Ouch.

 

I have a piddly 1400 psi Simonize. It has a mind of its own at times every now and then cutting out or refusing to start. The original nozzle wore out too and new ones are half the price of a new machine.

I'm debating what to get at some point too.

 

Did someone say "piddle"?

 

^LOL, I did say that.

 

At least with a piddler... you don't have to worry about paint damage too much.

A couple of years ago we had a good laugh when a guy showed up on a job with a ~2' patch of paint missing on his truck door.

Apparently he was washing his truck with a pressure washer...
It got under the paint where there was a chip & peeled a piece right off.

I don't think he appreciated us laughing though.

 

True enough. I never use the pw on the car anyhow. I prefer to grind things into the paint by touching it.

That would have been funny looking at the missing paint. Years ago I did something similar where a bit of clearcoat came off around the door handle of my Prelude.

 

Your secret to a spot-free rinse?? You should post that in Detailing.

 

I'll get right on that.

 

You're braver than most Ian. I wouldn't touch it with a twn foot, make that metre pole.

 

My first pressure washer was a commercial electric rig, bought used from someone that got it from the City (used to wash the fleet vehicles). It was pretty well bullet proof, but big and ugly. When I found someone that wanted it, I sold for more than I paid.

I then went through a few washers from Karcher, both electric and gas and came away unimpressed. The higher end gas Karcher washers aren't bad, but overpriced and the mid range isn't great. The ones with Briggs & Stratton engines suck big time, and I found the one I had was virtually impossible to re-start when hot. That one cost me almost $500 and was a piece of crap! The mid range Honda engine Karcher models are so-so and are the ones usually available at Costco.

What you want in a washer that will last is a pump that has stainless steel plungers and ceramic pistons with available replaceable parts. Get the Honda engines with the red steel shroud (not the black one which is a lower grade). Don't just look at psi ratings. Even the cheapies brag about psi. The GPM at a certain psi is what you look for. Also look for easily replaced guns, wands and nozzles (something that is more difficult with things like Karchers). You can vary the agressiveness of the spray by switching nozzels, and also at the pump. Use a 0 degree nozzle at close range, and you could probably put a hole through something, including your hand!

The washer that I've been using for many years now came from Princess Auto. I think it's the one that goes for around $1000. Pressure washers frequently go on sale there for fair prices, and most are commercial grade with the good Honda engines. They have a range of Consumer to Commercial/Agricultural grade washers to choose from. A good one will last you many, many trouble free years if taken care of.

 

^interesting you mentioned Princess Auto. I thought of them when reading this post. They have a lot of them over there and even an area to test them.

 

Thanks for the info Gord!

 

^there is one here in Dartmouth if you don't have one there.