Bought it for 299 from Sam’s Club two years ago and used it several times that summer and it did well. Have not been able to get it started this summer after it wintered over (in a relatively warm climate).
I have this engine on a go cart. First pull start everytime. Had to futz with the throttle mechanism for the cart, because the native setup is basically off or full throttle. This engine is also popular for log splitters.
I don’t get this at all. This is a refurb, so presumably it’s already been fueled… so what’s the deal with returning it.
Come on Woot, this is NOT a Honda pressure washer. Honda makes engines, not pressure washers. This is a Honda POWERED pressure washer. The washer itself is made by an anonymous Chinese company.
This is a disposable unit. Any time you see “maintenance free” pump that is a nice way of saying “When it breaks, you can’t fix it”.
This unit is NOT certified to UL 1776 safety standard, that is the industry safety standard written specifically for pressure washers.
Woot says you can not return this “refurbished” item because it uses gasoline. No shipping company is going to allow you to return something with fuel vapors. Just remember, someone else already returned it once. My luck with Woot refurbs has been less than stellar.
Buyer BEWARE.
I too have one of those sweet 2000 watt little honda generators. Now what I do for that generator and my bigger one (for use in case of hurricanes here in S Florida) is I add a bit of Sta-bil to the fuel and I’ve never had any problems. Here’s a link to the stuff:
http://www.goldeagle.com/brands/stabil/default.aspx
As for this pressure washer, I’m tempted, but more cost effective to borrow my neighbor’s!
Same washer on Sam’s. Save $50 through woot. I think I am pulling the pressure washer trigger so to speak.
Rick
That is the way of making sure they never see that problem product again. Already has been sent back once (at their expense) just making sure they do not loose anymore money on this product. If it does not work correctly then good luck on finding someone to work on it.
I own this model, purchased at that big warehouse store that most folks are familiar with. Mine has been fantastic. It starts easily, has lots of power, and the various tips give me enough options to get things clean.
The only con I can think of is that it uses a lot more gas than I expected, so I have to fill it a time or two during a job, depending on the job. Hope it lasts many more years. I paid $50 more + taxes.
I have it. Got it at Sam’s Club last year for $299 but didn’t use it until this year. Spent a couple of tanks of gas pressure washing my deck. The engine runs flawlessly. This replaced a Campbell Hausfeld piece of carp that fell apart over the winter (could have been water turned to ice in the pump but that was only the final straw with that piece of junk.)
For $299, if it lasts a fewyears, I’m good with it. It costs at least $75 to rent a pressure washer and I’ve already used mine for 2-3 rental days. A couple more and it’s paid for!
Not sure I would buy the refurb though. My CH was a refurb and it died within the first tank of gas and required warranty repair on the engine (bad electrical components on the Briggs & Stratton engine).
The reason they can’t take it back once you’ve put gas in it is because of hazmat restrictions on shipping.
Good point – it is a little misleading. Black Max is the manufacturer, the engine is Honda. Here’s the manufacturer’s page for this washer.
I have this exact unit so will try to provide some insight.
I got it from Sams for the $299 + tax so about $320 in the end. This is the cheapest unit available with a Honda engine. The next one being at HD.
For me the engine was the biggest concern. The frame and brackets and stuff are made by a different company (blackmax, craftsman, toro etc) and they all seem about the same.
I called blackmax to ask some questions about the soap system and recommended cleaning chemicals. The tech was helpful and knowledgable. They also make the “power care” accessories at HD.
It was definitely adequate for cleaning my driveway and porches. My house is mainly vinyl siding and eaves and getting some mildew. That was my main purpose in getting this unit but I came to find out that cleaning a house is completely different. Basically, you can’t just rely on brute force to blast your house clean. You’ll end up forcing water into the walls. The pro method is to “soft wash” which means using a pressure washer to apply bleach and chemicals at low pressure and then rinsing them off also at low pressure. My current endeavor is to set up this unit to do the above.
The cleaning solutions that I tried, KrudKutter and Zep, were pretty worthless. The solution automatically gets mixed in at a 20:1 ratio when you select the soap tips on the nozzle. The KrudKutter is designed to work at 10:1 so the washer was applying it at half strength. The Zep is designed to work at 20:1 and did slightly better but still not even “good”.
If you’re going to store anything with gas for more than a week or two you should put stabil in it or run it dry of gas. Always shut off the fuel valve so that the gas in the float bowl won’t evaporate, refill, evaporate, refill… and leave a bunch of gunk behind.
Bhelm22, why is a vertical shaft bad on pressure washers? I’ve heard that before. I’ll go google it but would like to hear your comments.
For those complaining about it consuming a lot of gas, it’s only a 1/4 gal tank.
i dont think that is true. if for some reason you dont like it, it is still yours. but if damaged or not working it does have a guarantee. and you can get the extended warrantee as well
It’s not out of stock online at Sam’s but you do have to be logged in as a member to view the price. They will ship to your resident for free with standard shipping. However, you do pay tax. For me (AL) that’s 10% so the difference in value is $75.
I’ve looked at buying this at Sam’s and still am. For a lower end pressure washer it isn’t bad. If you take good care of them and treat them correctly, they last longer. Also, the ability to return it if if has an issue might be worth that money.
Yea, I noticed it says “brass head” pump, meaning all nylon parts with a brass head so they could throw the word brass out there and make people think it’s higher quality then it is. Nice catch.
Sam’s Club has a brand new one that is not refurbished for $299.
I am taking the chance with Woot here. So far, nothing that I’ve ever purchased from Woot has been bad or defective. Thus, I just ordered it through Woot. Even though I can get it from my local Sam’s club, for $320 (after tax) at Sam’s. That is $65 more.
I was going to hop all over this item. I really need a washer. But now I can’t decide after reading the blog. Can’t decide if I really need to spend $250 (plus tax…Amazon is in WA state), unsure if I want to spend $250 + if I can’t return it. My pal loaned me his Honda powered washer and it runs pretty good…it might be the same model a few years older. But one WOOT refurb I got a couple of years ago arrived broken. It wasn’t refurbed, just repackaged as the package wasn’t marred, so no damage from shipping was apparent. Damn, I even checked my bank account to be sure I could afford this.
My husband would not buy this one he repairs pressures washers for a living. Pump replacement is 200 plus. It will fail in 10-20 hours of usage. The biggest issue is when you are finished using it and shut everything off the pump melts inside.plastic valaes that melt at 150 degrees. The engine runs about 550 - 600 degrees. It equates to having an expensive under powered lawn mower engine.
I wanted this but sounds like a waste of dough
** ABOUT THE WARRANTY **
I’ve been asked to clarify the warranty in case the yellow box warning was confusing…
This power washer has a warranty through the manufacturer If you have issues with your power washer, contact them via their 1-800 number. If they can’t resolve it over the phone, they’ll direct you to a service center (usually local) for service.
Hope that helps.