Buying a pressure washer is as equally exciting as it is terrifying. On the one hand, you are getting a new toy. On the other hand, the choices are infinite, spanning across many brands, specs, weird details about pump technology and tips.
Page Content
Pressure washers can be indeed quite expensive and you just don’t want to get it wrong and waste your money! So, where do you begin?
Well, my friend, let’s answer that first—By reading this article, of course!
This article will guide you step by step through the process of buying a new pressure washer and give you valuable money-saving advice that you can use to your advantage. Let’s get you the best deal for your money!
Extra Tip
Always Come Prepared
Any good scout will tell you that you must always be prepared. This valuable lesson applies in all walks of life, even to purchasing a new pressure washer. Do not rush to buy the cheapest product, or the latest limited-time offer (spoiler alert: there is a limited-time offer at almost any given time). Leave yourself some room to think through your decisions to avoid some of the most avoidable mistakes.
Assess what you are looking for, and when and where to buy it, BEFORE making your purchase!
This will allow you to…
- Avoid buying an overly expensive or vice versa, too cheap and useless device for your particular needs.
- Explore the market to figure out the average price of the product and avoid overpaying the first store you visit.
- Wait it out and prepare for seasonal deals, which will easily save you up to hundreds of dollars, especially if you are looking to buy some of the pricier units.
Ask Yourself: How Much Power Do I Actually Need to Clean My Car/Patio?
Although we do, in general, recommend going for the best device you can afford, it may be a better idea to take the opposite approach if you are looking to save money. If you plan to use a pressure washer just to clean your car, you probably don’t need the most high-end pressure washer out there. After all, the soap does most of the job for you and you can always scrub off whatever is left by hand. On the other hand, tough materials such as concrete may indeed require some of the pricier devices.
Naturally, this article alone can’t cover all the materials and details about how and with what to clean each and every surface. However, we already covered the topics of wood, concrete, and general information on pressure washer specs and pressure washer tips (the knowledge of which will greatly improve what you can do with any pressure washer) in previous articles. Read these carefully to get an idea of what kind of pressure washer you’ll require.
Once you are done with assessing your preferred specs, head out to our database, enter your preferences and sort the listed devices by price to get the best deal out there.
Prices Vary, a Lot!
We monitor top online retailers for you
Pressure washer manufacturers typically do not sell their devices directly. That is the job of vendors. The manufacturers usually “suggest” a price which can often be found on their website, yet do not enforce the vendors to stick to it.
As such, many vendors will attempt to overcharge you, since they are the only sellers in e.g., a small town, whereas other vendors prefer to flip their products faster and at a higher volume, albeit at a smaller profit. Given that the internet allows lightning-fast sales and thus favors the strategy of high volume/low profit, you will generally find the best deals only on the internet.
The internet will also allow you to dynamically compare prices by using price comparison sites (such as yours truly).
To save even more money, you may seek out second-hand sellers such as eBay (opens in a new tab), or reach out through classified ad sites, such as Craigslist. If you are an old-fashioned gentleman as me, you might fancy spending your Saturday morning hunting through garage sales. Regardless of how you may go about it, second-hand pressure washers always come at a risk.
Prices Change Over Time… And You Should Take Advantage of That!
We offer price tracking and alert features
Whether you are buying a pressure washer in a brick-and-mortar store, or on the internet, you will always find that prices change over time. A new series will always be the most expensive when introduced.
The series that came before it will always drop in price. Outdoor power tools are also generally cheaper in winter, as people are working less outdoors and as a result, the sales are slow during these months.
On the internet, prices are often dictated by complex algorithms that track consumer behavior and interest, making them generally unpredictable. But can you still profit by buying at the right time?
Naturally, yes! And better yet, you do not have to do so just by waiting for the next series of products. Simply use a price alert (sometimes called a watchdog), which will track the price for you and alert you when the price of a product has dropped under your target price (by sending you an e-mail).
Given that you set up your target price reasonably (let’s face it, that 90% off sale won’t happen any time soon), you can easily surf the wave of fluctuating prices to wherever you are comfortable at.
Simply Use Free Money!
Free money? Sounds stupid, right? Not really, though. Ever heard of coupons?
There used to be a time when it was pretty common for people to cut out coupons from the back of the newspapers on a daily basis. Nowadays, you can save yourself the wrist pain and simply use internet coupons.
Since internet coupons do not rely on the store partnering with a newspaper, or in fact its very existence in your town, you can get far more choices and far better deals by using them. But how do you find them? We may use websites such as CNN (opens in a new tab), Groupon (opens in a new tab), or Coupons (opens in a new tab), which already got you covered.
Renewed Pressure Washers
If you have trust issues when it comes to second-hand stuff, you’re not alone. Thankfully, the emerging trend of slow-fashion and environmental concerns have reintroduced the old practice of refurbishing, renewing or also reconditioning, named depending on whoever is marketing the damn thing — so as a pro-tip, make sure to use all three terms if googling such products.
Nevertheless, renewing a product refers to the practice of taking a used device and restoring it by a professional to an as-good-as-new state. Although this is easier said than done with most modern devices, pressure washers are one of those nice, mechanical beasts that are easy tamed by skilled hands of a mechanic. Thus, there are many options available if you wish to take the route of buying a renewed pressure washer.
Renewed pressure washers are now available on Amazon, Home Depot, eBay, and various other vendors. In some cases, renewed pressure washers can be bought directly from the manufacturer’s website.
Renewed products are distinguished by tags “Renewed” (on Amazon), “Reconditioned” (at Home Depot) or “Refurbished” (at eBay). Their prices are typically significantly cheaper than their new counterparts, typically by 10-20%, as the process of restoration is not a cut and dry deal. The warranty will be almost always shorter, original packaging is not guaranteed and the package itself may include compatible, yet not original accessories if these aren’t available at the time.
Each vendor has their specific terms and conditions which must be examined before purchase. For example, Amazon’s Renewed products (opens in a new tab) come with a 90-day warranty. However, Amazon guarantees restoring at least 80% of the original battery capacity, professional servicing and testing, and minor or no cosmetic imperfections. Summed up, that’s a pretty good deal.
Conclusion
So, there you have it. At the end of the day, be reasonable. Your pressure washer will cost you some money and that’s OK. Quality has a price and it’s usually not a low one. Save where you can, but never compromise on quality for a few saved bucks.
These 6 tips are the easiest ways to save money when buying a pressure washer without sacrificing the quality of your pressure washing experience. In fact, we dare you to do the exact opposite and come back to us with better results! Feel free to use them, free of charge, under no conditions.
What are the Cheapest Pressure Washers?
Below is a list of the 5 least expensive pressure washers we cover on our website.
