Pressure washers: gas vs electric

B1Toad said:
It's all in how you look at it. I went in knowing Ryobi is crap and expecting it to be a throw away. It's been a bit over a year now and it's still going strong. A couple things I do with pressure washers, 1. Never, ever run them dry, squeeze the trigger till you get water before turning the power on, or starting the engine on a gas one and 2. Never allow it to freeze, mine are stored indoors and on my gas one I use this every fall before putting it up: https://www.amazon.com/STA-BIL-Pressure-Washer-Protector-Lubricant/dp/B00NEG6KVU?tag=wranglerorg-20 My Honda powered Excell is now over 20 years old.

Actually there is a 3rd thing that makes them last longer, I never loan them out.
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All great advice especially number 3. I learned many years ago if I lend something out I just assume it won't ever come back and I will be buying a new one.
 
I have a Simpson with Honda engine that has served me very well. However, for the sake of convenience, I've been researching electric units so that my other half can easily wash her Jeep without having to deal with the gas unit. I believe I'm going to install one of the Giraffe Tools pressure washer reels on the wall just inside my garage door.

https://www.amazon.com/Giraffe-Tool...le-Driveways/dp/B09Y8S5L4Q?tag=wranglerorg-20

It will be used only for washing vehicles and spraying off my riding mowers and nothing more. There's cheaper electric options with more power, but the convenience factor alone makes it worthwhile for me. We have poor water pressure on our hose spigot, and no water at my garage. We always have to stretch 60ft of hose over to the driveway anyway, so instead of hooking to the Simpson, we can hook it into this as needed.
 
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WVJeep304 said:
I have a Simpson with Honda engine that has served me very well. However, for the sake of convenience, I've been researching electric units so that my other half can easily wash her Jeep without having to deal with the gas unit. I believe I'm going to install one of the Giraffe Tools pressure washer reels on the wall just inside my garage door.

https://www.amazon.com/Giraffe-Tool...le-Driveways/dp/B09Y8S5L4Q?tag=wranglerorg-20

It will be used only for washing vehicles and spraying off my riding mowers and nothing more. There's cheaper electric options with more power, but the convenience factor alone makes it worthwhile for me. We have poor water pressure on our hose spigot, and no water at my garage. We always have to stretch 60ft of hose over to the driveway anyway, so instead of hooking to the Simpson, we can hook it into this as needed.
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That's actually a great idea!! I wasn't aware there was such a thing. I think for me personally I would have still bought the sunjoe based only on the price point. I am only expecting this thing to.last a couple years so price was my motivator.
 
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MudMirthMaven said:
Are there any affordable ones out there where the hose isn't extremely stiff? Mine always jerks over the pressure washer.
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As far as electric is concerned, I couldn't say as I've never bought one. But of the gas units I've bought or used, only the more expensive ones seemed to have come with a good flexible hose. I usually just plan to buy a hose knowing this will likely be an issue. Although when I bought my Simpson, I picked up a second hose, primarily to have a shorter hose, and was pleasantly surprised the hose that came with it was quite a bit better than I expected. Not super stiff, but quite resilient to kinks and abrasion.
 
WVJeep304 said:
As far as electric is concerned, I couldn't say as I've never bought one. But of the gas units I've bought or used, only the more expensive ones seemed to have come with a good flexible hose. I usually just plan to buy a hose knowing this will likely be an issue. Although when I bought my Simpson, I picked up a second hose, primarily to have a shorter hose, and was pleasantly surprised the hose that came with it was quite a bit better than I expected. Not super stiff, but quite resilient to kinks and abrasion.
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Yeah, mines electric. I guess the next one I get will have to be gas for the features. Were the extra hoses Simpson brand or a different brand that were compatible with your unit?
 
MudMirthMaven said:
Yeah, mines electric. I guess the next one I get will have to be gas for the features. Were the extra hoses Simpson brand or a different brand that were compatible with your unit?
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The extra one I bought was a cheapo at Lowes. I bought it just to have a shorter hose for a particular job I was doing so I wouldn't have to wrestle the 50 footer that came with mine. It's actually turned out to be a decent hose for what i use it for. Still stiff, but manageable. I believe it was a Blue Hawk brand, which I'm not sure is even still available. As far as compatibility, as long as you buy the proper diameter rated for the pressure of your unit, just about any of the pressure washer hoses should work. Verify they have the same fitting your unit does, or you'll need to change the fitting or use an adapter.

Edit: we have a cheap little electric unit at the fire department for quick cleaning jobs in the bay. I think we use the exact same Blue Hawk (?) hose on it that I have for my gas unit.
 
The sunjoe unit I bought has a fairly decent hose. It almost feels like a hydraulic hose used on machinery. It is fairly flexible and I didn't have issues with it kinking.
 
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