Pressure Washers: comments/recommendations/tips

Hello,
I did a search and could not find a dedicated thread to this topic. I am in the market for a pressure washer to mainly wash our vehicles. Budget would be $150-$350. This topic is super confusing. I am wondering what you all use, what you'd recommend, etc.

 

Troy Bilt. I have one with the Honda GX190 and that thing is a work horse!
I couldn't recommend it highly enough. And it will fit into your budget
Mike

 

I have the

$129 Sun Joe SPX3000 14.5-Amp Electric High Pressure Washer, Cleans Cars/Fences/Patios, Green

Sun Joe SPX3000 electric power washer.Works great with strong cleaning power

 

I have Karcher with honda GX190, super reliable, bought from Letgo, think I paid $80

 

i have this ryobi. $99 at home depot. it's held up well the past few years but i do need to get a new hose and it has a few kinks in it now. does well on the truck and the patio/driveway which is all i needed.

 

My father gave me a gas powered one and it is a pain in the ass in my opinion. If I decide to replace it, I’m going with an electric one. Plenty of pressure for my needs. I had one in the past and it was easy to use and didn’t have to deal with it being a bitch to start.

 

There is a whole lot of talk about pressure washers in here.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/harbor-freight-pressure-washer.61743/

 

I have this one too. Good machine to date (got it for Christmas and have used it a few times so far.)

 

I have this one. 2000psi. It is electric and has been great for washing cars, house, deck, concrete. I got it on sale when Lowes was running like $60 off. Has been plenty powerful for what I need to do and no mess with gas, carb or storage issues.

 

X2 on the

$129 sun joe spx3000 14.5-amp electric high pressure washer, cleans cars/fences/patios, green

sun joe spx3000 and combine it with the cheap Amazon foam cannon and your good to go.

 

For this purpose, I would recommend use of the Lowest pressure possible and work your way up as needed to minimize damage. I use a cheap harbor freight job what was on sale for $25. That was over 10 years ago and it is still working, 'only' 1800 psi electric but it gets the job done on cars and an old trailer i have at deer lease, cleans it up with bleach/water quickly. Luck deciding.

 

So do you all use the Sun Joe to wash your vehicles or would you say it is too powerful?

 

Sun joe works great. You can get which ever one but if it’s super powerful don’t get to close and keep the nozzle moving so you don’t damage the paint and you will be fine. A more powerful one will have more uses, not just to wash cars

 

I'm a wimp..still wash my truck with a garden hose

 

Go with something with a Honda or Subaru motor. I don't get too hung up on the brand of the machine itself. They all have a service life and the pump is the weakest link unless you spend some serious coin on one. Buy what you can find on sale that has a Honda or Subaru motor and treat it well. Always always run water through it before you start it and remove the hoses and drain the pump when you are done. Costco usually has a decent one, the brand changes from year to year.

 

Thanks for all the replies, I have a few projects already in mind but want to make sure it would be useful on the truck for sure.

 

I just took a look at the Worx Hydroshot. It’s a battery powered one that looks to be really easy and convenient for washing vehicles. I may grab one and see what it can and can’t do. I’ll keep the gas powered one for stripping the deck.

 

I have a SunJoe

$129 SPX3000 14.5-Amp Electric High Pressure Washer, Cleans Cars/Fences/Patios, Green

SPX3000....in my opinion, it's the perfect little pressure washer to do cars. I've said this in other threads....it's stated psi of 2030 and gpm of 1.76 are overstated......but regardless, it has more enough power to wash cars and use a foam cannon....which I happen to love doing. Mine is 2 years old and has not let me down. Just used it today to pressure wash our shed, too. Buy one...you will not regret the purchase

 

SunJoe

$129 SPX3000 14.5-Amp Electric High Pressure Washer, Cleans Cars/Fences/Patios, Green

SPX3000. I've had mine 4 years with no problems at all. I suggest buying the 25' extension so you can get all the way around a truck without moving it

 

I too have the sunjoe .....used it for 8 hours straight this past Sunday....and my mom had borrowed it for a few months using it weekly...and its about a year old....can't go wrong

 

For gassers. The pump quality is as important as engine quality. And ALWAYS prime the pump.

I still was my trucks by hand.

 

Thanks for the answers. I ended up going with the

$129 Sun Joe SPX3000 14.5-Amp Electric High Pressure Washer, Cleans Cars/Fences/Patios, Green

Sun Joe SPX3000 and got a 50 foot hose and a foam cannon. Works great. I'll use it until it breaks and go from there. It has a 2 year warranty so that's pretty cool. Really enjoy washing the truck with with a pressure washer. It's pretty darn fun.

 

You can try Sun Joe SPX3000 2030. A good product at a reasonable price. Check it on Amazon

$129 Sun Joe SPX3000 14.5-Amp Electric High Pressure Washer, Cleans Cars/Fences/Patios, Green

https://www.amazon.com/Sun-Joe-SPX3...r&qid=1594216101&sprefix=press,aps,411&sr=8-1

 

i went with the ryobi 2000 just because didn't need something too strong or bulky and wanted electric. didn't want to deal with gas/exhaust, sound and not starting. im a year into pressure washing. have it running off a hose bib directly from our home water softener which is the best setup imo. never deal with hard water spots. also, i found that the using the pw on the roof sucks. imma start dumping a 5gal bucket of water for first and last rinse there. pw doesn't really hit the roof and im short. lol.

i also follow the top down, two bucket system for wash, leaf blower to dry then damp microfiber to once over. makes a world of diff if you ceramic coat. water just rolls right off so easy to dry with leaf blower and no scratching. as i get older i find myself geeking out on detailing more and finding it therapeutic. wtf i used to hate it.

 

Rinsing the roof is a pain for us short guys. An inexpensive three step Cosco stool fixed that problem for me. I do agree, however, that the p/w is not the answer for the roof. I thought about investing in a Work HydroShot so I could climb up in the bed without worrying about dragging a hose with me.

 

I have this electric one. Plenty of psi for patio and sidewalks.


https://www.homedepot.com/p/301004462

I did however purchase an additional 25’ hose with coupler, makes washing the vehicles much easier without having to move the unit around.

I additionally purchased this attachment and it works great on the vehicles.