My First ever pressure washer was a Kärcher Electric 1600PSI / 1.3GPM Not enough not enough power. Then I bought a Husky Electric 1800PSI / 1.6PSI which did good for being electric, but still not enough to tackle every household task. Then bought a Craftsman Gasoline Powered 2300PSI / 2GPM thinking I was right at the mark I needed but left me with lots to desire. I decided to go full in and bought a DeWalt Gasoline Powered 4400PSI / 4.0GPM which impressed me right away, but the pump spun out and failed on the second use, then got repaired under warranty(3 months in wait) and handling the spray nozzle was hard and vibration triggered my carpal tunnel. A year into it and the Honda GSX motor easy pull start failed thus needing full pull force and 20 pulls to get it to start. Did I mentioned it was too heavy, big ole footprint and LOUD. I used the DeWalt for 2 years, but came too the conclusion it was a bit too powerful, too hard to operate, tought to start, too heavy so I sold it. Lessons Learned; Gallons Per Minute are every bit as important as Pressure. With that said, I scaled down to the Westinghouse WPX3800 advertised as 3800PSI / 3.6GPM which runs a Triplex Pump on a Westinghouse 274cc Motor.
Pros:
1.) MADE IN THE USA (with foreign parts?)
2.) 3.6 Gallons Per Minute @ 3800 PSI is a very good balance point. It has enough water flow to displace away dirt and enough pressure for water to dislodge dirt and grime from from just about any surfaces at home. Big pro is that the motor/pump does not have a Duty Cycle rating like electric pressure washers os it can be used continuously for extended periods of time without having to stop to let it cool down.
3.) The Westinghouse motor is relatively quiet. The pull start was a little harder than I expected (following user's manual start procedure) and it took some effort getting it to prime and start the first time I used it ( I will say that was the learning Curve, but still I think there is room to improve on that area). The tank holds about a gallon of fuel. I cleaned the entire driveway, and the entire front sidewalk on 1 gallon; I ran it continuously for about 2 hours and still had some fuel left in the tank.
4.) The whole unit weights a little over 50Lbs. The cart makes it easy to move around. The wheels are flat free( thats a win). It's footprint its about 2'x3' and can be reduced for storage by flipping the handle bar towards the motor down to 2'x2'.
5.) Gallons Per Minute is the key to a pressure washer. This machine pushes enough pressurized water to get the job done easily. Pressure without water is just an air hose. I live across the street from a lake and a pond and run-off goes into them so I cannot use chemicals to clean the driveway, sidewalk, exterior of the house etc... With that said, this machine tackled all those tasks with just plain water and very little effort.
6.) Warranty- the unit arrived with a damaged / crushed fuel tank during shipment. I called Westinghouse and they answered right away; within two days, a new Fuel Tank Assembly shipped to me directly. Very Pleased. The rest is yet to be seen!
7.) Bang for the Buck- For a pressure washer in this price range that does 3800PSI/3.6GPM, the WPX3800 pressure washer is a win-win.
Cons:
1.) Pull start was a little harder than expected. and It took me several pulls to get it to start the first time I used it. I followed the manual step by step. I am comparing to the Honda GX motors which have a very easy to pull-start mechanism (which does not work all the time!),
2.) The Wand Holder system is no good. The wand falls easily. And if the Hose is still attached it will fall right away. It only works partially when stationary and no hose attached. If you move the machine, the wand will fall(and trample your feet if not aware). There are better ways to store the wand like a sleeve where to insert and store / hold the wand rather than the actual bracket that comes with it.
3.) I wish the hose storage system was better as well, but at least is more effective on its purpose than the wand holder.