JetWet’s portable pressure washer could finally end your muddy misery

All-in-one scoosher goes anywhere, sprays everything

Published: December 21, 2018 at 12:01 am

No one likes bringing mud home after a ride, but sometimes there isn’t a hose handy and it’s a necessary evil. Portable pressure washers offer one possible solution, and the JetWet Sport Power Washer is the latest of these to show up at BikeRadar HQ.

JetWet Sport Power Washer specs

Measures 32.8cmx26.2cmx32.3cm
9-litre removable water bladder
Internal rechargeable lead acid battery
Up to 30 minutes claimed runtime between charges
Claimed 4.5 minutes to empty reservoir
36–87psi working pressure
12V car power cable
Nozzle adjustable for spray pattern

Wash it all about anyway?

Even fully filled, the JetWet is easy enough to carry around

Matthew Allen / Immediate Media

The JetWet is a fully self-contained washer that houses a 9-litre water bladder, a pump and battery.An adjustable nozzle attaches to a flexible, fabric-encased tube which is stored in a pouch on the front of the unit. (Note that these parts are slightly different on the current US version of the JetWet. To my eyes, the UK hose looks to be better protected.)

The JetWet has a 9-litre reservoir

Matthew Allen / Immediate Media

The JetWet charges using a mains adapter, and claims to offer a run time of 30 minutes. That’s battery duration by the way — JetWet says you’ll empty the reservoir in four and a half minutes of continuous spraying.

The JetWet will run off standard 12v car outlets

Matthew Allen / Immediate Media

The JetWet can also be run directly off the 12v outlets in your car. You can’t recharge the battery this way, however.

JetWet first impressions

The pistol-grip spray handle seems to work well

Matthew Allen / Immediate Media

I haven’t given the JetWet a proper try-out yet, but a quick test was encouraging. Even with a brimmed bladder, the JetWet is easy to carry around using the shoulder strap and as its fully self-contained with a pouch for the hose, there are no trailing pipes or cables to mess around with.The adjustable nozzle offers everything from a very precise stream to a delicate mist. It’s a far cry from a full-on mains-powered pressure washer in terms of power, but seems well suited to shifting muck off a bike immediately post-ride.

The spray pattern has a wide range of adjustment

Matthew Allen / Immediate Media

The power level should be kinder to your bike too, because you’re less likely to force water into your bearings unwittingly. For context, Kärcher’s mains-powered K 2 Compact has a nominal pressure of 110-bar / 1,595psi, while the JetWet peaks at a claimed 6-bar / 87psi.

The 0 setting is off, I is battery power, and II uses the 12v input. The charging port is below the switch

Matthew Allen / Immediate Media

I did feel like the JetWet’s hose storage could be a little more elegant. I found that it didn’t coil neatly, and I ended up just stuffing it into its pouch after use.

JetWet vs Kärcher vs Worx

Aesthetically, the JetWet does have a slightly homegrown feel to it, lacking the polish of the similarly portable Kärcher OC3, for instance. At full retail the Kärcher is a lot more expensive, but you can pick one up for under £100 right now, so there’s not much in it.

Having said that, the JetWet offers double the claimed run time and holds more than twice as much water, which will be important to some riders.

Another possible rival is the Worx Hydroshot, which has the advantage of being able to run off any source of water (lakes and puddles included). BikeRadar hasn’t tested the Worx yet so we can’t comment on how well it stacks up in practice.

JetWet pricing and availability

The JetWet Sport Power Washer costs £85 / $99 and is available to buy now. US readers can get theirs from JetWet USA, while the UK supplier is via jetwet.co.uk.

Matthew Loveridge

Senior Writer

Matthew Loveridge (formerly Allen) is an experienced mechanic and an expert on bike tech who appreciates practical, beautifully-engineered things. Originally a roadie, he likes bikes and kit of every stripe, and he's tested a huge variety of both over the years for BikeRadar, Cycling Plus and others. At 174cm tall and 53kg, he looks like he should be better at cycling than he actually is, and he's ok with that.