Westinghouse WPX3200 Pressure Washer Review

We put the Westinghouse WPX3200 through a rigorous testing process, engaging its cleaning power, portability, volume, and ease of use. What really sets the Westinghouse WPX3200 beyond its competition is its ability to produce incredible power, while nonetheless still being relatively portable and easy to use. Moreover, this machine is designed with user convenience in mind, with easy-to-access connections, detachable appendages, and comfortable to utilize handles.

Performance Comparison

Cleaning

Those on the market for a pressure cleaner need a thorough cleaning job; thus, our cleaning metric accounts for 45% of the total score. The Westinghouse WPX3200 dominates the competition with high-performance showings in our subjective deep cleaning tests, pressure gauging bocce ball test, and calculated cleaning units.

To measure cleaning capabilities, we brought out our testing carpet, covered in activated charcoal. When the Westinghouse WPX3200 cleansed our test carpet in under three minutes, we were impressed. When it did it again, there was only one way we could think of describing the Westinghouse WPX3200: “beastly.”

To aid in comprehending the Westinghouse WPX3200's power, we tried it out on our bocce ball test. This test helps narrow the pressure washer's focus, and visually illustrate the machine's power in keeping a bocce ball suspended on our angled trough. The Westinghouse WPX3200 kept the Bocce ball suspended at 6.5 feet, over double the distance of many pressure washers we tested.

We crunched the numbers behind the power of the Westinghouse WPX3200, and they empirically highlight what distinguishes this pressure washer as the top product in our tests. With a whopping cleaning unit score of 5980, this washer surpasses the second-highest by 1300 points. For those on the market for their first pressure washer, a cleaning unit score is the product of the washer's pounds per square inch (PSI) and gallons per minute (GPM), in this case, 2600 and 2.3, respectively. We calculate this data using an inline pressure gauge to identify the PSI, then weigh the amount of water released after a minute. Essentially, this calculation measures a pressure washer's efficiency, and the data for the Westinghouse top the pack.

Portability

The Westinghouse WPX3200 is not the most portable pressure washer we tested. However, it makes up for its weight and bulk by being remarkably easy to move around, thanks to two large wheels and a well-balanced design. If you have a smaller vehicle, transporting the Westinghouse WPX3200 will be a logistical challenge, but maneuvering on the ground is remarkably easy.

There is no getting around the fact that this is a big pressure washer. Weighing around 64 pounds, the Westinghouse WPX3200 presents its own unique challenges for both transporting and storing. Although when operating it stands at over three feet tall, this pressure washer thankfully features a removable handle, which can bring the machine height down to a slightly more manageable two feet. However, being over two feet long and almost two feet wide means that this is an incredibly dense machine. We would highly recommend that you do not store the Westinghouse WPX3200 inside, but rather secure it snugly under a workbench in your garage.

Despite its bulk, the Westinghouse WPX3200 nonetheless surprises us by being gracefully easy to push and pull across both compact dirt and paved ground. Although it does not handle grassy terrain as deftly, despite its larger wheels, we nonetheless find it to be doable. A big plus for moving the Westinghouse WPX3200 by hand was its above-average handle height, allowing us to pull it through all of our tests without having to be hunched over. Our biggest appreciation, however, was how well balanced this pressure washer is. Despite its hefty weight and cumbersome size, we rarely felt concerned that the Westinghouse WPX3200 was in any danger of falling over.

Noise

The noise metric is where the Westinghouse WPX3200 shows that it is a gas-powered machine. This pressure washer is one of the loudest we tested, falling in the lower percentile at both a close and distant decibel measurement.

Our noise metric separates the electric from the gas pressure washers, and the Westinghouse WPX3200 falls indisputably into the latter category. We took decibel measurements both right beside and twenty-five feet away from the machine, and the prognosis was loud. Alongside the Westinghouse WPX3200, the washer outputs an average reading of 83 decibels, less than two decibels short of the “harmful for human hearing” threshold. From twenty-five feet away, the volume is more manageable, lowering to a more modest 68 decibels. For reference, from twenty-five feet away, this pressure washer has a comparable volume to being nearby a vacuum cleaner.

Ease of Use

In terms of being a pressure washer, the Westinghouse WPX3200 is a fine piece of machinery, which the designers went out of their way to ensure a fluid user experience. However, in terms of being a gas-powered machine, all the usual pitfalls are, unfortunately, unavoidable.

Hose connections on pressure washers are often uncomfortably close. The Westinghouse WPX3200, however, has very comfortable spacing, allowing for significantly easier connections. The hose included with the Westinghouse WPX3200 is twenty-five feet long and is simple to wrap up and store, thanks to a large plastic hook on the back of the machine. Moreover, storing the nozzle is incredibly easy thanks to a divot atop the handle.

However, where the Westinghouse WPX3200 primarily suffers is due to its gas engine. Oil changes, gas refills, carburetor cleaning, and all the other small engine maintenances are tiresome, yet required, additions to the Westinghouse WPX3200 experience. Another, admittedly milder, inconvenience involves the onboard soap container. We found that the medium-sized intake hole suffers slightly from the pull-starter partially blocking the entrance.

Value

High-quality pressure washers are traditionally not very cheap. However, for a better price than some of the other products we reviewed, the Westinghouse WPX3200 vastly outperforms all of them. Although some of the electric competition offers some long-term maintenance convenience, the power and performance of the Westinghouse WPX3200 is nothing to balk at and makes an excellent addition for anyone needing a high-quality machine for any pressure washing requirements.

Conclusion

Offering incredible power and performance, the Westinghouse WPX3200 is by far the best pressure washer we tested. Although it took some hits for its bulk and the required maintenance of gas-powered machinery, this washer is ideal for anyone looking for a long-term investment. The Westinghouse WPX3200 is the ideal pressure washer for those who want to ensure the job gets done the first try.