I am looking on behalf of someone for a pressure washer, it would be used for cleaning the driveway and patio area, I have no idea where to start other than Karcher as a brand.

A budget up to around £150 may be a little more, any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks.

Nilfisk.

I found a stupid good offer last time this was asked, give me a minute.

Ah, it was a Black Friday deal.

Kercher or alternative????

Still, recommendation stands, whatever Nilfisk is in budget. That Core is 100 sovs now. Karcher is the ‘big’ brand name but don’t appear to be all that well regarded by folk who’ve bought them.

Save thier money and get the screwfix Titan jobby.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb1800prw-140bar-electric-high-pressure-washer-1-8kw-230v/564kh

Another shout for Nilfisk, if it’s for doing patios/drives definitely get one with the sweeper attachment. Makes it so much faster, effective and damaging to your back. Also stops bits of gravel getting fired around the place.

I got a Nilfisk delivered last week for
My dad from the Nilfisk Outlet.

https://www.nilfiskoutlet.co.uk/products/subcat.asp?mID=Pressure-Washers&sID=Compact

They actually sent me a better model from what I ordered. Paid an extra £5 to give it a full years warranty. Refurbished unit but looked as news. Seems fine so far but clearly not had a huge amount of
Use yet

There’s a Nilfisk outlet site for returns and reconditioned ones.

1 minute too late!

My Stihl electric one feels and performs a million times better than my Karcher. Few years old now and looks good as new. For what it’s worth, it’s bloody heavy even when it’s not full of water. Never got that feeling with a Karcher.

My baby Karcher is 11 years old. Bought it when selling the last house for about £75 with the patio brush adaptor (probably equivalent to that cheapest Nilfisk at £45). It has had a relatively easy life, save shutting the cable in the door and me replacing it by taking the washer apart (nice to see how they are made). Now it’s a lot more expensive and probably more poorly made.

The patio washer is not that effective. It keeps down the overspray but I don’t think it works very well so don’t use it. Would buy a better washer without it, but don’t go mad on features – you won’t use them!

MoreCashThanDash
Full Member

There’s a Nilfisk outlet site for returns and reconditioned ones.

Yep, this is where i got mine and it’s been brilliant- way better than my old Karcher (which to be fair was very old). Only sign of the “reconditioning” was that the hose was a little used but it functioned like new. And it just gets left outside all year and doesn’t complain about that either.

dickydutch
Full Member

My Stihl electric one feels and performs a million times better than my Karcher. Few years old now and looks good as new.

If you look at pictures of similar age Nilfisk machines you might find they look very similar but in a different colour

I should have done some prior research but, obviously, I just recommended what I had in time honoured fashion!

2nd for screwfix Titan, the only issue is the o ring on the lance can split but they are cheap as chips on ebay.

KEW – Alto for me.

20 years old, used almost every weekend for car cleaning duties, bike cleaning duties, floor cleaner attachment.

Just, over christmas completed an overhaul of the pump to hose fittings. At the supplier, every single part is still available. Surprised.

Iv had a few different ones over the years ranging from small and cheap to industrial washers. I’m
Using a small stihl just now and finding it amazing. Small, compact, powerful, onboard tool storage. The hose is only 7m but an extension is available I rate these washers highly

I’m about to look at something as well. What’s so good about the nilfisk? Why is it better than a karcher?

@stevious generally they’re an all metal pump with metal internals. The karcher units seem to be plastic pumps with plastic internals.

Nilfisk for me too, reconditioned from the outlet. Has been brilliant.

Another Nilfisk fan here. Bit like the Miele of vacuum cleaners or Bissell of carpet cleaners – the understated superior alternative to the heavily marketed leader. Bought the patio fitment and an upgraded snow foam thingy so I can cover my car in even thicker cherry smelling foam 😋

Another vote for Nilfisk

However, slight irritations. The hose is quite inflexible so it doesn’t wind back up on the real easily. The hose enters the machine at the base of the unit so it actually restricts ability to move the unit around easily

Which leads to, using it one colds winter morning I was moving the unit, the hose dug in to the tarmac which then meant the unit jumped in to the air a bit and landed on one of the wheels in a way that snapped a wheel off. The way the wheel snapped off meant the whole unit needed to be replaced, however Nilfisk did this with no questions

Only other thing is that I have looked for snow foam lances and appear slightly more expensive and difficult to source than karcher etc

The above isn’t a dont buy, it’s a cracking bit of kit, much better put together than others I have had in the past

Nilfisk

Nilfisk every time, had a few karchers and they all ended up seized up , even after only a few uses , My nilfisk has been faultless for years even if I don’t use it for 6 months

I have a Muc Off jet wash, it looks like a pink Manadlorian Jet Pack…nothing else comes close 😃😃😃

I bought a nilfisk c135 in the summer. Washed the car with it a few times and it’s miles better than the hoselock one I had before and the generic own brand thing before that.

Nilfisk are meant to have better quality pumps than karcher- so should last longer.

The standard snow foam bottle that came with it isn’t that foamy but you don’t need it for patio cleaning. Mine came with a patio cleaning head but I haven’t used it yet – probably a couple of months away from trying it out as we get out of the darker months. The hoselock one I had was good as it stopped so much mucky crap spraying everywhere but we have porcelain paving slabs that don’t needs too much vigorous cleaning as they aren’t porous.

Just ordered an Amazon basics snow foam Lance for mine – looking forward to giving it a try. Wasn’t expensive – less than £20 delivered.

Nilfisk. I’ve had several and the only issue has been the start/stop valve eventually gives up the ghost. Replacing the part (assuming you can get it) requires a complete strip down of the unit.

I recently bought a damaged machine, dumped the plastic housing and built the motor/pump into a new housing so that the gubbins are much easier to reach.

What ever one you buy just make sure that the company sells spares. The last one I had, a little plastic bit cracked in a seam. Couldn’t get a replacement part anywhere. Tried glueing it but it wouldn’t hold under pressure. Had to bin it.

The equivalent karcher part was £4.99 but not the same size.

I’ve now got a karcher and it’s brilliant. 5 years strong!

Only advise I’d give other than don’t buy karcher is why do you want a pressure washer? Not great for cleaning cars and damage any form of concrete slab or pavier. Goid for cleaning tractors but not much else.

Oh I have a green Bosch which has been ok. My Nilfisk wet and dry vac has been superb, will probably buy a Nilfisk if the Bosch dies.

Dr Nosh – Kew Alto is also the old name for Nilfisk. My Kew machine was bought by my dad in 1988 it doesn’t have wheels though so mrs jpt is not a big fan

Not great for cleaning cars and damage any form of concrete slab or pavier.

I find mine is great for the car and paving. Infact, that’s why I bought it!

I just hire a pressure washer from the local Travis Perkins or Speedy Hire. Last time I got a petrol engine powered beast that ran on its own bogie. It was sufficiently powerful to remove dogs, cats and small children with one pass. The drive and patio looked like new and it took no time at all. Cost was about £50 IIRC, plus maybe a tenner in fuel over the few days I had it.

@joebristol let us know how you get on with the snow foam lance and whether it’s an improvement over the one that comes with it

I’ve had both Karcher & Bosch which were both crap compared to the current Nilfisk.
They both broke but the Nilfisk hasn’t.

About to buy a new one as my very cheap outlet reconditioned karcher has washed it’s last car.

Are the Nilfisk ones any less prone to damage when left in a workshop space that gets properly cold? I’ve killed two karchers like that over the years when prolonged freezing conditioned damaged pump parts. I guess it’s an idiot tax for not running them dry to expel most of the water before putting them away in winter months.

convert
Full Member

Are the Nilfisk ones any less prone to damage when left in a workshop space that gets properly cold?

Mine lives in a cheap plastic outdoor storage box, no insulation, no probs (in Edinburgh) Though yes you should probably run it dry- I do try to remember.

I bought a Karcher k4 about a year ago and it’s broken twice already. Fragile piece of poorly designed crap.

So I recommend you don’t buy a Karcher.

My not new but new enough nilfisk from the site linked above arrived today. Going to try a bit of normal car shampoo in the foam lance tomorrow. Can’t imagine much could go wrong, could it?

“… and that was the last anyone heard from him.”

Karcher look to have gone downhill over the years. I bought one absolutely ages ago, at least 20 years, and has had a fair amount of use but still works ok. Guess they don’t make ’em like they used to.

@funkydunc

@joebristol let us know how you get on with the snow foam lance and whether it’s an improvement over the one that comes with it

Used the Amazon basics snow foam lance today. Really really foamy. Washed both cars about 4 hours ago and there’s still some foam on the drive itself 🙈

The foam stayed on the cars for at least 10 mins before I washed it off. The head is adjustable so you could make it thicker / thinner easily.

I used Autoglym Polar Blast in the lance.

Anyone use the Nilfisk outlet as mentioned above? If so, how fast was your despatch?

Ordered 10 days ago and not yet despatched. I emailed after a week and got a swift apology back but still not despatched 3 days after the apology…..Not great.