Best Pressure Washer (Consumer)

There are some things you need to know before you buy a pressure washer. My research says that the single most important part of the pressure washer is the pump, not the motor, the pump. There are a lot of throw away pressure washers being sold out there with big name motors and cheap pumps. And the people who buy the big name on price alone frequently end up unhappy. I am here to recommend the 5 best for a consumer.
But before you read my recommendations and the reasons for them you need to know this. The single biggest reason I can find why people have bad experiences with a quality pressure washer is that they think they already know how to use one. They think of it as a kind of super garden hose that they just have to turn on and point. So they make mistakes they are not aware of, and they cause it to break. Or they damage something with it. Then they immediately blame the pressure washer. After all, they don’t know anything; they didn’t do anything, so it couldn’t be their fault.

I am glad you are reading here because it means you are doing your research and I am glad that I can help. Please read and follow all the directions and the cautions that come with your machine. Do the necessary maintenance and remember to always respect this power tool.

There are three major pump types. I only recommend the triplex plunger type pumps. The pressures are simply too high to expect the other two types: the wobble, or the axial, to last. They will work for awhile but then you will be buying another washer. So they can not be the best.

In addition to an excellent pump and a reputable name motor there are some features that can add value. I wrote them into the list descriptions. You should know that “cleaning units” is just the result of multiplying the gallons per minute (GPM) by the pressure (psi). It is the industry shorthand for comparison purposes. All of these are cold water washers. I have included 3 electric and two gas models on the list; your needs will dictate your choice.