We review and test the Silverline 2100W Pressure Washer…
Even if you’ve never opened a bonnet or picked up a spanner in your life, there’s one tool that tops the list of must-haves for any car nut, and that’s a decent pressure washer.
Now, you don’t have to be some sort authority on detailing to see the advantage of having one of these stashed away, especially at this time of year. But there always seems to be a triple trade-off between the three Ps – price, power and practicality.
After all, the more car-focused pressure washers are usually premium products, particularly if you’re looking for a large, professional-style item that’s going to last more than a few months. Most of the best quality units are in the £300-500 range and that’s often feasible if it’s your living, but perhaps a bit of a fruity investment for a spot of home car cleaning.
It also means that, if your budget is the most common price-point for DIY kit, around £100, the DIY market is exactly where your choices will be limited to.
Very often you’ll be looking at a small washer and, although some come with surprising decent power levels, they’re often aimed more at cleaning motorbikes or the odd job around the house and garden. It’s the hardware and attachments needed for bigger jobs that tends to let them down.
So, when we were asked to test a pressure washer for around a ton, we were pretty sure what we’d be dealing with and, it has to be said, weren’t all that excited. That was until we actually saw it…
THE PRODUCT
If you disregard price for a second, on looks alone it’s obvious that Silverline have aimed their flagship pressure washer at the higher-end of the home market. In fact, when it comes to the list of pro-style features, not to mention the power this one serves up, it’s about as close to a serious industrial cross-over item as it gets. For a unit of this size you’d always expect some serious grunt of course, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint in that department. There’s many more costly products out there that don’t even come close to having a 2100-watt induction motor. And it’s nice that it’s on wheels too, an idea that simply shouldn’t be underestimated.
With five metres of hose on that all-important winding reel, auto stop/start, a self-priming feature for use with water butts and a lance design that makes it easy to change the pressure and spray pattern, it’s amazingly well-specced for the money. As good, if not better, than many products coming in at two or three times the price.
Silverline’s smaller design efforts haven’t gone unnoticed here either. There’s some nicely packaged details, such as a telescopic handle (a bit like a suitcase), a fold-away winding knob and a few other simple touches, right down to a little hook for holding all your power cable. These all go a long way to making it easy to live with.
MIDGE’S VERDICT
Admittedly, I’m more used to testing items of this size costing in excess of 300 quid so, for this sort of money at least, I was initially expecting a product that’s a little on the flimsy side. Luckily though, that thought soon went out of the window as soon as I heaved the bugger out of the box. This one weighs in at a substantial 20kg, so it’s a fair old chunk of kit, and all the parts are clearly solid enough to stand up to plenty of abuse. It’s also bloody powerful: 2500psi is a lot, right up there with items used by many a professional garage or detailing firm.
There are one or two non-branded washers on the market that are almost the same size and similar money, but it’s easy to see where the manufacturers have skimped on build quality and power to keep the costs down. There’s no such trouble here. Even if you’re a hardcore detailing buff or a professional valeter, there’s no reason this one shouldn’t last you a long, long time. It even comes with a comprehensive three-year guarantee, and they certainly wouldn’t offer that if they saw longevity as a problem.
It’s not overkill for the home market either. Where this one really comes into its own is ease of use. The addition of all the industrial-style features means there’s no messing about untangling pressure hoses and cables when you want to use it. And it all packs away neatly for storage.
There’s also enough hose to get around your car without having to move the whole unit every three seconds, one thing I fi nd extremely irritating with smaller washers. An excellent all-rounder.
In a nutshell: seriously powerful, good build quality, a lot for your money
Price £104
For more info see Silverline Tools
