Powerworks 2200 PSI Pressure Washer: Hands-On Review!

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I recently put the Powerworks 2200 PSI Electric Pressure Washer through a heavy-use, hands-on test. This article will provide a complete review of my findings from the assembly process to performance. I also put it head-to-head against my own electric pressure washer to see how it would hold up.

In a hurry? Here’s the bottom line:

The Powerworks 2200 electric pressure washer provides reliable performance with easy assembly and independent certification by the Pressure Washer Manufacturers’ Association (PWMA). No degradation of performance was encountered during testing.

Ready for all the juicy details? Let’s dig in and see how this machine performed.

Note: Powerworks sent me this product for review but had no input into the findings.

Assembly

I timed the assembly and set up for this pressure washer at 18 minutes. That is from the time I opened the box until it was fully assembled.

Assembly is straightforward with the motor being shipped already mounted to the metal frame. All that was required was to attach the wheels using cotter pins, screw a couple of plastic mounts into place that serves to hold the power cord in place when stored, and slide on the handle for the metal frame which conveniently locks into place when installed.

The wand required assembly as well but that was literally nothing more than screwing the brass tubing and hose onto the handle.

All in all, this is a very simple machine to set up. Instructions are included, complete with pictures, but there is minimal chance of installing anything incorrectly. The only tool that was required for this assembly was a Phillips screwdriver (not included).

Quality

The Powerworks 2200 is built on a metal frame with a hard plastic casing around the motor. This is pretty standard not only for electric pressure washers but gas-powered ones as well. My Ryobi gas-powered pressure washer has a similar casing as do most of the yard tools in my shop. The housing for the motor is solid and secured well to the metal frame.

It’s also important to note that this pressure washer is RWMA certified. This is a third-party certification process that ensures end-user product validation of manufacturer claims. This is a critical consideration because a manufacturer could theoretically offer outlandish claims for a pressure washer but RWMA is in place to keep those claims in check.

The wheels are hard plastic which is common for light equipment like this. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to deal with flat tire issues for something as lightweight as an electric pressure washer. You can literally pick it up and lift it over obstructions and it pulls through grass lawns just fine and so the wheels are a good match for the product.

Overall, the build quality is solid and consistent with what you find in similarly priced electric pressure washers.

Performance And Value

Over the course of my review, I probably put more time on this machine than the average homeowner would in a year. It was tested for multiple hours daily based on both normal use scenarios and potential opportunities for failure (more on that below).

What I was most interested in determining is if there were any out-of-the-box defects in the design and function of the equipment. These usually show up within the first 10 hours of actual usage.

Testing Potential Points of Failure

Pressure washers by their very design have the potential for failure in several areas. These include:

• Leaking from the wand, motor, hose, or tubing.
• Motor clogging due to debris in water supply.
• Soap not dispensing properly.
• Signs of pump motor failure including low pressure, usual noises, or intermittent shutdowns.

The goal of my testing was to put the equipment through extreme use scenarios beyond what any homeowner would ever need to do. Why? To accelerate the potential degradation process and identify any faulty manufacturing or weaknesses in the design.

For example, I wrapped the trigger on the wand to force a continuous, uninterrupted water flow for several hours.

This is not advisable. Pressure washers are designed for continuous flow with intermittent interruptions. No reasonable person would run a pressure washer continuously for this long with no intermittent interruptions.

But then again, I’m not a reasonable person.

The purpose of this was to test for leaks, inconsistencies in pressure, and most importantly, signs of the motor burning out. This level of abuse can often show weaknesses in design early but to Powerworks’ credit, no issues were identified.

The pressure washer did rev down for a few seconds every now and then but quickly revved back up. Probably allowing itself to keep up with the water pressure from my water hose which is an important point: The machine can only push as much water as your water supply is able to provide it. This is true of any pressure washer.

The system is designed with a built-in fuse/breaker in the power cord and it’s likely that I would have tripped that breaker before burning out the motor anyway but I needed to see if it could withstand a workload beyond reasonable use.

The end result of this stress test was that I identified no weak points in the system. The hoses and tubing did not begin leaking, there was no evidence of pressure degradation, nor was there any indication of pending pump motor failure. So from a quality assurance standpoint, Powerworks passed the performance abuse testing.

In addition to stress testing, the Powerworks 2200 was put through the paces with extended daily usage pressure washing all forms of materials including concrete, house siding, and anything that I could find that was in need of a thorough cleaning. I encountered no performance issues and was honestly impressed with the pressure that this electric model can provide, especially when pairing it with the included 15° nozzle (more on that later).

All in all, this seems to be a solid quality product and I’m very interested in testing other products from this company.

Here is a short video showing the stress testing process in action. As a side note, spraying pressured water straight up into the sky creates a very nice cooling mist.

Powerworks Pressure washer stress test

Are Electric Pressure Washers Powerful Enough?

For the average homeowner, an electric pressure washer with a performance rating of 2200 PSI will sufficiently meet the demands of cleaning with less maintenance and repair issues than a gas-powered model.

Although you generally make a sacrifice in raw power, there are a lot of advantages of owning electric power tools. I’ve covered the advantages of battery-powered over gas-powered models in detail previously. The majority of those advantages bleed over into corded tools like this.

One of the key benefits of electric power tools is the sheer simplicity of the mechanics in the equipment. The spark-combustion-compression equation of gas-powered tools brings with them a host of potential points of failure. Electric tools operate off of a much simpler design that eliminates many of the problems that gas-powered tools face.

There is also a risk of having too much power when pressure washing. A really strong gas model can cause splintering of wood, removal of paint, and etching in concrete (source).

There really is something to be said for matching the tool to the job.

Unless you are a professional or require excessively powerful pressure to clean heavy equipment, an electric pressure washer of this power will likely meet your home needs just fine.

I know this to be true because I am an average homeowner. I own both gas and electric pressure washers and I have not used my Ryobi gas model in over two years. It’s just easier to pull out an electric model and get straight to work without the hassle and noise of gas-powered machinery.

Powerworks 2200 Vs Worx WG604 Pressure Washer

Up until I tested the Powerworks 2200 model, the Worx WG604 was my go-to electric option for pressure washers. And so, the ultimate litmus test for me was to put this new pressure washer up against what I am used to using on a regular basis.

Just to give you a high-level view of how these two pressure washers stack up against each other, here’s a quick breakdown:

Feature	Powerworks 2200	Worx WG604
Pressure Rating	2200	1600
Rated Gallons Per Minute	2.3	1.93
Hose Length	25 Feet	25 Feet
Included Nozzles	5 (15°, 25°, 40°, soap and turbo )	4 (25°, 40°, soap and turbo)
Ease Of Nozzle Replacement	Super-Easy	Somewhat Difficult

The Powerworks model outperformed my Worx pressure washer in every test. Part of that was due to the inherent PSI and GPM ratios I’m sure but there was also a notable difference directly related to the included nozzles.

Nozzle Differences

The Powerworks model includes the same nozzle sizes as the Worx but also includes a 15° nozzle which gives that extra punch when working with debris that is particularly difficult to remove from surfaces. I found this feature to really make a difference on my concrete sidewalk. I’m guessing the Worx doesn’t include this size because the 1600 PSI performance rating isn’t powerful enough to push pressure through it?

Aside from the additional nozzle size, what really differentiates the Powerworks model from the Worx is the ease of changing nozzles.

Powerworks really scored a win on this one. It’s such a basic issue that it should not even be a point of discussion but here I am, pointing it out.

I think I never really realized how difficult it is to change nozzles on the Worx model because I didn’t have a point of reference. But seeing how easy it is with the Powerworks model, well… wow! This quick video doesn’t do the difference justice but here is an example of me removing and securing a nozzle into each model. The pressure required to both pull and secure the nozzle for the Worx model is easily twice that required for the Powerworks model. Probably even more.

Nozzle Comparisons of Worx vs Powerworks Pressure Washers

Another notable edge that the Powerworks model has is the size of its detergent cleaner fluid tank. It’s notably larger than the Worx, maybe twice the capacity or more. A larger tank means fewer interruptions in cleaning which equates to less time spent getting the work done.

In fairness, maybe this wasn’t an equal comparison. The Worx is more of a light-duty pressure washer whereas I would classify the Powerworks as a light-to-medium duty system. In any case, I’m truly impressed with the performance of the Powerworks model.

Is the Powerworks 2200 Pressure Washer A Good Buy?

I have no reservations in recommending the Powerworks 2200 for homeowner use. It performs well and is light enough that it won’t cause excessive fatigue with prolonged use. The company has done an admirable job of packaging a homeowner-level pressure washing system into an electric delivery system that performs in alignment with its specifications.

This is the pressure washer that I will be using going forward. Ease of assembly and the overall performance make the Powerworks 2200 a great choice.

Check current pricing for this pressure washer online (link to Amazon).

Who Is It Best Suited For?

The Powerworks 2200 is best suited for the average homeowner who performs light to medium duty pressure washing around their home and values the reliability and simplicity of an electric pressure washer over the power of a gas-powered model. If you are not mechanically inclined and able to do your own small engine repair and maintenance, or if you value the quieter performance of an electric model, the Powerworks 2200 pressure washer is a great choice.