Karcher K4 Power Control power washer. Picture: Karcher.

Power washers are one of those tools that are often overlooked by DIY enthusiasts but when you have a good one, they’re hard to live without. I’ve been testing the Karcher K4 power control and I never thought I’d get such a kick from using it to clean paths, wash vehicles and take the winter grime off the garden furniture and much more.

I think if you were to ask most people to name a brand of power washer they’d say, Karcher. Like all of their products, the K4 is distinctively Karcher and is easily recognisable from the brand's black and yellow colourway.

I received the basic K4 kit from Karcher which comes with the power washer, two lances and an eight-metre high-pressure hose. There are several accessories available for the K4 including surface cleaners, various washing brushes and cleaning solution bottles which fit directly into the top of the machine for easy application. The K4 is also available with a variety of bundled accessories which works out a little cheaper than buying the K4 and accessories individually.

The main Vario Power spray lance has a variable pressure adjustment with a display that makes it easy to see how much pressure you’re using. This goes from soft to hard with an easy twist motion. The second Dirt busting lance is for the maximum amount of pressure and is designed to remove stubborn dirt from paths. Switching between the two lances is a simple push or pull and then twist. A safety feature prevents you from removing any of the lances or hose while the washer is on and there’s also a lock on the pressure trigger to ensure someone like a child can’t accidentally use it when it’s on. Of course, for safety, you can’t lock the trigger on — you have to keep the trigger pressed to use it.

The trigger gun, hose, and lances are kept organised and housed onboard the K4 unit which makes it more compact for storing.

The K4 is about 11.5 kg but has two wheels and a pull-up handle that makes it easy to move around. I found the hose plenty long enough for the jobs I was doing but it’s very stiff which makes it curl up and as a result, it can be awkward to use at times.

The K4 comes with a printed quick installation guide which I didn’t find all that great. You get a bunch of screws and parts that you have to put together but I didn’t find the instructions very clear. To be fair, it doesn’t take too much guessing to figure out how to put it together, a process that should only take 15 minutes.

The Karcher Home and Garden app, which they recommend you download on the box, has excellent and easy-to-follow instructions on properly using the K4 to clean bicycles, cars, stone floors and so on. When you use it for the first time it will ask you for the model of your Karcher device and it provides clear instructions on how to put it together which are much better than the printer instructions.

One of Karcher's more powerful pressure washers, the K4 Power Control has a 1,800W water-cooled motor that can produce up to 420 litres of water per hour at a maximum pressure of 130 bar and a minimum of 20 bar.

The Vario Power Spray lance is what I used most of the time and it excelled at the majority of jobs including cleaning my north-facing path with ease. While the hard setting is best for cleaning concrete, hard stones, tarmac and metal surfaces, the soft setting is appropriate for cleaning wood, sandstone, or, for example, a bicycle. For times when you need to combine detergent or snow foam concentration to thoroughly clean your car or patio, there is also a Mix setting. I found I didn’t need the dirt blasting lance for the jobs I was doing but it does provide that extra bit of concentrated power if and when it’s required.

The K4 Power Control is easy to use, stiff hose aside and powerful enough for most jobs around the house. There’s a large range of accessories that should further expand its effectiveness — if I have a large driveway I would definitely get the K4 kit with the Surface Cleaner.

Karcher K4 Power Control power washer from €280  Karcher

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