Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:
If you end up with a gas washer, a couple thoughts. There are vertical and horizontal. Vertical can be a bit of a pain sometimes since the hookups are usually under the deck. They are also typically cheaper, and the engines are ubiquitously free. Just watch in your neighborhood on trash day and grab any lawn mower and you're in business.
Horizontal washers are usually more efficient and easier to use since you're not limited by ground clearance on the pump.
If I were buying one today for your exact uses, I would probably buy this one. It's a wee bit overkill, but WEN is one of the cheaper overseas brands that has proven to be very good quality.
... and on the topic of overseas... you'll find zero that are made in the USA. Even if they say "made in USA," it means they were assembled here with overseas parts.
Thanks for the recommendation Curtis!
I just got one of these as an early Father's Day present & it's pretty kick-ass. I was able to clean more crap around the house in about an hour than I ever thought I'd get done.
Just came here to say I agree 100% with Curtis on gas vs electric.
I prefer not to mix water and electricity unless needed. I am still rocking the generic Honda powered horizontal shaft pressure washer my uncle got me for a college graduation present after I borrowed his one to many times. Its about 20 years old now and starts in 2 or 3 pulls in the start of the year. I run a few tanks of gas through it every year, and it could use a new hose. Now that my big garage is heated I just put it in the corner in winter. Previously it either went in the basement or I ran some RV antifreeze through it.
I went through 3 electric units. The first one lasted a few years, the second died in less than 2 years, the last one had an issue that I was able to fix but is a royal pain to use now. I ended up buying a Genrac gas unit, 3600 psi max with adjustable pressure setting. I prefer to use a gas unit just for it's performance over electric.
I bought this and mounted it on my shop wall.
100' of self retracting hose. Plumbed for water and power. No more dragging out the machine and fighting the hoses. Roll out the hose and turn it on. It is awesome.
Amazon Link
Edit to say, it's not super powerful but it's perfect for general cleaning under the hoods and washing cars. For heavy cleaning I still drag out the gas machine.
