Man, who would have thought it would be so difficult to find a decent pressure washer for a good price. When we started the projects of re-staining our deck and fence, we wanted to give them a pressure wash first. We bought a 1650 psi pressure washer from Fleet Farm. It seemed to work well, but eventually the trigger handle became stuck and you couldn’t detach it. We decided to return it. Next, we bought a 1750 psi “Husky” pressure washer from Home Depot. It was $20 less and features more PSI, so we thought it was a good deal. Upon getting it home, it only lasted a few hours before the spray wand started spraying erratically. Again, we returned it. Even though the electric models are generally more convenient, portable, and easier to maintain, we were frustrated with our experience with our first two electric pressure washers and decided to look around at the more expensive gas-powered pressure washers.

We went back to Home Depot. They had some really swank models with Honda and even Subaru engines. Unfortunately, they cost a bit more than we wanted to spend. So we went to Sears to check out their selection. We ended up buying a 2550 psi Craftsman with a 6.75 HP Briggs and Stratton engine. We got a great deal on it because it was a return. It turned out to be a very sweet choice. It had all the features we wanted, excellent power, and was easy to use. After having used a gas-powered model, the electric ones clearly suck in comparison. This thing cleans the wood at a fraction of the time! Our lawnmower is also a Craftsman. So far we’ve gotten very decent value and service from Sears.

Lesson learned: Electric pressure washers suck. Pay more for gas.