What is it?
If you regularly wash your car at home, or even if you only need to clean the patio or decking once a year, having a decent pressure washer makes all the difference. The Stihl RE 120 Plus is one of Stihl's mid range pressure washers and is fitted with a brushless induction motor and an aluminium pump which delivers 125 bar of pressure.
It features an extendable aluminium telescopic handle plus a folding side storage compartment for the spare nozzle and the power cable when not in use. In the box you also get two nozzles - a fan jet nozzle and a rotary nozzle - plus and a cleaning agent spray set.
There's a 9.0 metre hose, fitted with a quick-release coupling, which neatly winds around the integrated hose reel.
It's priced at £434 and is available directly from the Stihl website. It also comes with a three-year warranty and there's a range of accessories you can get including a surface cleaner and a rotating roller brush.
What's it like?
Like all Stihl products, the RE 120 Plus feels high quality and made to last. At more than 20kg, it's hardly light, as you'd expect, but the sturdy telescopic handle makes it easy to manouevre in the right place. Setting it up is easy too, the power lead is neatly stored in a side compartment (where you can also keep the spare nozzle) while the lance simply clicks into the quick release hose fitting. Connect your hose and you're ready to go.
The first thing you'll notice is how quiet it is for a big pressure washer. It's far from silent of course, but much considerably quieter than other pressure washers we've tested. Maximum pressure is 125 bar which slightly less than the cheaper Karcher K4, but we found the RE 120 Plus performed admirably during its time with us.
We tested it on various cars over several months and it did a great job of removing dead bugs and the like in the summer, while dealing easily with mud and dirt in the autumn. We also tried out the spray kit with some Autoglym Polar Wash and it does a good job of creating thick foam that clings to the car, although it's not quite a match for the Autoglym foam lance we usually use and manages better coverage. The spray bottle does usefully store on the back of the unit when not in use which we liked.
The long hose is really useful as you don't have to keep moving the unit around the car as much while the storage reel means the hose is less likely to get caught on wheels or tripped over. We also liked the fact you can easily store the lance on one side.
Our other tests were a bit more messy and involved dirty paving stones and grimy wooden decking. We used both the fan jet nozzle and the rotary nozzle - the latter ideal for this kind of work. This is perhaps where the 125 bar pressure shows its limitations. The RE 120 Plus still did a good job on moss covered decking and dirt stained paving stones, but it required a few passes at times. Given these are, for most people, once a year jobs, this isn't too much of an issue.
While it's tempting to get as close to stubborn dirt as possible, one thing to note is that if you're using the rotary nozzle, make sure you hold it at least 10cm away from the ground. Stihl warns that if you hold it any closer, dirt and debris can rebound into the nozzle blocking it.
Should you buy one?
If you want a high quality pressure washer for 'everyday' use so to speak, the Stihl RE 120 Plus is pretty much ideal. It's very user friendly with its neatly stored power cable, quick release lance attachment and hose reel. It means you can quickly get it out the garage and crack on with cleaning with minimal fuss. We also like the fact everything (like spare nozzles) is stored in or on the unit.
It's quiet, handy if you don't want to annoy the neighbours when you're washing your car on a Sunday morning. And even after prolonged use, the motor doesn't get hot. If you want something for really tough cleaning, you may want to look for a washer with more pressure, but we found the RE 120 Plus more than powerful enough for general use.
