Best Pressure Washer for Patios: The Paver Test
Best Pressure Washer for Patios: The Paver Test
I've cleaned more paver patios than I can count, and here's what I know after 12 years: most people buy way too much washer for the job, or way too little. The patio is the one job that punishes both mistakes. Too much PSI and you're etching grooves into the concrete. Too little GPM and you'll be standing there for three hours watching the moss laugh at you.
I put five units through the paver test this month: a 320-square-foot stamped concrete patio with a decade of grime, moss in the joints, and a section of pavers that hadn't seen a washer since the previous owner moved out. Here's who won.
The Simpson Megashot (3200 PSI, 2.5 GPM, Honda GC190) is the best pressure washer for patios I've tested, because it pairs enough flow to strip moss from joints with a pressure range that won't destroy your pavers.
| Product | Price | Why it won | Why it lost |
|---|---|---|---|
 Simpson Megashot (B004MXKUCY) |
~$450 | 2.5 GPM cleans fast, Honda starts first pull, CAT pump lasts | Stock hose is short, wheels are cheap |
 Sun Joe SPX3000 (B00CPGMUXW) |
~$120 | Cheap, draws soap properly, fine for small patios | Axial pump dies after 2 years, slow on anything over 200 sq ft |
| Ryobi 2300 Gas | ~$299 | Starts and runs, enough for light patio duty | Hose kinks, pump is meh, wheels useless on gravel |
 Westinghouse 2500 (B0BVGSX46M) |
~$329 | Quiet, reliable, better build than price suggests | Not the most powerful, harder to find parts |
 Kärcher K5 (B01BMETENG) |
~$300 | Good pressure for electric, excellent customer service | Plastic gun feels like a toy, fittings are cheap |
How I Tested
I ran each unit on the same patio section, same nozzle, same detergent. I timed how long it took to strip a 10-foot strip of mossy joints. I checked whether the detergent system still drew soap after 15 minutes of run time. I deliberately let the hose kink to see if it fought back. And I paid attention to my back, because a patio job is a lot of bending and reaching, and a wand that's balanced wrong will make you hate your life by hour two.
Simpson Megashot (B004MXKUCY)
The Megashot is what I tell everyone to buy, and for once, everyone's right. My own unit has been going for four years now, and it still sounds like the day I bought it. The Honda GC190 starts first pull even after sitting in the van for two months. The CAT pump is what the pros run, and it shows: no sputtering, no pressure drops, just steady 2.5 GPM that actually cleans.
On the paver test, the Megashot stripped a mossy joint line in one pass with the 25-degree tip. The 15-inch surface cleaner turned the whole 320-square-foot job into a 40-minute task instead of a three-hour slog. The detergent system works, which is rare. I ran a full tank of soap through it and the siphon tube never quit.
The complaints are fair. The stock hose is 25 feet, which is too short for a big patio. Budget ~$60 for a 50-foot Flexzilla and you're done. The wheels are cheap plastic and they'll dig into gravel. And at ~$450, it's not cheap. But here's the math: my Simpson has run four seasons without a single repair. That's ~$112 a year. A Sun Joe that dies after two years is ~$60 a year, and you're buying a new one every other spring. The Simpson pays for itself by year three.
One owner on Amazon wrote in May: "Bought this for my patio and driveway. The Honda engine is worth every penny. Started on the second pull out of the box." That matches my experience.
Sun Joe SPX3000 (B00CPGMUXW)
Everyone starts here. I started here. My first electric washer was a ~$99 unit that died on the third use, plastic gear stripped. The Sun Joe is better than that, but it's still a 2-year tool.
At ~$120, the SPX3000 is genuinely fine for a small patio. The 14.5-amp motor pushes 1.76 GPM, which is enough for light moss and surface grime. The detergent system actually draws soap, which is more than I can say for some ~$500 units I've tested. And it's light. You can carry it with one hand.
But here's what the owner reviews don't tell you: the axial pump is a countdown timer. "Died after 14 months, pump seized mid-job," wrote one buyer in February. Another in April: "Great for the first year, then it started sputtering and lost pressure." That's the axial pump story. It's not if, it's when.
For a 100-square-foot patio that you'll wash once a year, the Sun Joe is fine. You'll get your money's worth. For anything bigger, or anything you plan to do more than twice a season, you'll be standing there all day and you'll wish you'd spent the extra ~$300.
Ryobi 2300 Gas
The Home Depot special. ~$299, sits on the shelf, everyone buys it because it's the right price and it's there.
My first gas unit was a Ryobi. It did the job. I just got tired of fighting it. The 2300 delivers 2.3 GPM which is respectable, and the pressure is fine for patio work. But the hose kinks no matter what you do. I replaced it after two jobs. The wheels are useless on anything but flat concrete. And the pump is meh. Not axial, but not CAT either. It's in the middle, which means it'll probably last three or four seasons if you treat it right.
The reviews tell the same story. "Fine if you're not a heavy user," is the consensus. One verified buyer wrote in January: "Starts easy, runs fine, but the hose is garbage and the wand feels cheap." That's the whole Ryobi experience in one sentence.
If you're on a budget and you know you'll use it a few times a year for a small patio, it's fine. But if you're going to do a driveway, a deck, and a patio every spring, save for the Simpson.
Westinghouse 2500 (B0BVGSX46M)
This one surprised me. The Westinghouse 2500 is a sleeper. It's ~$329, which is ~$120 less than the Simpson, and it's quieter than anything else I tested. The 2.3 GPM is solid, and the pressure is enough to strip moss without gouging pavers.
The build quality is better than the price suggests. The hose is passable, the wand is balanced, and the wheels actually roll on gravel, which is more than I can say for the Simpson. The engine starts easy, and it idles smoothly. No sputtering, no bogging down on a hot day.
The downsides: it's not the most powerful unit I tested, and parts are harder to find than Simpson or Ryobi. If you need a new pump in three years, you might be waiting on shipping.
If you see one on sale, grab it. At ~$329 it's a solid value. At ~$279 on a clearance rack, it's a steal.
Kärcher K5 (B01BMETENG)
I wanted to like the Kärcher. The K5 has a reputation, and the customer service is genuinely excellent. But the ~$300 price tag buys you a plastic gun that feels like a toy and fittings that are cheap where they should be brass.
The pressure is good for an electric. 2000 PSI and 1.4 GPM is enough for light patio work. The detergent system works, which is more than I can say for some units. And if something breaks, Kärcher will help you. That's real. But you shouldn't need to call them in the first place.
One verified buyer wrote in March: "The gun broke after three months. Customer service sent a replacement, but I shouldn't have to deal with that on a ~$300 unit." That's the K5 in a nutshell. Great support for a product that needs it too often.
If you're committed to an electric and you value customer service over build quality, the K5 is fine. But for the same money, you can buy the Ryobi gas and get more power and a better hose. Or save ~$100 more and get the Simpson, which will outlast both of them.
The Surface Cleaner Rule
Here's the thing nobody tells you about patio jobs: the wand is the wrong tool. I spent six hours on my own driveway with a 0-degree nozzle before I bought an ~$80 surface cleaner and redid it in 30 minutes. I felt like an idiot. Now I tell everyone: skip the wand, buy the surface cleaner first.
A 15-inch surface cleaner turns a patio job from a day-long slog into a lunch-break chore. It covers more ground, it doesn't leave tiger stripes, and it doesn't gouge the concrete if you get distracted. If you're buying a washer for patio work, budget the extra ~$80. It's the best money you'll spend.
Should You Buy the Simpson?
If you have a patio bigger than 200 square feet, or you plan to wash it more than twice a year, yes. The Simpson Megashot is the best pressure washer for patios I've used, and it'll still be running in five years. The ~$450 price stings once, and then you forget about it. The Sun Joe and the Ryobi will remind you every spring when they sputter and die.
If you have a small patio, or you're renting, or you just want to blast the moss off once before you sell the house, the Sun Joe is fine. It's disposable, but it's cheap. Just don't expect it to be there next year.
What I'm Testing Next
I'm putting a couple of units in the ~$400 to ~$600 range through the same paver test to see if anything can dethrone the Simpson. I'm also testing a 15-inch surface cleaner from a brand I haven't tried yet, and I'm still hunting for a foam cannon that produces foam that lasts longer than ten seconds. Every video on the internet lies about that.
Updated: March 2025. My original Simpson Megashot is now entering its fifth season. Still starts first pull.