Let's Chat About Pressure Washers.

So, I'm in need of a new pressure washer. My old one, a had-me-down Husky 1500psi electric one, crapped the bed at the end of the season. I was given an older Troy Bilt by my dad, but been sitting for years, it's in pieces (the pump died and he bought a new one but never installed it) and has no hose or gun. Taking the time to put it together, get it running properly, and buying a new hose and gun is not something I want to mess with right now, so I'm looking at new ones.
 

What I use it for: Cleaning my house's siding, the driveway, concrete patio, various wooden outdoor things, and car stuff

What I want: New (not used), gas powered, around 3000psi, not going to fall apart in a year

My budget: around $300-400 (would like to get from Home Depot because credit card)

I've done research on various machines, and in my price range I'm finding ones with Axial pumps. The electric one and my dad's old hand-me-down Troy Bilt had the cheaper Wobble pumps. I've also read that getting one made of brass is better, but as long as it's Axial, it should last a few years (400-800hrs life span). A professional-style pump unit (Triplex?) is out of my price range.

These are the ones I've been looking at:
Excell 3100psi

Wen 3100psi
Champion 3200psi

Simpson 3200psi

There's good and bad on all of these. The Excell is the cheapest and I've never heard of them, but has a brass pump head. The Wen also has a brass pump head and some pretty good reviews and a 2 year warranty that covers everything. The Champion looks decent for the money as well. The Simpson is the most expensive and no soap tank, but has a Honda engine, a better wand/gun and a better OEM hose than the others. I've left Ryobi out of the mix, as they all seem to have aluminum pumps and aren't as sturdy as these.

What do you guys think?

The Honda powered ones around here get snatched up pretty fast used for 10% off new cost it seems. With 2K positive reviews and the GC motor I cannot see you going wrong with the Simpson. 

Had several pressure washers over the years. I bought this one at HD a couple years ago and it's been great. I use it more than the average homeowner because I also do paying jobs for others with it. The rotating nozzle head works like a charm and I like the idle down feature. No matter what unit you get be sure to only use a reasonably new 1/2" hose. Old hoses flake apart inside and plug the nozzle tips then folks blame the machine saying there must have been debris in the pump etc.

If you watch your mail for a HD sale coupon you should be able to get the machine for under $400.00

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-3-100-PSI-2-5-GPM-Honda-Gas-Pressure-Washer-with-Idle-Down-RY80940B/203615829

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I bought the Excel model from HD only an older version.  It worked fine until last summer when my daughter borrowed and "it just quit pumping".   Mine has the same pump on it, and I haven't taken the time to diagnose what the problem is.  

I would go with that Simpson, but I suspect that pump has been cheapened up to meet that price point.  

I found this one as well, another Simpson: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-SIMPSON-MS60805-S-3000-PSI-at-2-4-GPM-gas-pressure-washer-powered-by-HONDA-GCV160-60808/304261786

This one has a patio scrubber attachment that comes with it, which would be useful. I'd rather get one with a horizontal shaft engine if possible though.

Another option is this Karcher 3200psi machine: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Karcher-3200-PSI-2-4-GPM-Gas-Pressure-Washer-with-Kohler-Engine-Axial-Pump-and-VG-Trigger-Gun-1-107-388-0/307657337

It has a brass pump, a Kohler engine, and a cool gun with two triggers. It also folds up for easier storage. This one looks promising.

Yall are making me feel bad by my custom contraption. 

I had the $299 Excel witht hte 6.5 horse B&S engine for about 15 years until last year (or was it two years ago?) it finally threw the rod through the case.  I bought the $299 Ryobi as a replacement and we'll see, how long it holds up.

In reply to Professor_Brap :

I now need to see this "custom contraption"!

In reply to Tony Sestito :

Ill take some photos tonight hopefully. its 2 power washers, some hose from a hydraulic shop, a lawn mower and a foam gun "kit" from ebay. 

So far, the Karcher one I posted seems like it's the best out of that lot. I was about to pull the trigger on the Simpson, but I read into it a little further. The Honda GC engine doesn't seem all that great. It has a timing belt and an aluminum sleeve, and lots of reviews talk about it leaking oil from everywhere.

There's not a lot of reviews on the Karcher anywhere online (most people buy their electric ones), but the Kohler RH265 on it has good reviews and better specs. It has the brass pump, and the gun is nicer than most. It has a crappy hose, but most of them do and that can be upgraded later. I may pull the trigger on this one.

In reply to Tony Sestito :

I dont like the Honda GC engines due to the timing belt and oil leaks as noted above, Most power washers come with terrible hose/not enough most of the time so thats kinda given. 

Called my sister in law who is a HD manager and asked which ones she gets returns on all the time. She clued me into a one day sale they were having today on a really nice one, and berk it, I pulled the trigger.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-Honda-GX200-3-600-PSI-2-5-GPM-Gas-Pressure-Washer-RY803600/305421676?cm_mmc=hd_email-_-Confirmation_STH_BOSS-_-20190402_PP_ET_Merch_Confirmation_STH_BOSS_3330163-_-product_desc__WD62614775

It's a little more than I wanted to spend, but it has a Honda GX commercial engine, a Triplex pump (these are the best), a better 35' hose, and does 3600psi. It also has a better warranty than the cheaper ones I was looking at in case it craps out early. Hopefully this one lasts!

I wanted to post a follow-up, as I used the machine this weekend for a couple hours.

So far, I'm pleased with it. Build quality is nice, and the reversible handle makes for easy storage. Setup wasn't bad. Getting it running took some time, but once it did, it ran well. And man, it has the POWER. I did basically my entire house, save for the high parts that require a ladder. I used no detergent or cleaners; this was straight water. Here's some pics:

First off, I'm not a fan of my house. It's yellow and the siding is old and was put on by a moron. I haven't done much about it since buying the place, because we are still weighing whether we are going to renovate the place or find another house. Either way, the siding was gross and being a light color means it attracts all the dirt. That clean stripe on the right was with one pass of the gun. Wow.

Here's a "during" shot. As you can see, the siding was disgusting. The machine made short work of it!

This is the largest, most PITA side of the house. I didn't do the foundation or the 2nd story, but what a difference!

I also tried doing my summer wheels for my Mazda 3 with the machine. It didn't have much effect on the brake dust or discoloration of the wheels, which was disappointing, but if this machine didn't help, I don't think another one would do any better. 

Overall, I'm pleased. It does a much better job than the electric one I had, and makes that one feel like a toy in comparison. Hopefully, this one lasts a while!

Glad this thread popped up- my electric one crapped out, and I have 3 pressure washing jobs to do around the house.

Hi, 

You can also consider Honda SIMPSON MSH3125 pressure washer. This one is very popular with more than 2200 reviews at Home depot

This is a gas powered pressure washer that is good enough for cleaning outdoor or house stuff as well as your car too. This model is also ranked no 1 at many sites like Canoe for you, so overall this is a value for money product. More than 1400 people rated this 5 star at HomeDepot.

I think we can finally go with canoe.

Just don’t get that full pressure too close to the paint.  I never knew a pressure washer (3000 psi Honda) would start to take the paint off of my truck’s bumper.  Ugh. 

2300psi chassis, 3200psi pump, troy bilt brigs motor, hose from sams club, eBay foam cannon. 

I wound up getting the pressure washer they had at Costco. 

I had no idea if it was good or trash, but Yamaha does make some good small engines.  I think the lower cost comes in because it is a manual start, manual choke engine.

It did OK blasting the crud off of my house yesterday.