PowerWorks 51112 Review

(Rated: 4.1 / 5) Review by Frank Lowery
Noise
Ease of Assembly
Maneuverability
Balance And Handling
Result Quality
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With a solid residential pressure washer like the PowerWorks 51112 in your garage, there is no limit to the number of different cleanup jobs you can save tons of time on. Once you get your hands on this great machine and start using it, you are going to be amazed by how many different uses it has around the house and garden. For starters, you can use the PowerWorks 51112 to wash your car and all of your other yard machines. You can turn it loose on your grill to blast grease and grime away until it is sparkling. Washing windows used to take all afternoon – with the PowerWorks 51112 you can finish the job in under an hour. Cleaning leaves out of gutters is a snap with the PowerWorks 51112, and your vinyl siding will be looking like new. This is a great pressure washer that is going to help you reclaim your free time.

Review Summary

The PowerWorks 51112 is the kind of solid residential pressure washer that can help make your life a whole lot easier. If you have never used a pressure washer like the PowerWorks 51112 for household chores before, it can be hard to really understand just how much convenience this machine can provide you. The PowerWorks 51112 can give you all of the cleaning power you need to knock out big jobs fast, and it runs quietly and clean. Unlike a gas powered pressure washer, the PowerWorks 51112 never produces any carbon emissions at the point of use, so you can enjoy lots of PSI and a high flow rate without negatively impacting the environment while you do it.

And the PowerWorks 51112 is easy to use, too. It has a convenient design that places its center of gravity low to the ground, so you never have to worry about accidentally knocking it over and damaging it. It has big wheels that help make rolling it around the yard easier than ever. And with a 25 foot long hose and a 35 foot long power cord, you have all of the range of motion you need to tackle big jobs all around your house and yard.

Specifications

The PowerWorks 51112 is an electric residential 2-wheel pressure washer that weighs 28.9 pounds and has dimensions of 21.8 x 19.1 x 12.8 inches. Its 120 volt, 60 Hertz motor powers a direct-drive axial pump that provides a max pressure of 1600 PSI and a flow rate of 1.3 gallons per minute.

The PowerWorks 51112 has a cleaning power rating of 2080 units, and it produces a cold water spray through an ergonomically designed spray gun with an adjustable jet nozzle that is equipped with a Turbo setting for more power. Its 25 foot hose is made of PVC plastic. It has a one-year warranty.

Description

When you first get the PowerWorks 51112 out of its box, you will notice two things right off the bat. First of all, it comes almost completely put together; the little assembly you have to do can be done with regular household tools, and you will be finished in a matter of a few minutes. Second, the PowerWorks 51112 has a unique design. Unlike a lot of other residential pressure washers, the body of the PowerWorks 51112 is squat and low to the ground, with a tall, easy to reach handle. That means that unlike those other models, the PowerWorks 51112 will not have any problems with tipping over while you are using it.

The PowerWorks 51112 has a direct-drive axial pump, which allows you to get more power out of a smaller overall footprint. This provides a number of advantages to the user. First, the PowerWorks 51112 is not as large as a lot of residential pressure washers out there, but it can nevertheless provide the kind of real power you need to blast away all kinds of tough stains. In addition to that, the design of the direct-drive axial pump is so efficient that it can be run on a motor that draws less power, saving you money and freeing you from needing a gas powered engine to run it.

That means the PowerWorks 51112 is a great alternative to a noisy, smelly, emissions producing gas powered pressure washer. With this model, you get all of the cleaning power you need, but you will never put a single carbon emission into the environment. That is good news for a lot of reasons – not only is the PowerWorks 51112 automatically CARB compliant and better for the planet, but it also means you can use it in an enclosed space without worrying about fumes.

Pros

There are so many great features on the PowerWorks 51112 that it is difficult to decide which ones are really the top five Pros, but after consideration I was able to narrow the list down. Not only does this pressure washer never produce a single carbon emission, it has lots of great accessories designed to make using it easier than ever. When you have a lot of different cleanup jobs to take care of around the house, this is a great tool to have on your side.

1. Zero carbon emissions : Many people still are stuck thinking they need to buy gas powered pressure washers to get the kind of performance they want for big jobs, but it simply is not the case. With electric pressure washers like the PowerWorks 51112, you can get all of the cleaning ability you need and never have to rely on gas again. Gone are the days of struggling with a recoil starter, keeping gas cans in your garage, and dealing with tune-ups. Best of all, the PowerWorks 51112 is better for the environment.
2. Built in soap tank : The more common design for providing a soapy spray on residential pressure washers is to have a reservoir that attaches directly to the spray wand. This means to have to swap it out when you want to rinse, and it also makes the wand heavy and hard to operate. But with a built in soap tank like the PowerWorks 51112 has, you can always have the option to switch to soap without having to change nozzles.
3. Adjustable jet wand : The other common design for residential pressure washers is to have several nozzles of different pressure levels, and if you want to change pressures you have to stop what you are doing and swap out one nozzle for another. This can slow you down considerably, especially if you are cleaning a surface that requires different pressure settings. On the PowerWorks 51112, the wand has an adjustable jet that you can change while you are still working.
4. Low center of gravity : Most residential pressure washers have a standing design, which has the advantage of giving them a smaller footprint – making them easier to tuck away in a closet – but also making them more top-heavy. This means that they will inevitably tip over while you are using them, which means there is always the danger of damaging the machine. The PowerWorks 51112 is built low to the ground, so you don’t have to worry about tipping.
5. Easy to use : There are a lot of features that make the PowerWorks 51112 very easy to use – not just the adjustable jet wand and built-in soap dispenser. The control panel is very easy to operate, and the machine starts right up every time. There is a convenient hose reel that makes winding up the PVC plastic hose a snap, and the power cord has a Velcro strip for attaching it to the handle. It’s easy to store and even easier to maneuver around the yard.

As you can see, there are a lot of great features on the PowerWorks 51112 that combine to make this a great little pressure washer to use on smaller jobs around your house. It’s easy to operate, has great features that make it much more convenient to use, and won’t tip over and break on you. Combine that with the fact that it is a lot less expensive than many similar residential pressure washers, and you are looking at a great machine.

Cons

Unfortunately, there are a few areas in which the PowerWorks 51112 could stand to see a bit of improvement. Its max pressure is not terribly high, and certain parts could be made of more durable materials. It also uses a lot of water and tends to go through soap rather quickly. But all things considered, this is still a solidly built pressure washer that will consistently deliver the kind of cleaning power you need to take care of lots of different jobs around the house.

1. Cleaning power rating is low : The cleaning power rating on the PowerWorks 51112 is barely above 2000, and this is mainly due to the fact that it has a PSI that is just about average, with a lower flow rate. While the cleaning power rating is fine for a lot of basic jobs around the house, on tougher stains it might not have what it takes to get the job done – at least not without using detergent. Fortunately the soap tank helps with that.
2. Plastic connector fittings : It’s fairly common to see residential pressure washers have plastic connector fittings, and the PowerWorks 51112 is like many in this respect. But if you are using it frequently, the connector will eventually get worn down, which means it will start to leak eventually. To avoid this, replace the plastic connectors with brass ones when you get the PowerWorks 51112. This is not hard to do, and fortunately is not at all expensive.
3. Dispenses soap quickly : You will not be able to adjust the amount of soap the PowerWorks 51112 is going to be adding to your spray, which can be a bit frustrating. You often do not need as much soap as the PowerWorks 51112 is dispensing, and that means that you will wind up going though soap much more quickly than you might need to. Unfortunately there is no real fix for this; if you intend to use soap, be sure you have some in reserve.
4. Low pressure uses more water : The PowerWorks 51112 is environmentally sound because it does not produce carbon emissions or use that much power. But because it does not have a very high pressure spray, you will probably wind up using more water than you might like. This is wasteful, of course, but it also means that you always have to make sure you have a good drainage system so you do not flood the space you are working in.
5. One year warranty : One year warranties are becoming so common on residential pressure washers that this almost did not make it onto the Cons list, but because the industry standard is still two years I tend to see this as a drawback. An extra year would show that the manufacturer had more faith in the pressure washer, and it would also give the consumer more peace of mind in its durability. Still, this is more of a market problem than an issue with the PowerWorks 51112.

While it would certainly be nice if the PowerWorks 51112 had a higher PSI and flow rate to give it a better cleaning power rating, for most jobs it should do just fine. And while brass connector fittings and a longer warranty would certainly be preferable, these are common issues on residential pressure washers and therefore not real problems. Overall the PowerWorks 51112 is still a good pressure washer for home use.

Product Comparison

Of course, while you can learn a lot about a pressure washer by looking at its Pros and Cons, the best way to figure out whether it is the right model for your needs is by doing some comparison shopping. This way you can get a good picture of how it stacks up to other models on the market, and also find out what industry standards are for a number of different product specs.

	PowerWorks 51112	AR Blue Clean AR240	Karcher K5.740
Type	Residential	Residential	Residential
Class	2-wheel	2-wheel	2-wheel
Dimensions	21.8 x 19.1 x 12.8	11.2 x 12.2 x 18	13.1 x 16.8 x 34.3
Power	Electric	Electric	Electric
Motor	120 V / 60 Hz (induction)	120 V / 60 Hz (induction)	120 V / 60 Hz / 13 Amp (water-cooled induction)
PSI	1600	1750	2000
GPM	1.3	1.5	1.4
Power Rating	2080	2625	2800
Pump	Direct-drive axial	3 axial-piston wobble-plate	Direct-drive axial
Cold/Hot	Cold	Cold	Cold
Spray Gun	Ergonomic	Ergonomic	Pro-style
Nozzle	Adjustable jet Turbo	Adjustable jet Foam dispenser	Adjustable jet Dirt blaster
Hose	1/4-inch x 25-foot	1/4-inch x 20-foot	1/4-inch x 25-foot
Hose Material	PVC/plastic	PVC/plastic	PVC/plastic
Power Cord	35-foot	30-foot	35-foot
Weight	28.9 pounds	21 pounds	32 pounds
Warranty	1 year	1 year	1 year

As you can see, the PowerWorks 51112 has the lowest overall cleaning power rating of the three models, and this is primarily the fault of its flow rate, which could certainly be higher. But it is the only one with a built in soap tank, and it has the longest hose of the three models. It also has the lowest center of gravity, which will ensure that you never have to worry about it tipping over. Each pressure washer has its own individual advantages, and the PowerWorks 51112 definitely stacks up to the other two.

Conclusion

While the PowerWorks 51112 compares favorably to similar pressure washers, ultimately the only way to be absolutely sure if it is the right one for you is by making sure the Pros and Cons fit your needs. So before you make your final decision on the PowerWorks 51112, let’s take another look at them.

Conclusion Pros

1. Zero carbon emissions.
2. Built in soap tank.
3. Adjustable jet wand.
4. Low center of gravity.
5. Easy to use.

Like any electric pressure washer, the PowerWorks 51112 produces no emissions. The areas in which it is unique include the built in soap tank and the adjustable jet wand – as well as the low center of gravity. These are important features that should not be overlooked.

Conclusion Cons

1. Cleaning power rating is low.
2. Plastic connector fittings.
3. Dispenses soap quickly.
4. Low pressure uses more water.
5. One year warranty.

The PowerWorks 51112 could use a higher cleaning power rating, and it would be nice if you could adjust the level of soap in the water spray. But these are not huge problems, and other than them it has the basic issues that any residential pressure washer presents.

Final Word

The PowerWorks 51112 is a well designed pressure washer that has a number of unique features that most other residential models simply do not offer. Very few models are this low to the ground, and hardly any have a built in soap tank. Both of these features make the PowerWorks 51112 a very convenient pressure washer. In terms of the maximum PSI, it is about average for an electric pressure washer, and while its flow rate could be higher, it is well equipped to take care of the vast majority of jobs around the house. The PowerWorks 51112 is easy to use, and it won’t take up too much room in your garage or tool shed. In every category that counts, the PowerWorks 51112 delivers. Overall this is a solid pressure washer that you will be able to count on for a long time.

Best Price

One of the best things about the PowerWorks 51112 is the fact that it is so reasonably priced. Many similar residential pressure washers cannot boast the kind of outstanding price tag the PowerWorks 51112 has. In this economy, the kind of bargain the PowerWorks 51112 has to offer will not come along often. And this is not a machine that cuts corners in terms of design or manufacturing. With the PowerWorks 51112, you are going to be getting a solid machine that will consistently perform very well, and you will not have to blow through your entire garden budget to get it.