The Kärcher K 4 Premium Power Control Pressure washer is from its K4 series for use around the average home. It cleaned ten years of baked-on gunk in seconds – impressive.
Of course, you could look at the more expensive K 5 or K 7 series, but these are for really in-grained dirty homes, and you don’t want to admit that – do you? I already own an older K 5, so I have a great benchmark.
It has a huge variety of optional accessories
We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed.
You can click on most images for an enlargement.
It is a relatively compact, tidy unit with an onboard pressure hose and spray lance storage. It also has an accessory compartment. All this is in an 11.95kg device on wheels with a telescopic handle ( a little too short for me).
This may be the baby, but it is up to 2100 psi and seven litres per minute (more later on about its eco-friendly credentials). It is IP X5 rated – water is not an issue but don’t pressure wash it.
The ‘Premium Full Control’ identifies the accessories that come with it.
Connect to a garden tap (or an unpressurised water tank reservoir), plug-in power, choose the right lance, and pull the handle trigger. All you need is to add an HPM Electresafe Power Centre with two USB outlets REPC410USB (review) earth leakage detector, and a decent outdoor-rated extension power cable.
The right lance depends on cutting power versus cleaning power. The Vario’s head is best for most work – cleaning paths, cars, bikes etc. The dirt blaster can remove ground-in dirt and even paint, which is much more precise.
Plus, you can adjust the pressure on the handle from full (stone, paving), medium (cars and bikes), soft (wood and rattan) and mix (detergent). It has 2 x AAA batteries to run the indicator that will last years.
The 9-metre water hose is great, but it is pretty rigid, and you need to look after it to avoid twisting. Carefully roll it back on the storage wheel.
While the dirt blaster water jet is enough to remove paint, if you spray your foot (and you should not have bare feet anyway), there is a mild stinging sensation at worst. It is safe around kids with supervision.
The maximum water flow is 7 litres per minute. Sydney water provides a minimum of 18 litres per minute, with some suburbs at the double that rate. So, while it allows for cleaning pressure, it uses water sparingly.
It is also a detergent miser at 300ml a minute (diluted) – make sure you use that setting sparingly.
We tested with both the Karcher K 5, which has 2300ps/8 litres per minute, versus the K 4 at 2100psi/7 litres per minute. In either case, the clean was identical removing mould and in-grained dirt. We timed a 10m2 wall area, and the K5 was slightly faster at 15 minutes versus 20 minutes.
There are no user-replaceable parts other than the 9m hose and accessories. It has a 7-year warranty with registration, so Karcher must be sure of its quality.
Pressure washers are all about the right tool for the job. In my sexagenarian lifetime, I have owned a ‘baby’ Kärcher and the K 5. For me there was, then and now, no choice of brands – Kärcher is to pressure cleaners as Kleenex is to facial tissue.
In the 90s and noughties, I cleaned two huge homes inside and out with the “baby. It did it without complaint. I gave that one to my son, and it is still going strong (one replacement pressure hose in that time).
The K 5 is a little faster (2300 psi, 8 litre-per-minute, 2100W, 15kg) but not really more effective for general household use. This Kärcher K 4 is the right size for most.
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