Who loves pouring money down the drain?
I bet you don’t.
That’s why you need to know about any pressure washer before you spend your hard earned money to buy one.
Having said that, it’s not a realistic task by any means to buy each pressure washer one by one and test it for yourself.
Particularly when you will find several good brands manufacturing pressure washers maintaining the quality, it is very easy to get overwhelmed with information.
To make your life easy, I decided to write this best Karcher pressure washer reviews guide.
Here I am going to point out the upside and downside of two of their electric pressure washers and one gas pressure washer.
Needless to say, I will also give you a brief introduction to the Karcher as a brand and discuss why Karcher is considered as one of the pioneers in the power washing industry.
So, let’s get to the business.
Karcher Pressure Washer Reviews 2019 [In Depth]
Here’s a great in-depth discussion of Karcher branded pressure washers.
1.Karcher K5 ( 2000 PSI, 1.4 GPM ) Electric Pressure Washer Review
Pros
- Comes with everything you need for assembling.
- Easy to assemble.
- Powerful and easy to use.
- Optimum water consumption.
- Lightweight
- Larger wheels make the mobility easier as you would have expected.
- Doesn’t make any noise during the operation.
- Leak-proof construction.
- Improved base to help prevent tipping.
- Reasonably priced. Worth buying this one than renting any other pressure washer.
- The hose and cord can easily be carried and stored.
- Dedicated storage for trigger gun.
- A handy detergent dial to regulate the amount of detergent use.
- The water-cooled induction motor ensures high performance and longer lifespan.
Cons
- Not a perfect pressure washer for commercial use.
- A bit longer wand could have helped taller people to operate at the ground level. But you can always use an extension.
- Assembly instruction could have been a bit clearer. But that’s not a big deal as assembling this washer is a cakewalk I believe.
- Brass hose attachment would have been a better option than plastic considering the durability.
Key Features
- High-Pressure hose – 25ft
- Electric Cord – 35ft
Getting the induction motor in this price range is a great bonus I must say.
Here is what any Karcher pressure washer beats its competitors. They offer their products in a reasonable price range without cutting the corners.
This particular K5 electric pressure washer has got 2800 cleaning unit.
If you are not sure what the cleaning unit aka CU is.
It is the multiplication of PSI and GPM. So in this case 2000 x 1.4 = 2800
CU gives you a more clear picture of the pressure washer’s capability than the PSI or GPM alone.
As the CU of this K5 model has got 2800, I must say this is a pretty good score. The performance of this unit reflects that as well.
Karcher K5 offers you some advanced technologies to make your life easier while you clean some stubborn dirt. I found these features really helpful during the cleaning process.
For example, it comes with two wands. One is the dirt blaster wand and the other one is the Vario power spray wand. Multiple wands is super handy. Some home owners even spring for the 24 ft telescoping pressure washer wand.
I found the dirt blaster wand delivers deadly pressure to remove stubborn stains whereas the Vario power spray wand plays a handy role for less-intense cleaning.
The Vario power spray also allows you to control the pressure on the wand.
How cool is that?
Having said that, remember this is not a perfect pressure washer for commercial use.
Despite having some downsides, I still believe this Karcher K5 premium electric power washer is the beauty and the beast for you.
Particularly if you are looking for some pressure washer for home usage, or detailing large vehicles, cars, stone walls, etc.
2. Karcher K2 Plus ( 1600 PSI, 1.25 GPM ) Electric Pressure Washer Review
Pros
- Compact
- Easy to set up and use.
- A handy and powerful pressure washer for home usage including detailing your car.
- Reasonable price.
- Lightweight and easy to store.
- Perfect height unit with strong fixed handle.
- Easy to maneuver.
- Having two wands is a plus for anyone using a pressure washer. This unit comes with two wands.
- Improved dirt blaster.
- Trigger gun holder for easy storage when not in use.
Cons
- This K2 Plus comes with a universal motor and typically a universal motor is noisier than an induction motor. No wonder this unit is a bit noisy, but don’t worry. It is not loud.
- Not a perfect one for heavy jobs.
- Seems a tad flimsy fitting to me and components are mostly plastic made.
Key Features
- High-Pressure hose – 20ft.
- Electric Cord – 35ft
This very Karcher power washer is suitable for removing normal dirt from your car, garden tools, bicycle, furniture, etc.
Don’t expect any real impressive cleaning performance if you are up to tough grime.
The cleaning unit (CU) of this unit is 1600 x 1.2 = 1920.
So clearly this is not a perfect one for removing tough dirt but pretty capable of clearing normal dirt.
Like the previous model that I reviewed, this one also comes with two wands ( dirt blaster and vario power spray ). These two wands make the controlling of the whole cleaning work a cakewalk.
The spray gun could have been better in terms of quality. But you can’t expect too many things in this price range.
Overall, this is a lightweight yet powerful unit for cleaning home kits and cars.
3. Karcher G2900X ( 2900 PSI, 2.4 GPM ) Gas Pressure Washer Review
Pros
- This gas pressure washer comes with a large removable detergent tank. That will surely make your life easier during the cleaning process.
- The larger and quality wheels make this super maneuverable.
- The high-quality handle of this unit helps to move it with ease, and you can fold that handle down for compact storage.
- Trigger gun holder helps to keep the gun securely when not in use.
- Easy to assemble.
- Sturdy and durable.
- An incredibly powerful unit.
- Excels in performing tough jobs.
- The commercial-grade trigger gun works flawlessly.
Cons
- Although the assembling is fairly easy but a clearer assembly instruction manual would have made your life easier than ever.
Key Features
- Nozzles included – 15°, 25°, 40°, Soap
- Engine – Karcher KPS 196
Unlike the previous Karcher pressure washer, this one is a gas powered pressure washer.
Don’t expect this one will remain quiet like the electric power washers. But I must say, this does not whine either.
The cleaning unit is 2900 x 2.4 = 6960.
Needless to say, this is an incredibly powerful unit that will clean the toughest dirt in no time.
You will get four pro-style nozzles with the package.
As this is a gas pressure washer so you can take it to anywhere you want without worrying about the electric cable length and electric sources.
Starting this unit and making it run is not any hassle either.
All in all, this is easy to move and operate gas pressure washer from Karcher that can surprise you with its immense power of pressure washing.
Buckle your seatbelt because now I am moving to the next part.
Now I am going to introduce you to the Karcher brand.
About Karcher Company
I can write pages after pages about Karcher if I want to go for every detail of the company.
That’s right!
But that will be too much of a good thing, no?
That’s why let me cut to the chase with the key factors of this old brand.
So, it will help you to understand how good and professional this company is in terms of manufacturing pressure washers and providing after-sales service to its buyers.
Karcher as a brand came into existence in 1935.
A young engineer Alfred Kärcher founded this company in Germany. Back then the aircraft industry in Germany started using his petrol-driven hot air blower and caterpillar tube to heat the aircraft engines in winter.
In 1939 Kärcher took over a chemical and pharmaceutical plants to established his factory Winnenden, Germany. It is still the worldwide headquarter of Karcher and the manufacturing hub.
1950 is the year when Europe saw the first hot water high-pressure cleaner, and no wonder it was invented by Alfred Kärcher. So, the journey of the Karcher pressure cleaner begins here.
After releasing several revised and improved version finally they released the DS 59 pressure washer and became the industry boss in 1958.
Ok, I know what you’re thinking.
When did Karcher enter America, right?
In 1982 this brand entered America and needless to say, they are now one of the leading companies in the cleaning industry.
They introduced the first portable high-pressure cleaner for household usage in around 1983.
Now they are operating in 67 countries having over 12000 employees and over 3000 products.
They are not only selling products but also providing different services related to pressure washers, home, and garden service.
Karcher manufactures both gas and electric pressure washers. Not to mention, they also make diesel powered pressure washers for heavy jobs.
They know how this industry works. They know how to provide customer support. I believe you will not regret buying their products.
Why should you buy Karcher pressure washer and why is it better than others?
Look:
If you read the history of Karcher that I’ve written above, you can easily understand that Karcher is not any company who came out of nowhere in recent past.
Karcher as a brand has got a long past that shows they are one of the pioneers in the pressure washer industry in Europe.
Once they entered America, they acquired the American market as well with their innovative designs and state of the art technology and quality.
The quality and usability of their pressure washers have been admired by their users from the very beginning of their journey.
Still not convinced?
Let me present some more facts that may prove the quality of the products that this brand can produce.
To showcase the level job that Karcher pressure washer can do, they cleaned some of the most iconic structures.
They cleaned structures and buildings like Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, Seattle Space Needle, and some more structures in different parts of the world.
The only reason behind they did is to showcase their pressure washer’s ability to clean any kind of dirt and grime.
Of course, their pressure washers of different cleaning capacity withstand to their respective tasks.
They consider and give priority to their user feedback.
With the mixture of the customer feedback and engineer’s innovative ideas, research, and development they are improving their pressure washers in every release.
So, I must say they’ve established a nice ecosystem to grow their brand.
Let’s compare Karcher with some of its main competitors in the market.
If you have a look at the company like Sun Joe, AR Blue Clean, Ryobi, Greenworks, Generac, Simpson, and Dewalt, all of them are making quality products in different prices ranges.
To me, what makes Karcher different from them is the quality and service you get in the long run against the money you spend. They have their own product like Karcher pump guard for winterizing pressure washer.
Yes, true.
Karcher offers you high-quality products within reasonable price with great customer service. Of course without sacrificing the quality of the product.
Moreover, Karcher covers all type of pressure washers and several pressure washer accessories implementing the latest technologies and features.
So I believe the ability to manufacturing a complete package is something that keeps them ahead of their competitors without any doubt.
What the Heck are K2, K3, K4, K5, K7 ???
Karcher has been releasing different electric pressure washers under different model and series name.
They are varying in different parameters like the size, quality of the material, pressure, water flow, etc.
| Model | K2 | K3 | K4 | K5 | K7 |
| Application | For occasional use. Perfect for cleaning normal dirt from cars, bicycle, garden, tools, and furniture. | Perfect for occasional use to remove normal dirt from cars, motorbike, bicycle, garden tools, fences, and furniture. | To clean moderate dirt from cars, motorbike, bicycle, garden tools, and furniture. | To remove moderate dirt from large vehicles, stone walls, home kit, etc. | Perfect for frequent use to remove stubborn dirt and grimes from anywhere you want. |
| Pressure (Bar) | 110 | 120 | 130 | 145 | 160 |
| Water Flow(l/h) | 360 | 380 | 420 | 500 | 600 |
| Motor(Watt) | 1400 | 1600 | 1800 | 2100 | 3000 |
| Area Cleaner(m2/hr) | 20 | 25 | 30 | 40 | 60 |
| Motor | Air cooled | Water cooled | Water cooled | Water cooled | Water cooled |
| High-pressure Hose Length | 3m | 6m | 6m | 8m | 10m |
| Detergent Application | Via Suction | Via tank | Via suction | Suction for compact plug ‘n’ clean for K5 full control series | Suction for compact plug ‘n’ play for K7 premium full control |
| Spray Gun | Standard quick connect | Standard quick connect | Standard quick connect | For basic and compact-standard quick connect, for full control series- G 145 Q full control | For basic and compact-standard quick connect, for full control series- G 180 Q full control |
| Integrated Water Filter | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Dirt Blaster | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
Karcher Pressure Washer Attachments
Different Karcher pressure washers come with some useful accessories. You can buy them separately as well.
Let me give you an idea on some of the most used and handiest pressure washer attachments from Karcher.
Rotating Wash Brush
The three most popular rotating wash brushes from Karcher are WB 100, WB 120 and WB 120 car & bike.
All these three brushes are compatible with almost each of K series electric power washers and few gas pressure washers as well.
These are quality attachments that will help you for thorough cleaning of different surfaces.
You can apply detergents if required. The WB120 model is compatible with garden hose adapter as well. So you can use it without a pressure washer.
WB120 is particularly made to clean your car and bike.
Power Brush
The only power brush that I found from Karcher is the WB150 power brush.
This helps you save a significant amount of time, energy, and water.
You don’t have to worry about the sensitive surfaces as well. Because this power brush has got a soft brush head that won’t make any scratch.
So, this is a perfect solution for cleaning garden furniture, garden toys, glass surface, vehicle, car, motorbike cleaning.
Needless to say, the WB150 power brush is compatible with all the electric power washer series of Karcher.
Karcher Surface Cleaner
Karcher offers some high-quality surface cleaners you will surely fall in love with them.
T550, T450, T350 are the three surface cleaners that they are offering currently.
All of them are ideal for large area cleaning, credit goes to the two flat jet nozzles.
T450 and T550 have got integrated additional nozzles as well. You can easily switch from normal nozzles to the power nozzle using the foot switch.
So, these surface cleaners can be a really useful solution for cleaning driveways, patios, garage doors, walls, corner and edges in outside areas, etc.
Bottom Line
Let’s recap.
In this article of best Karcher power washer reviews, I tried to provide a handful of information on three of their pressure washers. Where I mentioned their good and bad sides and some of the cool features that you should consider before buying one.
On top of that, by now you know a short history of Karcher brand and why I do believe it is one of the pioneers in the pressure washer industry.
You got to know about different K series unit’s common specs as well.
And last but not the least you’ve got the idea of different cool accessories that Karcher is offering for different models of their product.
Now it’s your turn.
Share the love and comment below if you’ve got any question to ask.
