After my third Nilfisk in a few years died (this time on the first use… 
), I decided to ditch the brand and look for a new pressure washer. Yep, the support and returns/exchange ability from Nilfisk had been good but I decided that realistically I wanted a machine that just worked properly in the first place. The fact Nilfisk are so happy to exchange kind of overshadows the fact that so many machines do appear to be hugely unreliable. Maybe I had been unlucky but plenty of searches on here and Amazon too turn up lots of examples of machines failing so after getting through three myself I decided not to go for a fourth…
Anyway, instead I went for the subject of this review, the Direct Hoses All Black 9 detailers pack with an upgraded 15m hose. This one - https://www.directhoses.net/collect...es-all-black-8-electric-pressure-washer-upgraded-wire-reinforced-hose-quick-fit
To summarise for those that can't be bothered to click the link, it comes with a shed load of stuff as the detailers pack bundle -
• Extremely Flexible Rubber wire reinforced hose in 10, 15, 20 mts
•Trigger gun with Brass Valve & Anti kink hose swivel.
•200mm Short Lance.
•Quick fit Adjustable Vario Nozzle.
•1 x Quick fit Fixed 15 degree quick fit Yellow Nozzle.
•1 x Quick fit Fixed 25 degree quick fit Green Nozzle.
•1 x Quick fit Underbody lance attachment.
•1 x Quick fit Snow Foam lance 1 ltr bottle.
•1 x 3 mts inlet hose with filter for bucket or water butt feed
•1 x Hozelock style adapter for mains water feed
I'd previously bought a replacement hose from Direct Hoses for one of my many Nilfisks and had been hugely impressed by the quality so buying an actual machine was something I'd previously considered. Searching on here there did seem to be a few negative comments about the company, both for service received and quality of parts, but I decided to take a chance and purchase one anyway. The package and upgrade even worked out to be slightly less than the combined price of my old C120, upgraded hose and foam lance. Given that the AB9 also came with an underbody attachment and a few other bits made it even better value.
As per most of the things I buy, I cheekily emailed enquiring about a discount code before placing the order. Within a few hours I had a reply back from Marcus happy to give me said discount code - win :thumb: This also helped ease some of the reviews I'd read about lack of communication and being hard to get hold of - the fact I had a quick reply and it was related to saving me money meant I was already pretty impressed with the service.
Package turned up securely and on time via DHL who text me repeatedly with the delivery time. Again, another plus point for me in using a reliable courier. :thumb:
Unpacking the machine, I was instantly impressed. The unit itself is a lump - reassuringly heavy, despite the small size and the quality of the materials were impressive. The hose connected easily and smoothly, and all parts looked absolutely perfectly machined. I then connected up the rest of it as per the clear and may I add, usefully lamented instructions so they don't get wet! Again, the ball bearing type quick release fittings on the attachments and lance were silky smooth, beautifully machined and a welcome change from having to use brute force on my Nilfisks… :wall:
Firstly I hooked up the green fan nozzle to the short lance and gave the car a blast. The power was great, and surprisingly the machine was also quite quiet. Granted due to the hose, I was around 12m away from the machine but compared to my Nilfisk it definitely seemed quieter and nowhere near as "clunky" sounding. Just sounded smooth and reassuring if that makes sense. Shifted dirt from the wheels too, so I then decided to change to the slightly more focused yellow nozzle. This made a much bigger difference than I thought it would and the dirt was now absolutely flying off. Despite the impressive cleaning, it was still soft enough to put my hand in so clearly no risk of damage to paint.
After I'd gone round the car with this, I then had a go with the underbody attachment again with the yellow nozzle. I also ditched the short lance so I could get under the arches easier and was equally impressed with how much dirt flew out from them.
Finally I went for the snow foam lance. Again, so much easier to attach than my old Autobrite one on the Nilfisk and just seemed such better quality. Fitted nice and smoothly, and the balance of the machine in hand was still great with or without the short lance.
Obviously it's too early to comment on reliability or aftersales support yet but based on what I've seen so far I am extremely impressed with the unit. It's ridiculously well made, sturdy and the attention to detail is extremely impressive. It has everything I could ever need in terms of accessories and is a genuine pleasure to use, even more so considering the price. The quality level of not just the unit but the accessories too, far exceeded my expectations and the machine runs perfectly and pretty quietly.
I genuinely wish I'd have bought this sooner (about three Nilfisks ago…:wall and would have no problem recommending it to others. I think it's an absolute bargain for what you get too. Works out cheaper than even a lower level Karcher/Nilfisk once you add in a longer hose, foam lance and underbody attachment and the quality compared to those is literally night and day difference, I'm annoyed with myself for not getting one before!
If you do fancy one, the discount code is Detail1118 for 10% off. I had the code direct from Marcus (I even checked he was happy for me to post this up in the review and again I received a prompt reply to that email) rather than anyone thinking I get any reward for people using the code and giving potentially a biased review…
If you want to know anything else, just ask and I'll do my best to answer.
Lee
), I decided to ditch the brand and look for a new pressure washer. Yep, the support and returns/exchange ability from Nilfisk had been good but I decided that realistically I wanted a machine that just worked properly in the first place. The fact Nilfisk are so happy to exchange kind of overshadows the fact that so many machines do appear to be hugely unreliable. Maybe I had been unlucky but plenty of searches on here and Amazon too turn up lots of examples of machines failing so after getting through three myself I decided not to go for a fourth…Anyway, instead I went for the subject of this review, the Direct Hoses All Black 9 detailers pack with an upgraded 15m hose. This one - https://www.directhoses.net/collect...es-all-black-8-electric-pressure-washer-upgraded-wire-reinforced-hose-quick-fit
To summarise for those that can't be bothered to click the link, it comes with a shed load of stuff as the detailers pack bundle -
• Extremely Flexible Rubber wire reinforced hose in 10, 15, 20 mts
•Trigger gun with Brass Valve & Anti kink hose swivel.
•200mm Short Lance.
•Quick fit Adjustable Vario Nozzle.
•1 x Quick fit Fixed 15 degree quick fit Yellow Nozzle.
•1 x Quick fit Fixed 25 degree quick fit Green Nozzle.
•1 x Quick fit Underbody lance attachment.
•1 x Quick fit Snow Foam lance 1 ltr bottle.
•1 x 3 mts inlet hose with filter for bucket or water butt feed
•1 x Hozelock style adapter for mains water feed
I'd previously bought a replacement hose from Direct Hoses for one of my many Nilfisks and had been hugely impressed by the quality so buying an actual machine was something I'd previously considered. Searching on here there did seem to be a few negative comments about the company, both for service received and quality of parts, but I decided to take a chance and purchase one anyway. The package and upgrade even worked out to be slightly less than the combined price of my old C120, upgraded hose and foam lance. Given that the AB9 also came with an underbody attachment and a few other bits made it even better value.
As per most of the things I buy, I cheekily emailed enquiring about a discount code before placing the order. Within a few hours I had a reply back from Marcus happy to give me said discount code - win :thumb: This also helped ease some of the reviews I'd read about lack of communication and being hard to get hold of - the fact I had a quick reply and it was related to saving me money meant I was already pretty impressed with the service.
Package turned up securely and on time via DHL who text me repeatedly with the delivery time. Again, another plus point for me in using a reliable courier. :thumb:
Unpacking the machine, I was instantly impressed. The unit itself is a lump - reassuringly heavy, despite the small size and the quality of the materials were impressive. The hose connected easily and smoothly, and all parts looked absolutely perfectly machined. I then connected up the rest of it as per the clear and may I add, usefully lamented instructions so they don't get wet! Again, the ball bearing type quick release fittings on the attachments and lance were silky smooth, beautifully machined and a welcome change from having to use brute force on my Nilfisks… :wall:
Firstly I hooked up the green fan nozzle to the short lance and gave the car a blast. The power was great, and surprisingly the machine was also quite quiet. Granted due to the hose, I was around 12m away from the machine but compared to my Nilfisk it definitely seemed quieter and nowhere near as "clunky" sounding. Just sounded smooth and reassuring if that makes sense. Shifted dirt from the wheels too, so I then decided to change to the slightly more focused yellow nozzle. This made a much bigger difference than I thought it would and the dirt was now absolutely flying off. Despite the impressive cleaning, it was still soft enough to put my hand in so clearly no risk of damage to paint.
After I'd gone round the car with this, I then had a go with the underbody attachment again with the yellow nozzle. I also ditched the short lance so I could get under the arches easier and was equally impressed with how much dirt flew out from them.
Finally I went for the snow foam lance. Again, so much easier to attach than my old Autobrite one on the Nilfisk and just seemed such better quality. Fitted nice and smoothly, and the balance of the machine in hand was still great with or without the short lance.
Obviously it's too early to comment on reliability or aftersales support yet but based on what I've seen so far I am extremely impressed with the unit. It's ridiculously well made, sturdy and the attention to detail is extremely impressive. It has everything I could ever need in terms of accessories and is a genuine pleasure to use, even more so considering the price. The quality level of not just the unit but the accessories too, far exceeded my expectations and the machine runs perfectly and pretty quietly.
I genuinely wish I'd have bought this sooner (about three Nilfisks ago…:wall
and would have no problem recommending it to others. I think it's an absolute bargain for what you get too. Works out cheaper than even a lower level Karcher/Nilfisk once you add in a longer hose, foam lance and underbody attachment and the quality compared to those is literally night and day difference, I'm annoyed with myself for not getting one before!If you do fancy one, the discount code is Detail1118 for 10% off. I had the code direct from Marcus (I even checked he was happy for me to post this up in the review and again I received a prompt reply to that email) rather than anyone thinking I get any reward for people using the code and giving potentially a biased review…
If you want to know anything else, just ask and I'll do my best to answer.
Lee
