KärcherK5 Premium, 1.4 GPM Pressure Washer with Hose Reel, Vario Power & Dirtblaster Wands - 2000 PSI

Be sure you keep your expectations realistic. I replaced my 10+ year old 2100psi 2GPM gasoline pressure washer with this 2000psi 1.4GPM Karcher K5 expecting it to be similar in power. It's not.They are up front that it's 0.6 gallons per minute less. My fault for not grasping how much less that really is...the GPM is what really counts.Don't get me wrong, it works really nice for washing the cars with the variable nozzle, and the turbo nozzle is nice too for blowing the dirt off the walkway. I just cant imagine it doing very well with things like cleaning the algae off the siding on the north end of my house and tougher stuff like that.The good part though... is I don't have to worry about accidentally harming the finish on my cars softer plastic bits and I'm not worried about my wife being able to use it with ease.It is really nice, and Electric is so easy .. no pulling the cord 5-10 times, no gas cans, no oil changes, no treating fuel for the winter... just hook up the hose, plug in the power, and wash.This is a really nice, feature rich unit that feels high quality.It would have been nice if they provided a hose that isn't so stiff...It's not the plastic junk that some come with, but it's also not the more flexible stuff like expensive units. It doesn't come off the reel easy, and as the curves stay in it when its not taught, you gotta be careful around the car as it doesn't just lay on the ground and can spring up and hit the car while you are moving around. Still ok... just a gripe I have.I do recommend this unit for general home use and car washing.

I'll start with the bad just to get it out there. The assembly instructions, especially for a seasoned mechanic, were a little tricky. Only because the illustrations were a little hard to see where parts were going on and how. Process of elimination and years of putting things together helped me, but could be challenging for others. Now the positives. The accessories all have a place to go on this unit. The two changeable wands, the hose adapter, and the soap tank, all stay with the pressure washer making it less likely you'll misplace something. The wheels make it very easy to move as it is a little heavier than you'd thing by just looking at it. The hose reel makes storing very easy. Compared to the other Karcher pressure washer I had long ago, the addition of a power light on the GFI is hugely helpful. Makes it very easy to see if the GFI is supplying power or not without constantly pressing the test and reset button, trying to hear the click to see if it is on. The soap dispenser on this unit actually works as expected. Put the soap in the back, set the pressure to low/soft, adjust the flow rate of the soap, and you're set. Works perfectly!

The media could not be loaded. If I could give this -100, stars, I would. I did some research, and this kept coming up as one of the best so I took advantage of the recent Prime deals and bought it. As soon as I opened the box, I could tell that the quality wasn't the greatest... in fact, it feels pretty cheap. II am the IKEA Queen! and love putting things together, but when I tell you that this was the most frustrating thing to assemble! Oh boy! The instructions are not helpful, the pictures are very small and there is no description. I didn't think that such a highly recommended item would require this amount of assembly. I tried looking up videos which weren't helpful. I managed to finally set it all up and was ready to go to town cleaning everything in my path. Yeah, right!!! This water spitting machine is a failure! I adjusted the "pressure", fiddled with the buttons, connected, and reconnected everything to no avail. The pressure is nonexistent no matter what I did. The pressure from my hose without a nozzle is 1,000 times more powerful. This would make a lovely flower waterer. I should have just taped the box back up and returned it immediately when I saw the cheap plastic this is made of. Now I'm afraid that disassembling this will cause something to break, but I will definitely be returning this.

Third Karcher product. First two, a small pressure washer and a floor steam cleaner were as good as could be expected. Great German engineering and substantial build quality. I read the p.w. was built in Italy, but the label on the bottom says, as you would expect, made in China. The pressure is good, the wands are easy to use, simply connect the hose, turn on the water, relieve pressure and turn on and begin work. Came with TWO wands, a high pressure wand and an adjustable pressure wand. Both work very well, but the high pressure wand may be TOO powerful. That said, the unit came with the plastic front foot stabilizer plate cracked and then it promptly broke and fell off. I called Karcher and they sent me a replacement part, but then there was no way to replace it. So I called again, and much to my surprise Karcher offered free replacement of the entire P.W. Amazing. This is one of several companies who back up their products and I will continue to buy them for their quality, value and customer support.

The media could not be loaded. I have a gas powered pressure washer, but wanted the reliability of a washer that would start and not have to worry about gas. My house is in the woods and gets mold and mildew and dirty easily. This washer did great. I will say that the power difference is noticeable, the gas does a wider spray and is more powerful, but this size worked fine. It took a bit longer, but has the power. What I was most impressed with was the concrete spray wand. My front steps turn black. This wand had no problem cleaning it off. That same attachment blasts loose paint off too. (If my video loads) you can see it work and see the piece of trim below the door with paint blown off. Worth the money. I will say it did not have the power, for some reason, to clean my Trex deck and pvc railing. I may not have let the soap work. For what I wanted, it does the job.