Kärcher 1.673-604.0 K2 Full Control Home Pressure Washer, Yellow/Black, LARGE

The media could not be loaded. It started off as an innocent purchase. I had noticed my garage door needed a clean, and my porch could do with a good rinse. First I wanted to hire a pressure washer for a day, but on weekends that could cost me a hefty £35, so I turned to Amazon. I justified the price by saying I could use it whenever, I could even save a few quid by using this thing instead of going to the local car wash. So I placed the order. I didn't know that this would be the start of my demise. I washed the entire exterior of my home, every single brick, every floor tile, every roof shingle. I then washed my driveway, the pavement outside my home, even started going up the street and doing the job that the council sure as hell would not. I haven't done the dishes in months, I just lay them out in the garden and let this baby have at them. My kids don't even shower, they just stand outside and I hose them down (with the soft setting of course, I'm not an animal). My wife has asked for a divorce, she's taking the kids, the house and even my dog, but it's okay. I have the pressure washer.Also I've attached a few pics :) 10/10 would recommend, definitely a worthwhile purchase.

This is my second Kärcher home pressure washer. The first, an older bigger K3.8 model is still working well and went to my son. I wanted something a bit smaller for patio, car wash and garden furniture and chose the new full control K2 withT150 Patio cleaner as a good compromise. I mention the K3 model as a useful comparison on build quality and performance.***InstructionsIt takes about 5 minutes to assemble. You get about three booklets of instructions and safety warnings and the instruction booklet for the washer itself is not helpful. Go directly to page 13 which is a pictorial guide to assembly with audio accompaniment in the form of the word 'click' in little speech bubbles like old 1960s Batman movies. For most things its intuitive (like fixing the wheels) but connecting the hose to the washer and the spray handle is a bit of a head scratcher without the instructions and if you start working at it yourself things could get broken.***Build qualityDoubtless many people will have seen this model in retail outlets. A lot of reviewers here point out a slight 'toy like' feel to the washer as everything is plastic and it is very light. If you have used an older Kärcher model, particularly from a K3 onwards then it does feel slightly flimsy. The T150 Patio cleaner head in particular looks like it wouldn't be up to the job. Hose connections are plastic at both ends. and not the 'quick connect' system of larger models. The Vario lance and dirt blaster lance are probably the sturdiest items here. The kit also comes with a small bottle of patio/decking cleaner and there is a plastic tube in the lower washer body which can be pulled out and set into the bottle and will deliver the detergent as you wash. Overall, first impressions were, 'can this unit deliver?' I suspect that is the same for a lot of buyers. The proof is in the use.***The pressure washer in use - some observationsThis is a small unit with a carrying handle and a pull up handle for wheeling along. The unit is so light that I'd rather lift it around than wheel it and if you are buying one I suggest you leave off the larger pull up handle to see if your really need it, as it tends to get in the way. I much prefer this smaller unit. It is stable in situ and easily lifted around a larger patio area, bearing in mind that whatever unit you choose you will have a mains lead, hose and spray gun pipe attached and doing their best to get tangled as soon as you turn your back. The spray hose length at 4 meters is a little short, particularly for car washing.On its first outing this washer was used to clean algae and dirt from a medium soiled above average patio area extending the length of the house as well as paths to the sides and rear, followed by a car wash. So total use around 4 hours. Top line, this little unit delivered the goods.The patio was cleaned using the T150 Patio cleaner head. My last Kärcher unit came with a much larger more robust head with a brush rim for scrubbing as you clean, but this little T150 performed better. Its not meant for dragging back and forth over your patio or decking. The force of the water coming out of the revolving head allows the head to naturally hover about an inch or so above the surface, while losing none of the cleaning power. I was very pleased how well it performed, quickly lifting the majority of dirt off large areas. There will always be some residue, so for this I used the Dirt Blaster lance (the one with the bullet shaped head). This provided a high pressure conical cleaning water spray which quickly dealt with any remaining patches of dirt. I did not use any detergent. I couldn't find it in the instructions (but I'm sure its there somewhere) - this Dirt Blaster lance is not suitable for washing cars. There is a high risk of damaging paintwork. Never do it.The lance heads and the patio washer push in and lock to the lance gun with a push and a half turn to lock. There is now a spring action to help lock attachments in place in the spray handle. I found these attachments much easier to use than on my older model. People with slightly arthritic hands should be able to manage without any bother.I thought I would try the detergent bottle provided. This sits on the ground at the back of the washer and a plastic tube at the base of the washer with a small filter can be pulled out and set into the bottle. Once set up spray as usual and detergent will come out, however it uses the mix very quickly and I would not recommend buying bottles of the Kärcher cleaning fluids as they are not economical. The next model up - the new K3 which is almost indistinguishable from the K2 has a plastic bottle for detergent in the base of the unit. Overall, I think this detergent mixing method (whatever the model) is a fiddly waste of time. Buy yourself a Kärcher Foam jet nozzle and washer bottle attachment (Kärcher-26431470-Capacity-Pressure-Accessory) which can be used for both patio and car and use whatever detergent mix you want.***The lances in usePrevious Vario lances I used (ie you adjust between gentle and full pressure) have been replaced with " Full Control Vario Lance with 4 Predefined settings with usage iconography", and a "Full Control Dirt Blaster with usage iconography" . To cut through the marketing gibberish, the new Vario lance has now four settings with four icons showing their use and you click from one to another:Mix - for mixing detergents (if you use the little pipe on the machine)Soft - for fences where there is a possibility of damaging the surface ( the icon is a fence)Medium - for most surfaces (the icon is a car)Hard - for stone surfaces, paving and brick pavia (the icon is brickwork)In use I found very little difference in pressure between 'Soft' and 'Medium' and I would lean towards 'soft' if using for a car wash. While Soft is the 'fence' setting I would be concerned that up close using 'soft' you could take the paint off a fence.This is a good lance - not too long and easily used one handed if need be. The icons are helpful the first time you use them. Thereafter forget it. For the meantime these four settings are Kärcher's new marketing thing, but I think the little K2 scores over its larger siblings - here's why. On the larger models K3 onwards the lance setting is set from the trigger handle; buttons to press, lights to come on and more to go wrong than the simple mechanical 4 click method of the K2 vario lance.I've mentioned the Dirt Blaster lance with its 'hard' icon it should be a reminder to keep away from cars and soft paint. This lance does a really good job and works best for me if used in a gentle stirring motion rather than up and down /left to right.A longer hose would be better - 7m ideally -but the unit is so light there is no problem lifting it as you go. Longer hoses are available as accessories. You may wish to look at the K2 Full Control premium which comes with a longer hose (6m) and some other extras for very little more. There is also a 6m quick release extension( not replacement) hose available giving you a full 10 meters of hose. Also worth noting the hose connectors are not the metal type on some other models, they are plastic and they are not the 'quick connect' type either. That's not an issue. The K2 connectors are fine.The motor only runs when you are spraying. Once switched on with hose connected and water turned on the motor runs for about 3 seconds and stops until you pull the trigger. Also -very important- before switching on run some water through the unit so that your are not starting the motor 'dry'. I'm in the habit at the end of a wash of disconnecting the hose from the tap and running the unit until the water is out of the hose, before storage. In this case when the hose empties the motor will keep on running, so if you intend doing this switch off immediately the water stops flowing.When it comes to storage the cable and the hose reel can be stored on the hook at the side of the unit, or in the case of the hose, over the gun handle. Its very neat indeed. the lances attach to either side of the back of unit.***ConclusionIn 1991 I bought a Kew Hobby pressure washer. It was small, about the size of a 10L container and came with one lance. It finally parted this life in 2015. Compared to the Kew the Karcher seems built at this price point with a limited shelf life in mind. So does it live up to the job? Very definitely. My old K3 was 120bar, so I expected a little less pressure. Whether its the design of the lances, or a shorter hose or my imagination I think this 110bar model has more oomph. It was certainly well capable of all cleaning all I threw at it. Don't be put off by its bigger siblings. For the average home where usage is light - car washing, annual patio cleaning - this unit is spot on. Small, powerful and devoid of gimmicks, it delivers all the cleaning power you need. Treat yourself.Hope you find this helpful.

Item arrived one time and in original packaging - as expected! I was toying between the K2 and K3 models and plumped for the cheaper K2 Full Control Home with the patio cleaning head as it was slightly smaller and I only required a pressure washer for occasional use for tasks such as washing my push bikes, cleaning the car and washing the block paving and patio areas once a year and I thought I would save a few pennies.I live in a typical UK 3 bedroom detached house with a block paved front drive for two cars and the unit is just the right size for my needs being light enough to pick up with 1 hand.Since buying this I have managed a couple of jobs - namely washing the patio, block paving and concrete paths around the house using the free patio and deck cleaning solution. So far I am pleased with my purchase - my patio had a severe build up of algae - but a quick go with the patio cleaning attachment soon had the area back to the sand colour rather than the black / green they had become with over 3 years of grime build up. I then moved on to the concrete paths and block paving on the front and again moss and algae build up was quickly removed - I occasionally switched to the standard pressure attachment for more stubborn areas - but the unit made quick work of all paved areas around the house. On block paving I will need to go back an "re-sand" between the blocks - but was expecting to have to do this anyway, but the paving did come up really well!I would not bother with buying any more of the patio / deck cleaning - I don't have any decking so cannot comment if the solution works better on decks - but I could not see any difference using the solution on my patio area.The pressure lance is adjustable - on the lowest pressure I can see that it will be safe to use on items such as push bikes where you don't want to blast water in to bearings etc - I have also used it on my inflatable hot tub internally and externally with no issue - whereas on the higher pressures it works really well on hard surfaces especially stonework and brickwork.If you live on a larger property or if your requirements are for heavier use I would perhaps go for a larger unit - but for my size of property and needs, this is perfect and on first use this purchase has paid for itself if you consider how much you would pay someone to come clean your block paving!