Whats a good pressure washer

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aburgeson

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Hoping to find a good pressure washer for detailing. I dont have a huge budget. One that I was looking at was
Karcher K 2.300 1600-PSI 1.25-GPM Electric Pressure Washer-1.602-201.0 at The Home Depot

Is this enough psi? How much psi is safe to go on the paint of a car? I mainly want to have a pressure washer to pre-rinse a car and maybe use a foam cannon later on down the road. I was hoping that using a pressure washer would make the washing part easier/safer. Would that be reasonable in assuming? Any help with a good pressure washer under 200 would be awesome
 
Sun Joe SPX3000. 2030 PSI, 1.76 GPM - about the most you'll get out of an affordable electric power washer ($200).
 
I have had a K.395 or something like that and I use the Sun Joe. Hands down the Sun Joe is better and stronger - and my recommendation if you can handle a 20ft hose length.

I replaced the plastic connector with a brass fitting and that's about it. The SPX3000 also comes with 3 spray nozzles. :) With the SPX I can power wash my roof from afar; the Karcher just isn't strong enough.
 
I recently did some research to find a new electric portable one. Went with the AR blue clean ar112 model. Works very well and only paid $63 shipped, lightly used on eBay. Looks to be discontinued since lowes and HD no longer carries it but Ace Hardware does.
 
Kingston said:
I recently did some research to find a new electric portable one. Went with the AR blue clean ar112 model. Works very well and only paid $63 shipped, lightly used on eBay. Looks to be discontinued since lowes and HD no longer carries it but Ace Hardware does.
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Yea Ace has it on sale for $70
 
Oh my goodeness I just noticed that Ace is selling it for $69 through the end of July. Its 1600 psi but its 1.58 gpm, and thats big time water flow for a low end electric. You're crazy not to buy it at that price. AR blue clean is one of the top brands in electric PW. Thats a steal.
 
mwoolfso said:
Hands down the Sun Joe is better and stronger - and my recommendation if you can handle a 20ft hose length.
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That is the down side. I'm going to replace the high pressure line on mine in the near future. I can't get around a sedan without shifting the unit at least once, much less an SUV.
 
I looked at that one, however, do you think that is powerful enough to clean a car? I used my friends k2300, which is 1600 psi, and was not that impressed. I feel it might help a little but it barely did anything to the rims and tires.
 
Well sort of. Ive cleaned very muddy truck undercarriage and had success. Is it my 3,000 psi Generac? Of course not. But its not $300 either. Even a 2,000 psi is going to cost you about $200. If you can afford it get one in the 2000 -2400 range.

I've found that the biggest thing is how much water pressure you have. Not the machine but the actual flow of water coming out of the outlet. At home I have insane water pressure. Other places it is much less. Makes a big difference
 
Wait a second....your original post says you were thinking about buying one, then said you have tried the same one and was not impressed. Then said you weren't sure if my recommendation of one with the same psi would be enough. Not sure whats going on here.
 
I'm been happy enough with the $130 Simpson I bought at Costco. Its specs aren't great...1700 psi and 1.3 gpm...but it does what I need it to do, and Costco offers a lifetime guarantee.
 
Kingston said:
Well sort of. Ive cleaned very muddy truck undercarriage and had success. Is it my 3,000 psi Generac? Of course not. But its not $300 either. Even a 2,000 psi is going to cost you about $200. If you can afford it get one in the 2000 -2400 range.

I've found that the biggest thing is how much water pressure you have. Not the machine but the actual flow of water coming out of the outlet. At home I have insane water pressure. Other places it is much less. Makes a big difference
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Don't most faucets put out more GPM than the power washer does?

Are you saying the output pressure of the power washer at the tip varies depending on the input water pressure from the faucet?
 
Kingston said:
Wait a second....your original post says you were thinking about buying one, then said you have tried the same one and was not impressed. Then said you weren't sure if my recommendation of one with the same psi would be enough. Not sure whats going on here.
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Sorry I did mess that up. I tried a 1600 psi pressure washer, it was old though. It wasnt the same brand as the AR one you mentioned. It was the home depot one I originally posted about, I was just hoping that since it was old might have lost some pressure. I was mainly hoping to hear feedback on good pressure washers. Sorry for the confusion, my bad. I just want a cheaper pressure washer, I found this one rated for 1900 psi on amazon, got pretty good reviews. Amazon.com : AR Blue Clean AR383 1, 900 PSI 1.5 GPM 14 Amp Electric Pressure Washer with Hose Reel : Patio, Lawn & Garden
I could also be expecting too much of a pressure washer. What can I expect to see after using it? Pretty much just removing loose particles? Cause when I used my friends on my wheels it looked like it did nothing. Could have gotten the same results with a hose
 
I received a AR Blue Clean383 on Friday. First impression using CG Honeydew and ar foam cannon were great. After pressure washing my deck and foaming my truck on Sunday it is going back to be replaced with Sun Joe 3000. The 383 was losing power and was sounding horrible
 
I'm no scientist but I have noticed a difference based on the water pressure of the hose outlet at different locations in different cities. Not really convinced to be honest. Mainly on the larger PW. The smaller ones may not be able to use all the pressure anyway.
 
So you did not like the ar383? Which sun joe did you buy? I wasnt trying to spend over 200 on a pressure washer. Unless it really makes a difference. Like will it make cleaning the wheels easier?
 
One thing I've always noticed about PW is that there are many things that can go wrong. Thats why its hard to find them with stellar reviews. Some people buy them and they work for years, sometimes they leak or break within the first few uses. Its hard to predict those things so find a good brand at a good price and hope.
 
aburgeson said:
So you did not like the ar383? Which sun joe did you buy? I wasnt trying to spend over 200 on a pressure washer. Unless it really makes a difference. Like will it make cleaning the wheels easier?
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The 383 was losing pressure, It seemed much noisier than Saturday. I bought Sun Joe 3000. Reviews seemed good and a 2 year warranty. I'm keeping fingers crossed
 
I was looking at the 2000, dont think i want to spend the 200 bucks on the 3000 model.
 
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