Pressure Washer - which brands apart from Karcher

[Rebecca75]

Hi.

Following on from the top tips for buying a drill...the other thing I need is a pressure washer. I had a Karcher once but it disappeared (along with all other tools) in my divorce.

I need it today clean brickwork - the drive way and all round my house is brick which gets slimy in the winter and is moss filled. Also for car cleaning etc..

I have no idea what's good bar the expensive Karcher.

Please help....

Thanks

a recent "Which" articles said:

Brand Reliability score Customer satisfaction score
Karcher 94% 67%
Bosch 94% 60%
Nilfisk 91% 82%

Table notes
The above data is based on a survey conducted on 1,809 Which? members in January 2020.

Last time I saw a test report, there was nothing to touch the Karcher (so I bought one, and the spinning patio washer)

You might consider buying a cheap one from Aldi or Lidl.
Presumably it will not be as good, but they have are good at refund/replacement of things that go wrong. So are Screwfix, if you have a local branch.

To get the most out a guarantee, buy just before you have a big project coming up when you will be working the tool hard.

I wouldn't use a pressure washer on a car (unless old and shabby) because they dull the paintwork by grit and dirt blasting off it. I've used my lance to blast the stain off fences and cladding back to bare wood.

btw on paving, it will blast the sand or grout from between the slabs or bricks, loosening them and you will have to clear it all away, then in sunny weather, refill all the joints with new sand or mortar.

A chemical soap product called "Wet and forget" can be diluted and applied to the surface with a watering can, it will kill the moss, mould and algae, and if you water on some more in dry weather, it will prevent regrowth for a while. You don't hose it on. Dead moss can be brushed away. You can order it online.

Fab thanks @PigletJohn. That moss killer sounds like good stuff.

I'll check out the which recommendations.🙂

I bought a Nilfisk as it came with a 3 year guarantee. It also had a special nozzle for washing cars (not so harsh). The patio brush wore unevenly and they sent me a new one, improved design under the guarantee.

I know you say no to Karcher but I got a smallish one from Screwfix for £60 so not that expensive