The Cordless DeWalt Tool You Might Regret Buying, According To Reviews

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Using a pressure washer can deliver incredibly satisfying results for jobs like cleaning driveways and sidewalks, washing patios and siding, or removing stuck grass from a lawn mower deck. When you want a pressure washer you can use anytime and anywhere, a battery-powered cordless tool is a choice worth considering. You don't have to worry about being close to an electrical outlet to clean your items.

If you want to stick with outdoor tool brands that have excellent reputations, DeWalt is an extremely popular choice and often heads up the rankings of the best power tool brands. Unfortunately, one area where DeWalt's quality may falter is with its cordless power washer. The online customer reviews for this tool are poor across multiple online retailer websites. Even on the DeWalt website, the DeWalt 20V MAX Cordless Power Cleaner has only a 2.3-star rating with more than 100 total customer reviews. Only 37% of reviewers would recommend others purchase this power washer.

Many of the negative online customer reviews mentioned a lack of quality and durability because plastic parts break in the outdoor power tool under normal usage. Considering it costs $149 at Home Depot before you buy the battery, some reviewers said purchasing it was an expensive mistake because it ended up in the trash. Some users do like the DeWalt cordless power washer, but the negative reviews are tough to ignore.

The most common complaint among online customer reviewers for the DeWalt cordless power washer is with the lack of durability for the connector that attaches the garden hose to the tool. This connector consists of plastic, and many reviewers said that it snapped within a few minutes of starting to use the machine. They also mentioned that DeWalt does not offer replacement parts for the plastic coupler.

One reviewer at the DeWalt website read the negative reviews from other customers and still decided to purchase the power washer, planning to be especially careful to avoid breakage. "I took care to not drag the hose around with the unit but still managed to break the cheap plastic fitting the second time I used it." A reviewer at Walmart's website said the plastic connector broke before even turning the cordless power washer on, meaning the tool did not live up to DeWalt's reputation. "Usually a huge fan of DeWalt products, but this was more than disappointing. It was infuriating."

Another common problem reviewers mentioned is the lack of water pressure the tool generates, leaving it unable to clean items successfully. One reviewer said it was easier to generate more water pressure with a garden hose alone. "Basically, it's a good hose nozzle," one Amazon reviewer wrote. DeWalt says it can deliver up to 550 PSI, which should be enough for low-end jobs around the house. However, that's not what many users experienced.

The DeWalt 20V MAX Cordless Power Cleaner has similar customer review scores to one of the cheapest power washers at Home Depot that comes from Ryobi, and it has better ratings than other similar-sized power washers. So what do customers like about this DeWalt outdoor tool? One reviewer says the battery-powered unit runs quieter than expected. Gas-powered washers are notoriously noisy, similar to a lawn mower, so having a cordless model that runs quietly is beneficial in certain situations. "Best of all, no more fighting with extension cords," one Walmart reviewer said. If you already own DeWalt cordless tools, this model uses the same 20-volt battery found with those tools, so you can potentially save some money by not having to buy a new battery. Several customer reviewers also appreciate the turbo nozzle attachment that allows the unit to handle tougher jobs. 

Even though DeWalt doesn't offer an official replacement for the oft-broken plastic coupler piece, customers have found a workaround. Some reviewers purchased a standalone brass hose coupler and replaced the plastic one on the tool. "Right off the box, I took off the plastic hose connector and replaced it with a brass female-female hose adapter. Also buy extra hose washers" to prevent leaks, one Home Depot reviewer explained. Even with the swap-out of the coupler, several customers who gave this product a 5-star review said it's important to remember this is a light-duty pressure washer that's made for residential use. It's not going to handle extremely tough cleaning jobs like a larger pressure washer that delivers more PSI.