Electric Pressure Washer vs. Gas Powered Pressure Washers

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 at 8:20 pm

Good Performance but Cheaply Made

A month ago I reviewed the Task Force 2000 Electric Pressure Washer. I was so caught up with how useful and powerful an electric power washer can be, that I didn’t give much consideration to its build quality and durability. The Task Force Electric Pressure Washer is proving to be less than sturdy. In less than a month, the power washer now fails to dispense detergent.

and has a broken cord reel.

Low Auction Price on Honda Gas Pressure Washer

My wife, who seems to have a knack for breaking things, grabbed the wand from me one day as I was washing wood-ties, to spray off the trax on our deck and tipped it over, snapping the brittle plastic reel. In just my second time after using detergent, the Pressure Washer’s dispenser became clogged. The instructions, which were completely useless, warned me the detergent dispenser can get clogged if soap is left in it overnight, but offered no solutions on how to fix it. I went online and contacted Task Force support. They emailed me a response and somewhat ambiguous instructions on how to solve the problem, which involved removing the high pressure hose from the front of the unit. I was unable to loosen the hose by hand, so took a pair of channel locks to it and learned how cheap and fragile the plastic hose connector. In just a couple of turns, the plastic grip ribs were completely stripped (see photo to the right).

Discouraged and afraid to do anymore damage, I tightened the hose back up and decided to power wash my car without soap. It was a bitter sweet experience, as I learned how nice of a job an electric pressure washer can do on your car, but left me wishing I could use car wash detergent to do the best job possible. With the right power setting, it gives you a very nice, wide, high-pressure stream of water. My wheels, which were very dirty and gummed up with break-dust, came 90% clean without any soap or scrubbing. The rest of the car was immaculate.

Gas Powered Pressure Washer, Maybe?

Gas Powered Pressure Washer

While, I highly recommend an electric pressure washer, I cannot endorse this specific product. I would try these other brands: A Husky Electric Pressure Washer, Excell Pressure Washers, or any Gas Powered Pressure Washers. I base this conclusion on the number of more favorable consumer reviews given to these brands and gas-powered pressure washers, which seem to be better made. I wish I would have done a little more research on Electric Pressure Washers, before I opened up the box of the Task Force. Having owned an electric pressure washer for a month now, I can tell you some of the pros and cons of an electric pressure washer vs. a gas powered pressure washer: