It undoubtedly has its faults – that broken adapter left me tearing my hair out and I doubt I’ll ever use the brushes out again – but if you’re looking for a pressure washer on a strict budget, it’s not a bad option. In short, it’s best used for medium-sized cleaning tasks such as cleaning your car, wheelie bin, garden furniture, patio and more. For comparison, the 2,100W model (19.2kg) – which B&Q says is suited to cleaning larger patios, paths and garden stone walls – offers a maximum pressure of 140 bar and a 450l/h flow rate. Meanwhile, the low-end 1,300W model (9.6kg) gives you a 100-bar maximum pressure and a 390l/h flow rate. All three machines work with water up to a maximum temperature of 50 °C. In the end, I abandoned the brushes in favour of the vario nozzle, twisting it to the high-powered pencil jet spray (it also offers a wider, gentler spray). The impact was immediate, and within moments all the ingrained mud, oil and bird poo was nowhere to be seen. For further details, please refer to Tim's thread in the Insurance Section. http://www.vectra-c.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73959

Having recently cleaned my patio while testing the Kärcher K4 Full Control, I decided to put the Mac Allister through its paces by cleaning my car, my wheelie bin and my conservatory roof. For the money, the Mac Allister 1,800W is undeniably a powerful machine. Having also tried out the more-expensive Kärcher K4 Full Control, I’d say the two machines blast away dirt with similar gusto.As a result, I left the patio roof looking like an unfinished job. Again, that’s not a problem that’s exclusive to the Mac Allister 1,800W, but if you’re looking to buy a pressure washer for the purpose of cleaning your conservatory roof, you might want to reconsider. Mac Allister 1,800W review: Verdict If your car insurance is due within the next 30 days, please don't forget to give our club sponsors, Chris Knott Insurance, a call. They have just confirmed a record week in terms of the amount of business they have done through the forums so it's certainly worth a call. In 2008, the average recorded saving for their new customers was 15.5% off the BEST quote they'd had!

To be fair, that problem isn’t exclusive to this particular pressure washer, but at least with the Mac Allister 2,100W you get a built-in cable winder to help keep things tidy.

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While all of the models can be used with detergent (the 1,300W model requires an external detergent pump), none come with any in the box. Please phone them on 0800 917 2274 or 01424 200477 and quote the club name and/or reference number (906 - VECTRA-C) Please note that the how2 section can only be accessed when you become a Regular member by participating in the forum for a while. If you need immediate access there is the option to become a 'Full Member' by purchasing a subscription.

And if you don’t have access to a tap, it’s important to note that there’s no option to draw rainwater from a water butt. There is, however, a built-in detergent tank – not something you find with every affordable pressure washer. Mac Allister 1,800W review: Cleaning performanceMy other main gripe with this Mac Allister pressure washer is that the adapter that connects the water hose to the machine shattered the first time I turned on the tap. It’s possible I hadn’t connected it properly, but you’d still hope it would be more robust than that.