Karcher K2 compact pressure washer - any good?

[soxboy]

I've just had an email through from Wickes advising that they are offering the Karcher K2 compact pressure washer for £65 this weekend.

https://www.wickes.co.uk/Karcher-K2-Pressure-Washe...

From looking at other sites this price appears a fair bit cheaper than elsewhere. I'm tempted to get one as we've got three cars and two patios, plus the stonework on the front of the house needs blasting again.

Just wondered if anyone had used these and if it would be better to spend more on something with a bit of power?

[BobSaunders]

Does fine for me for patios, cars, bikes, motorcycles, small children etc.

It's not massively powerful, but if you are talking about low to medium levels of grime then it's fine.

[soxboy]

BobSaunders said:

Does fine for me for patios, cars, bikes, motorcycles, small children etc.

It's not massively powerful, but if you are talking about low to medium levels of grime then it's fine.

Thanks, I forgot I will also need it to clean the kids and the dog.

[Voldemort]

I had three Karchers before it dawned on me that they're not very good at all. Bought a Nilfisk and it has lasted longer than the Karchers and is still going strong.

See also Dyson.

[Daggerpie]

Im looking at nilfisks at the mo as well, few offers on at Cleanstore.co.uk but the one I wanted not in stock.

[xx99xx]

I've had a k2 for a few years and have had no issues with reliability. It's more than enough for cleaning cars and is ok for fresh grime on patios etc but it struggles with really old lichen/algae stains. Unless you go at it a few times with specialist cleaning products as well.

[sjg]

I went through two of them, but I tend to do deck, patios, paths all in one big session that probably isn't good for the air-cooled motors in these.

Now have a K4 Compact (was under £100 from the Karcher Outlet) that's been great. K4 and above get watercooled motors.

[geeks]

Voldemort said:

I had three Karchers before it dawned on me that they're not very good at all. Bought a Nilfisk and it has lasted longer than the Karchers and is still going strong.

See also Dyson.

Conversely I have never had a seconds trouble out of either brand!

[alorotom]

I got the K4 Full Control from the Karcher Outlet with the extended warranty for not much more than that

[anonymous-user]

My Karcher didn't last long at all, having spent ages looking for a replacement it seems Karcher are slated for reliability.

Have now got a Blaupunkt (yes really) as it has an induction motor so shouldn't have motor failure just because I choose to use it for more than 20 minutes a year unlike Karcher.

[anonymous-user]

I have a Nilfisk and it’s been super. Very capable and not stupidly priced.

[Yrag male]

My K4 Full Control lasted a day..the kerfuffle of sending it back because I had thrown the box away....

[PhilboSE]

Agree with much of the above.

You should avoid the air cooled Karchers and go for a K4 as the entry level water cooled version.

Good thing about Karcher is there’s lots of fittings available. Bad thing is they’re not very reliable. I’ve had mine just a few years and have already had it apart a few times to fix electrical issues and switch problems.

When it becomes unrepairable I won’t replace it with another Karcher.

[98elise]

Avoid like the plague. I treated my self to one to replace a cheap one I'd had for years.

3 uses in 18 months and it's buggered. Common problem of pulsing. Probably ran for less than 2 hours in total.

[sospan]

On my second K2.
The first lasted a few years but started to leak water. I tried dismantling it but failed as some bolts were rock solid and damaged during attempts to loosen.
The replacement has lasted well.
I tend to use the lower pressure nozzle and adjust it as needed. The high pressure oscillating nozzle can be too fierce so only used sparingly.

[Jaguar steve]

No difference in cleaning power it seems but my current Nikfisk has lasted a lot longer than my previous Karcher did.

[Chuffedmonkey]

I think I payed slightly less then £60 for the K2. For the last 3 years its been faultless. I use it on the cars and the patio, its survived 3 winters so for £60 id say go for it. Its not overly powerful but works great on the car and the patio.

[Escort3500]

Had two Karchers. They were rubbish - unreliable and didn’t last long. Replaced with a Nilfisk. It’s been brilliant.

[85Carrera]

geeks said:

Voldemort said:

I had three Karchers before it dawned on me that they're not very good at all. Bought a Nilfisk and it has lasted longer than the Karchers and is still going strong.

See also Dyson.

Conversely I have never had a seconds trouble out of either brand!

Me neither but you always get a few smartarses dissing the popular brands (karcher, Dyson, apple, etc) to try to show how they’re smarter than everyone else

[Escort3500]

85Carrera said:

geeks said:

Voldemort said:

I had three Karchers before it dawned on me that they're not very good at all. Bought a Nilfisk and it has lasted longer than the Karchers and is still going strong.

See also Dyson.

Conversely I have never had a seconds trouble out of either brand!

Me neither but you always get a few smartarses dissing the popular brands (karcher, Dyson, apple, etc) to try to show how they’re smarter than everyone else

Or in my case, because the Karchers were st.