It’s just about time for Spring Cleaning so Costco has placed the Husqvarana Electric Pressure Washer on sale and put it on the end of the aisle to grab your attention.
I didn’t know anything about this particular pressure washer when I first saw it at the store so I spent a few hours watching YouTube videos and learning about pressure washers in general.
After spending a day researching the product it looks like the pressure washer is okay for general light duty cleaning but has some reliability issues. At the current price point the washer is a good deal but you might also want to take a look at the equivalent Ryobi model at Home Depot.
Key Features
Right out of the box you get:
- 30 foot high pressure hose
- 3 quick connect nozzles (15, 25 and 40 degrees)
- 1 turbo nozzle
- Spray gun and wand
- Integrated detergent tank
The washer has a top pressure of 2000 psi when the 15 degree nozzle is used and a lower pressure of about 1000 psi when using the 40 degree nozzle.
The machine weighs just under 50 pounds and is easily movable with an easy flip handle and solid seven inch wheels.
The unit plugs into a standard 120V electrical outlet and has a built in GFCI.
Problems with the Pressure Washer
By all indications the Husqvarna is a good little pressure washer but it does have some limitations and imperfections including:
- Limited Pressure
- High Pressure Hose Can Kink
- Trigger Lock on Handle
- Reliability
Let’s look at these issues in some more detail.
Limited Available Pressure
The maximum water pressure you can get from this unit is 2000 psi which makes it great for the occasional small job but impractical for larger ones.
For example, this unit would be great for washing a car, cleaning windows or knocking the grime off of your outdoor furniture.
This unit would take forever, and probably do a below average job, of cleaning off your driveway and sidewalks. You might be able yo use this unit to clean the grease stains off the floor of your garage but you would need to use the right detergents and have plenty of patience.
The unit should have enough power to clean a backyard cedar fence but its usefulness would be hindered by its need to be within reach of an electrical outlet.
High Pressure Hose Can Kink
The high pressure hose is not as “bendy” as you want and can bind and kink resulting in a shortened hose life or even a blowout. This is a common problem on many models of budget friendly pressure washers and is not restricted to just this model.
There are higher quality aftermarket hoses you can buy to solve this issue if needed.
Trigger Lock on Handle
There is red button on the side of the handle that must be pushed in before the trigger can be squeezed to start the spray of water. This is a safety feature to prevent the unit from accidently turning on and spraying unattended high pressure water.
Ideally this would also lock the trigger in place so you don’t need to maintain the squeeze pressure the entire time you are using the unit but this is not the case. If you had a large project to complete like cleaning your deck then your hand will be tired and sore by the time you are done since you have to squeeze the trigger for the entire job.
Reliability
I pulled the review for this unit from Costco’s website.
Overall people were pretty positive about the unit with 79% of reviews being either 5 or 4 Stars.
On the flip side, 12% of customers had enough problems with the pressure washer that they left either a 1 or 2 Star review. I checked into the negative reviews and saw a lot of them were from people who bought pressure washers that either never worked or stopped working after a few uses.
Luckily, if you buy one and it turns out to be a dud then Costco is great about accepting returns.
Husqvarna vs Ryobi Electric Pressure Washers
The Husqvarna is regularly priced at $189 but is currently marked down to $159 which makes it a pretty good deal.
That being said, you might want to head down to Home Depot and check out their selection of electric pressure washers from Ryobi.
I was at Home Depot today and found the following models:
- Ryobi 1600 PSI Electric for $99
- Ryobi 1900 PSI Electric for $159
- Ryobi 2000 PSI Electric for $200
The Ryobi electric pressure washers are on the same quality level as Husqvana and are worth a look.
Mine just stopped after 30 mins and continued to trip the breaker even tho I was careful to avoid Getting water on the GFCI.
I took mine back after one use. The pump quit. I removed the trigger lock. Way better. I bought a soft pressure hose, which I kept. Outstanding for the one car I washed. I bought based on the name and COSTCO.