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      01-01-2015, 02:49 PM   #1
roastbeef
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let's talk pressure washers!

i searched, and didn't find much on this forum.

i'm interested in looking at a pressure washer, i'm no pro detailer, but i do have a few wants;

- $300 or less (maybe a tiny more for a quality product)
- i don't care about gas or electric (or noise).
- adequate pressure for washing a car (maybe adjustable pressure for more delicate areas?) (what is a good pressure range?)
-easy maintenance (should i run a de-ionizer?)
-ability to use a foam gun to cover my car so that i just have to wipe it down from top to bottom, rinse, and dry.

my main focus is to minimize using a bucket wash method where i'm dipping my sponge into a dirty bucket of water over and over. i'm also looking to save time, as i hand wash my car about once a week and it takes a few hours.

thoughts or feedback?
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      01-01-2015, 07:05 PM   #2
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I've had a few, and this is by far my favorite:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-170..._sku=203800590


This along with a foam cannon is what I would recommend (you will have to buy an inexpensive adapter to get this to work with power washer):

http://www.amazon.com/Professional-F.../dp/B004GNZYY4
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      01-01-2015, 07:06 PM   #3
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I use an AR pressure washer. Kranzle seems to be a popular choice but I ultimately went with the AR since they had their own foam cannon attachment for sale as well. I didn't want to deal with buying adapters or trying to figure out what goes where so I just went with their foam attachment that comes ready to use out of the box and its definitely the famous MTM foam cannon. Mine is the low end model at 1500 psi and 1.5 GPM. It does the job great and Ive had it for two years now.

If you can get a deionizer do it. It's the ideal setup. Get a coating for the car so that the foam wash will clean the car almost completely. You can just let it air dry after so no water spots should be present. It's pricey but so worth it I think.
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      01-01-2015, 07:53 PM   #4
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Electric is super convenient and quite. Plus if you want to spend a little more you can buy a wall mount unit which is super cool.

Gas is great because you get higher psi which when cleaning wheels is always a plus. Not to mention the under carriage.

The very best place I found for purchase. http://www.pressurewashersdirect.com

No tax and free shipping. Plus they have tons of reviews and every pressure washer imaginable. Below is video I made detailing my brother in laws 335. The pressure used had like 3100 psi.

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      01-01-2015, 09:09 PM   #5
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I have a home depot brand, homelite, with 2700 psi and honda powered motor

It is paired up with MTM hydro's foam lance.
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      01-02-2015, 04:59 PM   #6
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I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Joe-SPX20...un+joe+spx2000 - I bought it over the AR Blue because it has a 2yr warranty instead of 1

Also paired with a MTM foam cannon, and it works great using Chemical Guys Honeydew Snow
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      01-02-2015, 05:38 PM   #7
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Mine is the "Karcher K 7.700" and I'm happy with it , came with foam gun tank .
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      01-15-2015, 12:30 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium View Post
Mine is the "Karcher K 7.700" and I'm happy with it , came with foam gun tank .
Pic..
+ 1, I have a Karcher unit (though not the beast that ///M Power-Belgium has...) that came with a foam cannon and it was about $100 beans. The quality of these machines is amazing for the price IMHO.
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      06-29-2015, 03:28 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium
Mine is the "Karcher K 7.700" and I'm happy with it , came with foam gun tank .
Pic..
Do you need a foam cannon attached if it comes with a foam cannon tank?
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      07-02-2015, 01:12 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by islandguy19 View Post
Do you need a foam cannon attached if it comes with a foam cannon tank?
I don't have a Karcher, but I've been doing a lot of Pressure Washers research lately to decide which one to purchase.

Pressurewashersdirect.com is a good source to see what's out there, with good customer service. I called to ask about the foamer that comes with the Karcher (or any other brand) and was informed that while it will create some foam, it's mainly just a detergent dispenser, and that I need to purchase a foam cannon to really get the type of foam I'm looking for (where I sticks on the car for a while rather than just slide off).

Again, I don't have a Karcher pressure washer and customer service may just be trying to get more out of me, but this was the information I received.

I ended up purchasing the AR383SS. I went with AR because of their SS line (stainless steel), which comes with SS connections. This way, the connections should be more reliable. I chose the 383 because I wanted to make sure I had adequate pressure.
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      07-02-2015, 01:25 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ragi Elias View Post
I don't have a Karcher, but I've been doing a lot of Pressure Washers research lately to decide which one to purchase.

Pressurewashersdirect.com is a good source to see what's out there, with good customer service. I called to ask about the foamer that comes with the Karcher (or any other brand) and was informed that while it will create some foam, it's mainly just a detergent dispenser, and that I need to purchase a foam cannon to really get the type of foam I'm looking for (where I sticks on the car for a while rather than just slide off).

Again, I don't have a Karcher pressure washer and customer service may just be trying to get more out of me, but this was the information I received.

I ended up purchasing the AR383SS. I went with AR because of their SS line (stainless steel), which comes with SS connections. This way, the connections should be more reliable. I chose the 383 because I wanted to make sure I had adequate pressure.
good and accurate info here
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      07-06-2015, 10:54 PM   #12
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Generac One Wash. It has variable pressure (2000psi, 2400psi, 2800psi, and 3000psi I believe). Just bought this a month ago and am very happy with it.
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      07-28-2015, 01:26 PM   #13
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I recently purchased Craftsman electric pressure washer.
Not really a big fan of Craftsman but couldn't beat the price when it was on memorial day sale and this "steam cleaner" part convinced me a little.

Haven't tried steam part but it's not really strong enough to take the bugs off from bumper or windshield etc

Not too bad for a budget washer that is not loud.



http://www.sears.com/craftsman-1-700...&mktRedirect=y
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      08-04-2015, 04:06 PM   #14
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I have a Karcher as well and its been reliable so far. I have a foam canon that I use with it, plus separate nozzles for rinsing.
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      02-28-2016, 05:51 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skins333 View Post
I've had a few, and this is by far my favorite:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-170..._sku=203800590


This along with a foam cannon is what I would recommend (you will have to buy an inexpensive adapter to get this to work with power washer):

http://www.amazon.com/Professional-F.../dp/B004GNZYY4
what adapter would I need?
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      02-28-2016, 08:40 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rjd598 View Post
I use an AR pressure washer. Kranzle seems to be a popular choice but I ultimately went with the AR since they had their own foam cannon attachment for sale as well. I didn't want to deal with buying adapters or trying to figure out what goes where so I just went with their foam attachment that comes ready to use out of the box and its definitely the famous MTM foam cannon. Mine is the low end model at 1500 psi and 1.5 GPM. It does the job great and Ive had it for two years now.

If you can get a deionizer do it. It's the ideal setup. Get a coating for the car so that the foam wash will clean the car almost completely. You can just let it air dry after so no water spots should be present. It's pricey but so worth it I think.
+1 - the foam cannon is, IMHO, essential, and easier should the pressure washer come with the correct fittings. As the Poster I quoted mentions, having a coating on your paint simply elevates the efficiency and ease of using a foam cannon. I have Opti Coat on my M3 and Modesta on my 911. I use a variety of the Chemical Guys foaming agents and I am constantly blown away by how clean my cars are (and look) after using the foam cannon. My pressure washer cost less than $90 at Home Depot and it is a veritable POS, however, it works and I will use it until it dies and then purchase a Kranzle. My Honda gas powered pressure washer is simply too big and too noisy to haul out each time I want to wash the cars, so it's used mainly for household projects. The one thing I would change from my current setup is to have a permanently connected pressure washer so I am not fussing with the garden hose, connecting and disconnecting etc. My intention is to obtain a longer pressure washer hose and connect a reel to my garage wall, have the pressure washer connected to the faucet inside the garage, and simply turn it on and off when I need to use it. PS: Don't cheap out on the foam cannon, you'll end up having too purchase a good one, eventually. My foam cannon cost more than my pressure washer: http://www.autogeek.net/autogeek-foam-cannon-hp.html
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      03-02-2016, 05:42 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RElias21 View Post
I don't have a Karcher, but I've been doing a lot of Pressure Washers research lately to decide which one to purchase.

Pressurewashersdirect.com is a good source to see what's out there, with good customer service. I called to ask about the foamer that comes with the Karcher (or any other brand) and was informed that while it will create some foam, it's mainly just a detergent dispenser, and that I need to purchase a foam cannon to really get the type of foam I'm looking for (where I sticks on the car for a while rather than just slide off).

Again, I don't have a Karcher pressure washer and customer service may just be trying to get more out of me, but this was the information I received.

I ended up purchasing the AR383SS. I went with AR because of their SS line (stainless steel), which comes with SS connections. This way, the connections should be more reliable. I chose the 383 because I wanted to make sure I had adequate pressure.

It is true as I have a Karcher now and have been using them for years (back when they were one of the only premium brand electrics). I buy them now (even as the quality is lower) as electric fits my needs best and for the price I get a fairly long life out of them $145, 1,800 PSI, 5 years of use about every other weekend. I also can use them from a standing water source for cleaning my deck and siding from my rain barrels to save $ and the environment which you can't do with most pressure washers.

The reservoir that these Karchers come with are not foam canons and are really just for adding detergent to decks or siding. Karcher does sell their own Foam attachment and while not as good as a true foam lance it does quite well and is <$25 Sold on Amazon "Karcher Foam Nozzle"

Karcher also sells a good solid, thin, metal (aluminum) extension wand for undercarriage and tight wheelwells along with a special rolling undercarriage cleaner attachment with rotating nozzles and it is also great addition but a little pricey at about $130.00 even on sale.

For the price point, low noise, little maintenance compared to gas, and ability to use from a low or no pressure water source like water barrels they are quite good IMO.
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      03-14-2016, 03:02 PM   #18
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I got a lowes PW from Greenwork. Most important thing is to look for a PW with a wand that has quickconnect for the tips.

This is the new updated model
http://www.lowes.com/pd_623638-53393...ressure+washer

Then get the foamcannon from amazon.
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      04-27-2016, 02:46 PM   #19
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Couple of questions:

- What is the favored psi range for the good quality foam cannons?

- Do you guys scrub the car, or simply foam it up...let it sit and blast off the foam and dirt with the pressusre washer?
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      04-27-2016, 03:04 PM   #20
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I just picked up the 2000 psi electric washer from Lowes made by Greenworks

http://www.lowes.com/pd_623638-53393...ressure+washer

for the Foam Cannon I use an MTM model made specifically for lower pressure electric power washers... just need to pick up a quick release adapter for it

http://www.amazon.com/Professional-2...NDM7EJQB38WNGR

The reason I got an electric specific cannon is because it is designed for lower pressure while still providing a good amount of foam. There are youtube videos that compare the two mtm models on an electric washer. If you get a gas specific one (which is pretty much every other foam cannon... it ends up being more runny and less foamy)

My routine consist of
1) Sonax the wheels and use the pressure washer to rinse off after 5 minutes
2) use the pressure washer to rinse any debri/ bugs/ tar off the car
3) Fill my Foam Cannon with water + 2 to 4 oz of Honey dew Snow Foam and spray onto the car
4) let it dwell for 5 to 10 minutes
5) Rinse off with the Pressure washer
6) Since I am trying to save water (and the pressure washer uses 80% less water than a conventional wash)... I just finish the car off with a rinseless wash solution and 2 bucket method using either Chemical Guys Rinseless wash which they unfortunately don't make anymore or Optimum No Rinse
7) Quickly spray on some V07 detailer to take care of any spots I missed

this whole routine takes me about 45 min to an hour

I plan to just do a full foam cannon wash maybe once a month to once every other month and still continue to use my waterless washing methods in between unless it is really soiled.

Last edited by PandaM3; 04-27-2016 at 03:14 PM..
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      04-27-2016, 03:07 PM   #21
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Here are some pictures after. I also have a picture of the foam cannon on my truck... But hard to tell because the foam already started to run and the truck is white... prior to this the truck was covered in dirt and mud and it did an excellent job cleaning it up.
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      04-27-2016, 08:51 PM   #22
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You know what really grinds my gears? Imagine you it rains and you get a bunch of grime caked on the back end of your car. You use a pressure washer and sure it gets off a dirt layer on top, but there's still a visible amount of grime just still caked on their. Like mascara in the shower, it's gonna start running but you'll still have a bunch of crap still on your face. And that pressure washer is SO strong! It hurts your hand so bad if you dare test out the pressure. Yet it can't take off all that grime still on the car. But if you swipe your finger ever so gently it comes right off. WTF??? How can a gentle finger take off what a super strong pressure washer can't?? Maybe mine isn't strong enough. Anyways, I don't use the pressure washer all that often anymore. Okay my rant is finished.
Panda, very clean car you have there!
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