Very powerful and the patio attachment is just excellent!Although this is my first power washer it's not the first I've used as my father-in-law has a heavy-duty one (different brand) that cost about twice this price and my Grandmother has one of the compact Kärcher's costing about half this price. It's been interesting to compare them and I'm happy to report the performance of this K4 easily rivals the more expensive competitor.I took the Kärcher along with me on a trip to my Grandmother's as she has a bigger garden which hadn't been power-washed for two years making it the ideal workout for the K4 and so far this week the K4 has... washed the windows, cleaned the car, transformed the concrete slabs on patio and paths, spruced up the garden walls, revitalised the wood decking around the shed, cleaned the painted exterior of the shed and cleaned the concrete interior of a drained (and incredibly slimy) garden pond - and it's done it all without any fuss or bother. You get three tools (and two extension tubes) in this kit: one variable jet (good for more fragile areas or rinsing off detergent or as a water 'broom' to sweep away debris), one very high pressure jet (for blast-cleaning deeply stained areas like concrete or brick - strong enough to strip away paint too, use with care!) and a spinning patio cleaner (for cleaning slabs and decking).

The only thing that felt missing was some kind of low-pressure brush to use on the car or on painted surfaces - but of course Kärcher offer suitable optional accessories.blueair 203 smokestop air purifier reviewsThe patio cleaner was a revelation, it looked a bit of a gimmick but it works really well and shifts even ingrained dirt without sending up clouds of dirty water in all directions. povos air purifierThe ring of stiff bristles around its circumference also help shift the dirt and on the most heavily stained areas your instinct is to brush with more pressure - but if you just slow down the back and forth motion of the tool instead it usually achieves the same deeper clean, meaning you don't need a lot of elbow grease to use it. airvita plasmawave hepa air purifier

It also works well on awkward surfaces like combed wood decking where it's very hard to clean properly down into the grooves. However be aware that on more roughly textured surfaces, like a lock-block driveway for example, the bristles cause some drag and it's harder work moving the tool around than on smoother patio slabs or tiles.The inbuilt detergent dispenser is a neat idea and the bundled Stone Cleaner did seem to help loosen the dirt on the patio slabs a bit, but it didn't seem that essential as the water alone does such a good job - maybe the car Wash and Wax version is of more value. The detergent is only dispensed when the washer is on a low-pressure setting, there's a special 'mix' setting on the variable jet and if you use a low-pressure tool like the Car Wash Brush it adds detergent automatically. There's a control on the washer itself to vary the amount of detergent in the mix. Kärcher warn against using non-Kärcher cleaners but it's hard to believe the washer would suffer much harm from a squirt of Fairy Liquid, however their own cleaners are eco-friendly and made for the purpose - but they're pricey.

It's probably important to have realistic expectations of what power-washing can do and realise it doesn't always shift the most ingrained marks from concrete - really deep staining left by algae, lichens or oil will usually survive a water blasting. However that dull green slime that seems to coat gardens during wet Winters is a gonner and that alone can make an amazing difference to your outdoor space. In that regard this Kärcher K4 is a really solid performer, powerful enough to do the job and at a fair price, I'd really struggle to say anything bad about it - and my Grandmother seems quite pleased too!Just get a KarcherColour Name: YellowWorks Very Well - A Very Good Combination of Guarantee, Specification and Included Accessories vs PriceColour Name: YellowI bought this K4 pressure washer 'combo' (it also comes with a patio cleaner, which with hindsight I think is an essential accessory) a year ago after my previous one (different/cheaper make !) failed dramatically as the motor caught fire when in use.

So, the factors which swayed this particular purchase were not just the 3-year guarantee but also that it was seemingly the only make where a drain/pipe cleaning accessory could be added - something which was on my wish list to try and clear a blocked rainwater soakaway (which it did) :Kärcher 7.5m Pipe And Drain Cleaning Kit - Pressure Washer AccessoryWhen I bought this model it came with the T250 patio cleaner - it now appears to have had an upgrade to include the T350 version (not sure of the advantages....).** Watch out ! Amazon also sell this without the patio cleaner, often for the same price - so make sure you're buying the 'right' one ! Karcher prices are VERY variable, with frequent special offers - occasionally you can get this model without the patio cleaner for a LOT less. Also, as the various models look quite similar make sure you're buying the K4 and not, for example, the inferior K2 variant !! Here are the other K4 'variants' on Amazon:no Patio Cleaner Kärcher K4 Water-Cooled Pressure Washeradds 'Suction Hose & Filter', different detergent suppliedKärcher K4 Premium Eco Home Water-Cooled Pressure WasherWhat I DO know is that for me the T250 patio cleaner has proved to be an essential item, since it works very well as a 'first-time' sweep over badly soiled surfaces (including walls) before detailed attention is given with the other tools.

So, for my dirty/neglected decking (which was almost black in appearance !) I used first the T250 patio cleaner. The cleaning task is easier to assess/achieve for the subsequent detailed clean using the dirtblaster attachment (NOT the lance, as that doesn't produce a concentrated-enough jet to dislodge aged/built-up soiling) on all the stubborn remaining soiling.This washer cleaned everything with ease.*** The handles on the patio cleaner are actually of use as it can occasionally move about quite aggressively when used (eg over ridged decking) - the handles allow you to control it's movement in those circumstances. NOTE the user guide warning about using it on completely-cleared/flat surfaces, otherwise you risk the 'whirling' nozzles within snapping-off if they hit something - they are NOT cheap replacements !The other features of this washer that showed themselves to be useful with this task were :1. The 6m-length pressure hose, which when combined with,2. The 5m-odd long mains cable means (for safety reasons, water and electricity don't mix well !) that you can be well displaced from both the unit itself and the electricity supply.

Noise isolation is less of an issue as the unit is really very quiet.The unit is quite large (esp in height) and deceptively heavy, but it can be moved around quite easily due to the decent carry-handle and that it's on nice chunky wheels.2. I also think that the patio cleaner can only effectively be used with just one of the extension pieces where it's just about long enough for satisfactory use, allowing me to remain upright and hence avoid lengthy back-bending issues (I'm 6ft+ tall); use both extensions and it flexes too much.When cleaning my decking, in a few interludes whilst I waited for detergent to act before a second/final dirtblaster sweep, the unit dealt admirably with cleaning the outside of my plastic sheds which had a lot of mould/dirt build-up on them which detergent/brushing had failed to clear - they now look like new !I'm not sure when I'll find a use for the 'vario lance', maybe it will prove useful for cleaning only lightly-soiled decking/paving which has previously been 'revitalised' with the dirtblaster ? !