On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 10:33:48 +0100, Paul Hutchings
wrote:

In article ,
Andy Hall wrote:

I looked at power, quality, parts availability and service when I
bought one and decided on a mid range Kaercher. I tend to use it
pretty much every week for at least one of the tasks you describe and
have been pretty pleased with it. The power is there, the accessories
work well and it has been reliable.


Thanks Andy. Probably looking at the K2.89M for £80 from Argos as it
seems to come with some tools and looks a reasonable spec for the money.
It seems you can get machines like the Nilfisk Alto's for £50ish from
Machine Mart but you don't seem to get a variable power nozzle or a
brush.

I'd say that that is a pretty good buy for the price, although it
seems to have been replaced by the K297M with similar spec.

It appears to come with the variable pressure lance and the
DirtBlaster and a brush.



One question, you see these things demo'd from time to time on the likes
of QVC and I know they mock up the things they're cleaning to best
demonstrate the machine, but how good are they? They always seem to
show them literally cutting through a swathe of dirt and grime and it
seems hard to believe that water alone would do this with muck that may
have been in place for years (i.e. patio).


I don't pay too much attention to shopping channels except when
flicking past, and am sceptical of anything that is sold with
anonymous personal reference on a TV show or anywhere else. For all we
know, the person singing the product's praises is the marketing
manager's brother in law.

I've had pretty good results with the pressure washer.

Most things are cleanable with the variable pressure lance. Typical
use on a car is to use it on highish pressure to remove the dirt, then
drop the pressure to apply shampoo and rinse.

For patios etc. the DirtBlaster is very good. This has a rotating
nozzle and will remove most things. To give you an idea, it will
strip the paint and start to eat into softwood if used close to it.
You definitely don't want to use this on a car.

I also bought the angled spray lance - good for doing gutters etc.,
and the rotating car wash brush. The brush does a pretty good job as
well and is more substantial than those typically sold for hoses.

Another thing that I thought of after writing the first email, is that
eye protection is a good idea. Grit from cleaning can tend to fly
about.






--

..andy

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