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- VonHaus Pressure Washer 1,600W review: What do you get for the money?
- VonHaus Pressure Washer 1,600W review: How easy is it to use?
- VonHaus Pressure Washer 1,600W review: How well does it clean?
- VonHaus Pressure Washer 1,600W review: What could be improved?
- VonHaus Pressure Washer 1,600W review: Should you buy it?
- High performance on a budget
- Includes foam bottle and variable spray lance
- Lightweight and easy to manage
- Short hose and power cable
- Variable spray nozzle needs a light touch
- Annoying barking noise when it stops
Budget pressure washers tend to have to make compromises somewhere, and it’s usually on power and performance – the VonHaus Pressure Washer 1,600W bucks that trend. For example, models like the Halfords PW20 and the Karcher K2 Horizontal are great, compact options, but they only have a 110 to 115 bar maximum output pressure and 300 to 360 litre per hour flow rate. These specifications are noticeably lower than you’ll find on such mid-range favourites as the Karcher K4 Classic or the Nilfisk Core 130.
While the VonHaus Pressure Washer 1,600W is another sub-£100 pressure washer, it has a 1,600W carbon brush motor that can dish out a 130 bar max pressure and a flow rate of 390 litres per hour. So, the question is: to get so much performance for so little money, are there signs of cost-cutting elsewhere?
VonHaus Pressure Washer 1,600W review: What do you get for the money?
A compact pressure washer with a 1,600W carbon brush motor, capable of spitting out water at a pressure between 90 and 130 bar with a flow rate of 5.5l to 6.5l/min (equivalent to 330 to 390l/hr). It has a variable spray lance that can go from a wide, fan-shaped spray to a tightly focused jet, as well as a separate jet foam bottle for spraying detergents and snow foams. It also has a 5m power cable and a 5m high-pressure hose.
The VonHaus requires some assembly on arrival – you need to attach the wheels, the carrying handle, the cable holder and the spray gun and nozzle holsters. Once that’s done, you then connect the spray gun to the unit with the high-pressure hose. Still, it’s nothing that should take you more than around ten minutes or so.
All put together, it stands 49cm tall and weighs 5.6kg. While that’s not as small or as light as the Karcher K2 Horizontal or the Bosch EasyAquatak 110, it’s still very easy to lug around your garden and driveway.
VonHaus Pressure Washer 1,600W review: How easy is it to use?
We’re talking about a very basic point-and-shoot. Once it’s plugged in and the hosepipe is hooked up to the water main, all you need to do is turn the big, orange dial on the front from ‘off’ to ‘on’ and squeeze the chunky orange trigger on the spray gun. You can change the spray pattern just by rotating the nozzle and, if you need to switch to the foam bottle, simply push the lance in and twist it off.
I found that adjusting the nozzle needed a little attention as there’s not much range of movement between the most powerful jet setting and a narrow fan spray, and this washer is powerful enough to carve away loose tarmac or softer paving stone if you’re not careful. However, just turn it slowly, preferably with it pointing at something less precious or delicate, and you should be fine.
VonHaus Pressure Washer 1,600W review: How well does it clean?
While it’s not the most powerful pressure washer I’ve tested, there’s certainly enough pressure here to handle most jobs. On the most focused jet setting, I was able to remove paint specks from plastic bins and concrete. With the spray widened slightly, I could clear hardened grime from concrete steps and lift algae from stone paving. On the right setting, even some spilled cement from a recent building project was cleared away in seconds.
Switching to the snow foam bottle and nozzle, I found it great for covering my car in a nice, thick blanket of foam – perfect for blasting away with the standard spray lance 20 minutes later, leaving the car sparkling.
This is a more versatile unit than the Bosch EasyAquatak 110 or the Karcher K2 Horizontal, but you’ll probably still want something with a higher flow rate for tackling larger jobs.
VonHaus Pressure Washer 1,600W review: What could be improved?
I found the high-pressure hose slightly limiting – despite it being a perfectly reasonable length, it tends to coil up tightly, even while in use, so you don’t always get as much freedom to manoeuvre as you might like. It’s a similar situation with the power cable – I found I needed an extension cable to be able to cover the whole of the garden, or reach the rear end of the car.
The running noise isn’t a major problem – the 82.4dB I recorded during use isn’t exactly painful by most pressure washer standards. I do have one complaint, however. My test unit sounded out a loud, higher-pitched bark every time I released the trigger to stop spraying. Over time, this became a little wearing.
VonHaus Pressure Washer 1,600W review: Should you buy it?
The stiff hose, short power cable and irritating noise just go to show that VonHaus’ attention to detail could be a little better, but it’s hard to argue with the value of their Pressure Washer 1,600W. Not only do you get more pressure than with the average low-cost pressure washer but you also get a variable spray lance, something which isn’t a given at this price point. You’ll get more performance and more features if you can afford a higher price range, but if you’re looking for a sub-£100 pressure washer, then this is one of the best.
