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Shakti S3 Pressure Washer Review - 15-05-2023

So after months of sitting on the fence, I finally bit the bullet. With multiple cars and bikes in the garage, it was high time to go for it. But I did not want to invest in the 10~15k Rs range ones, after reading various reviews. I opted for a cheap one from a Indian brand. In the end it also seems to be manufactured in China just like the rest of the big brands like Bosch, Karcher, ResQTech etc. The best seller on Amazon at the time of my buying was a brand called AGARO which was cheaper by around 100~200 bucks from this one which I bought at Rs. 4,629/- (less 5% Prime Cashback). I ordered it on the 10th of May and received it on 15-05-2023. Today I see both of them retailing at 4,899/- and both are almost identical. The only thing that went in favour of SHAKTI was that I called their Whatsapp number before hand and I received a prompt reply back and they also have a separate Technical Deptt number which also sent me videos of "How to do the Oil Change" etc. and I was impressed. They also didn't lie anywhere when I asked them about the motor winding which is of aluminium, good enough at this price range. Thank God I had got these numbers before hand because I almost immediately needed them after delivery, more on that later...

Received this nicely packed in double boxes-



It is specified at 1800W with a flow rate of 6L/min i.e you can easily pressure wash your car with just 2-3 buckets of water which is excellent; and 120 bar pressure. Though in reality that pressure is almost half as far as I can tell. But in actual usage it really did blow my mind.



But on immediately opening the box, I was in for quite a rude shock. The inner box had a huge oil strain and all the nightmares of buying a local machine seems to be coming true -



I took out the machine and it had oil sticking to it. You can notice pieces of thermocol packaging sticking to the oily machine -



A closer look to where the oil had leaked from -



Now, as I had mentioned, I had already spoken to their Technical department and they had sent me 3 videos of how to do the oil change, which I have consolidated into 1, here -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5mUyCO2pnM

The machine was shipped by Amazon on non-returnable basis. But it could be replaced within 10 days in special circumstances, which this qualifies for. So before thinking of returning the machine, and me being more than a little technically inclined, I thought of opening the machine and checking what the issue was. So following the above video I opened up the oil chamber, by opening the 4 hex bolts indicated in this picture below and the video above and checking the oil seal and oil inside -



And my hunch was correct, there was no oil inside, it had all leaked from the Oil Seal (O-Ring) which had dropped inside intact, most probably due to wrong fitment at the time of assembly. All other parts inside looked in pristine condition. So I filled it up with 60-70ml of 15W50 semi-synthetic oil (the manual mentioned 60-70ml of 15W40 for each oil change) of Royal Enfield Himalayan Oil that was lying around with me and fitted the O-Ring oil seal back properly and started the machine. And Voila! it worked perfectly as brand new. Thank God, I didn't start it up in the condition that I had received it in because that would have seized up the 3 pistons inside. So much for not returning the machine.

But I ran into further issues when I found out that 1 O-Ring of the Outlet pressure pipe was also missing and that pipe would leak if installed as it is -



Luckily I had that O-ring too in my stock and fixed it on my own. I also called their technical department and apprised them of the situation and they were most thankful that I rectified the machine on my own and did not return it. They immediately dispatched a few extra O-rings by registered post to me from Rakjot, Gujarat (where they are based).

A closer look at the other O-rings fitted in the Pressure Gun and SS extension pipe -



All fixed and with all the accessories in the box. It comes with a good length of 8m for the outlet pressure pipe and 2~3m length for the inlet pipe and power cable. Though I use my own garden pipe for the inlet feed -



Here is a video from a YouTuber as to how this machine works and is a little biased BUT it has not disappointed in it's performance in actual usage -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU2ZAo0SjPM&t=4s

I also bought this Foam Gun from Amazon for Rs. 1091/- with a brass quick connector included, as the one supplied with the machine is almost useless -



The machine has some heft and build quality is also quite good and more than acceptable and is nearly 10kgs in weight.



A close up look at the machine, notice the well covered power button. The machine had got covered with complete foam on my initial usage and I am happy to report that it is quite water resistant. Just a quick wipe down and it was back to looking new -



Tried my hands on my 1st pressure wash on my Baleno and used the Foam Gun with 3M car shampoo that was lying around with me. The foam quality was not very thick with 3M and here are the results -



But the results post wipe down are excellent and I can visibly feel the difference between a normal wash and a pressure wash. Here's a look at my 3 and a half year old Baleno post wash, looks as good as the day it arrived -



Since the foam quality of 3M Car Shampoo is not very thick as it is primarily meant for bucket wash, I ordered this best seller from Amazon -Waxpol Ecosaver Car Shampoo which has neutral pH (7), makes thick SNOW FOAM and costs just 699/- for a 5L pack. Going by 100ml in 1L Foam Wash bottle, which can incidentally wash 3 cars, this 5L pack is good for washing nearly 150 cars which works out to approx. 5 bucks per snow foam wash. Good deal, I suppose -



Here are the instructions. Will keep this thread updated with the results of this Waxpol shampoo -



In conclusion, I am more than satisfied with the performance of this Shakti S3 machine and find it to be tremendous value for money (at sub 5k) for what if offers. I have also used it in the last 2 days for cleaning my floor, main house gates, interior gardens etc. and have been more than satisfied. The greatest plus point is the immediate response from the manufacturer in case of any issues. This machine comes with a 6 months warranty from them and they have assured me a endless supply of any spare parts as and when needed even outside the warranty period. Disclaimer - I have no commercial interest in this product and all my views are personal.

Cheers for now...

Not just manufactured in China, looking at the pictures and specifications, both Agaro washer and Shakti washer seem to be the exact same product. Not just these two, but also some other models from TEXUM, Aegon etc. Like most of the home appliances, this might be manufactured by the same chinese company and then sold by different brands. Servicing and support however should be different from brand to brand.

I think I mentioned the same. In fact even the renowned brands are all also manufactured in China. And as per actual feedback from many owners, all these machines (especially the renowned brand ones) nearly last the same. Hence went for one with good service and spares backup. Also the sound level of this machine was quite low compared to some Bosch machines I have heard, which make quite a racket. With proper spares, this machine can easily last 5-10 years in the home usage scenario, and that was good enough for me.

Cheers...

@dkaile, thank you for sharing, was looking at buying a budget washer. Bought the Bosch Aquatak and returned it, was not happy with the price vs. performance.

Two queries if you can please answer

1. Does this Shakti washer take input water from a bucket ?
2. How many watts does it need ? Can we use a 5 amp wall socket ?

I have been using Waxpol Ecosaver car shampoo for more than a year (as I bought the same 5L pack) but quality is lot to be desired. I found Turtle car shampoo to be much better.

Yes and Yes, both tried and tested. The pump is self priming and sucks water and gives excellent performance from a bucket easily. Also it says 1800watts but I would take that claim with a pinch of salt as it worked on my normal 5A wall socket without any mcb drops

Well, I went with the Amazon bestseller rating for this product of 3.9 (same as Turtle) and 3975 (vs 273 for Turtle) feedbacks. Also saw this video about this product being tested and it seemed good enough for me. Even though the reviewer initially mentions that the foam production of this shampoo is not very good, but in the video I found the foam production to be excellent when he tests it on his car -

https://youtu.be/LNM-jhKQ34U

Turtle Car Shampoo is more than double the cost of this Waxpol, if I am not mistaken. It all boils down to price vs performance benefits. There is no dearth of costlier products. Anyways, will be giving a personal experience for this product shortly.

Cheers...

Thanks for the review. I too have been contemplating buying a pressure washer, but branded ones are too costly, and the cheaper Chinese ones won't be reliable in the long term, or at least that's what I think. I have a few questions regarding this.

1) You said you bought the foam bottle separately. So effectively, this pressure washer costs around Rs. 5700. Are there any other models that come with a proper shampoo bottle?
2) Have you used it by directly connecting it to the water tap?
3) What is the diameter and thickness of the o-rings used in this washer? Are they easily available in the market?
4) Some Amazon reviews say that the brand forced them to write a review before allowing warranty registration. Is it really so? Also, how would they provide service if required at places where they don't have a service centre.

For if's and but's there are many options. I went after doing my own research and due diligence. You should do your own research and choose what suits your mind. Normal shampoo bottle comes with all washers including this one and that is sufficient, if you just want soap dispensing like hand washing a car and that too serves the purpose of shampooing your car. It is only when you like to give it thick snow foam, that special equipment is needed. How that adds to the total cost is a personal prerogative. Stock shampoo bottles even in renowned brands will not give thick snow foam afaik. There are brands that add a snow foam bottle in the cost of the total package.

Yes, I have used it both ways, bucket and tap. O ring sizes are different for many parts. The part that was missing on mine was available for 30 bucks at a nearby hardware equipment store too in my town. You should do your own research for your area. Service part is sketchy with most brands. Most brands that I have dealt with like this one and ResqTech, send parts over by courier etc. Or you may need to ship them your entire machine in the rare case of a full failure, for repairs. And finally, No one forced me to write any review... Lolz. In fact, I may give them a 2 star on Amazon for that leaking oil issue, even though after usage I find this machine to be quite good, at least a 4 star.

Cheers...

My AC servicing chap came along with this one last month:


https://youtube.com/shorts/cb_tBotewIw?feature=share

Says this one has copper winding in its motor, and the pump unit is separately sold and easily replaceable. With his kind of use (cleaning air conditioners, about 5-10 units daily, over a period of 4-5 months), the machines that have motors with aluminium winding generally last about one season. He's hoping this one will last better, maybe two seasons.

I've asked him to get one for me, since his purchase price is lower than that available on e-commerce sites.

Going by his calculations - 5x30 days = 150 x 5 months = 750 washes per season

In a home scenario of 5 washes per month = 750 / 5 = 150 months = 12.5 years. Even if it lasts 5 years, I will say it's money well spent.

Just a funny calculation for jest... Lolz

Cheers...

Also do keep in mind, that not all these machines are made equal, even though they may look exactly the same. Do check what all accessories and the quality and length of outlet pipe you are getting. Some machines come with very small power cord. Also importantly, the weight of the machine. Better heft usually translates to better internals. All this adds/subtracts to the cost of the final machine.

Cheers...

Good calculation! However, the machine run time for his washes are a lot shorter than what it takes to wash a car. Even then, 5 years is a good enough time for it to be VFM.
That would be tough to figure out. No manufacturer states the weight, length of pipe or cord, and other such detailed specifications. Maybe we can meet up sometime and compare notes. :)

I’ve been using a pressure washer from a brand called eurofine for past 1 year. Since their manufacturing unit is nearby my place I visited them and came to know that all parts are imported from China and assembled here except for the copper/aluminium winding which is sourced locally. That’s where these brands differ depending on the quality of copper/aluminium winding. Went with this particular brand for ease of sourcing parts if needed. Used the pressure washer continuously for 1-2 hrs atleast 3-4 times a week for car washing, equestrian purposes cleaning the terrace, driveway, Solar panels and glass ceilings without any issues. With Bosch and kracher offering aluminium winding with 1 year warranty at higher prices it was a no brainer decision to go with these Indian brands.

In the coimbatore-salem stretch there are several local assemblers who provide pressure washers of different capability, my friends who own farms swear by them. Affordable to purchase and spare parts are available when needed.

The only costly item to purchase along with them is a custom made pressure hose, they are quite costly.