Kärcher Mobile Cleaner OC3 Foldable review

With the Kärcher OC3 my ‘Mud Admin’ has never been lower and the back of my car has never been cleaner!

• Brand: Kärcher
• Product: Mobile Cleaner OC3 Foldable
• Price: £129.99
• From: Karcher
• Tested by: Aran for 6 weeks

Pros

• Cheap
• Compact and packable
• Capable despite its size and easy to charge

Cons

• You can’t reliably transport water in it
• Er, isn’t as powerful as a mains powered proper pressure washer

As we unfortunately return to a UK winter of rain, cold and dark, the things we all forgot about in this bone dry summer are also returning. The main character in what I call ‘Mud Admin’ is washing the bike – whilst trying desperately to keep my car clean! Mobile pressure washers offer an answer to these woes. The ability to clear the majority of the mud before loading the car, not only makes life easier when you get back home but saves the interior of your vehicle.

Kärcher’s OC3 mobile cleaner is a great option here. At £130 it’s a comparatively cheap option compared to its main competitors. While similar in price to the Worx Hydroshot 56 Cordless, the OC3 is significantly cheaper than the Muc-Off Mobile Pressure Washer which retails around the £200 mark. Having used all three, I would say the main benefit of the Muc-Off washer is the larger and more secure water storage. This aside, the water pressure and charge seem similar. I feel Kärcher’s main competitor here is the Worx Hydroshot and on the whole the OC3 compares well.

The portability is the obvious strength of the OC3. It packs down small and weighs only 2.2 kg, meaning it fits nice and easily in a footwell, for example. However, if you are planning on washing the bike somewhere without a water source you will need to take the water with you. This is where the only major disadvantage of the OC3 appears.

Whilst it can take eight litres of water in the bucket, to attempt to transport this in the back of your car would be unwise. The lid does not tightly seal, so the water will very quickly find itself not in the bucket and all over the car. This leaves two options: either find a water source on site (which at a race or campsite is pretty easily done) or more simply, just bring some separately. For this I used an old 10 litre Ad Blue tub.

Kärcher advises against dipping the OC3 into water – which is where Worx Hydroshot has a slight upper hand with it being able to draw water directly from a source.

With its small design the water pressure is surprisingly very good. Enough to compete with its competitors and certainly enough to wash a bike, especially when dealing with fresh mud after finishing the ride.

Kärcher claims the battery life to be about 15 minutes and this is more than enough to rinse off two or three bikes, you will probably find you run out of water before you finish the battery. The system charges up with a USB-C cable, so no need to swap out and charge big clunky batteries with product specific charges. This also makes charging on the go easier as you can charge it whilst driving.

Overall

Not to fall into hyperbole but for me the OC 3 mobile pressure washer has been a genuine game changer. When living at university I so rarely had access to a bike wash facility, mostly resorting to panicked and expensive petrol station pressure washers. Also, at races and on weekend trips the mobile washer is invaluable. All you need is a campsite with a water supply and the OC3 has more than enough battery to keep you clean all weekend. Overall this is a great product, compact, durable and very much does what it says on the tin. My ‘Mud Admin’ has never been lower and the back of my car has never been cleaner!