Battery powered power washers

[NiceCupOfTea]

Hi all,

I have a faithful old Karcher (3.99?) that’s about 20 years old and is still doing sterling service, with lots of attachments (snow foam thingy, chassis washer, patio cleaner etc).

However it is a bit of a pain dragging it out of the garage for a quick blast of wheel arches or to blow the salt off the car once a week, so I was thinking of supplementing it with one of the battery powered handheld hobbies that I could just grab from the garage and run from the outside tap quickly.

I am fairly heavily invested in the Makita ecosystem so I feel I have 3 options:

1. Makita DHW180Z. £130 so a bit more than I wanted to spend but looks pretty good - a few comments saying it’s not that powerful but it’s not intended for that.

2. Makita compatible - there seem to be quite a few cheapo knockoff washers that use Makita batteries. I guess they’re not great but wondering if the price/performance ratio might make them worthwhile

3. Something standalone using its own battery, either unbranded or cheapo like Ryobi…

Any experience of these things? Was going to go outside this afternoon and wash a set of wheels I’ve bought but just couldn’t be bothered to get everything out!

Bonus if I can use my Karcher accessories with it, but not a dealbreaker.

[Belle427]

Have you considered setting up the pressure washer permanently with a wall mounted reel?
I've done that with a 15m reel and it's a lot easier.

[Kuwahara]

I have a Worx that I use for my detailing and valet sideline, yes it’s not that powerful but great for snow foam and general wash downs.

Actually a real eye opener how little water you need to wash a car , I wouldn’t use it if I can get a mains supply which is usually the case , word of warning though don’t leave it in the van when the temperature drops to minus 8 ,residual water in the pump frozen and now it’s completely fked…

[NiceCupOfTea]

Belle427 said:

Have you considered setting up the pressure washer permanently with a wall mounted reel?
I've done that with a 15m reel and it's a lot easier.

I don’t really have room for the reel as the side of the house is a bit tight to get the car down at the best of times. It’s more the space that the machine is wedged in in the garage.

I found a review of the Makita on YT and TBH it looks a bit disappointing. The chap had bought it from China for £120 but it looks like it is £130 in the UK and comes with no accessories. The beefy version of the Hydroshot is £200 from Screwfix but is 56 bar so a lot more powerful and gets good reviews. But yet another battery/charger which is a shame…

Not sure if I can justify that sort of money really. £100 or so for the Makita would be fine, or £150 for something more powerful where I could still use the Makita batteries…

I suppose one option is the bare Worx tool for £140 from Screwfix and a £15 battery adapter…

Edited by NiceCupOfTea on Saturday 18th January 20:01

[Smint]

Is it so much more hassle to run a lead to a mains machine, might make life easier if you had an outside electric point fitted near the tap.

[Craikeybaby]

I've had the Worx for a number of years, it is great for a quick wash on the cars, especially if you run it with waste water from a dehumidifier - as you don't get the hard water marks. I mainly use it for cleaning muddy mountain bikes, and the lower power is perfect. If I was buying now, I would probably go for the Makita version, simply as I already have the tools and charger, and I've had to get a second set of batteries and another charger for the Worx stuff, and looking at the rest of their range, they aren't up to the standard of Makita.