Hawksmoor 18V Handheld Cordless Pressure Washer review

• Price: around £99.98  
• Rating: 4 stars 
• Contact: toolstation.com

Sometimes you need to clean a car when you are too far from the nearest tap or mains power. Luckily, as with most power tools these days, pressure washers have gone cordless. These rarely offer the same cleaning clout as a mains-powered machine, but will be much better than a bucket alone.

Toolstation’s Hawksmoor brand currently holds our Best Buy title for its corded pressure washer, and has just launched a battery-powered cleaner for the first time. The 18V motor is powered by a 4.0Ah battery, which in High Power mode can deliver 4.8 litres of water per minute – for comparison, an entry-level Kärcher K2 corded machine offers 6.0 litres per minute. 

The Hawksmoor can be connected via its six-metre hose to a tap, or to another water source, such as a stream, bucket or water butt. A clip is provided to help keep the hose and its filter in place on the container.

Although it’s not powerful enough for hardcore cleaning, a five-in-one nozzle allows the user to adjust the spray to tackle most tasks, varying from a pin jet that has some reasonable pressure for cleaning wheels to a fast flow for rinsing. There is also a small snow foam bottle, which holds just enough detergent to cover a small car.

The Hawksmoor works well for general car-cleaning tasks, and comes with a useful number of accessories. Our only real complaint is that the machine turns itself off as soon as the trigger is released, requiring a two-handed button press and trigger squeeze to start it again.

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