Kärcher K5 Comfort Premium Pressure Washer Review
DISCLOSURE -THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN
Reviewed by Jo Tebbs
We all have a bucket list of things we would like to own one day, and for me, one of those little luxuries was a pressure washer for my home. I’ve seen various types, versions and brands on offer over the years, but the absolute pinnacle for me, is to own my very own Kärcher. When I think of Kärcher as a brand, I think of the absolute Rolls Royce, crème de la crème, and one of the original manufactures of the pressure washer.
For many years, we’ve owned a Kärcher hand held window vac which we religiously use through the winter months for condensation on the inside of our windows. It’s been a reliable, trusty, household chore aid and a machine we’ve recommend to others.
I was lucky enough to be selected to receive this Kärcher K5 Comfort Premium Pressure Washer for review.
I had a feeling that my driveway, patio, garden furniture, car and anything else that stands still for long enough, were in for the clean of a lifetime and boy, was that the case! It’s safe to say I put the device through its paces and I was delighted with the outcome!
Over the last few years, we’ve noticed that the patio has gradually become more and more grimy. Dirt, moss and lichen has built up over time, and the once lovely, bright yellow coloured stone pavers have become a much darker grey colour. It really isn’t in keeping with the overall aesthetic of our house anymore and we wanted to put this Kärcher pressure washer to the test.
My first impressions and setting up;
The Kärcher K5 Comfort Premium arrived in a box weighing around 19kg, so please be aware that this is a fairly heavy piece of equipment. If you have any back problems or difficulty lifting heavier items, you may want a helping hand and to take care when removing it from the packaging. However, once assembled, the wheels and handle make it much easier to manoeuvre. You can tilt the machine back and pull or push it around as needed which is particularly useful when you’re working over a large area.
There is an instruction manual included, but I also downloaded the Kärcher app and personally found the instructions on the app a little simpler to follow than the paper version with full coloured photos and wording to help decipher the steps for assembly.
It took me around 20 minutes to put everything together. This probably could have been done far more quickly, but I wanted to ensure I was doing everything correctly (and double checked everything twice!). There are various plastic components that ‘click’ into place, along with lugs that hold different parts securely, and I was conscious that I didn’t want to force anything or accidentally damage a component while assembling it.
Once everything was put together, I thought the machine looked really smart and well designed.
Using the pressure washer;
As to be expected, there is an ‘on/off’ turning dial on the side of the machine.
There’s also a trigger switch on the handle which needs to be switched on for operation. I thought this was a great safety feature, particularly if you have children around because it prevents the machine simply spraying high pressurised water whenever the device gets switched on.
The high pressure gun attachment nozzle itself, has a twist dial with different spray options, allowing you to alter how the water comes out depending on what you’re cleaning.
The Kärcher app has a handy table demonstrating each of the pictograms, showing what the spray form and pressure is like, and what it’s recommended to be used for when cleaning.
1. Detergent spray with low pressure – suitable for all surfaces
2. Wide flat stream with medium pressure – car/motorcycle, bicycles, brick / sandstone surfaces, plastered walls, wood surfaces, plastic/rattan furniture
3. Narrow flat stream with high pressure – stone tiles, asphalt, metal surfaces, garden utensils (wheelbarrow, spade, etc.)
4. Rotary jet with maximum pressure – particularly stubborn dirt on stone tiles, asphalt, metal surfaces, garden tools (wheelbarrow, spade, etc.)
It’s really useful to have a guide to help determine what settings to use depending on the job in hand.
One thing I found useful, was testing the water flow before connecting the electrics (for the high pressure) which I understand is called ‘venting’. With the machine not plugged into the electrical supply, water can still come through the nozzle, allowing you to flush the system through. It’s worth doing this to make sure there aren’t any airlocks or residual soap and foam (from being used previously) in the system before switching it on.
The Kärcher K5 Comfort Premium also comes with a bottle of Kärcher cleaning solution. When tackling our patio, I decided to initially use just water to remove the top layer of dirt and grime. My plan was to go back over it afterwards with the cleaning solution if I deemed it necessary.
I was genuinely surprised by how well the machine performed using just water. The dirt and general grime lifted incredibly quickly, with only some of the more stubborn areas of lichen requiring a little extra attention.
I think that’s a real positive because, although the cleaning solution is useful, you don’t necessarily need to use it for every job. It also means that if you run out of solution, you can still use the pressure washer effectively. Depending on what you’re cleaning, you could also potentially use an appropriate different cleaning product for a particular job, such as a car shampoo when washing a vehicle.
Hose and reach;
The high pressure nozzle isn’t extendable or telescopic, as it has a fixed length. However, the machine has a hose reel, which gives you plenty of flexibility when moving around.
This was particularly useful when I cleaned the guttering. I needed to get the nozzle above my head (I even ended up climbing up a step ladder), and although the nozzle itself couldn’t be extended, I could simply unravel more of the hose from the reel to give me the additional reach I needed.
The machine connects to your normal outdoor garden hose using a standard hose-lock-style connector. We simply connected our existing garden hose to the Kärcher machine, and that then supplied the water into and through the machine.
Obviously, the pressure washer also needs an electrical supply to generate the high pressure. The machine comes with several metres of electrical cable, but because I was cleaning around different areas of the patio and around the house, I did need to use an extension cable in some places. This was straightforward and allowed me to move the machine around wherever I needed it.
Cleaning the patio;
This was really the main reason I was so excited to try the Kärcher K5 Comfort Premium, and I wasn’t disappointed.
The difference in the patio was immediately noticeable. Years of accumulated dirt and grime were lifted surprisingly quickly, and the original colour of the paving started to come back through.
I ended up spending around three hours cleaning the patio and the paving around the outside of the house, as well as using the machine on the guttering. Admittedly, by the third hour of constant use, my back and arm were starting to ache, but that’s more because I was doing a repetitive movement for several hours that my body simply isn’t used to. Who needs a gym when you have a pressure washer?!
I don’t think most people would necessarily attempt three hours of pressure washing in one go, but I wanted to give the machine a really thorough test and get the whole area finished in one fell swoop.
The result was absolutely worth it! Our patio came up really well and looked so much brighter and cleaner. It was actually quite satisfying to see the difference as I worked my way across the paving.
Noise, vibration and handling;
As you’d expect from a pressure washer, there is some noise when the machine is operating, but I didn’t find it excessive or particularly troublesome. I certainly didn’t feel that I needed ear defenders while using it. However, you may need to shout a little if trying to hold a conversation whilst the machine is in operation.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the lack of vibration through the handle. Despite the power of the water jet, I didn’t experience any uncomfortable vibration in my hand.
One important item to note, is that the operator does need to continuously hold a trigger down while using the machine, so you need a reasonable amount of grip strength if you’re using it for an extended period. I didn’t find this particularly difficult, even after using it for several hours. I did wonder whether a trigger ‘lock’ would be a useful addition in the future or something similar to a mechanism you sometimes find on a petrol pump, where the trigger can be held in position without the need for it to be manually held down. For me, though, this wasn’t a major issue.
Storage;
Another thing I liked about the Kärcher K5 Comfort Premium was how neatly everything packs away.
The machine is fairly compact once assembled, and the various components can be stored neatly on the unit itself. There’s a reel for the hose and also a place to wind away the electrical cable, meaning you don’t end up with metres of hose and cable lying around when you’ve finished.
The wheels and handle also make it relatively easy to manoeuvre and store.
One thing to be aware of…
If you’ve never used a pressure washer before, one thing I would definitely recommend is wearing suitable clothing.
You will get wet, and you will certainly get dirty!
As the pressure washer blasts the dirt from the paving, some of that muck and grime inevitably splashes back towards you. I was using it on a lovely hot summer’s day and had shorts on, which was fine for keeping cool, but if you’re working around stones or small pieces of gravel, I’d definitely consider wearing trousers and sensible footwear in case they flick up against your legs, or in my scenario, these stones redistribute themselves across the lawn and garden area. I imagine elderly or fragile skin could potentially get grazed, cut or bruised by the debris thrown up from the ground by such a powerful jet of water.
Overall thoughts;
I’ve been really impressed with the Kärcher K5 Comfort Premium. As someone who has never owned or used a pressure washer before, I found it surprisingly straightforward to assemble and operate. The different spray settings provide you with the opportunity to use this device for a multitude of cleaning tasks, the wheels and hose reel make it easy to manoeuvre, and the machine itself feels sturdy and well made.
Most importantly, it did exactly what I wanted it to do, it transformed our patio. The paving looks significantly brighter and cleaner, and it’s made such a difference to the overall appearance of the outside of our house. I’m really pleased with the finished results!
I can definitely see us making the patio cleaning an annual job. In fact, I wouldn’t even describe it as a chore because I actually really enjoyed doing it! It made what would otherwise have been a huge cleaning job feel much more manageable and seeing the difference in the patio at the end was incredibly satisfying!
We are now eagerly looking forward to washing the car next weekend with it!
Rating: 5/5
I would rate this product 5/5
The RRP for this item is £399.99 (currently on sale for £349.99). You can buy the Kärcher K5 Comfort Premium pressure washer from the Kärcher website here; www.karcher.com