When it comes to picking the best pressure washers on the market, Bosch is one of the most popular household names.
The German company makes a wide range of products, from dishwashers to air conditioners, so I was curious to see how their pressure washers compare to those from more specialist brands.
Sitting in the middle of the Bosch pressure washer range, the Universal Aquatak 135 is a multi-purpose pressure washer – at 135bar it’s powerful enough to remove stubborn garden dirt, but gentle enough to clean your car without damaging the paint.
Currently retailing at around £150, it’s significantly cheaper than the similarly specced Kärcher K4 we recently tested, but how does it fare in terms of performance?
We tested the Bosch Universal Aquatak 135 on a 7m2 sandstone terrace that had accumulated a year’s worth of dirt, not least from three particularly ill-mannered chickens. We also tested a similarly neglected family car, and a 100m2 herringbone brick driveway.
Bosch Universal Aquatak 135 Specifications:
Price: Approx £150
Maximum pressure: 135 bar
Maximum water throughput: 450 litres/hour
Weight: 7.9kg (without accessories)
The Bosch website promises “the ultimate in convenience with push-fit connections”, but we found the initial setup phase frustrating to say the least.
My lack of gym time was reflected in the water inlet connection, which kept getting stuck on the scale-covered Hozelock adapter and wouldn’t plug in. Similarly, the hose connection and spray gun adapter took some work to get right, but given the Aquatak 135’s powerful output, this was understandable and reassuring.
The instructions are intuitive and easy to follow, with multi-language manuals featuring IKEA-style illustrations. And, unlike the Kärcher K4, the wheels come pre-fitted, saving us a lot of work. All in all, the setup process took about 15 minutes from unboxing to first blast.
The combination of a folding handle and lightweight construction (over 4kg lighter than the K4) makes this an easy-to-carry unit.
The Aquatak 135 comes with a choice of two nozzle attachments: a triple nozzle lets you quickly switch between fan, spin and pencil spray settings, while the detergent nozzle mixes cleaning fluid into the spray via a 450ml reservoir.
Only the latter is recommended for cleaning vehicles, so we first took it apart to give it a close inspection on the family car.
Bosch warns that the unit produces recoil and recommends it as unsafe for children (much to the chagrin of my 6-year-old), but in practice it sprayed a powerful but not overwhelming foam that quickly covered our 5-door hatchback.
Moving onto the patio, the same cleaning method made easy work of months of accumulated grime, which was removed in seconds. In total, it took just 20 minutes and 250ml of detergent to turn the grimy sandstone into a shiny new place.
Finally, the biggest job: removing two years of grease and weeds from the driveway – a task that previously took a whole morning with a borrowed Kärcher vacuum cleaner.
Despite the lack of detergent, this mode does a great job of removing stubborn stains, getting into tiny crevices and scrubbing uneven surfaces, and it’s done in under an hour. Once you’re done, simply switch to the cone spray mode to easily remove unsightly grout from pots, pans, door panels and more.
If you’re looking for a powerful, adaptable pressure washer that can easily clean your car, patio and driveway, the Bosch Aquatak 135 has it all. It’s specced to a far superior rival, Kärcher, and priced very competitively. Once you’ve navigated the slightly fiddly setup steps (and don’t forget the manual), you’ll be ready to tackle any gardening job.
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