Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #63515 in Home Improvement
• Brand: Karcher
• Model: 1.397-502.0

Features

• High Pressure Detergent Gun
• Vario Lance
• Wash Brush
• Removable Detergent Tank
• Detergent Sticks

Manufacturer's Description
The top domestic Karcher pressure washer comes with full accessory storage and a built in trolley giving full mobility. The powerful maximum pressure of 150bar and a water flow rate of 550 litres per hour easily deal with obstinate dirt and stains. Despite its high specifications the unit is still very competitively priced.

Features include the fact that the pressure switch control turns the motor on and off when the trigger gun is opened and closed. This means that the user no longer has to walk back to the machine to switch it off. It helps reduce water and electricity costs and extends the life of the pump. The unit also provides high pressure for powerful cleaning and low pressure for rinsing or gentle-action cleaning and applying cleaning chemicals. A chemical injector from the built in chemical tank enables detergent or shampoo to be picked applied in the low pressure mode, e.g. for the car washing.

Karcher's wide range of accessories (available separately) offer further benefits when used with this unit. The Variable spray lance provides high and low pressure with a simple twist. A built in chemical tank provides detergent in a flash for easy application and thorough cleaning. Long periods of interrupted cleaning are possible with the long 12 metre high pressure hose with a built in hose reel providing tidy, space-saving storage. The car wash brush is included and helps agitate stubborn dirt. Two Karcher clean tabs are also included giving an initial supply of cleaning chemicals straight out of the box.

Customer Reviews

Great product, Good value for money
Bought this just after Christmas after carefully reading up and checking out the usual DIY stores for availability and prices.
I settled on Karcher for few reasons. First of all the price value is great. I checked locally and could not find a pressure washer to better the specification at the price offered. They had a considerable range of accessories (check out their website), and I have seen their service vans around our area so if there was any problems I know it can be sorted locally. I have just used it to clear green moss and slime off my patio. It’s brought it back up to as good as new. The washer has a generous 9 metres of pressure hose so you do not have to work right next to the pump. I have hired other washers before and have found them to be fairly noisy. This model's noise to power ratio is quite good. It’s a lot quieter than the ones I have used previously. The auto stop feature is really useful and saves a lot of water. No need to walk back over to the pump to switch it off. The pump comes with the usual variable power lance, integral and variable dosing detergent tank (nicely on the top of the pump for easy filling). I have also purchased the dirt blaster lance to increase the effectiveness of the cleaning action on patios. It’s worth it in the long run as it speeds up the job tremendously. It also comes with a standard car wash brush (cheap and cheerful). I might purchase the rotary one at latter stage.

faulty trigger
After using the machine once only for washing patio and slab path. the plastic trigger unit cracked allowing the high pressure hose to pull out of gun drenching me and rendering the machine useless. I complained to Karcher they replied machine is out of warranty but you can purchase a new part for £47.48. They also said the trigger lance is a wear and tear part, but i reckon it should last longer than one year.If i have to buy a new part everytime i use it i may as well get a contractor to clean up for me reckon it might be cheaper. I do not think this machine is of durable quality. Dont expect any good will or compassion from this company

Some silly things let it down
I just bought the K685 and there is no denying the power of its lance spray. The auto motor shut off works well. The hose real is very useful, though I have my doubts about the longevity of the reel and fold away plastic handle.
However there are some silly things which do let it down which have been discovered in the first use of the product.
For example:
1. The car brush is very awkward to use because the hand which holds the trigger is far from the brush and of necessity your wrist is at an awkward angle as a result. Leave the brush well alone. For car washing use the lance and a good old-fashioned sponge (though I doubt you will need the latter).
2. After filling the detergent bottle (located at the top of the unit) I used the the pull handle to drag the unit towards the car. By which time I found the detergent bottle had fallen out and was hanging by its supply pipe! There is nothing to prevent repeat performances in future. Now I can't believe an international company can develop a product without discovering this themselves before manufacture and doing something about it ............. unless they simply play lip-service to genuine customer satisfaction.