Electric Pressure Washers

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There are scores of pressure washers on the market and finding the best pressure washer to keep your dirt bike clean isn't easy. We're replacing an old Sears Craftsman gas-powered pressure washer and have spent months wading through information, sorting through propaganda, and spent many enjoyable hours talking to other dirt bike riders about which pressure washer they use to clean their dirt bike without cleaning out the bank account.

Best electric pressure washers:

The best pressure washer for us may not be the best for you, so we've tried to provide facts, not opinions, leaving you to decide which is the best pressure washer for your needs. There's no local buying option so we're buying the pressure washer from Amazon and all links go to Amazon unless otherwise noted. Electric pressure washers have come a long way over the last decade in terms of power and durability and they're considerably cheaper than a gas power washer, plus they're less of a hassle to pull out for smaller cleaning jobs. Gas-powered pressure washers will be covered in a future article. This article covers the Sun Joe SPX3000, the Annovi Reverberi AR390SS, and the Powerhouse International Platinum Edition electric pressure washers.

Sun Joe SPX3000 Pressure Joe

The Snow Joe company was founded in 2004 and in 2009 the Sun Joe line was added, so they've been in business for quite some time and are committed to improving their product line. They're located in New Jersey where they have a 33,000 square foot customer service office, six warehouses, and hundreds of thousands of square foot space for their distribution centers.

The Sun Joe SPX3000 (MSRP $149) is one of their entry-level electric pressure washers and is also one of the most popular. With a maximum pressure of just over 2000 psi and a flow rate of up to 1.76 gpm, the SPX3000 can handle a wide variety of pressure washing jobs. The SPX3000 doesn't take up a lot of storage space, is quiet and lightweight, but has enough power to gouge wood when using the 0° nozzle. It's run by a 14.5 amp, 1800 watt Universal motor, and uses a wobble-plate pump that has a lifespan of 300 to 500 hours. The TSS (Total Stop System) automatically shuts off the pump when the trigger is disengaged which saves electricity and prolongs the pump life.

The SPX3000 measures 33.9 x 13.5 x 15.6 inches and weighs 31 pounds. It comes with a 35-foot power cord, 20 feet of 1/4" hose, a 34" extension wand, two .9 liter (30.4 ounces total) removable detergent tanks that are controlled by a detergent selection dial, a needle cleanout tool, and five quick-connect spray tips (0°, 15°, 25°, 40°, and soap).

Assembly is straightforward and the only parts that need to be assembled are the trigger gun holder, handle, detergent bottles, spray wand protector, and hose holder. Then it's just a matter of attaching the trigger gun to the spray wand, connecting the high-pressure hose to the trigger gun, the high-pressure hose to the water outlet, and finally, connect the water source.

The Sun Joe comes standard with a two-year warranty and you can buy an additional one year ($10.99), two year ($14.99), or three year ($17.49) extended warranty on top of their standard two year warranty.

Sun Joe SPX3000 pressure washer

Annovi Reverberi AR390SS Electric Pressure Washer

The Annovi Reverberi company (abbreviated AR) was founded in 1958 in Northern Italy, and in 1989 AR North America was started in Fridley, Minnesota. The AR pressure washers are made in China (as are the Sun Joes), but all the AR Blue Clean products sold in America are serviced by the AR North America customer service center in Minnesota.

The AR390SS (MSRP $229) electric pressure washer has a maximum pressure of 2000 psi, a flow rate of up to 1.4 gpm, is powered by a 14-amp 1.6 hp Universal motor, and uses a tri-axial pump. Like the Sun Joe, the AR390SS utilizes a Total Stop System (TSS), which automatically shuts off the power washer when trigger is not engaged to prolong the life of the pump. The AR390SS measures 38 x 16 x 17 inches, and weighs 35.5 pounds. It has a 35-foot power cord, 30 feet of high-pressure hose, and four quick-connect nozzle tips (0°, 25°, soap, and turbo).

The pressure washer comes mostly assembled and the instructions are easy to follow. The only tools needed are a Phillips screwdriver and Allen wrench, and the only parts that need to be assembled are the spray gun holster, nozzle tray, and stabilizer foot. The rest is just attaching the high-pressure hose to the wand, then attaching the lance, quick-connect nozzle, and garden hose water supply.

The large (48 ounce) detergent dispenser mixes water to detergent at a ratio of 10:1 - 10 parts water to 1 part detergent, and there's a knob on the front of the machine that allows the detergent concentration ratio to be adjusted. Removing the detergent tank to rinse it clean is simply a matter of squeezing the plastic tank and lifting. The low pressure (soap) nozzle automatically activates the detergent tank for easy detergent application with the spray gun.

The AR390SS comes with a one year 'bumper to bumper' warranty from the date of purchase which also covers the spray gun, the high pressure hose and all accessories.

Annovi Reverberi pressure washer

Powerhouse International Platinum Edition

When searching Amazon for electric power washers, the Powerhouse International Platinum Edition pressure washer popped up. It was more expensive than other models, but the extra power (3000 psi and 2.2 gpm) along with a few extra accessories made it worth a second look.

Powerhouse International is (according to their website) a family owned business located in Lincoln, Nebraska. Their current Platinum Edition pressure washer (MSRP $299) is the third pressure washer released by Powerhouse - their first being the Force 1800, and the second was the Force 2000. Powerhouse has taken all they've learned from their first two pressure washers and incorporated it into the current Platinum Edition.

There's very little info on their website, and the Platinum Edition manual is in a Word .docx format, not a PDF. The manual has good assembly directions, but very few specifications and no info as far as dimensions, weight, pump, or motor. The Amazon listing page gave the dimensions as 24 x 18 x 15 inches , and the weight as 32 pounds.

The Platinum Edition pressure washer spray gun has two stainless steel lances, one proprietary and one with five quick-connect tips: 0°, 15°, 25°, 40°, and what they call a watering nozzle which is used for low-pressure watering and/or rinsing. They also include two proprietary nozzles - a high-pressure turbo nozzle and an angle nozzle which can be used for cleaning gutters, and the undersides of vehicles or machinery. There's an attachable soap dispenser that can be adjusted by turning a dial, and the telescoping handle is foldable.

The pressure washer has a 30-foot pressure hose but it's a proprietary hose connection, not universal, so if you need a 20' extension hose you'll have to order it from Powerhouse. There's a 35-foot power cord and unlike most two-wheeled pressure washers, the Platinum Edition has four lockable caster wheels which helps with stability, but seems like it might be more difficult to get the pressure washer up and down stairs. Like the Sun Joe and AR390SS, the Platinum Edition utilizes the Total Stop System (TSS), which automatically shuts off the power washer when trigger is not engaged to prolong the life of the pump.

The Powerhouse Platinum Edition also comes with a spinning patio cleaner, a soft-bristle brush, a cleaning pin, an extra gasket, two "O" rings, and a wrench to attach a garden hose to the pressure washer. All these accessories can be stored right on the pressure washer body, and there's a one-year warranty.

The only info about the motor is that's it's 14.5 amps (same as the Sun Joe) and 120 volts (same as Sun Joe and AR390SS) so the wattage is around 1740 and Powerhouse made one reference to a brush motor so we're guessing it's powered by a Universal motor, same as the other two pressure washers, but this is only a guess. There's no mention of what type of pump is used.

Summary:

Honorable mention: The Powerhouse International Platinum Edition electric pressure washer seems like a good deal because of the extra accessories, higher power output and attention to detail, but there's not enough readily available info and consumers shouldn't have to contact the manufacturer to get basic specs for comparison purposes. The $300 price tag is also a bit steep even with the extras.

The AR390SS has an MSRP of $229 but the online (Amazon) price has held steady at $154 for the past couple of months which is competitive with the Sun Joe. The AR390SS has great US-based customer service, a full warranty, and a tri-axial pump as opposed to a wobble plate pump. The pump is the most important component of a pressure washer and AR has been making pumps since 1958. There are only four quick-connect nozzles instead of the usual five, but it comes with a turbo nozzle which some manufacturers charge extra for.

At this point, the Sun Joe SPX3000 is slightly ahead of the AR390SS on the pressure washer wishlist. The SPX3000 has a proven track record, excellent US-based customer service, a two-year warranty that comes standard, and plenty of power for an entry-level pressure washer. The $149 MSRP is affordable, and the online price is usually lower.

Sun Joe SPX3000
  • Pump: Wobble plate
  • PSI/GPM: 2030 psi/1.76 gpm
  • Nozzles: Five quick-connect
  • Power cord: 35 feet
  • Pressure hose length: 20 feet
  • Warranty: Two years
  • MSRP: $149
AR390SS
  • Pump: Tri-axial
  • PSI/GPM: 2000 psi/1.4 gpm
  • Nozzles: Four quick-connect
  • Power cord: 35 feet
  • Pressure hose length: 30 feet
  • Warranty: One year
  • MSRP: $229
Platinum Edition
  • Pump: Not specified
  • PSI/GPM: 3000 psi/2.2 gpm
  • Nozzles: Five QC, two proprietary
  • Power cord: 35 feet
  • Pressure hose length: 30 feet
  • Warranty: One year
  • MSRP: $299

Sun Joe SPX3000 Demo

AR Blue Clean Pressure Washer Assembly

Platinum Edition Pressure Washer Demo