My $30 pressure washer blew a seal two hours into cleaning my deck

I was in my backyard in Raleigh last Saturday, trying to save money by using a cheap tool from a big box store. The thing just gave out with a loud pop and sprayed water everywhere, ruining the whole afternoon. I had to shut off the water, mop up the mess, and then spend another $15 on sealant and parts to try a fix. It's been three days and it's still leaking, so that 'budget' buy is now a total waste. Has anyone actually had a cheap power tool last more than a few uses, or should I just accept that I need to spend more?

3 comments

3 Comments

alex_nguyen1mo ago

Man, that sounds exactly like what happened to my buddy's cheap drill. He bought one for like twenty bucks to put up some shelves, right? Thing made a horrible grinding noise and shot smoke out the side on the third screw. He ended up having to borrow my old one to finish the job. I've just accepted that for anything you'll use more than once, the super cheap stuff is basically a single-use rental that you have to fix.

henry6041mo ago

Maybe the smoke was a safety feature.

the_charles1mo ago

Yeah, the "single-use rental" thing is so true. I had a cheap angle grinder that did the same smoke trick on its second cut. It's like they're built to just barely survive the unboxing.