Pressure Washers Reviews

Alright, so I get this pressure washer for Father's Day as a gift, and there is a prominent sticker on it with the 1-800 number for Karcher customer service and the promise of a "Hassle Free" exchange.

Funny that, since the package was missing one piece: the bolt that connects the handle to the body. This is a pretty important piece considering that it's very inconvenient to move/use the washer WITHOUT the handle. Oh, it's also pretty hard to store the hoses/cords and accessories, but I digress.

So, I call Karcher and they tell me it's "no problem" but.....I just need the receipt. I inform them I don't have it since it was a gift and I just need the bolt and that's it. They tell me I'll have to go back to the person who bought it for me and get the receipt from them.

Tackiness aside, I do so and the giver of said gift cannot find the receipt. I call them back and they basically tell me I'm out of luck without the receipt. They'll gladly SELL ME ONE, plus shipping and handling, and that's "all they can do" without the receipt. Naturally, I bring up the "Hassle Free" part, which they get very indignant about and tell me that is ONLY for people who can verify they purchased the unit. My "only other option" is to get some sort of proof of purchase from Sears (the selling store) stating the model number, date of purchase and purchase price (a duplicate receipt, basically). Let's just say there's not a whole lot Sears can do for me since the purchase was made before Father's Day, so I'm back at square one.

All this for a $0.91 bolt? I guess, to Karcher, it's more important to stand by their lofty principles than to actually provide customer service. RATING: DOG.

This washer did a great job, but within two months had to be returned under the warranty. The Quattro nozzel failed within several days. Only the highest pressure setting continued to work properly, and, since that was really what I needed, I lived with it. Then the trigger operated switch failed; the machine kept running whether or not the trigger was pulled, and I assumed that it would eventually self destruct under those conditions. I really wanted the convenience of electric, having previously had gas models, and, since I don't use the units frequently enough, I generally was never able to start the gas engine. Unfortunately, my experience with this unit will probably drive me back to gas.

i didn't buy my pressure washer from amazon i didn't know they sold them. but i do indeed have one, and for the price you can't beat it.

I received my first unit with some gas in the tank, some oil all over the inside of the box and a bad feeling that this was someones elses return. The replacement came the same way! I received a nice E Mail that the units are tested before shipping, this may be true, but if so they are also assembling the handles and then taking them apart as well. MIght be OK for a reconditioned unit, but I have yet to receive a new one.

This is the worst tool I have ever purchased -- Period. Customer service from Karcher is terrible, but at least the authorized service center has been helpful. Should you even be visiting a service center for a product used only twice?

You are led to believe this pressure washer carries a two year warranty; however, the pump is only warrantied for 90 days...and the pump is the sole source of problems you will likely encounter. Bottom line, I think I'll take the Honda engine off and make my son a go-cart with it.

The only good thing I have to say is that the unit arrived on the expected date, other than that, it's been terrible, first the top scews in the handle would'nt line up, had to screw in the top screws crooked, then after following all proper procedures for running, the unit just would'nt start, it has no primer button either,figuring it was new, I persisted on, I finally got it to start, then it would'nt stay started, and had no pressure, now the nightmare begins, amazon won't take it back, an oil and gas issue, had to call the manufacturer, was told he could'nt take it back either, they gave me the closest service center, folks, this is'nt a craftsman so be prepared for a drive, fortunately they we're polite and professional and offer to fix or replace the unit, 110 mile round trip into Houston at rush hour, should have bought a Craftsman.

I bought a Karcher K397M probably over a year ago now. It worked great, then the hose got a hole after about 6 uses. (Some people tell me this is because the hose rubs against itself while in operation.) I have contacted Karcher and they keep INSISTING that I buy a replacement hose for $61.00 that definitely WILL NOT fit this washer. I think they changed the setup because the hose for the smaller unit with 1400 PSI would fit, but I asked them if they thought this was a safe procedure and they never answered!! The hose they keep trying to sell me definitely WILL NOT work! Will never buy a Karcher again and advise anyone else not to.

I looked for a lighter duty pressure washer for use around home, basically cleaning the patio, and patio furniture. Nothing particularly difficult.

Before buying, I read the mixed reviews on Karcher washers. I decided to try it, based on the price.

There are several issues. First, it is a tall machine, with a small foot print. Normally this would be helpful as it saves space in the garage. However, the small foot print makes it prone to tip over. Mine tipped over and scratched the case up within the first few minutes of use.

The connector from the garden hose is attached at the base of the unit. It is soft plastic. If not lined up just right, it is very easy to cross thread the hose connection.

The high pressure hose is a fairly ridged plastic. It doesn't flex as much as it should and it tends to twist around on itself.

The washer can spray a detergent, which is drawn through a tube. The tube should be placed into a bucket of detergent. While not too short, a slightly longer tube would be easier to use.

I was able to use the washer one time successfully. The second time I tried to use it, the washer stopped working. It started spraying out of the inside of the case. I could call Karcher and ask for a replacement, but the other reviews I read indicate warranty and parts servicing is both slow and difficult. I am taking this back and buying a different company's product.

I purchased our Karcher powerwasher and was initially very pleased. It worked great! But after four or five uses, the motor quit working. Each time I used it, we had to coax it along because the powerwasher kept tripping our GFI outlets. We called the 1-800 number provided and were referred to a repair location that no longer works on Karchers. Too bad this product has so many problems...

I bought this item less than a year ago. It worked OK for a while then began to leak out of the detergent container, then problems arose with the GFI plug, then the motor faltered. Just not what I consider a quality unit. I'd have been better off to spend more and get a quality unit.

Since Dirtblaster was pretty much a requirement for the electrical powerwashers I automatically got one for my gas driven one(Karcher G2500OH). So far I have had no use for it.
With the dirtblaster nozzle you do get higher pressure, but I found it a little too uneven. If you are not careful you may ruin you concrete surface(as I did). To me a waste of money. The default nozzles for my powerwasher are good enough...

I haven't used this pressure washer enough to determine its worth - it seems fine now that it is working. I'm writing this review, though, to warn customers away from Porter Cable/Devilbiss. (To avoid the saga, jump to the last paragraph.)

I needed a pressure washer for a job scheduled to start on July 4. After reading customer reviews decided on the Porter Cable PCH2600C. On June 27 I ordered it from Tylertool.com and it arrived July 3 by UPS. I assembled it the next day but it failed to start. I found the air filter and carburetor full of oil. Apparently Porter Cable had tested the unit but didn't drain the oil before shipping. I could (should) have fixed it myself but I didn't have extra time and felt it would better be done under warranty. I immediately called Porter Cable customer service but heard an automated message stating that they are closed until July 8.

On July 8 I Called Porter Cable and was told to call Tyler Tool. When I called Tyler Tool I was told to call Honda (engine mfr.) I called Honda and was told to call the local Honda distributor who told me to call local service center who told me to bring the receipt but would not assure me that this would be warranty work. At that point I decided to request an RMA from Tyler tool.

On 11 July I decided to give Porter-Cable (DeVilbiss) a second chance before attempting to ship the pressure washer. I talked to Rosie, she said Tyler Tool should have taken care of me, but she called Jack's Small Engine repair in Belair MD (local authorized service center) and authorized them to fix it under warranty.

On 12 July I took the pressure washer to Jack's and was told it will take 2 weeks plus.

On 4 August I called Jack's to find out why I have not received a call as expected to pick the up fixed pressure washer. I was told to call back in 1 hour because the manager was the only person who could tell me the status of the repair. When I called back I was told that work had started, but was not finished. It should be done by the end of the week or early next.

On 13 August I called Jack's to find out what is going on..."work has started" but not finished, no predicted finish date. I was told they have been running a 4 or 5-week backlog and added that my paperwork did not indicate that it was warranty service and I needed to bring a purchase receipt when I pick it up.

On 21 August I called Jack's again. I was told that it was ready to pick up. There was no answer to why hadn't I been notified. When I picked it up, I asked the service tech. what had been done. He told me he drained the oil from the carburetor, replaced the air filter and ran it to burn off any oil. - So why did it take six weeks and why did it take at least 17 days from the time work was reportedly started. If you live in northern Maryland, NEVER go to Jack's small engine repair! The service was typically surly and smart mouthed and I think they intentionally lied to me from the start.

It took 8 weeks from the time I ordered until I had a working unit. The job for which I purchased the PCH2600C was LONG done. Add to that the accumulated frustration and time wasted from the runaround and BAD service, - I'm sorry I ever ordered the darn thing and will never buy anything from Porter Cable or Devilbiss again, nor will I patronize Jack's Small Engine repair.gine repair.

In early August 2004 (13 months after purchase) I received a surprise call from the Pentair group's customer service (Porter Cable/Devilbiss) They had just read this review (even though I emailed a copy to them when I wrote it) and wanted to make good. I was offered a free extension on the warranty (with a promise not to send me to Jack's Small Engine Repair) and a complimentary kit containing attachments for the pressure washer. It was a nice touch and slightly softened my opinion but probably not enough to make me want to do business again.

I own one of the 8-24' extension wands. The unit is extremely heavy when extended and the tip end where the nozzle mounts prefers to swing freely. What this means is the water does not go where you point it. The tip spins away from the direction you are pointing it. I have acually moth balled the thing as it is easier to use a ladder and a 36" extension than to mess with this thing. Great idea, poor execution.

The charger is very convenient. Power related to AD/DC is extremely useful. High-tech design and features. Sucking and blowing power does not measure up to the price. It has an extremely disappointing performance. It feels like a child toy rather than a useful tool for a personal computer or laptop. Will not recommend anyone to purchase this item due to the lack of performance.

If I live to be 140, I know my last dying gasp will produce more suction than this "vacuum." It is basically useless in other ways as well. The bristles on the brush attachment are far too stiff, rendering them incapable of curling around small components to loosen dust particles underneath. The exhaust vent (which doubles as a rather asthmatic "blower") is positioned in such a way that it actually blows much of what little dust is picked up back into the item you're vacuuming. And to top it all off, when I placed the unit into its charging station, it would not seat properly on the leads, so it wouldn't even charge. In short: just another made-in-China piece of junk.

It may not have the suction power of a larger, more expensive model, but it works fine in combination with air cans. The problem with using compressed air by itself is that much of the dust it blows off your PC components just swirls around in the air and then settles back down. If you blast the dust off of your PC and then suck it up with this, you'll do a much better cleaning job.

After one use the unit leaks from inside.Upon closer inspection a cheap plastic part between 2 brass parts burst. Also the cheap quick connect pops off everytime you release the trigger disabling the unit

Second time used the on - off switch fell apart. Not a good design.
Spray pattern is so -so

I only used this machine 4 or 5 times before its hose connector cracked and broke. The handle, which is supposed to help you guide the washer while it is leaning on its wheels, slips off constantly and causes the machine to slam to the ground. Water has always leaked from the hoses, even with the addition of teflon tape. It is such a bad design that I don't even want to buy replacement parts. Buyer Beware...

I was really excited when I bought this. I put it all together and I shouldn't have bothered. The garden hose all by itself does a better job. Haven't tried the warranty service yet. Kept it too long before trying it to return it.

I've had 3 of the Karcher "pressure" washers. Only pressure the first time or two you use it and then it stops working or works poorly if at all.

The first one failed AFTER the warranty was out. I bought it mid summer and didn't assemble and use it until the middle of the next summer. The second time I used it the leaks started and the warranty had expired.

The local service place said that it wasn't worth repairing and that you shouldn't use it for more than 20 minutes with 40 minutes of rest if you expected it to work very long. If you use it and don't let it rest the gasket at minimum and perhaps pump will need replacing.

I bought another one on sale - different model number but basically the same. Hmmm.... wonder why they were selling them out? I suspect because they don't last long.

It failed within 2 hours of first use. The previous warranty shop was no longer servicing them so I called Karcher and was given the location of the nearest repair station involving a 75 mile round trip. When I arrived there the next day they laughed and said they no longer service anything from Karcher and got tired of not being able to get parts from Karcher and wasting time trying to get parts while the units piled up and overflowed their storage area.

Back home, I called Karcher and they said to box up the unit and send it to them which I did very well packed and at my expense. After a long time they sent me a replacement. It was going into winter by then and I didn't open it to assemble until the following summer. The box was a bit dinged but didn't look like anything serious considering it came UPS. When I opened it and started to assemble it was cracked in a dozen places and the interior of the shipping box looked like they failed to provide even the bare minimum of padding. OR they shipped me one that was damaged when it left their location. I managed to put it together and use some duct tape and used it once.

The second time I used it it would cycle on and off by itself and was starting to fail to shut off reliably when I shut off the wand.

I again tried to use it today and it fails to turn off EVEN WITH THE MAIN SWITCH. It appears after I disassembled things that both of the switches in the electrical control unit are shorted.

These things should be taken off the market. They are poorly made and poorly engineered, fail with little use and in no way have any that I've had come close to doing what they are advertised to to more than once or twice. After that they are nothing but a pain to try to use.

Right now I'm waiting to see if I can purchase (good money after bad?) the switches and take a chance that it will fix the problem. Maybe I could use it a few times before another problem arises. I'd probably be smart to junk it and figure that I threw away around $300 on the piles of junk.

I wonder if the proliferation of models and model numbers is an attempt to keep the customer from realizing they are getting the same basic troublesome device that will do little but take their money. It may work well for a few hours but in the end it's going to fail if my experience is any indication.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY on an electric unit by this company.

Don't spend a dime for this piece of junk. Plastic water inlet connector is fragile as an eggshell. Given all the similar reviews of this and other Karcher products, Amazon should drop this supplier altogether.