So, What Makes the Best Pressure Washer?
There are many advantages when buying a petrol pressure washer over an electric equivalent. They are more powerful, require no external power source, are more efficient and are much more portable without having cables dragging everywhere.
So, just what should you look for when buying one?
THE POWER PLANT
The majority of cheap pressure washers come with a Chinese engine - this can be a concern, as the quality varies depending on the cost of the components used in the engine.
The cheapest pressure washers will have a limited lifespan as engine valves, seals and bearings will be low quality and inevitably fail.
Add to this the problem with sourcing spare parts and the machine begins to lose it's low cost 'value'.
We only use the highest quality engines - the Honda GX200 and GX390 are the best on the market for professional use.
For semi professional or 'prosumer' use, we recommend the Hyundai IC210 and IC420 engines, the Honda GP200 or the P1 210cc engine - these are all built to a high standard with premium quality bearings and seals to ensure a long working life.
THE PRESSURE WASHER SPECIFICATION
Secondly, there is the specification. You need to decide on what you are going to use your pressure washer for and then check the specification from there.
DIY use (50 hours use a year): Axial pump aluminium head
Prosumer use (100 hours use a year): Axial pump brass head
Professional use (1000 hours use a year): Triplex pump brass head.
Frame style, hose length, attachments, wheels, etc, all need to be taken into consideration when buying the best pressure washer for your needs and not wasting money on under or over-specced machines.
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART - THE PUMP
Finally, but most importantly, there is the high pressure pump - a part you’ve probably not even considered.
The pump does the majority of the work in a pressure washer and this is where a lot of cheaper models make that money-saving shortcuts and are able to offer, what seems, a fantastic price.
The cheapest of these pumps are Chinese unbranded axial pumps with aluminium heads. They may boast similar or even better power specifications but they often have a limited lifespan of around 10 to 50 hours before failing and there will be no spare parts available to repair them.
Next, there’s a slightly upgraded version of these cheap Chinese axial pumps, but with brass heads.
They are the same as above but you may get just a little more lifespan out of one, but again no spare parts.
The best of the cheap unbranded Chinese pumps are triplex pumps with brass heads. If you are lucky this will have a reasonable lifespan; however, the problem is spare parts for routine maintenance.
These pumps all look very similar but quality and service parts availability vary from batch to batch.
There are hundreds of pressure washer pump factories in China producing similar-looking pumps and getting consistent high quality is a very difficult task when the number one criteria is low price.
This cheap pump is the main reason how some companies can provide what seems to be a cheap pressure washer.
SO, WHAT IS THE BETTER OPTION?
Based on these facts, we will only supply petrol pressure washers that are fitted with AR (Annovi Reverberi) high-pressure pumps. AR are an Italian company and world leaders in high-pressure pump production.
The pumps used in the models designed for domestic use are sealed for life and have a 500 hour working lifespan - a significant increase over the cheap 50 hour Chinese pumps.
The professional range of pressure washers we supply use the AR triplex pump series. These are fully serviceable with parts readily available.
The lifespan of these pumps can exceed 5000 hours and offer a more stable and reliable power output over much cheaper Chinese versions.
In all of our machines, we specify high-quality components throughout - from high quality NSK engine bearings to the puncture-proof foam filled tyres.
All of our machines are fully CE approved and are designed to last, not just to be the cheapest out there.