Ryobi RY18PWX41A-0 review: Cordless pressure washer with extra power

The Worx Hydroshot WG630E is one of my favourite home-and-garden gadgets of all time: a battery-powered handheld pressure washer that you can take anywhere you’ve got something to clean. The only things holding it back were the need to keep stopping to refill whatever tank or bucket you were using as a water supply, and its lack of power – the WG630E could handle a lot but really baked-on crud, stubborn paint spots and tougher stains were beyond its capabilities.

Well, here comes the Ryobi RY18PWX41A, and if you thought the WG630E was cool, then prepare to be blown away – figuratively and, perhaps, also literally. This mighty mobile jet wash claims to blast water at 41 bar – almost twice the maximum 24 bar pressure of the Hydroshot – while its 18W brushless motor should still mean a long battery life and comparatively quiet cleaning. For the last week, I’ve been testing out the RY18PWX41A on my car, my paving and my decking, and I’m more than a little impressed with what it can do.

Ryobi RY18PWX41A-0 review: What do you get for the money?

The most powerful model in Ryobi’s range of One+ cordless pressure washers, with a maximum 41 bar pressure, a choice of three power settings and a 3-in-1 spray nozzle. The latter offers you a 15-degree fan spray for normal cleaning, a much more fierce rotary turbo setting and a lighter shower setting for rinsing away loose dirt from your paving or snow foam from your car.

It’s available either as the bare tool or bundled with a 4A battery and charger, and it comes with a 6m hose that connects to the RY18PWX41A via a Hozelock connector while the other end syphons water from a bucket, water tank or watering can. A filter on the end of the hose prevents dirt and other foreign bodies from entering the system, while a movable and buoyant plastic ball keeps the end in place underneath the water. As a secondary option for maximum portability, a smaller tube and cap assembly allows you to connect the RY18PWX41A to a two-litre plastic drinks bottle instead.

There’s a little self-assembly required before you can start blasting, with the hose to be connected and the two-part spray lance and nozzle to be clicked into place, but nothing that will take you more than a couple of minutes – charging the battery will take longer.

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Ryobi RY18PWX41A-0 review: How easy is it to use?

In most regards, it’s very straightforward. There’s a trigger lock button in the handle and a membrane button on the rear to switch between the three power settings. Rotating the nozzle at the end of the lance shifts between the fan spray, rinse and turbo patterns. Beyond that, all you need to do is point and squeeze the trigger. At 2.4kg with the 4A battery installed, it’s light enough to wield with one hand but you can, of course, use your other hand for support while blasting away at dirt and grime.

Ryobi claims that a 4A battery lasts for 29 minutes, though I found this a little optimistic – in tests, I recorded just under 22 minutes on maximum power before the battery ran dry, though this involved starting and stopping the count every time I needed a refill.

It’s these refills that are the biggest irritation. Using a ten-litre watering can as my tank, I could run for just over four minutes before the RY18PWX41A-0 started sputtering, with only a shallow layer of water in the bottom of the can. Try it with the drinks bottle attachment, and it doesn’t last more than 20 to 30 seconds.

Ryobi RY18PWX41A-0 review: How well does it clean?

The Hydroshot WG630E’s Achilles heel has always been power. It will wash loose mud and dirt from a car or a bike with no problem, so it’s great for cleaning and rinsing vehicles, or removing surface grime from a patio or decking. It’s a bit hit-and-miss with baked-on mud or hardened grunge, though, and not much cop with dried paint splodges or spots of dried cement.

The Ryobi RY18PWX41A-0 still doesn’t have anywhere near the power of a full-sized, mains-operated pressure washer but it can handle more of the hard stuff than the Hydroshot. It removed stubborn spots of mud and road grime from the rear and sides of my car, green algae from my garden furniture and paving and, on the Turbo setting, it even had some success removing drops of Weathershield from my paving, though some tiny spots remained. I also found it great for cleaning lichen and algae from areas of decking and balustrade without any fear that it might tear the timber up – as has happened with some larger pressure cleaners.

I needed to use it in Turbo mode at point-blank range to get maximum power, but it’s good to have the extra muscle if you need it. And you still have all the advantages of the cordless format – as long as you can carry a bucket, watering can or tank to where you need to clean, you won’t need to worry about mains electricity or water supply. So, if you’re planning on doing some off-road cycling, for instance, you could clean your bike off before it goes back on the bike rack or in the car.

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Ryobi RY18PWX41A-0 review: What could be improved?

One regular annoyance with the RY18PWX41A-0 is that you have to wait roughly thirty seconds after refilling your water tank before it’s back up from a weak spritz to a full-power jet. Obviously, this is to be expected as it sucks water in and through the 6m-long pipe, but I can’t remember it taking quite so long with the Hydroshot.

Otherwise, the limitations that the RY18PWX41A-0 has are part and parcel of the cordless format. Its performance is a step up from previous cordless pressure washers, but you’re always going to have issues with battery life and water. If you want a pressure washer with more power, one that will keep on blasting for more than twenty minutes at a time, then you’re going to need a plug-in model. It’s as simple as that. In which case, even a budget example, like the Karcher K2 Horizontal or the Bosch EasyAquatak 110, will do the job.

Ryobi RY18PWX41A-0 review: Should I buy it?

Yes. It’s a little more expensive than the Hydroshot WG630E, but I think it’s worth it for that extra pressure. You still need to be aware, before you buy, that it’s not a full-sized, full-powered pressure washer, and that it can’t do everything one of those can do. It won’t have all the same accessories and, despite being able to buy a separate detergent bottle attachment, you won’t get as thick and luxurious a snow foam as you would expect from a plug-in pressure washer. If you can accept these constraints, it’s a fine addition to your cleaning armoury, even if it isn’t a full replacement. It’s effective, convenient and easy to use – I’d even say it’s kinda fun.