Draper 165 bar pressure washer 03095

Introduction

Draper makes quite a range of pressure washers, offering several models rated at a relatively high 165-bar. The Draper 165 bar pressure washer 03095 is the green version of three near-identical devices, each of which are well specified and equipped for the price.

This washer comes with two attachments suitable for cleaning your car or patio. It also has a choice of lance tips: one that’s adjustable for spread and pressure, and a circular jet nozzle for when you really need to tell the dirt who’s boss. In many ways it’s a similar washer to the Kärcher K3 Power Control Home and Car, with similar accessories, but it’s cheaper and has a significantly higher pressure rating. As such, I was eager to put it through some tests.

Design and Features

• High pressure rating
• Good accessories
• Nice and tidy

As with most pressure washers, the Draper 165 bar pressure washer 03095 arrives quite loosely packed in a box. At least here there’s not too much assembly, but you do need to screw its handle into place. This isn’t telescopic, meaning you can’t shrink the Draper down when it’s not in use, chiefly because it features a captive high-pressure hose reel.

This is a massive improvement over more simple washers, on which you have to manually stow the hose, or wrap it around a non-captive reel. Here you simply unwind it when you want to use it, and reel it back in when you’re done. At least, you do once you’ve wrestled the hose connector onto the machine’s high-pressure outlet, a fiddly, once-only manoeuvre it took me a few minutes to complete. The final set up steps are to clip on the cable hook and lance holder, which seem to attach firmly.

In fact, this whole pressure washer feels quite nicely designed. It has hooks and holders for its various cables, lances, tips and accessories. Its detergent dispenser clips neatly into the back panel, and you pull it around on large, stable wheels.

The Draper 165 bar pressure washer 03095 uses a single lance that twist-clips into its handle. In turn, this accepts the two provided heads, or the patio cleaning attachment. There’s also a soft brush suitable for cleaning cars or windows, but this model doesn’t come with a foam gun.

Many pressure washers end up looking like a mess, and forcing you to store lots of tools. But while this one is moderately big, its integrated hose reel and cable hook make it comparatively tidy.

Performance

• Brilliant hose reel
• Disappointing power
• Loud

Unfortunately, the Draper 165 bar pressure washer 03095 proved to be quite a disappointment. I reviewed it among a batch of pressure washers, using each of them to clean a different stone slab on my patio. In the photo below, tile number five was cleaned with the Draper’s patio attachment, while slab six was cleaned with its high-pressure turbo nozzle attachment.

As you can see, the patio attachment produced clearly the worst results of the eight machine/tool combinations I tested. And while results from the turbo nozzle weren’t bad, up close the tile was less deeply cleaned than the best devices had managed – a surprise given this cleaner’s 165 bar maximum pressure. This also proved to be quite a loud device, seemingly getting louder after a few minutes’ use.

All pressure washers transmit some vibrations into your hands, particularly when using rotating spray attachments, but using this device’s jet head it seemed stronger than typical. While that’s unlikely to be an issue for occasional cleaning work, it’s worth considering if you’re planning to tackle a large area with any pressure washer, as prolonged exposure to vibrations can cause symptoms including tingling or numbness in the fingers.

On the plus side, I loved the practicality of the Draper 165 bar pressure washer 03095’s hose reel, which made it easier to get out and pack away than machines on which you need to connect, disconnect and stow the hose. I also appreciated the ample on-machine storage for its tools, meaning they tended to follow me around with the washer, rather than me having to keep going back to get them.

Draper’s included soft brush was good for car cleaning, providing moderately pressurised water directly down the length of its bristles. With a bit of gentle agitation, the tool soon removed everyday grime, although some stubborn dirt still needed a gentle blast from the adjustable nozzle. This version of this cleaner doesn’t have a spray foam attachment, but I found a bit of diluted car shampoo in the detergent dispenser helped deliver good results.

Should you buy it?

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