[FrankMstein]

I had a Ryobi for about 5 years and it died then went to the Active 2.0 when it came out and so far, great!

[jwmFcreek]

Have to say really like the Big Boi pro with the 3/8 pressure hose at 60 feet .

Getting 1300 psi in rinse with 2 gallons a minute . Had to take the handle off the pump to allow the hose to fit .

The hose lays perfect on the floor doesn’t twist and or get stuck on the tires .

Very quiet like the purchase a lot

[powerplaymike]

Used a prosumer ex-Home Depot rental 2.7gpm gas for many years (with a properly sized tip).

Wanted to try an electric, moreso cause of noise and also cause it’s not good to idle gas PWs unloaded (even with unloader valve) so i always felt rushed when I was doing contact washes and/or would inconveniently keep turning it on and off.

Was in a massive rabbit hole of research

Tried a Ryobi electric that I could max at 1.2gpm … wasn’t enough rinsing power for me.
Tried a greenworks electric with the variable brushless motor that I could max around 1.8gpm, but hated the ramp up it required. Also took up a lot of space

Ended up getting an Active 2.0, cause Active’s patented 5 valve pump is basically the only way to get high gpm in a consumer / non-professional electric PW.

While longetivity may be questionable (there’s enough negative reviews / feedback / etc), the unit itself otherwise basically checks all the boxes (good gpm which is what you want for car washing, small and portable, splits the difference between $150 big-box store electric and a $750+ professional electric)

Side note 1: most big box electric PW are all the same. At any given price point, ryobi at HD is basically the same as greenworks at Lowe’s which is basically the same as whatever Tractor Supply sells. Moreover, most of the time for electric PW, the gpm and psi are a function of the nozzle, not the pump. Their claims of 3000 psi and/or 2gpm come with massive asterisks, cause all they sometimes do is change out nozzles and market it slightly differently.

Ultimately, you’re gonna pretty much max out at a range of 800-1100 psi with 1.1-1.5gpm from any non-brushless non-“ramped up” motor from a big box store.

Side note 2: no matter what people say, there’s no way electric is replacing a gas for house work, unless you have very minimal needs. I still have my gas PW, cause no way an electric PW is gonna run all afternoon non-stop when needed to wash a large driveway and then fence and siding. Small deck or patio, yeah electric is fine … but a 4-6 car driveway and then moving on to a fence and then a shed or side of house … gonna need a gas PW for that

So, depending on your home needs, if you can only pick one, I’d definitely pick gas and just run a larger orifice for your car needs.

[Tobster3]

Originally Posted by NYG

I got one of those SunJoes from amazon for car wash duties a few years ago. It has been abused and neglected in every way but keeps working well. Highly recommended for the price.

Ive got the same. I’ve used it for power washing the drive, sidewalk, fence, patio and weekly car washes. It’s been dropped, almost run over by the wife and still works like a charm. Newer models are slightly quieter from what I’ve heard which I’m looking at considering I like to wash the cars early on a Sunday.

[argb]

I think you can't go wrong with a Nilfisk. Mine works flawlessly for 5 years now and without any maintenance or special care from my side

[powerplaymike]

Originally Posted by arggggb

I think you can't go wrong with a Nilfisk. Mine works flawlessly for 5 years now and without any maintenance or special care from my side

Just fyi for those in the US: I don’t think Nilfisk is available in the US market.

[argb]

Originally Posted by powerplaymike

Just fyi for those in the US: I don’t think Nilfisk is available in the US market.

It's a Danish company and I see they have a US website and online store but I guess distribution is very limited in the states
https://www.nilfisk.com/en-us/

[EvasiveF87]

Active 2.0 and Kranzle are great but if it was me I'd rather spend that money on getting yourself a functional $100-$150 pressure washer (example ryobi) and put the rest of that towards getting a DI / Spotless set up. That in addition to a quality pressure washer hose, gun, tips and attachments, etc.

Just making the assumption OP doesn't have that already, there's no rhyme or reason for him to go splash $1,000+ on a pressure washer. Makes no sense lol

[powerplaymike]

Originally Posted by EvasiveF87

Active 2.0 and Kranzle are great but if it was me I'd rather spend that money on getting yourself a functional $100-$150 pressure washer (example ryobi) and put the rest of that towards getting a DI / Spotless set up. That in addition to a quality pressure washer hose, gun, tips and attachments, etc.

Just making the assumption OP doesn't have that already, there's no rhyme or reason for him to go splash $1,000+ on a pressure washer. Makes no sense lol

An active 2.0 is only about $325-350.
The 2.3 is what’s $600 and approaching higher end Kranzle territory.

Agreed a kranzle isn’t appropriate for most weekend warriors. A Kranzle PW is like a Snap On tool…worth the money, but to the right person. Same way I wouldn’t recommend a Snap On Torque Wrench to someone that just wants something to rotate their tires once a year, I wouldn’t recommend a Kranzle to most either.

Agreed a DI system is super nice depending on your water quality and washing environment. While my PPM is pretty low, my driveway is in the sun from sunrise to sunset, so I recently picked up a DI system to try and it’s been super helpful.

[MaineSport]

2.3 isn't even close to Kranzle territory price wise. They are both great but in different leagues. Get the Kranzle and never look back. Buy once, cry once. Second choice, AR Blue 630TSS.

[Jambo1]

Active 2.0 here. Agreed, noisy, but cheap.

[MaineSport]

That's a nice setup. Wheel wash station on the right?

[powerplaymike]

Originally Posted by MaineSport

2.3 isn't even close to Kranzle territory price wise. They are both great but in different leagues. Get the Kranzle and never look back. Buy once, cry once. Second choice, AR Blue 630TSS.

Agreed in the $800-ish range, the 630tss is a great option if trying to avoid going into $1000+ kranzle territory.

unfortunately the AR isnt typically mentioned cause needs a proper 20amp circuit and receptacle. Not a dealbreaker, but also not “plug and play” for many people

For certain items I agree a buy once cry once may be appropriate, but you can literally buy three active 2.0 for the price of one kranzle, and they’ll have pretty comparable real world performance.

So even if you get 2 years out of an active and it burns up just after warranty, you could buy it twice again.

And kranzle I believe still needs maintenance, so there’s still some costs of consumables / etc to consider if looking at costs over let’s say 5-10 years.

Not saying the kranzle isn’t worth it, just repeating what I’ve said before that the active and their 5 piston pump offers a ton of bang for the buck.

And no I’m not an active fanboy by any means…in fact I basically tried every other option around the price range in order to avoid Active, but ended up getting the 2.0

[MaineSport]

Agree with everything. Both those Active choices get great reviews.

[nyalpine90]

how much psi is safe to use?

[powerplaymike]

Originally Posted by nyalpine90

how much psi is safe to use?

Most recommend 850-1100 range. More important even at that range is degree of nozzle (white tip 40 for the body, can use green tip 25 on wheels and also body if careful)

[nyalpine90]

Originally Posted by powerplaymike

Most recommend 850-1100 range. More important even at that range is degree of nozzle (white tip 40 for the body, can use green tip 25 on wheels and also body if careful)

im looking for replacement, i had greenworks pro 2000psi
after 2yrs it failed.

[louielouie]

Originally Posted by nyalpine90

im looking for replacement, i had greenworks pro 2000psi
after 2yrs it failed.

There's 3 year warranty on Greenworks. I never have claimed but heard it's pretty easy.

[nyalpine90]

Originally Posted by louielouie

There's 3 year warranty on Greenworks. I never have claimed but heard it's pretty easy.

well
its long gone now.

[powerplaymike]

Originally Posted by nyalpine90

im looking for replacement, i had greenworks pro 2000psi
after 2yrs it failed.

Holding other variables constant, psi is determined by the tip orifice size.

As such, pretty much any pressure washer you see is going to have a “marketed” psi and/or gpm to attract your attention, but in reality the variable is the tip they supply because they’re basically all using the same or similar OEM mfr’d pump, either across brands or within their own brand.

The smaller the tip hole, the more PSI but at less GPM.
The larger the hole, the less the PSI but with more GPM.
(To a degree, as there’s limitations to the pump and also electrical circuit limitations)

So, whether it be a supposed 1800 psi Craftsman or a supposed 2000 psi Greenworks or a supposed 2600 psi Greenworks, I can almost guarantee the difference is the tip orifice size and you can put the appropriate tip on any one of them to achieve equal nominal 1000psi and 1.2-1.4gpm performance from any of them. (NOTE: this is applicable to standard style pumps…some units from the likes of Greenworks are brushless and use a special smart sensing variable brushless motor that can vary the output…..but they have a terrible lag like a turbo lag in a car, which some people don’t like)

Matt from Obsessed Garage did a huge test of all the different PW’s, and has a good chart that shows all of them with the performance.

At the end of the day, the big box stores are all selling what are more or less identical pieces but with different housings or colors and “marketed” psi or gpm that appeal to the happy home owner.

Main reason being the style of motors/pumps that all those big box stores are buying from the supplier are all the same lower end ones and also have to be compatable with only a 15amp circuit in the US market.

Euro market has pressure washers with better performance cause they have different household electrical system than the US does.

[nyalpine90]

Originally Posted by powerplaymike

Holding other variables constant, psi is determined by the tip orifice size.

As such, pretty much any pressure washer you see is going to have a “marketed” psi and/or gpm to attract your attention, but in reality the variable is the tip they supply because they’re basically all using the same or similar OEM mfr’d pump, either across brands or within their own brand.

The smaller the tip hole, the more PSI but at less GPM.
The larger the hole, the less the PSI but with more GPM.
(To a degree, as there’s limitations to the pump and also electrical circuit limitations)

So, whether it be a supposed 1800 psi Craftsman or a supposed 2000 psi Greenworks or a supposed 2600 psi Greenworks, I can almost guarantee the difference is the tip orifice size and you can put the appropriate tip on any one of them to achieve equal nominal 1000psi and 1.2-1.4gpm performance from any of them. (NOTE: this is applicable to standard style pumps…some units from the likes of Greenworks are brushless and use a special smart sensing variable brushless motor that can vary the output…..but they have a terrible lag like a turbo lag in a car, which some people don’t like)

Matt from Obsessed Garage did a huge test of all the different PW’s, and has a good chart that shows all of them with the performance.

At the end of the day, the big box stores are all selling what are more or less identical pieces but with different housings or colors and “marketed” psi or gpm that appeal to the happy home owner.

Main reason being the style of motors/pumps that all those big box stores are buying from the supplier are all the same lower end ones and also have to be compatable with only a 15amp circuit in the US market.

Euro market has pressure washers with better performance cause they have different household electrical system than the US does.

this is very helpful.
i guess upgrading the nozzle tips and water gun would be good idea?

[powerplaymike]

Originally Posted by nyalpine90

this is very helpful.
i guess upgrading the nozzle tips and water gun would be good idea?

For the tips: You definitely don’t need anything fancy at all. Just need the right size, cause tips are considered disposable anyway.
Cheap tips work just as well as expensive ones. Only reason to get an expensive one is if you want the ones that have a rubber boot.


Spray gun: yes, Get a stubby spray gun

And get quick connects as they make your life a ton easier.

My personal setup is pretty upper-tier.
I have an MTM spray gun, a MJJC foam cannon, an Adams hose (cause Active pressure washers don’t do well with Uberflex hoses), a DI system, quick connects on everything, a Leaf Blower and stubby nozzle…the whole 9

I say that cause for anyone reading, don’t feel you have to go with the most expensive high end stuff….whether it be the spray gun or the foam cannon, while a $30-40 piece vs $80-100 piece will have some compromises … if you’re a weekend warrior spending one day a month washing your car, the cheaper priced stuff will work just as well.

Knowing what I know, and trying cheaper stuff that I’ve then recommended to family/friends, unless you want / have a need for top tier, you can definitely save some money and use it for better things. $50 here or there on a few items, and all of a sudden that’s an extra $150 that you could’ve kept either for less out of pocket cost or for upgrading something more beneficial like going let’s say from a $200 Greenworks to a $350 Active pressure washer, or buying a DI water system.