Has anyone used a Karcher shop vac?

[Brett Luna]

Honestly not trying to be a spelling cop but only because umlauts are fun to a nerd like me, it's Kärcher. Without the diacritical marks, it's Kaercher. But they've been moving away away from diacriticals in Germany, due largely to electronic typesetting and the Internet, which I think is a shame...and boring.

I also had a Kärcher pressure washer that crapped out after about a year, so I'm not sure that I'd take a chance on their shop vac unless I got some good feedback from other users.

[Larry Browning]

Honestly not trying to be a spelling cop but only because umlauts are fun to a nerd like me, it's Kärcher. Without the diacritical marks, it's Kaercher. But they've been moving away away from diacriticals in Germany, due largely to electronic typesetting and the Internet, which I think is a shame...and boring.

I also had a Kärcher pressure washer that crapped out after about a year, so I'm not sure that I'd take a chance on their shop vac unless I got some good feedback from other users.

Well, all I can say about that is no matter how you spell it their pressure washers are worthless!

[Paul Follett]

I have the Makita version of the Nilfisk and it works very well. When used with a bag the filters last a very long time and the suction and quietness are top notch. He bags are a bit expensive however since I bought a proper dust collector the bags go a lot further now.

[Nick Stokes]

I'm gonna need someone to buy one of these and test it out please. Surely just because the Pressure washer sucks, doesn't mean the vac will... right?

[Mike Henderson]

I'm gonna need someone to buy one of these and test it out please. Surely just because the Pressure washer sucks, doesn't mean the vac will... right?

Don't you really want to vac to suck?

Mike

[J.R. Rutter]

I picked one up this week at the local hardware store. They have two levels, consumer and professional. There is one model with power outlet start in each level. I decided to try the cheaper version because I don't use it very heavily, just for the biscuiter and Domino, really. Right off the bat, I will say that the hose is too short, especially compared to the Fein. I cut the end off of my olf Fein hose and used hot water to soften it enough to push onto the Karcher. It is very secure. It functions perfectly for these small tools. There is plenty of suction and no dust escaped (granted, the biscuiter doesn't generally blow dust everywhere). It is relatively quiet and compact. The top is flat and tray-like, but doesn't really work well as a tool rest surface. No big deal, I only paid $170 for it.

[Martin Wasner]

Looks like a rebranded Nilfisk vac at first glance. The Mirka vacuums are too I think.

I've got a Nilfisk Attix 8. Other than replacement bags being outrageously expensive I've got no complaints. Ours pretty much gets used for sucking out the downdraft table and jobsite clean up in the off chance we're actually installing, which is pretty rare. I've had good luck with it so far.

[Greg R Bradley]

Sounds like very good use of $170 for someone that doesn't benefit enough from the vacs at almost triple that. Now that Fein has mucked up the competition at twice that price, it seems to fill a nice void in the market. Too bad it has the Karcher name on it, though.

Thanks for the update!

[Joe Jensen]

Apparently their $200-300 power washers are built very poorly. Tons of people on the webs have had them fail and they are not rebuildable. I used mine maybe two or three times for 15 minutes each before it failed. I will never buy another product made by them.

[Bryan Cramer]

Just saying all the negativity to their pressure washers are for the smaller units. The larger (and much more expensive) 220 volt units last for years and are great. The vacs seem to be interesting and will have to see how people like them.

[Peter Kelly]

Thanks for the update / review. Where abouts is it made? Wondering if Fein and Nilfisk are sourcing from the same third-party OEM in Eastern Europe.

[Rick Potter]

For what it's worth, I have had a Karcher gas powered power washer for 10-12 years. Used a couple times a year for several hours at a time, it still works fine. I am very careful to not let it idle long without squirting water.

[Erik Loza]

It was the Karcher electric washer that sucked, for me. Maybe I was naiive to think that any electric washer would be a good investment. I have a gas powered washer now (different brand) with a Honda motor and it's awesome. That's probably what I should have started with all along.

Erik

[J.R. Rutter]

Thanks for the update / review. Where abouts is it made? Wondering if Fein and Nilfisk are sourcing from the same third-party OEM in Eastern Europe.

It is made in Italy.

[Martin Wasner]

It was the Karcher electric washer that sucked, for me. Maybe I was naiive to think that any electric washer would be a good investment. I have a gas powered washer now (different brand) with a Honda motor and it's awesome. That's probably what I should have started with all along.

Erik

I've got a Honda powered pressure washer as well. Used to use it all the time when I raced motocross. Sit's mostly now though. I brought it with me years ago on a long road trip. Turns out the gas likes to fill the crankcase when bouncing around in the back of a pickup, even with the gas at the tank off. I seized it up. Let it cool down drained the crankcase, added oil, it pulled over, and started again. It just won't die despite my stupidity.