The battery-powered WORX Hydroshot WG629 is unique among the electric pressure washers we tested, as almost every one of its features leans toward maximizing portability. We chose to review this product because it's quite innovative, and we also wanted to see if a battery-powered unit could really compete with similarly priced corded units and whether it really is one of the best pressure washers on the market.
Since portability has a big effect on how easily a pressure washer handles, we thought the WORX Hydroshot did very well in our usability tests. On the whole, we found that it's a great option for washing cars but not powerful enough for heavy-duty cleaning. Read of to get all the essential info you'll need to help decide whether this is the product for you or not.
John Carlsen has been writing for Top Ten Reviews since 2013. In that time, he's covered all sorts of tech, ranging from home security devices and ceiling fans to fitness aids, HVAC and pressure washers. He reviewed the WORX Hydroshot WG629 in terms of its portability, its ease of use and overall costs to see how the uniquely portable unit measured up against the other leading products in our pressure washing buying guide.
WORX Hydroshot WG629: Assembly
The manual is full of useful diagrams that show you how to assemble and use the WORX Hydroshot. There are also written descriptions, but the diagrams are especially nice. The Hydroshot takes a close second to the Craftsman CM1800, which comes fully assembled, for the easiest assembly. All the Hydroshot’s components snap together, but you can just as easily take them apart so they fit into the included bag.
WORX Hydroshot WG629: Performance
A quick look at Amazon customer reviews shows that users expecting equal performance with other washers were disappointed. Our test results back this up but also show that the WORX Hydroshot's true potential lies in going places you can't normally use a pressure washer.
During our cleaning tests, we were surprised the WORX Hydroshot WG629 performed as well as most other pressure washers when removing mud from a car. It even outperformed the Portland 63254 and Greenworks GPW1501, which are considerably more powerful. However, the Hydroshot is the only product that failed our driveway oil stain test, with no observable effects. One of our testers even called it a "piece of junk" for this task.
The WORX Hydroshot WG629 has a maximum pressure of 320 PSI and a flow rate of 0.5 GPM, the lowest in our comparison. This limits the machine’s cleaning power but was an intentional choice on WORX's part to prevent it from damaging surfaces.
One thing that sets the WORX Hydroshot WG629 apart from the competition is its five-in-one nozzle. The five settings include 0-degree, 15-degree, 25-degree, and 40-degree spray patterns as well as a shower setting.
The shower setting has very low pressure, which makes it safe enough to water plants or do light rinsing. However, you need to attach the nozzle directly to the sprayer handle for this setting. For high-pressure settings, there's an extension lance that helps build up pressure.
WORX Hydroshot WG629: Ease of use
Using a battery has numerous advantages, but the biggest is you're not tethered to a power outlet, though you need one for charging. The battery also makes the WORX Hydroshot WG629 extremely lightweight, only 3.7 pounds. We like the battery’s convenience for another reason, too: It works with other WORX 20V Power Share tools, so you can swap it between tools as you go through various phases of your project.
In case you don't have access to a water faucet, the manual shows how to use a 5-gallon bucket instead. This is a unique workaround to use while camping or boating, but you must refill the bucket after a few minutes. Although you shouldn't use excessively dirty water, you can attach a filter to the hose to keep stray debris from damaging the pressure washer's internal components.
WORX Hydroshot WG629: Price and warranty
The base kit for the WORX Hydroshot G629 comes with one battery, but you can get extras for around $50 each.
One of the drawbacks we noticed is the Hydroshot doesn't come with a detergent container. Although WORX makes fewer accessories than other brands, you can buy a detergent container separately or in a starter kit that costs $150, about $30 more than the base package cost.
In contrast to most pressure washers we tested, which have one or two-year warranties, the WORX Hydroshot WG629 has an impressive three-year warranty. This is the longest warranty we saw, and only one other product that we tested at the time (the RYOBI RY14122) offered the same coverage.
