Absolute Gadget

Review: Karcher K365 'Jubilee Special' Pressure Washer

Written by Rene Millman Tuesday, 02 June 2009 16:48

With Father's day only around the corner and summer upon us, our thoughts turn to getting outside and doing all those manly jobs such as cleaning the decking and the drive. Karcher has been producing pressure washers for over 25 years now and thinks it's time to celebrate the fact with a new pressure washer, but will it clean up?

The Karcher K365 'Jubilee Special' Pressure Washer comes in bright canary yellow (if that particular canary was flying over Chernobyl - it's that bright). The positive aspect of this is that it won't get lost easily in a garage or cellar.

Putting it together will take a while, so if you think you are just going to whip it out and start cleaning up, then think again. It took us nearly half-an-hour to assemble all the different pieces and while it finally all fitted together, some parts did not seem as if they would fit together (but eventually did without forcing them to - it just requires thought).

It comes with a variety of attachments including a variable high pressure spray lance for day-to-day cleaning and a wash brush with soft bristles. Attaching the different accessories made us feel a little like Edward Fox in "Day of the Jackal". The attachments fit with a push and a twist. Of course, instead of assassinating a French president, we just wanted to clean the decking instead.

{mospagebreak}The washer comes with an onboard detergent tank to get suds on your car or driveway. The dirtblaster lance is very powerful, according to the manufacturer, it provides up to 50 per cent more cleaning power. The device is powered by a 1700 watt induction motor giving up to 120 bar maximum pressure provided by its 420 litres per hour water flow rate. It also comes complete with a yellow 15m garden hose (which in our tests could have done with being five metres longer as the tap was more than 15m away from the driveway), connectors and spray nozzle as well as T200 patio cleaner attachment which makes it look a bit like a vacuum cleaner for your outsides.

It also has a 6 metre long high pressure hose, so the you don't have to lump the unit around every five seconds to get to those difficult areas. Positioned right, the washer can clean a small car without re-positioning.

The on-board accessory storage means that you can carry more stuff around with you without having to go back and forth from the shed. There is also an auto stop/start facility to reduces motor wear and energy usage as the machine is controlled by the trigger switch.

Overall, it is a good collection of pressure washing tools backed up with a machine that can certainly propel water at high velocity.

Rating: 9/10