SuperBee364
05-12-2007, 10:04 AM
I love pressure washers. I`ve gone through three of the (reatively speaking) low cost ones available from Costco and Home Depot. Adds up to about $500 spent over the last four years, with nothing to show for it.
So a few days ago, I made the mistake of getting a Lowes Card. Since I had already made that mistake, I figured another one couldn`t hurt, so I put a John Deere gas powered pressure washer on my freshly minted Lowe`s Card.
If you`re seriously thinking about getting a pressure washer, I highly recommend biting the bullet and putting up the cash for a good one right off the bat. The cheap electric Karcher, Huskey, etc. WILL NOT LAST. Promise. They`ll break down within a year, tops. And good luck on trying to get warranty repairs. See the "No Hassle Exhange" sticker on the outside of the Karcher? They LIE! And the reason it`s there? They know they are selling crap merchandise. I`d love to hear other`s experiences with these cheap little toys. I`m sure there will be a few (and a very few at that) that haven`t had any problems with them (yet), but I`d be shocked and amazed if anyone had one that had lasted more than two years with any amount of usage.
Another reason to stay away from the cheap electric pressure washers: they make good pressure, but their total Gallons Per Minute (GPM) rating suuuuucks. Makes it much more time consuming to wash your car. Think about using a hand squirt bottle to rinse your vehicle, and you`ll know what I mean. GPM is very important. I think 1.8 GPM is the absolute minimum for a decent car wash.
Anyway, there are a bunch of top names in pressure washers. If you`re really set on getting an electric, Cam Spray makes about the best ones you can get, but they are really spendy. You can get a higher pressure, higher GPM rated gas powered one for about 150 bucks less than the cheapest electric Cam Spray. Home (http://www.camspray.com) has a PDF catalog of their products, as well as a PDF retail price list. The price list is way out of bounds; you can usually find their products for about 20% cheaper (or even better) than what`s listed on their price list.
This pressure washer, http://www.topoftheline.com/pressure-washer-portable.html is one of the very best electric units you can buy. Their price isn`t bad, either. You`ll also need some serious electrical wiring and a 20 amp circuit (with nothing else on it) to run that washer. See the triple plunger type water pump on the side of it? That`s the best water pump type you can get. Try to stay away from the axial style pumps and go for the triple plunger if you can.
I`ve spent waaaay too much time researching pressure washers, so I`m sorry about the rant...
Just a quick summary...
GPM means more than total pressure. You really don`t need more than about 1800 PSI, unless you`re looking for more cutting power than a wool pad with HTEC.
Triple Plunger pumps are the best
Honda makes one of the best small equipment engines out there. Briggs & Stratton isn`t as good as it used to be.
GPM rules. Get the highest rating you can find.
So try to find a honda powered, triple plunger pump type, high GPM rated washer, and you`ll be set!
Oh, also this foam cannon Cam Spray 527100 - Foamer Attachment - Cam Spray 527100 - Every Pressure Washer. Great Selection of Electric Pressure Washers, Gas Pressure Washers, Hot Water Pressure Washers, Cold Water Pressure Washers, & Much More! (http://www.everypressurewasher.com/Cam-Spray-527100-CAM1243.html#ProdDetails) is just about identical to the one so popular in the UK, and that site has the best price on it I`ve been able to find. I have one on order from them. Can`t wait to give that a shot at 3000 PSI and 2.8 GPM from the John Deere washer. Should be able to blanket the neighborhood.
New wash process is gonna be:
Pressure rinse the car
lay down a nice layer of foam. (CG`s Citrus Wash and Gloss)
Let it sit for a few
Pressure spray it off
lay down another layer of foam.
Rinse out the BHB (the one that CMA sells), and use it to clean the vehicle.
Pressure rinse, and waffle weave dry!
This process should reduce to an absolute minimum any stuff on the paint prior to using the brush, which should be very gentle. Who was it that talked about "you want to try to reduce the potential for swirls as much as you can"? I think this process should reduce the potential!
I`ll post pics once the foam cannon gets here...:chuckle:
So a few days ago, I made the mistake of getting a Lowes Card. Since I had already made that mistake, I figured another one couldn`t hurt, so I put a John Deere gas powered pressure washer on my freshly minted Lowe`s Card.
If you`re seriously thinking about getting a pressure washer, I highly recommend biting the bullet and putting up the cash for a good one right off the bat. The cheap electric Karcher, Huskey, etc. WILL NOT LAST. Promise. They`ll break down within a year, tops. And good luck on trying to get warranty repairs. See the "No Hassle Exhange" sticker on the outside of the Karcher? They LIE! And the reason it`s there? They know they are selling crap merchandise. I`d love to hear other`s experiences with these cheap little toys. I`m sure there will be a few (and a very few at that) that haven`t had any problems with them (yet), but I`d be shocked and amazed if anyone had one that had lasted more than two years with any amount of usage.
Another reason to stay away from the cheap electric pressure washers: they make good pressure, but their total Gallons Per Minute (GPM) rating suuuuucks. Makes it much more time consuming to wash your car. Think about using a hand squirt bottle to rinse your vehicle, and you`ll know what I mean. GPM is very important. I think 1.8 GPM is the absolute minimum for a decent car wash.
Anyway, there are a bunch of top names in pressure washers. If you`re really set on getting an electric, Cam Spray makes about the best ones you can get, but they are really spendy. You can get a higher pressure, higher GPM rated gas powered one for about 150 bucks less than the cheapest electric Cam Spray. Home (http://www.camspray.com) has a PDF catalog of their products, as well as a PDF retail price list. The price list is way out of bounds; you can usually find their products for about 20% cheaper (or even better) than what`s listed on their price list.
This pressure washer, http://www.topoftheline.com/pressure-washer-portable.html is one of the very best electric units you can buy. Their price isn`t bad, either. You`ll also need some serious electrical wiring and a 20 amp circuit (with nothing else on it) to run that washer. See the triple plunger type water pump on the side of it? That`s the best water pump type you can get. Try to stay away from the axial style pumps and go for the triple plunger if you can.
I`ve spent waaaay too much time researching pressure washers, so I`m sorry about the rant...
Just a quick summary...
GPM means more than total pressure. You really don`t need more than about 1800 PSI, unless you`re looking for more cutting power than a wool pad with HTEC.
Triple Plunger pumps are the best
Honda makes one of the best small equipment engines out there. Briggs & Stratton isn`t as good as it used to be.
GPM rules. Get the highest rating you can find.
So try to find a honda powered, triple plunger pump type, high GPM rated washer, and you`ll be set!
Oh, also this foam cannon Cam Spray 527100 - Foamer Attachment - Cam Spray 527100 - Every Pressure Washer. Great Selection of Electric Pressure Washers, Gas Pressure Washers, Hot Water Pressure Washers, Cold Water Pressure Washers, & Much More! (http://www.everypressurewasher.com/Cam-Spray-527100-CAM1243.html#ProdDetails) is just about identical to the one so popular in the UK, and that site has the best price on it I`ve been able to find. I have one on order from them. Can`t wait to give that a shot at 3000 PSI and 2.8 GPM from the John Deere washer. Should be able to blanket the neighborhood.
New wash process is gonna be:
Pressure rinse the car
lay down a nice layer of foam. (CG`s Citrus Wash and Gloss)
Let it sit for a few
Pressure spray it off
lay down another layer of foam.
Rinse out the BHB (the one that CMA sells), and use it to clean the vehicle.
Pressure rinse, and waffle weave dry!
This process should reduce to an absolute minimum any stuff on the paint prior to using the brush, which should be very gentle. Who was it that talked about "you want to try to reduce the potential for swirls as much as you can"? I think this process should reduce the potential!
I`ll post pics once the foam cannon gets here...:chuckle: