Customer Reviews

Karcher G 2600 PH 2,600 PSI 2.3 GPM 161cc Honda GCV160 Gas Powered Pressure Washer With 25-Foot Hose

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Karcher makes a good product at least in the sense that it does perform as advertized when you first use it. The Honda motor is excellent and the tool generally performs very well. My problem with this machine started in year three (conveniently after the two year warranty expired) and is a result of a sticky "unloader valve". This is a critical piece that protects the pump but can stick and essentially disable the pump. Once it starts to malfunction you have no choice but to take the whole machine to a Karcher certified repair center (hassle and $$$). The company provides no information on service or preventive maintenance for this valve in it's owners manual. Indeed, the unloader valve is never even mentioned in the troubleshooting section although this is a common problem with all pressure washers. You cannot purchase a replacement unloader valve from Karcher, they won't sell you one.

So, three years into ownership I have a great Honda motor with about 2 or 3 hours of use on a completely worthless pressure washer unless I fork over another $150 for service center installation of a $25 valve or be told that I need an entirely new pump which would cost more to put in than a new pressure washer once labor is included.

The problem with these things is that there are aluminum parts internally that corrode. They corrode faster in winter etc but the bottom line is that Karcher gives almost no preventive maintenance instructions for the pump itself. I always emptied it of water and left it in the barn. The service people tell me that they advise customers to take these pressure washers into the heated area of the house in the winter!!!

Bottom line: it works well when it works and it has some common problems that are very expensive to have repaired. I would not mind replacing a $25 valve myself but the company won't even sell these to the customer so in the end this is a very expensive short lived product.

I bought the Karcher because I felt it was a winning combination of Honda and Karcher.
I bought it late in the year and only used it once before winter, I stored the unit in the celler.
I took it out in the spring and used it for about two hours all was fine, great unit.
I took it out about a month later and found no pressure.Then the fun began.I went back and forth with Karcher and ended up sending the pump back to the factory. By the time I got it back I could only try it to see if it worked, it seemed fine.( there was no charge because the bolt inside the pump had fallen out and been eaten by the pump)
The story goes on, I just took it out this year and it worked well for 20 min. and then it started pulsating on and off, I tried changing nozzels, looking for some sort of carb adjustment (nope, not allowed)_I am now ready to put this $400 unit at the street and hope someone will take it. I will never by Karcher again.This unit is now 2 years old and if I try too get it fixed it will cost me another $150-$200 probanly not going to do this.I would hope Karcher would make this right.
Signed frustrated from Chelmsford, MA

I too got this pressure washer through a hotel rewards program. When the unit arrived, I assembled it and tested it out. To my dismay the pump was surging and would not deliver solid pressure. I tried different water taps and verified the tips were clean. After taking the washer to a dealer, I had to wait 5 months to get a new pump in. During that time Karcher would not honor my warranty because I did not have a sales receipt. After I explained I got this through an awards clearing house and had the original shipping slip, they would still not honor my warranty claim.

So, the point is:

1. Washer was broken out of the box.
2. Karcher tech support sucks (online only)
3. Ordering parts is a nightmare (most retailers listed on Karcher's web site have dropped the Karcher line all together)
4. Abysmal customer service

Hopefully now I can find a Sears pressure washer that uses the same engine!

As a point of disclosure I did not purchase my power washer from Amazon. Actually I didn't buy mine at all! I cashed-in some hotel points for the unit. Sweet.

The Karcher power washer is the gold standard when it comes to this type of device. The unit arrived via UPS LTL Freight on a small-ish pallet. When I got home that evening I tore into the box to free the beast. Almost immediately I was impressed. The unit was VERY well packed and protected in its cardboard sarcophagus. Obviously they give thought and care as to the packing.

Only slight assembly was required which was a snap... just the legs, handle, hose and gun needed assembly. With a splash of gas and some engine oil (furnished in the box) I was ready for some power washin' fun!

Being the kind of guy that I am I needed to experiment with EACH nozzle to see what their capabilities are. The included pamphlet describes the nozzles accurately.

The unit has extreme power, is fairly quiet and very stable when it's running.

Start-up and shut down are easy and the hose and gun store nicely on the unit.

Overall I give this supremely high marks. An excellent machine even if you have to pay for it... ;)

I was let down. First order I open the box and found the plastic gas tank broken, no packing at all! oil was everywhere even though units are to be shipped with out oil. amazon was good, they had ups pick it up and send me another(no returns/ fine print). second unit had no packing at all and oil was everywhere but nothing broken. assembly was easy but could not get it started till i removed the air filter that was soaked in oil. i have to buy a new one. unit worked ok without it dont think i will buy expensive items through amazon any longer

We have only had our Karcher pressure washer for a few days so I will update on the machines performance after a longer period of time. However, buyers should be aware that the machine comes in a cardboard box - that's it.... no packaging materials, no bubble wrap - no protection whatsoever. The box was very beat up when it arrived. It's a heavy machine to be shipped in a simple box. We were lucky that nothing was broken.

So far we are impressed with it's cleaning ability. We are using it on a concrete pool deck and patio furniture. More comments on durability and performance to follow after a longer ownership timeframe.

Honda engines last a long, long time but the rest of the Karcher components will not. Within a month or two, the inlet hose connector broke making the unit useless. What was more useless was Karcher refused to replace this $5 defective part, as the two-year warranty does not include many components. The two-year warranty was printed on the box in bold letters without exceptions so Karcher is playing games. Anyway, our local hardware store has this plumbing part off the shelf - so it was an easy fix at my expense. Should have return the unit for a refund.

Right away I notice the pressure cycles between high and low pressure and the dirtblaster nozzle failed to spin or blast any dirt. Anyway, most of the time it stay at high pressure and the dirtblaster spins so I thought it's due to the low flow rate from my house water supply. I didn't known the unit failed intermittently during the first two years under warranty.

Finally the unit failed completely to pump water altogether while the Honda engine is running great as usual. Very little use, maybe 15 hours, and just out of warranty - Karcher warranty is useless anyway so as their website or technical support. Nowhere Karcher mention this common problem across their product lines nor could I find a parts list or parts diagram on their website. Even the Chinese products provide a parts list and diagram for future service but not Karcher.

Now I know the problem is the infamous sticky unloader valve which Karcher had known for years across their product lines but refused to acknowledge it on the trouble shooting section or mention anywhere else. Should have known better not to expect much from a company that does not honor the warranty. A "Karcher unloader valve problem" search on Google and results in many people having this problem. "How to fix a sticking Karcher Pressure Washer" on YouTube has a solution too. Best stay away from this German junk company.

We received this pressure washer yesterday, and it was a snap to put together, with the exception of the first step, which is to install the handle. It took a rubber mallet and lots of muscle to force the handle into the machine, but once there, I don't suspect it will ever come out. The machine works great and Karcher has a good reputation (so does the Honda engine), so we hope to have it for years to come.

This little thing does just what it says works wonderful motor is wonderful even though I see many reviews of it being a bad machine I disagree mine is on its 4th year in the first year it did give me an issue but that was my bad for not adding pump conditioner over the winter since they do hold some water I am guessing it frozen and made the re-circulator go bad for 25 bucks it was fixed and there actually was a video on how do it online. ever since 1-2 pulls and I am off and running I do my house, patio,riding and push mower and I also have done concrete cleaning with it . Maintance has to be my #1 down fall but I cant blame the machine for it.

I've used and been around these units alot. I've seen some bad reviews on here but all I've had is a great experience with this machine. You can't beat the Honda engine and Karcher makes a good product unlike some competitors. After alot of use you may have to replace the hose or gun but that's going to happen with any unit. Great machine!