Kärcher K7 Premium Full Control Plus Home Pressure Washer

I recently decided to invest in the ‘Kärcher K7 Premium Full control Plus Home Pressure Washer’ (my previous washer was a ‘LIDL’s ‘own’ – which is/was actually great, except that the ‘sprayer’ is no bigger than a ‘pin prick’ and so, the user needs plenty of time on their hands – and of course, writing rude words on the dirty slabs was a definite ‘no no’ as it turned out – unless you then have lots of time to carefully delete them!)Overall, I am extremely pleased with the K7 – Kärcher’s reputation would seem to be well deserved. Provided with the washer was: (obviously the washer) plus some free detergent and a’ trigger gun’ with power adjustment buttons and a 1-in-3 multi-use spray lance (this has to be ‘paired’ with the washer, but it is a far more simple process than it would seem, so don’t panic), and a, 1 x T450 Patio Cleaner for large areas of patio and decking.I also purchased (as ‘optional extras’) the: Kärcher Extra Long Angled Spray Lance, a Kärcher Telescopic Jet Pipe, a Kärcher WB100 Rotary Wash Brush, a Kärcher Soft Washing Brush, the Kärcher 1 L, Universal Cleaner Plug and Clean, Pressure Washer Detergent (and a Kärcher 5 L bottle of the same, which can be used to then top up the 1L bottle that you use in the machine).The pressure washer itself, can seem a bit daunting to set up initially (if you’ve not owned one before). The instructions provided are pretty rubbish, but there’s some excellent videos/advice on Google if you get stuck. Once you’re set up, you’ll soon see that it was ‘time well spent’…PRO’S:1. The washer has various pressure options (dependent on the material you will be washing) plus power/pressure levels – from 1 (soft) to 3 (hard) – great for masonry, stone, slabs, timber etc. It is a learning process at first, but you will soon learn what works best for the material you are working on to ensure as little damage as possible (to timber/loose paint, cement etc). Designed for speed, you will see instant results with relatively little ‘work’, and you can adjust the pressure setting to suit the material you are working on. I couldn’t believe how quickly I was getting jobs done/ seeing results, so a big thumbs up for the speed/efficiency.2. There is a reasonably long hose attached/included (10m I think) – meaning that you don’t have to lug the machine about any more than is absolutely necessary.3. It comes with wheels for easy maneuverability (see below).CON’S:1. This is a seriously heavy piece of kit. I need to take mine up and down stairs etc (balcony’s and so forth) – it’s really hard work!’ If you’re thinking ‘ladders’, you can definitely forget it!2. It comes with wheels and what is similar to a ‘pully handle’ that you might find on your average suitcase. The ‘pully handle’ is however quite pathetic (it doesn’t hold in place and easily collapses, which renders it pretty useless and it isn’t as easy to tow/pull as it might first seem). You will also need to hold the hose/gun/lance etc when pulling as these will be attached, plus the cable and extension lead as there is nowhere to safely put these without them falling off and to the ground/below the wheels when you are moving the machine from A to B).3. I have yet to find a use for the ‘1 x T450 Patio Cleaner for large areas of patio and decking’ that is included… what I can tell you as a fact, is that it is absolutely useless for cleaning patio and decking (in comparison to the gun and lance that is also provided). It’s effectively ‘free’ though and so not worth losing sleep over!Notes:Initially, the pressure in the washer (after set-up) may not seem to work – check the lance settings (there is a very ‘wishy washy hose option’ that is weaker than a hosepipe so pretty useless) – mine was set to this on purchase. Also check the pressure settings on the handgun aren’t set to low (1)). Ramp them up to the maximum (3). Also check for air in the washer itself (turn off the water supply and then turn on the washer and depress the lever as though intending to wash something to release any trapped air). Also check for ‘kinks’ in the hose as this will affect the pressure the washer can give out (you’ll soon learn to identify when this is causing an issue).Overall, this is a really impressive bit of kit and it’s hard to be disappointed with it. The range of available accessories is fantastic, adding to the versatility and overall use of the machine. I think you’d be hard pushed to find anything better available on the market (with improvements being made by the manufacturers all the time!)Accessories:Kärcher Extra Long Angled Spray Lance: I really like this – be it short or long distance that you apply it, you won’t be able to see instant results (because you’ll need to shut your eyes to prevent them being blasted with c**p, but you will soon see instant results between applications!)Kärcher Telescopic Jet Pipe: Fantastic ‘reach capability’… you are going to reach the gutters of a two/three storey house easily… unfortunately, the applicator they provide isn’t ‘pressure orientated’ (and so you won’t actually be able to wash off any scum that you can see on your fascias/gutters etc and it’ll do no better job than your average UK rainfall/storm) … I had a brainwave – change the adaptor (which you can easily do) … however … the ‘blow back’ from the pressure is SEVERE (and thus, if it doesn’t blow you over backwards, you almost certainly won’t have the strength to hold/aim it at whatever the problem area.) As such, this particular accessory is kind of useless BUT… if you can reach from e.g. windows to scrub an area with a brush first, then his is useful to wash off any surplus soapy water etc (if you couldn’t do so with an ordinary hosepipe).Kärcher WB100 Rotary Wash Brush: “Okay” but if you can reach with a handheld brush, you’ll be able to do a far better job without wasting detergent.Kärcher Soft Washing Brush: “Okay” but if you can reach with a handheld brush, you’ll be able to do a far better job without wasting detergent.Kärcher 1 L, Universal Cleaner Plug and Clean, Pressure Washer Detergent: It is good (but so is e.g. Fairy Liquid if applied by hand). Does the job but is nothing special. (N.B. The machine will use up the detergent very quickly if it is not removed when not required – so remove when not needed). I would also recommend Kärcher 5 L Canister Pressure Washer Detergent, Universal Cleaner to ‘top up’ as and when required.

I recently purchased the superb Karcher K7 from Amazon plus some accessories. The main reason for the purchase was to deep clean and then to stay on top of maintaining my disastrous patio to a high standard. Wow, what a piece of kit this is. OK, it is fairly big and heavy. However, it has a pair of wheels and a retractable handle (similar to the wheeled suit case concept). The unit is delivered in a large cardboard box with polystyrene fittings to protect it. However since it is basically built like a truck, I would say that it is extremely durable. The unit is fully assembled in the box. All you need to do is to clip on a small elasticated stowage net onto one pocket and you are basically ready to go.You need a mains water pressure feed line to the Karcher unit. A decent garden hose reel from B&Q will do the job. The Karcher uses a standard quick release water connection spigot. The Karcher comes with a standard UK power socket and cable ready to go. You just need to connect the retractable water hose on the Karcher to the hand gun unit supplied, connect the selected end accessory and you are nearly ready.One key point I found out by re-reading the instruction booklet is the importance of synchronising the intelligent hand gun to the base unit. You have a 60 second window from switching on the mains power wall socket to switch on the Karcher power switch and finally hold down the + and - buttons on the hand gun. If you do this within the 60 seconds, the display on the hand gun brings up the 3 power modes which you are now ready to switch between using the + and - buttons. The 60 seconds is really important which I guess is a safety feature. I also bought a RCD trip socket between the wall outlet and the Karcher plug for extra protection (personal choice on my part).So, once ready to go, I was amazed at the flexibility (3 power options low medium and high plus different jet configurations achieved by rotating the lance) this unit has. Karcher recommend that you start off on low pressure setting on the hand gun just to clear any air pockets first. Once you have a steady uninterrupted water stream, you can increase the pressure selection using the + button. This is really easy to do in reality. Above all, for those really stubborn grime and weeds issues on poor neglected patios (like mine), the power that this K7 has is unbelievable. On the high pressure setting with the hard clean setting also selected on the lance, my patio was returned to pristine sandstone appearance in no time at all. This thing is so powerful that it just blasts off the years of grime, moss and weeds with no problem whatsoever. The K7 can also be used on the low pressure setting for more delicate cleaning like windows and fences etc. I cannot applaud this piece of kit highly enough. It is the Arnold Schwarzenegger of pressure washers. It did indeed make my day !!

I've had a Karcher K5 for a number of years and it has always worked perfectly. I saw a good offer so decided to upgrade to the K7. The 3 in 1 lance is very handy and means no switching required. I find I use the other lance options more often now as a result. I thought the power control on the lance looked like a bit of a gimmick, but it actually works very well and is required so you don't apply too much power to items like cars or wooden surfaces. The 10m hose makes things a little easier too, as does the longer power cable, both of which are shorter on the K5 I had. The hose reel is nicely balanced and the unit won't tip over as result of being top heavy which was a concern on my old K5. It is heavier than the K5 obviously but it's worth the inconvenience in my option. The patio cleaner works very well and is bigger and provides slightly better coverage than the K5. I use the suction hose to pull water from a water butt and works flawlessly. My only minor gripe is that there's no specific area to wrap/store the power cable as there was with my K5, however I just wrap it around the wound up hose reel and this seems to work quite well.An expensive product, but worth it in my opinion for the diverse range of tasks covered and I find I can complete tasks quicker also.