Aldi pressure washer on sale 8th Oct 1009

[Stephen]

Hello,

Whilst in Aldi, I saw a poster advertising a pressure washer for sale a week on Thursday.

I got the impression that this group thought quite highly of the previous Aldi pressure washers. It was said they were made by Karcher and they were in Karcher yellow.

BUT... the poster shows a blue bodied pressure washer this time round and the cost is only £59.99. This seems a bit too cheap to me. Could it be that this model is not as well spec'ed as the previous ones they have sold?

From what I have been able to find via google:

Old New

Power 2.1 kW 2.0 kW Max Pressure* 150 bar 160 bar Flow (L/h) 450 360 hose length (m) 6 5

Cleaning effect**1.875 1.6

• usual disclaimer about max pressure not being operating pressure presumably applies

**based on pressure washer faq

The flow seems considerably more on the old model. Notwithstanding the pressure figures are probably massaged, both have a cleaning effect

1.5, which he FAQ says is good.

Certainly the old model has an induction motor, it's description said so, but I am unsure about the new model. It does however, come on wheels, so if it is heavy enough to require wheels perhaps it has an induction motor and metal parts?

Does anyone know more about the new model? Is it worth getting, or is it best to wait for the old one to come back (if it ever will?)

Thanks, Stephen.

[Stephen]

Sorry about the mistake with the dates.

Details are on the Aldi site now:

do you think?

Thanks.

[The Medway Handyman]

Just another uninspiring el cheapo pressure washer TBH. 6 litres/min isn't much of a flow rate, 5m hose won't get you round a standard car.

£80 gets you an induction motor (Makita just badge it). £100 gets you an induction motor from the world leaders (parts easy to get)

[Stephen]

That's a shame, the previous Aldi model was highly thought of. I wonder why they have produced an inferior model this time?

new one isn't.

I recently borrowed a cheap (non-induction) Karcher and cleaned the patio with it. I had never used a pressure washer before so I was really impressed how much grime it cleared off. It made me think of buying my own but having read posts here and on the wiki I knew that one like I had borrowed had a short life expectancy so I know to look for a metal pumped, induction powered one. If only I could find one under £300 ;)

[The Medway Handyman]

Because they wanted to sell a machine at a certain price.

> (Makita just badge it).

> The old Aldi one was a Karcher with induction motor; it's a shame the > new one isn't.

I doubt that, more likely a Lavour.

If you ever try a 'real' one it will blow your socks off. 200 bar @ 20 litres/min is a thing to behold.

Both the links above are metal pump, induction motor.

[Tim W]

The Medway Handyman wibbled on Thursday 08 October 2009 19:40

>> (Makita just badge it).

>>> The old Aldi one was a Karcher with induction motor; it's a shame the >> new one isn't.

And to add meaning, 20 lpm is what a garden hose on 4-5bar supply with no nozzle might give you. Rather more than the carwash one...

[Stephen]

Sorry for the late replies, I've been painting (see other thread). By now has anyone bought a pressure washer from Aldi and what did you think?

I have not seen any of the previous Aldi pressure washers but I believe they were made in Karcher yellow and even said on the box "made by Karcher for Aldi" and they were induction motors.

's a shame but like you say, I guess their latest batch have been made by someone else and built to a certain price.

I'll certainly look at the Screwfix models though.

I know you have an industrial one, what make and spec is that?

[Stephen]

Sorry for the late reply. That's interesting to know. A lot of (non uk-diy) people seem to think that pressure washers make your water meter spin into orbit, but what you are saying is that they take the same flow of water but increase the pressure, just as their name would suggest. So they do not use any more water than someone using a hose on their car/patio/whatever. I should have, but never did, realise that before. Thanks.

[The Medway Handyman]

Pressure washers use less water for any given cleaning job, because they do the job in much less time. Thats why they were developed.

[The Medway Handyman]

It was made by the now defunct Gerni who were swallowed up by Nilfisk Alto. They also bought out KEW & WAP.

Its 150 bar @ 550 litres/hour. About 2.9kw IIRC.

[Andy Dingley]

If you want a good deal on Karcher, try eBay. There's a guy in Wellington, Somerset who is a Karcher repair centre and sells re- manufactured kit. You get a top-performance machine, in a box, probably with cosmetic scrapes on the case and for a real bargain price.

[David]

What do you think of Nilfisk models?

They seem to have a much higher spec than Karchers for a cheaper price.

I have the Nilfisk C120.2-6 CP and it's excellent, it doesn't have an induction motor but we don't use it so often, the power speed nozzle (spinning pencil jet) is superb.

[Steve Firth]

You're asking a Nilfisk salesman what he thinks of Nilfisk products. What answer do you think he'll give you?

[David]

Ah, but I think he has also worked for Karcher...

[The Medway Handyman]

Nilfisk are pretty big in pressure washers due to acquisition. They bought Gerni some years ag, then KEW (both large Danish manufacturers) then WAP (number 2 in Germany after Karcher).

They have huge resources & access to plenty of technology. KEW were always ground breakers in design, Gerni & WAP first class engineering. Potent mix.

Good range of products & will probably get better.

[The Medway Handyman]

Correct David.

I did work for Karcher and also Nilfisk, now I don't work for either of them - I work for myself.

Typical f****it Firth posting.

[David]

Thanks Dave.

Would you say the are better than Karcher?

On some valeting forums, a lot of them had trouble with their Karchers so they got a Nilfisk or Kranzle instead.

[The Medway Handyman]

Impossible question. All manufacturers have great machines & terrible machines over a period of time. Gerni for example had cold water machines that IMO were the best in the world. Their hot water machines sometimes left an awful lot to be desired, except one particular model which was a world beater.

Like for like I wouldn't expect much difference TBH.

I'd suggest that car valeters are in general unlikely to be in the best judges. Most I've met are completely clueless oiks who will buy the cheapest s**te they can find & then complain because it isn't 100% reliable when used 24/7. DIY machines are NOT built to run more than half an hour a day for example.

The number of 'professional' car valeters I've met in the last 30 years could be counted on the fingers of one hand - even if you had fingers missing.

Every manufacturer makes several 'ranges' of machine. Typically they will have a series that are desinged to run two hours a day, a range for four hours a day & a range for 6+ hours a day.

A car valeter using a cold water pressure washer should expect to pay well in excess of £500 for a suitable unit, or over £1500 for a hot water unit. Almost all car valeters use cold water machines, which are simply not correct for the job.

Kranzle are a manufacturer I have great respect for.

[David]

Thanks, most of these people are proper detailers so they know about the equipment. They do get the commerical Karchers or Nilfisk but many of them use Kranzle and are very happy with them.

This is a guide put together by a professional valeter:

[The Medway Handyman]

is a guide put together by a complete idiot who knows nothing about pressure washers. He has simply been brainwashed by Kranzle. Clearly educated beyond his natural intelligence and has no concept of how to communicate in the English language.

To comment on his two main points;

The 1400/2800 rpm argument is common. In theory a 1400 rpm machine will suck water better than a 2800rpm machine due to the larger piston diameter. In practice it doesn't matter, any 2800 rpm machine will easily suck water from a 1 metre source, which is far in excess of the requirements of a car valeter.

If you needed to suck water from 5 metres it would make a difference.

Older plunger pumps were designed to run at 1400 rpm, modern swash plate or axial pumps will happily run at 2800 rpm and are far more efficient in terms of power conversion.

A lower revving motor will, again in theory, last longer and the pump seals will last longer, but the latter cost far more. In a valeting situation it simply isn't a consideration.

Valeting is a light duty application. It takes little time to wash a car, much more time to move it & get the next car in. I doubt the average valeting machine runs for more that 4 hours a day even on a manic busy car wash site.

He clearly has no idea about generators. A 3 kva generator simply will not run any kind of pressure washer. No chance what so f*cking ever. The start load will stall the generator engine. You need 5 kva minimum.

He has a point about flow rate.

Other than that - 'nul points'.