What is it?
Pressure washers don't come much more recognisable than a Karcher. The K5 Comfort Premium is one of the company's higher-end models, promising enough power for everything from washing the family car to cleaning dirty patios, while adding features designed to make bigger cleaning jobs less hassle.
Sitting near the top of the Karcher domestic range, the K5 Comfort Premium has a water-cooled 2.1kW motor producing up to 145 bar of pressure and a maximum flow rate of 500 litres per hour. This is clearly no entry-level machine, hence the £400 price tag. Still, that's considerably less than an equivalent Stihl rival like the RE 140 Plus which will set you back £560.
There are lots of new features on the K5 including a new Comfort trigger gun designed to reduce hand fatigue, a 4-in-1 Multi Jet lance that does away with the need for different lances plus a 10-metre PremiumFlex hose stored on an integrated reel.
You can buy it directly from the Karcher website for £399.99 and you get a 1 litre bottle of universal cleaner included (and the spray nozzle attachment) to get you started. Of course there are also a whole host of accessories you can buy including rotating car brushes, patio scrubbers and even a roof gutter and pipe cleaning kit.
What's it like?
Putting the K5 together straight out of the box is simple - you just slot the handle in and attach the holders and some of the trim. That telescopic handle and the large wheels make it surprisingly easy to move around despite weighing more than 13kg. And we really like the integrated hose reel which is not only neater but makes putting the hose back much quicker and less messy. The lance clicks into the quick release hose fitting, atlhough we didn't find this as solid as the Stihl RE 120 Plus and had also issues removing it too.
The most innovative feature is undoubtedly the new 4-in-1 Multi Jet lance. Instead of changing between different spray lances, you simply twist the nozzle to select between a wide high-pressure jet, lower-pressure cleaning, rotary dirt blaster or detergent mode. It saves time and means there's less chance of losing bits in the garage...
Likewise, the redesigned Comfort trigger gun lives up to its name. Long cleaning sessions are noticeably less tiring thanks to reduced trigger effort, making it much easier to tackle larger driveways or patios in one go. We tested the K5 on several cars, some of which had been sat over winter so needed a very thorough clean. We also cleaned a grimy patio.
The cleaning performance is excellent. Thanks to that 145 bar of pressure, the Karcher K5 has enough power to shift years of grime from paving, remove moss from brickwork and quickly clean cars, even those that have gained some mould over the winter. The 10-metre hose means you rarely have to move the unit while working on big vehicles or things like motorhomes.
As with most electric pressure washers, there's a limit to what it can achieve on deeply ingrained stains without using detergent, but for everyday cleaning tasks it delivers impressive results while remaining quieter and smoother than many cheaper rivals thanks to its water-cooled motor. It should also last longer than an air cooled model while the K5 features an aluminium rather than composite pump. It's a shame the power lead isn't hidden away as on a Stihl but that's only a minor criticism.
Should I buy one?
Whatever you need your pressure washer for, the Karcher K5 Comfort Premium is an excellent investment. Yes it's more expensive than entry-level pressure washers, but the build quality, stronger cleaning performance and clever lance mean it's money well spent in our opinion.
Things like the integrated hose reel, flexible hose, Comfort trigger gun and multi-function lance genuinely do make it easy to use. That long hose (and power lead) mean you don't have to keep moving it around when cleaning, making jobs like cleaning caravans or large decking areas much quicker and simpler. Compared to the Stihl RE120 Plus it's cheaper yet actually has a higher maximum pressure. And it feels just as sturdy.
If you only wash your car a couple of times a year and the patio every spring you could save money with a smaller Karcher K3 or K4, but for anyone using their pressure washer regularly, the K5 Comfort Premium is pretty much the perfect buy.
