On guard of cleanliness: 5 good mini-washes of the low-cost link

Sturm PW9219 is an entry—level performance sink that is well suited for servicing a suburban household and car care.

An electric motor with a capacity of 1900 watts and a performant aluminium pump are installed "Under the hood" of the washing unit. In nominal mode, it produces a water jet at a pressure of about 110 bar, at the peak of its capabilities — 150 bar. For use in everyday life, this is quite enough to overcome the lion's share of pollution. A foam gun nozzle and a spot milling cutter for targeted washing will help to cope with unyielding dirt.

The sink is mounted on a stable chassis with small transport wheels that complement the comfortable handle. All accessories to it are attached directly to the "body". These include a 5—metre flexible high-pressure hose, a power cord of the same length, a spray gun, a couple of nozzles (fan, mud and the aforementioned foam tank).

The category of izyans of the model is attributed only to the flimsy plastic of the case, which is a kind of payment for the availability of a mini-wash. Otherwise, the unit has all the necessary attributes of a good high—pressure washer — high water jet supply capacity, self-priming function (from a depth of less than 1 m) and comes with a basic set of accessories. And most importantly, you certainly won't go broke on its acquisition.

Garden equipment under the sign of the Swedish brand Stiga has been produced since the 50s of the last century. At first it was all lawn mowers, but now there is an offer for any needs in the brand's assortment. For example, the compact mini-wash Stiga HPS 110 is well suited to maintain the cleanliness of the infield and garden equipment.

The digital index of the model indicates the maximum pressure of the water jet at the outlet of the spray gun (in bars). A 1.4-kilowatt electric valve helps to achieve this value, setting the pace of operation of the aluminium pump. In an hour, up to 390 liters of water is pumped through it, the supply of which can be adjusted directly from the water pipe or a freestanding container thanks to the self-priming function.

The compact and lightweight body of the washing unit (27.2x26.8x39.6 cm with a weight of about 6 kg) carries slots on board for attaching related accessories, a niche for "parking" a complete detergent tank (300 mL) and horns for winding excess power cord. "Out of the box", a 5-metre high-pressure hose is attached to the sink, as well as fan and mud nozzles for the gun.

You can't get a full-fledged foam with the help of the so-called foam gun nozzle. Rather, it makes soapy water, which, nevertheless, helps to cope with persistent pollution. For its size and weight, Stiga HPS 110 turned out to be one of the most delicious offers in the shelf of inexpensive mini-washes from renowned manufacturers of equipment for the care of the infield.

A powerful car wash for an adequate cost is not a myth, but a reality that has found implementation in the Daewoo DAW 500 model. What is it notable for? Let's figure it out.

Let's start with the fact that the mini-wash works under the supervision of a powerful 2-kilowatt power unit that transmits the energy of shaft rotation to a metal pump with the function of self-priming standing water from external tanks. The pump of the model pumps water in volume up to 500 liters / hour and provides a water jet supply force at about 140 bar.

Daewoo DAW 500 allows operation with a hot water carrier (up to 50 °C) and the use of detergents. However, to get a large foam cap, you will need to buy a foam gun nozzle in a separate order. At the tip of the "tail" of a 5-metre reinforced hose to the sink, you can see a spray gun. In turn, a universal nozzle with a rotary nozzle for adjusting the spray angle of the water jet and a mud cutter for spot cleaning will be connected to it.

Convenience in handling the sink is added by a parking space for a pistol on the "body", a fine water filter at the entrance, side grooves for attaching the periphery and large transport wheels. The model will fit in with both the infield and the garage. And the areas of applicability of the device are limited only by the water resistance of the treated surfaces.

A good mini-car wash doesn't have to have a sky-high price tag. The best proof of this is the yellow "handsome" Karcher K 3 in Full Control configuration.

The model is assembled in a lightweight case of a classic layout, the support points for which are a tandem of transport wheels. Also, for the convenience of transporting the unit around the perimeter of the infield, a telescopic handle was provided in its design. On the sides of it there are clips for "planting" complete nozzles, a little more to the left — a "parking place" for a spray gun. More about it.

It is with a gun that the sink stands out against the background of the classics of the Karcher K 3 genre. It has a panel with a mode indicator for monitoring pressure during operation. Gentle spraying of a water jet in Soft mode will come in handy for cleaning sensitive surfaces, the second Medium programme is suitable for cleaning cars and unpretentious surfaces, and the third Hard — for eliminating the most stubborn dirt (coupled with a mud cutter). A separate special Mix mode is intended for the supply of detergent.

By the way, the regular tank-foam gun works so—so — you can't get a full-fledged foam cap with its participation. But according to the working parameters, there is not a single claim to the sink. In an hour, more than 380 liters of water under pressure up to 120 bar is driven through the pump of the unit. The maximum temperature of the water carrier rests against the ceiling of 40 °C. Pleasant impressions about the mini-wash strengthen the drum for winding a 6—metre high-pressure hose and the low weight of the device assembly — only 4.4 kg.

Bosch products have long been a symbol of the vaunted German reliability. This is once again confirmed by the example of the Bosch Universal Aquatak 130 high-pressure washer from the consumer strata of the washing units society.

The predestination of the model lies in the cleaning of vehicles from pollution, various surfaces on suburban and household plots, garden tools and equipment. Its work is fueled by a 1700-watt electric motor, which ensures the labor productivity of a metal pump at a level of about 380 liters / hour. The strength of the self-priming pump of the sink is enough to organize the supply of water under pressure up to 130 bar.

Bosch Universal Aquatak 130 organizes water intake both from pipelines of water supply systems and from external tanks in the manner of rain barrels, buckets or cans. The main thing is not to forget to put a coarse water filter at the entrance from mechanical particles that can lead to premature failure of the pump. The high-pressure hose to the unit has a 5-metre length.

One of the main actors of the mini—wash is a universal nozzle "3-in-1" at the tip of the "tail" of the spray gun with the Autostop system. By turning its "head", the choice of the type of water jet is achieved: fan spraying, rotating jet and compact jet to eliminate the most intractable contaminants. With dried mud "with a bang", a 450 mL pennik will help to cope (chemistry is poured into it). Finally, for the convenience of movement, transport wheels and an ergonomic handle are introduced into the design of the sink.