Cordless Wet Vacuum Window Cleaners

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eracode

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#201997 13-Sep-2016 10:49

I have seen models by Karcher and Nilfisk. Has anyone had any first-hand experience using these things? Any good? Would appreciate thoughts, comments, advice etc.

An acquaintance says great but I'm not so sure.

Cheers

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robjg63

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#1628441 13-Sep-2016 11:03

We have a karcher window vacuum.

Works pretty well - sucking up the squeeged water certainly helps get a clean finish.

The squeegee rubber baldes are quite good as well - soft enough to do a good job.

Would be really good for someone with a lot of condensation on their windows.

Karcher recommend their own window cleaning solution - It works very well - but is expensive. I tried a few drops of dishwash liquid and a couple of drops of dishwasher rinse aid - seems to work just as well.

EDIT: Review site here : http://www.productreview.com.au/p/karcher-wv50-window-cleaning-vacuum.html

Remember that people usually only like signing up to sites to grizzle!

Hmm - I see someone has posted a recipe for their own window cleaner on there. Dishwash liquid and rinse aid!

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cshwone

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#1628460 13-Sep-2016 11:32

We have the Karcher. The primary use is to clean off the shower enclosure daily after we have both showered. Exemplary job.

I cleaned the exterior windows at the weekend and it made life very easy. I was slightly cynical about these but SWMBO was adamant we were buying one and I am a convert :)

(Strange story - we bought ours at Mitre10 but the in-store price was 5 dollars more than the website - so they ended up price matching with themselves !!)

dusty42

117 posts

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#1628465 13-Sep-2016 11:35

We use the Karcher every morning on bedroom windows. Got it in autumn and couldn't live without it now - older house with large expanses of glass and poorly ventilated ensuite. Would happily pay double the price.

Yes the tanks on these things are tiny. We normally get 2-3 tanks in a couple of minutes, but the Karcher is easy to drain and only takes a second to dump out the window.

It can handle working inverted for a few swipes before choking - when upside down the water stays in the head, the machine needs to be orientated upright to allow water to drain into the tank. Swiping horizontally can be annoying in that it leads to some runs down the glass, but has to be done depending on window and furniture layout.

We normally end up charging twice a week out of habit rather than necessity. The power light flashes when battery gets low, we've only run out of juice once so far.

I really want to get the extension pole, but I haven't had a chance to play with it so am unwilling to shell out the 70 bucks until I see how easy it is to attach and detach the unit.

The ergonomics of the Nilfisk seem wrong to me. Way too fat and awkwardly balanced - whenever I've played with one in the shops it's reinforced my belief the Karcher is much better.

3g

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#1628491 13-Sep-2016 12:12

We bought the Karcher and now don't pay a company to come and do the windows (we both HATE doing windows!).

It is recommended to use the solution. Originally it was in small sachets (and rather expensive), but we picked up a bottle of solution at the weekend for $19.95.

https://s4.kaercher-media.com/documents/datasheets/cleaningagents/en_NZ/0.011-373.0_PI_en_NZ.pdf

FYI: Both the new & original model are available via Flybuys:

https://www.flybuys.co.nz/rewards/karcher-window-vacuum?outlet_id=0

tchart

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#1628505 13-Sep-2016 12:48

+1 for the Karcher.

Wheelbarrow01

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Chorus

#1628526 13-Sep-2016 13:22

tchart:

+1 for the Karcher.

I agree, I bought the Karcher one a few weeks ago and I really like it. I also read a post somewhere recently that you can mix up a solution of water and vinegar instead of buying the expensive Karcher solution - I'll try to find that and post the recipe here...

JaseNZ

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#1628545 13-Sep-2016 13:55

We have had the Karcher for over a year, would recommend it from everything for the windows to shower to car windows, it even sucks up small spills on a lino floor leaving it dry.

Just go in and say take my money and walk away with one

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neb

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#1628785 13-Sep-2016 17:52

eracode:
I have seen models by Karcher and Nilfisk. Has anyone had any first-hand experience using these things? Any good? Would appreciate thoughts, comments, advice etc.

Consumer reviewed the Karcher recently and it came out pretty well. OTOH they also said that for removing condensation the Scoopy did about as well at one sixth the cost of the Karcher.

Standard plug for Consumer: If you're buying any whiteware or similar items in the near future, the subscription to Consumer should pay for itself pretty quickly. They regularly find that $100 cheapies outperform the $2000 gold-plated premium models of some product types. They also point out that some products are nearly useless at what they do, e.g. the various detergents with the word "Earth" in the name whose functioning is indistinguishable from that of straight tap water.

dusty42

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#1628952 13-Sep-2016 21:47

neb:

OTOH they also said that for removing condensation the Scoopy did about as well at one sixth the cost of the Karcher.

I've seen them at Mitre10 and laughed at the stupid plastic gimmicky toy that only a moron would buy. Which is also what I thought about the Karcher before my partner insisted and bought one.

Someone please buy and review.

neb

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#1628963 13-Sep-2016 22:22

dusty42:
Someone please buy and review.

Both have been reviewed in Consumer. Hmm, I can't really post the reviews here because of that (handwave) copyright thing :-), but they were rated OK. Note however that this was a subjective review from a product expert, not a lab test (they're called "First Look" in Consumer terms). AFAIK they haven't lab-tested the window vacuums yet, probably because there are too few to test.

For subjective reviews in general, try ProductReviews, there's one for this vac, although there are more for related products like the WV50 and WV70. Reviews are mostly favourable.

itxtme

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#1629101 14-Sep-2016 09:51

We use it (Karcher) on the windows for condensation. This is the second winter we have had it without an issue. We use it daily

Good points:

- Fast and efficient at sucking up water (3 minute job instead of 10)
- No mess like we had with towels, and just empty the tank out the window
- Has not missed a beat despite winter/autumn/spring usage on a daily basis
- Excellent battery life, charge it every few weeks, mostly now to avoid it going flat half way through the job

Bad points:

- Small water tank so you are limited to 2-3 windows (big) before you will have to empty it
- You cannot turn it upside down or even on its side - water comes out of the motor (although since doing that on day 1 it still has not missed a beat)
- No warning on battery going flat, it just goes flat and you have to charge even if half way through job.

eracode

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#1629116 14-Sep-2016 10:02

Thanks for all the comments guys - helpful and appreciated

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.