Power cleaner/washer

Subw00er · Mar 28, 2024

I ordered one of these.. thought it was a neat idea and am sharing it. I like the portability and reduced power, so its uber safe for cars. The reviews are not glowing, but I cant believe dewalt would make it too brittle.

20V MAX* 550 psi Cordless Power Cleaner (Tool Only)

For portable cleaning on the jobsite or at home with 10X the cleaning power of a garden hose† , the DEWALT 20V MAX* Power Cleaner is the ideal choice. This versatile tool can draw from any fresh water source with an included suction hose for when a garden hose is not easily accessible. The power...

www.dewalt.com

Go Kart · Mar 28, 2024

Interesting buy… just connects to a garden hose

I’m really into this sort of thing and I think this could be a great thread. Obsessed Garage has a lot of VERY in depth pressure washer reviews on his YouTube channel. He’s a nut for anything garage related if you’re interested in building a nice home for your cars. I highly recommend watching some of his stuff. He basically washes cars and has a long conversation sharing his thoughts with you while he’s doing it.

Here’s some of my car cleaning setup:

Subw00er · Mar 28, 2024

Go Kart said:
Here’s some of my car cleaning setup:

That's a really nice setup!! ps- Excellent use of what looks like a grill brush to keep the wheel from maiming small children. Propping, level 10.

I have a little Dewalt vacuum cleaner too and its awesome for cars with its flexible snorkel. Its really nice to not have to deal with cords. I use a Stihl Combi with the blower to dry mostly.. its kind of overkill, and I look like a total tard using it, but it works great. And for whatever water drops are left, I just bought some of those new (to me) Griot twisted pile towels et al. I'm curious to see if the hype is real; the reviews seem promising. I went a little ape and bought a bunch of Emira accoutrements:

Also this little ching chong youowo-foo to see if I like it as a keychain.. it has a thin paracord that should be small enough to weave through the key's recessed loop and not too much metal to scratch up the key.

Go Kart · Mar 28, 2024

Thanks

Those are rubber wheel chocks. lol
No children to maim…

Yeah, that Ego leaf blower on the wall with the stubby nozzle is just for car drying. Nothing else. With a ceramic coating and that little bazooka I don’t need to dry with towels anymore. The water just beads and shoots right off the car.

Those Eagle Edgeless towels you have incoming are fantastic though. The Rag Company makes really great microfiber towels for all sorts of uses. I have different colors and thicknesses for specific jobs… interior, wheels, glass, etc.

I kinda nerded out with that stuff. Lots of different washes, cleaners, foam canons… it’s a fun hobby in itself just washing and detailing. Lots of little tools and products out there.

Subw00er · Mar 28, 2024

Go Kart said:
Thanks
Those are rubber wheel chocks. lol
No children to maim…

Yeah, that Ego leaf blower on the wall with the stubby nozzle is just for car drying. Nothing else. With a ceramic coating and that little bazooka I don’t need to dry with towels anymore. The water just beads and shoots right off the car.

Those Eagle Edgeless towels you have incoming are fantastic though. The Rag Company makes really great microfiber towels for all sorts of uses. I have different colors and thicknesses for specific jobs… interior, wheels, glass, etc.

I kinda nerded out with that stuff. Lots of different washes, cleaners, foam canons… it’s a fun hobby in itself just washing and detailing. Lots of little tools and products out there.

Totally agree. Thanks for the info!

Barcino2012 · Mar 29, 2024

Go Kart said:
Thanks
Those are rubber wheel chocks. lol
No children to maim…

Yeah, that Ego leaf blower on the wall with the stubby nozzle is just for car drying. Nothing else. With a ceramic coating and that little bazooka I don’t need to dry with towels anymore. The water just beads and shoots right off the car.

Those Eagle Edgeless towels you have incoming are fantastic though. The Rag Company makes really great microfiber towels for all sorts of uses. I have different colors and thicknesses for specific jobs… interior, wheels, glass, etc.

I kinda nerded out with that stuff. Lots of different washes, cleaners, foam canons… it’s a fun hobby in itself just washing and detailing. Lots of little tools and products out there.

Nice setup, and I agree, washing and detailing your car is very satisfying and rewarding……….some of the obsessed garage videos are almost therapeutic

……..please don’t report me

a little OCD is good for thee and me

robrmon · Mar 29, 2024

Subw00er said:
I ordered one of these.. thought it was a neat idea and am sharing it. I like the portability and reduced power, so its uber safe for cars. The reviews are not glowing, but I cant believe dewalt would make it too brittle.

20V MAX* 550 psi Cordless Power Cleaner (Tool Only)

For portable cleaning on the jobsite or at home with 10X the cleaning power of a garden hose† , the DEWALT 20V MAX* Power Cleaner is the ideal choice. This versatile tool can draw from any fresh water source with an included suction hose for when a garden hose is not easily accessible. The power...

www.dewalt.com

I have this dewalt cleaner. I agree with the sentiment of the reviews you read, it’s meh.

Tonygcar · Mar 29, 2024

I got this small but powerful hand blower it got a soft nozzle so it won’t mark your car it’s handy for drying the wheels, door handles and mirrors etc. I bought mine when there was a deal on for £25 plus postage Rutlands have deals on every now and then. Rutlands are based in the uk

Porter · Mar 29, 2024

Has anyone had a good experience with a small battery powered pressure washer? There are some from reputable brands but most have mixed reviews.

SweptVolume · Mar 29, 2024

One advice I would give - don't use a powerful pressure washer too close to the Emira, or fire water into the 'boomerang' vents. I think this is causing some of the electrical issues talking to various folks..

DF_Toronto · Mar 29, 2024

Haven’t got my car yet but a recent write up from a new owner mentioned the engine bay gets dusty if you don’t have privacy glass - swiffer (the duster)? Not even kidding

.

Tonygcar · Mar 29, 2024

Speedluvver said:
One advice I would give - don't use a powerful pressure washer too close to the Emira, or fire water into the 'boomerang' vents. I think this is causing some of the electrical issues talking to various folks..

Yes mines in Bristol dealership now having the HVAC unit swapped out I don’t know if it’s because I washed it or the rain made it go faulty.
But iam glad it’s happened now whilst it’s under warranty
I picked up my car last April so I reckon every car before and probably just after that as the non waterproof part fitted
it’s a 10 hour job they must have built the car around the HVAC unit

Time2Fly · Mar 29, 2024

DF_Toronto said:
Haven’t got my car yet but a recent write up from a new owner mentioned the engine bay gets dusty if you don’t have privacy glass - swiffer (the duster)? Not even kidding .

Which vents are the boomerang vents? I have a low power pressure washer for mine when it comes

Porter · Mar 29, 2024

Speedluvver said:
One advice I would give - don't use a powerful pressure washer too close to the Emira, or fire water into the 'boomerang' vents. I think this is causing some of the electrical issues talking to various folks..

This is sort of my point. I don't need it to be high pressure, I just need it to not be a piece of crap.

Go Kart · Mar 29, 2024

Porter said:
This is sort of my point. I don't need it to be high pressure, I just need it to not be a piece of crap.

A hose with a regular spray attachment is more than adequate if you’re hand washing with manual agitation. A pressure washer is just easier to push all the dirt and grime off the paint once it’s loosened, AND it’s very useful in conjunction with foam canons to get shaving cream consistency foam.

A typical pressure washers flow rate is too low and PSI is too high to be used on cars anyway (and shouldn’t be imo)… it can be like needles against car paint.

… but there are pressure washers out there with lower PSI and higher flow rate than others that are much more suitable. The Comet washer on my wall is one of them. I bought it based off Obsessed Garage’s glowing review of it. I bought it years ago, so I’m sure there are other options out there now.

As with anything, you can go down a rabbit hole with any product, and that’s what I typically do when I’m in need of something

Time2Fly · Mar 29, 2024

Go Kart said:
A hose with a regular spray attachment is more than adequate if you’re hand washing with manual agitation. A pressure washer is just easier to push all the dirt and grime off the paint once it’s loosened, AND it’s very useful in conjunction with foam canons to get shaving cream consistency foam.

A typical pressure washers flow rate is too low and PSI is too high to be used on cars anyway (and shouldn’t be imo)… it can be like needles against car paint.

… but there are pressure washers out there with lower PSI and higher flow rate than others that are much more suitable. The Comet washer on my wall is one of them. I bought it based off Obsessed Garage’s glowing review of it. I bought it years ago, so I’m sure there are other options out there now.

As with anything, you can go down a rabbit hole with any product, and that’s what I typically do when I’m in need of something

Do you have a foam cannon you recommend? The one I have is hardly giving a nice coating.

Go Kart · Mar 29, 2024

Time2Fly said:
Do you have a foam cannon you recommend? The one I have is hardly giving a nice coating.

Sure… this is what I have and is a newer product than the one below.

Amazon.com

This one is its daddy (been on the market longer), but more expensive.

Amazon.com

In testing reviews the newer one I have above does just about the same in performance and is less expensive.

Mine creates rich shaving cream foam when used with the few different Chemical Guys soap I’ve had. Buy soap with NO waxes in it.

Note:
One thing I did not like about the foam canon is the weighted steel ball at the end of the tube meant to slurp up all the liquid from the bottle started rusting a bit. It looks like quality stainless, but it’s not. I polished it off and now I wrap it in a paper towel to completely dry it before storage. Takes a second to do while I’m drying or doing something else.

scc.131.fe · Mar 29, 2024

just go though as many of Josh's videos as you like. Over the last few years, he has posted awesome how-tos and loads of product reviews.

https://youtube.com/@imjoshv?si=ByiUpIaUIM0nPwxb

Porter · Mar 29, 2024

Go Kart said:
A hose with a regular spray attachment is more than adequate if you’re hand washing with manual agitation. A pressure washer is just easier to push all the dirt and grime off the paint once it’s loosened, AND it’s very useful in conjunction with foam canons to get shaving cream consistency foam.

That's exactly what I'm asking about. I'm familiar with the OG community and have followed it a bit, but it's like drinking from a fire hose of info over there and there are two dozen competing opinions.

I'm looking for a battery powered (or even plug in electric) hand pressure washer that's low psi and high flow, specifically to use with a foam cannon. I just don't want a wall mounted one. No spot for it at the moment unfortunately.

Go Kart · Mar 29, 2024

Porter said:
That's exactly what I'm asking about. I'm familiar with the OG community and have followed it a bit, but it's like drinking from a fire hose of info over there and there are two dozen competing opinions.

I'm looking for a battery powered (or even plug in electric) hand pressure washer that's low psi and high flow, specifically to use with a foam cannon. I just don't want a wall mounted one. No spot for it at the moment unfortunately.

Ahh. Gotcha.
Well, I don’t know of any battery operated washers since that’s not what I shopped for, but if you’re open to a plug in look into:

The Active 2.0
It’s very compact, you can buy it in a kit, or if you’d like to buy your own gun/hose/foam canon to personalize it you can just buy the pump. If it were me I’d just get the pump. Typically the accessories aren’t great with the packaged combo kits. I’ve upgrade some things with my pressure washer, because like I said… you can go down rabbit holes with all these products.

Here’s the link:

Amazon.com

… and here is a great review on it from Pan the Organizer (another great YouTube channel for car washing)

I absolutely understand the drinking from a firehouse reference. That’s how I felt when I first started my garage journey. It’s a lot easier asking someone specific pointed questions than deciding to go down those rabbit holes.

Cheers

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