I'm hoping to find a decent pressure washer locally. I'd prefer vertical over the traditional cart style, and I'm looking for the quietest electric available. A friend recommended the Greenworks GPW1704, but I'm having a hard time believing that a pressure washer that looks about the same as my battery charger can put out a decent spray.
I was thinking about this one:
Greenworks 1800
841821039844_09334561.jpg
Does anyone have any experience with Greenworks? Will this one be good for washing our 4 cars every other week, get the dead bugs off, etc? Does this lack anything I might need?
I picked up a smaller unit from Lowes, but haven't used it yet. Very favorable reviews was one of the reasons I grabbed it for similar use as your's will see - cars and light duty work around the house. Mine came with a foam gun attachment.
Why not gas? Aren't they much more powerful? I've got a Simpson pressure washer and it has a Honda engine, maybe 5 horsepower. It's been great.
ASE and BMW Master Certified Technician
I have a 1500 PSI greenworks electric washer that I got from a friend for free. It is on the weak/gentle side. Perfect for carwashes and light house cleaning. But if you want to powerwash a deck or concrete it takes a lot of slow/close passes. It is not strong enough to get stuck on tar and some bugs , most bugs / bird droppings fly off though. It is pretty quiet as well.
The gas ones can go up well past 3000psi, which is like using a tactical nuke to wash a car. It can distort sheet metal and even cause paint to pop off. They're perfect for washing paint off a house or embedded gravel off a dump truck, but they're not for auto detailing. I spotted some gas pressure washers that were about 2200 psi, still too powerful for what I'd like to do, which is run a foam cannon to detail my car. Plus there's a lot of electric washers that make about as much noise as a conversation. Gas washers, well... that's more like a crowd shouting in an arena. I like quiet.
- - - Updated - - -
There were a bunch of GreenWorks washers on sale over the weekend so I grabbed the cheapest one, which happened to be the little 1700 I mentioned earlier. It was on sale for around $80. A couple of guys I know are using them for car detailing and according to them, it gets the job done. The reviews are almost unanimously good on the Lowes site too.
I'll try it out this weekend and let you guys know if it works for me.
I use my 3200 psi gasoline powered pressure washer to detail my cars frequently, without issue. As with any tool, you need to understand how to use it properly. With the proper fan tip a 5000-6000 psi pressure washer is safe for washing your car. It's also great for removing mold, mildew and algae from brick and concrete, as well as vinyl siding.
An electric powered, lower pressure power/pressure washer will struggle to do much more than create foam from your foam cannon. I want one machine that can do it all. If all you are planning to do is wash/detail your car then yes, a lower pressure electric powered tool will be adequate. It won't do much more though.
I already have a gas pressure washer, I should have mentioned that. I can't stand the noise. I need the electric primarily because its quiet, also less bulky/easier to move around. If I want to take the siding off my house, I'll use the gas unit, but for washing the car it'll be the electric.
I have a big gas unit and a small electric one.
I never used a Greenworks unit but I did go and look at the specs. The GPM contributes to cleaning power and the Greenworks GPM volume looks ok. The instant on feature will be a bonus feature for you. The warranty was very good at 3 years. And it's available through Lowe's.
So, I'd go get that 1800 model and use it like I stole it for the summer. If it's going to break, you have the warranty to fall back on and Lowe's has a pretty good return policy.
As a working tip, and you've probably discovered this through your gas unit. When you change tips, don't point the wand at the car during the initial 'pressure on' sequence. If that tip isn't in and locked perfectly, the water pressure will launch it into a near earth orbit and if your car is in the way, you'll get quite a nice dent. So, point it towards something benign, then swing onto the car.
Let us know how you like it after the first month or two.
I just used mine. It does pretty well, a bit weaker than Karscher that I used to break, but that POS killed itself quickly. For small duty jobs Greenworks works well, as long as your expectations are reasonable. The unit is quite, small and light for what it does - $70 well spent!
I had the day off and figured I'd get into the pressure washer. I walked outside for about 15 seconds and it was so hot it was painful. I gave up and went back inside. I spent the whole day rearranging the house and and still broke a sweat, but at least I wasn't outside in hell. The pressure washer will have to wait until about December at the rate we're going here.
I got 2 for 40 bucks off offer up swapped the gun and used it to clean our deck....its that plastic wood looking stuff...cleaned it well. Got a foamer and new tips for it so I'll do a first car wash today probably if weather this week looks good.
Instant on is awesome you dont have to keep a gas one running or kill and restart it everytime. Its made for car washing and light duty stuff. I have a gas one but the on and off feature is why i have a electric one for washing cars....
I saw Greenworks in differnet lists and reveiws of the best pressure washers for cars. I have not tested it but you cna try. As for me I prefer Karcher models. They work perfectly for me.
Bookmarks