Sun Joe Xtream Clean Electric Pressure Washer

This is a review of the Sun Joe SPX3000 Xtream electric pressure washer (2200PSI, 1.65GPM, 13A). I have long used (and hated) a Sears Craftsman gas powered pressure washer (2800PSI, 2.5GPM, 7HP). I wanted to replace it, but I was very uncertain of purchasing this Sun Joe pressure washer. I have now used it, and like the headline says, I was very pleasantly surprised. The Craftsman washer often did not do a good job, and I really thought I needed a washer with a higher pressure, not one with a lower pressure. And I was concerned about powering an electric washer with a 13A current draw. All of my exterior power outlets are connected to 15A GFI breakers. These breakers often trip, even when the current draw is well under 15A and there is no ground fault. I think these breakers heat up when they are loaded with something like my table saw, and start tripping on maybe a 12A load (not sure what the motor draws at startup). Anyway, I bought a contractor grade 100' extension cord (12AWG wire?) that I plug into a 20A circuit in my garage, so I can use my table saw at "remote" locations without having the breaker keep tripping on me. Problem solved. This Sun Joe washer has its own GFI breaker built into the power plug, so it is safe to use in wet locations on a non-GFI circuit. This Sun Joe washer has a 34' power cord, so with my extension cord, I can reach any location I might ever need to use the washer. However, if you plan to use an extension cord, you will need to use one that is more substantial than a typical home-use extension cord. Now, as to pressure washing performance, the Sun Joe SPX3000 Xtream actually does a better job, faster, than my old 2800PSI pressure washer. Perhaps my old washer did not truly deliver the promised pressure. But I really think the difference is produced by the Sun Joe nozzles. This Sun Joe washer comes with four different nozzles (40, 25, 15 and 0 degree fan angle) and the quick disconnect fitting makes changing nozzles easy. On my deck, I used the 25 deg nozzle most of the time, which cleans well and quickly. When I hit a tough spot that needed a more concentrated stream, I simply switched down to the 15 deg nozzle. Problem solved. But the real joy was the ability to rotate the fan. With my old washer, I had to contort my arm to align the fan with the gaps between the boards. With the Sun Joe, I set the fan perpendicular to the boards when washing the top surfaces, and rotate the fan parallel to the boards when cleaning down into the gaps between the boards. My arm stays in a comfortable position in either case. For cleaning my driveway, I also bought the Sun Joe SPX-PWB1 Scrubbing Broom (see separate review). This broom has three nozzles, that individually probably would not do a good job of cleaning a rough concrete surface. But when you combine three nozzles with the scrubbing power of the broom, you can do a good job very quickly. I tested this on a section of my driveway (maybe 100 sq. ft.), and it did a better job, much more quickly, than my old pressure washer. The main problem with the old washer was that I tended to leave "zebra stripes" on the concrete due to the single nozzle and depending on the water spray alone to do the cleaning. I had to go back over each swath of concrete to hit the stripes a second time. And even with that, it was difficult to achieve uniform coloration of the concrete, post cleaning. Pressure washing my long driveway, large parking apron and sidewalks generally turned into an all-day chore, that I tended to avoid. While I have tested the Sun Joe on only a limited area, I do believe the combination of the SPX3000 and the SPX-PWB1 will do a better job, more quickly - with less water usage. It may be a guy thing, but I get real pleasure out of using the right tool to do a good, professional job. I have a jointer/planer that I rarely use. But when I have a woodworking project that can only be done well with such a tool, it truly is fun to work with that tool. I have a strong feeling that this Sun Joe electric pressure washer will become such a tool for me. Work is not work when it is fun, and you can take pride in your results.