Top Pressure Washers of 2024

Editorial Team May 15, 2024 441

Reviews based on Rigorous Performance Testing and Real-World Results.

There is a secret in the pressure washer industry that no pressure washer company wants you to know. You are not going to believe me when I say this… Many pressure washers are designed to break after 100 hours. Yup, that’s right.

Why are most Pressure Washers Designed to break after 100 hours?

During our Research, we interviewed many executives from the industry and product developers and the explanation we found was that most oversees manufacturers build for the DIY customer who they believe use the power washer 2-3 times / year and they lower the quality and the make of the motor and pump.

For example, most cheap pressure washers use a carbon brush motor vs a brushless motor (induction motor). Pretty much all carbon brush motors are only rated to last 100 hours vs more expensive and heavier brushless motors which are usually rated at 300 hours. Most companies opt for a cheaper motor assuming that the average customer uses only 2-3 times / year.

That’s why we decided to buy the top pressure washers from the top brands on the internet and test them into oblivion. We tested for Results, Durability, Build Quality, and Design. We met with our team of builders and average homeowners to get a holistic view on which pressure washers are really the best in the business.

Before we get into our list of top picks, it’s important to know what differentiates the top pressure washers. We ran tests to determine PSI, GPM (gallons/minute), durability, and results on wood, tile, and concrete. Many pressure washer companies tend to lie or mislead about their PSI, so it is important to know what the actual PSI is so you can get a numerical comparison as to how they should perform.

Testing Results

Must Haves:

Non-Kinkable Cord

Compartment for Tip storage

Built-in Circuit Breaker

Storage Space

CAT 1800

This pressure washer earned all the top marks from us. They must have read our wish list as they had all of our 4 Must Haves. The CAT also recorded the highest PSI and GPM out of all the Pressure Washers that we tested. Another feature that stood out from the rest of the pressure washers we tested was the Storage capabilities: it was super easy to store and had an easy wrap-around for the electrical and the hose, plus it was quite small and boxy meaning you can stack anything else on top of it. Aside from the physical differences, we also experienced a level of trust with them as they were the ONLY company who actually stated their somewhat correct PSI number (1800 vs 1700).

PROS:

CONS:

Sun Joe SPX3000

The Sunjoe poses as a good cheaper alternative to the CAT 1800. The Sunjoe earned the top marks from us. We didn’t have huge expectations for this big green Monster – but it sure knew how to perform once we turned it on. As for Results – it’s an 8.5/10 – very solid at this price. It hit all of our must haves and we don’t really have any complaints about it. The Build Quality was a solid 8.5/10. Very easy to assemble and get going. What we really appreciated is that they tried to innovate – their tips were the only ones of all that we tested which were different.

PROS:

CONS:

N/A

The jump from #2 to the next best brand is quite unbelievable – so big that we decided to leave a gap. Just look a this chart of the brands we tested:

These 3 brands – Craftsman – Powryte – and Westinghouse were all just a waste of money. All made out of plastic you can bend with your hands and parts that don’t fully fit when you assemble them. The sad part is – we had high hopes – like really high hopes. Why? They were the Top ranked pressure washers on Amazon. Quite literally Westinghouse is #1 seller on amazon* with 6800+ reviews at 4.6 stars. So we were really surprised when we turned it on and it just wasn’t it. The wheels they advertise everywhere, get stuck on absolutely everything. Moving on, Powryte, the #3 top seller on amazon, claims a max 3800 PSI and 2.4 GPM when in reality it gets 1200 PSI and 1.5 GPM maximum – well below Sun Joe and Cat numbers.