I had been lusting after a nice big gas-powered
washer,
but I considered how much I would actually use it
and how much room it would occupy in my garage,
and I wimped out and got an electric one yesterday
evening from Home Depot. It was a Husky model 1750
(i.e. 1700 psi), and it was $99, marked down from
$169.
I tried it this morning, and I was fairly pleased.
It would not be especially fast washing a large area,
like a big deck, but for small jobs, like car engines,
garbage cans, the patio steps, it will clean as well
as anything. You just have to put the wand closer to
the work and go more slowly. It seems fairly well
built, and has a place to wind up the hose and cord,
which is somethign you really need. I borrowed
a friend's slightly smaller electric model a couple of
times, and it had no such feature, usually turning
into a tangled mess of hose and cord.
If in a year I have used it so much that I wear it
out,
I'll get a "real" one. If instead it just sits in the
garage 364 days a year, I've wasted less money.
One other thing: Husky (HD's house brand) seems to
have good support: At huskypowerwashers.com, you can
order parts like pump rebuild kits, so you do not
have to toss the thing if it has a problem.
Doug
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