A water blaster or high-pressure cleaner is an effective way to quickly clean outdoor surfaces. We've tested a range of mains-electric models by blasting away at grimy concrete paths.
Overall score breakdown
Our water blasters test includes:
Cleaning performance
Ease of use.
Cleaning performance
We clean a stained concrete path with each water blaster to test its performance.
We use all of the nozzles supplied with the water blaster and record how long it takes to clean the path with each of them. We use the fastest time to produce the water blaster's cleaning performance score.
Ease of use
We consider:
How easy it is to move the water blaster around, considering its weight, carrying it up and down stairs and pushing it on its wheels (if any)
The length of the hose
The length of the handle or shaft, as shorter ones will cause most people to bend over more during cleaning, while overly long ones can be awkward to use
The comfort and ease of operating the trigger, as some can be tiring to hold down
The amount of vibration, as water blasters that vibrate a lot can become uncomfortable to use over time.
Noise
We measure the noise produced by each of the water blaster's nozzles at a distance of 1 metre above ground and 1 metre away from the water blaster. This doesn't contribute to the overall score, but we publish the highest noise level recorded so you know the maximum volume you'll be exposed to when using the water blaster.
