Had to decide between a cheap pressure washer and a name brand one for my first big job

Last month I got my first commercial driveway job outside of Denver, and I had to pick between a $180 electric unit from a big box store or a $450 gas-powered one from a rental place. I went with the cheaper one to save money (big mistake). It took me 4 hours longer than it should have and the homeowner asked if I could come back to fix some streaks. Has anyone else gambled on budget gear and regretted it?

3 comments

3 Comments

betty_wells1mo ago

Ha, nah. Sometimes cheap gear just means you gotta work slower and smarter.

iris9271mo ago

Nah, slower and smarter is basically just being careful. Cheap gear just breaks faster.

laura_schmidt821mo ago

I used to be all about saving money up front TOO but that driveway job changed my mind completely. @betty_wells I'm with you that sometimes cheap gear makes you work slower but in my case it was just painful and the customer noticed the difference. That extra time and having to redo the work ended up costing way more than the nicer machine would have.

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