re ~$100 at Menards but we caught a sale for $60. I was skeptical of the capability and longevity, but it had a crazy warranty (5 years?) and makes quick work of washing houses and vehicles. Most importantly it beats the heck out of gassers for ease of use and maneuverability. If you’re washing muddy construction equipment or greasy tractors weekly you’ll prob want something bigger but for most folks it’s all you need IMHO.


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[grandeyota]

I am pretty happy with my AR Blue electric from 6 years ago. Little stuff around the house it is convenient enough I’ll actually use it. Not the right tool for big jobs, but the rental place is right down the street for the once every two years I need something like that.

 

[MarlynOC]

If you get an electric convert it to a regular hose, gun and wand with quick connects. The hose entering the gun on the bottom is unwieldy and thee fittings are readily available. We use them at night for com'l property(rental apartments) cleaning where noise is an issue.