Pressure washer? Titan - Nilfisk - Karcher

[Lukas239]

Morning all.

Looking to upgrade from my K2. It's been great to me so far but I just want something with the following requirements;

- 130bar minimum
- stock hose at least 6m long
- able to lower the pressure (on a lance is fine) for work on a motorbike/mountain bike.
- ~£150 to £200

Current contenders are Karcher K4, Nilfisk (C135 I think, hose is on a reel) but then I came across the Titan products. They have one that ticks all the boxes for £120. Anyone have any comment on this and experience? What connectors do they use?

I'm a hobbyist, this is not a business tool. TIA

[JulianHJ]

My first pressure washer was a Karcher, it failed in warranty so I got my money back and bought a Nilfisk C120 that lasted about 11 years. I'm now on my second Nilfisk C120 and would happily recommend them.

[Summit_Detailing]

I've recently moved from Karcher to Nilfisk - quieter in operation, build quality much the same.

[TUS373]

Had a Kew (Nilfisk) that lasted 20 years then died. Replaced with new equivalent Nilfisk a few years ago. Build quality has suffered. Handle falls over regularly, shampoo tank barely works, rubber hose wearing. Does not feel like this one will go the distance.

[G Man]

I moved from Karcher after having to repair the high pressure plastic bits to Stihl which is brass!
Seriously impressed ! I have the RE150 plus and the quality over Karcher is obvious

[Lukas239]

I think I'm right in saying the Stihl ones are just rebranded Nilfisk? What connector does it use?

[G Man]

I have no idea if Nilfisk make them! The connects male is defo the same

[julian987R]

Lukas239 said:

Morning all.

Looking to upgrade from my K2. It's been great to me so far but I just want something with the following requirements;

- 130bar minimum
- stock hose at least 6m long
- able to lower the pressure (on a lance is fine) for work on a motorbike/mountain bike.
- ~£150 to £200

Current contenders are Karcher K4, Nilfisk (C135 I think, hose is on a reel) but then I came across the Titan products. They have one that ticks all the boxes for £120. Anyone have any comment on this and experience? What connectors do they use?

I'm a hobbyist, this is not a business tool. TIA

130bar minimum?? 130 is max for a car, any higher and you can cause damage.
Are you sure you have thought this through? Just get a the Karcher variable pressure lance attachment and their extension hose.

[Lukas239]

[/quote] 130bar minimum?? 130 is max for a car, any higher and you can cause damage.
Are you sure you have thought this through? Just get a the Karcher variable pressure lance attachment and their extension hose.





[/quote]

Most paint and clear coat is rated to 2000 PSI which is equivalent to ~137 bar. A pressure washer advertised as 130bar likely delivers a true pressure of ~115 to 120 at the point the water leaves the lance. So it's unlikely to damage the paint. Plus that's the reason for the variable pressure request; you run it at the highest pressure when using attachments that mitigates the pressure such as a snow foam cannon or wide fan attachment. Or when your doing the patio for example.

So yes, I have thought about it.

[Louis Balfour]

Thread hijack alert.

Our Nilfisk is looking tired and I am wondering about replacing it with a hot water model. But is it going to strip off desirable protection from bodywork (polish, sealer etc) as well as the dirt?

[Smint]

Fed up of cheap as chips domestic washers i spoke to the chap who supplied and maintains our serious static industrial washer at work.

He explained that pressure in itself means very little its high water flow rate you need.

I ended up with a Kranzle, 15 metre rubber hose, proper brass pump, robust design with auto stop start, on a completely different level to what i've had before, able to reduce the pressure down low which is ideal for underbody washing via the L shaped lance i bought, also powerful enough flow rate for drain jetting with the right hose and fitting plus gutter cleaning with a telescopic lance.

Going to be north of £600 to get a basic Kranzle, mine cost nearly a grand but looked after and maintained well it will see you out.

[Gad-Westy]

I'm not convinced there are huge differences between Karcher and Nilfisk at the budget end. My mother had a cheap Karcher and some plastic bit broke on it that looked totally underspecced for it's use so I bought a Nilfisk C110. I only seem to get about 2-3 years out of them. I'm about to buy my third. They're cheap enough and plenty of accessories so still happy to recommend them but not exactly bomb proof.

[Glosphil]

I have a Titan that cost about £120. Quoted as being 150 bar. Works OK and, so far, been reliable.

[take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey]

Can't comment current KARCHER - they used to be crap.

My replacement nilfisk (after the KARCHER) is excellent - no problems in circa 6 years.

Just to add - don't use a PW anywhere near an mtb. The bearings aren't well enough sealed.

[mbwoy84]

Nilfisk all the way.

Karcher used to be king until they started using plastic components in place of brass. I had a Karcher that lasted 20-odd years and was brilliant, but since those days, they have been vastly inferior to Nilfisk.

[Petrolhead]

My 10p worth

Karcher used to be very good but in the last few year their quallity has droppen to the point I would not buy one.

I now use Nilfisk