Karcher K1800 Pressure Washer Review

Homeowners across the globe are familiar with the troubles of maintaining a clean yard and deck. Without the right cleaning tools, you’ll have to spend hours under the scorching sun working a less-than-effective garden hose just to make a small dent in the overall mess. Instead of punishing yourself (or your kids) with an impossible task, you should consider investing in a power washer; this machine makes outdoor cleaning quick and painless. The power bursting through this tool’s spray gun will lift dirt, grime, and other pieces of litter that ruin the appearance of the exterior of your home.

In this article, we want to take a look at the Karcher K1800, an electric pressure washer that has been commended for being one of the most affordable yet effective power washers on the market. This company specialized in garden tools, but their pressure washers are what put them on the map. Let’s see if the K1800 really is as good as customers claim.

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PSI and GPM

The first thing that first-time buyers should understand about pressure washers is that they are much more effective and efficient than garden hoses. Running water from an outdoor spout will produce roughly 60 PSI while using up to 24 GPM of water. The K1800’s 14-amp motor produces up to 1,800 PSI while using only 1.2 GPM! If you regularly spend hours on outdoor cleaning, then this tool could literally save you hundreds of dollars of water bills in the long run.

On/Off Foot Switch

You may not realize it but having to bend down to turn a power washer on and off can play a toll on your back. It starts off as a minor annoyance then becomes a major one as time goes one. The K1800 solves the back-bending problem by having its ON/OFF switch in the form of a foot pedal. Step on it once to lock it on ON mode. When you want to move the machine to another location, step on the pedal again to turn it off.

Quick-Connect Nozzles

Since 1,800 PSI can be quite a bit of power (by “quite a bit” we mean “window-shattering”), you may want to adjust the amount of pressure blasting out of the spray lance. The two most common systems of changing how much power is shot out of the gun are twisting nozzles and quick-connect nozzle tips. The K1800 uses the latter system and only comes with three different nozzle tips – Turbo (pencil-like jets of high-pressure water), 15° (a slight fan with significantly reduced power), and soap (for shooting soap). We wish there were more nozzle tips that come with the K1800, but you could always take a couple steps back to reduce how hard the water jets will hit the surface of what you’re cleaning.

Huge Storage Space

Typically, you’d need to carry around an assortment of accessories and supplies when doing outdoor cleaning. Combine this with managing a power washer’s cord and pressure hose, and you could actually be adding to your workload.
Fortunately, the K1800 has a large built-in storage compartment to place the tool’s accessories (nozzle tips, spray wand, hose) and enough room to spare for extra soap and cleaning rags. This compartment is also used to store the power cord when not in use so you’d have to go to extraordinary lengths to misplace any of the K1800’s cord.

Folding Handle

The K1800 comes with a folding handle to reduce the amount of space in your garage or shed when the tool is not in use. We found that since the K1800 is so naturally compact, the folding handle is actually not that important. Still, it’s a nice feature to have, especially if you have limited storage space.

Detergent Tank

Another important component to consider when shopping for a power washer is the detergent tank, or where the soap is stored in the machine. The K1800 comes with a removable, ½-gallon detergent tank for easy refill and cleaning when switching between kinds of soap. After filling the tank up with your detergent of choice, simply insert the tank back in the tool, attach the soap nozzle onto the tip of the spray wand, and begin spraying a satisfying layer of sudsy bubbles onto your vehicle, deck, and driveways.

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Verdict

The Karcher K1800 is not the most powerful pressure washer on the planet, nor is it the most powerful electric pressure washer available, but we found that for even the most demanding outdoor cleaning jobs, the K1800 works like a charm.

The high number of convenience-increasing features (onboard storage compartment, removable detergent tank, folding handle, and foot-controlled ON/OFF pedal) makes the K1800 one of the most enjoyable power washers to use. If you find yourself struggling to maintain a clean yard, deck, and car, then the K1800 from Karcher can be a viable alternative to reduce your outdoor-cleaning workload significantly.

Last update on 2023-03-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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