Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'll update my review when I get my replacement unit... Packaging looked fine, no visible damage to the box it came in so the delivery of the 50 lbs. box was fine. Assembly was pretty simple, there were only a few parts that needed to put together with around a dozen screws. Everything took about 30 minutes from opening the package to getting it ready for use. I went to the local hardware store to pick up detergent to clean my driveway. I connected the hoses, added the detergent to the plastic container on the back of the unit and turned on the water. Then I turned on the power and pulled the trigger and all that came out the spray gun nozzle was water. I gave it a minute just running the water and still no soap or bubbles. I looked at the instructions again to make sure I did everything right and in the correct order. I tried again and all I got was water. I was frustrated at this point so i just removed the soap container, poured most of it back into the jug it came in and mixed water with what remained in the container and just poured it on the driveway. At this point I just wanted to get the job done and deal with the faulty soap pump later. About five minutes in to the spraying with the 15 degree tip attached I noticed it was doing a good job removing the stains and dirt on the driveway when all of a sudden, I lost most of the PSI; the water came out just a little stronger than it would with just hose pressure. I turned to look at the pump/main unit and there was water just pouring out of the bottom. I turned everthing off and examined the unit and without taking it apart, I couldn't tell where or what part was leaking. After a few minutes had passed, out of frustration I turned the power back on to see what would happen and sure enough the water started pouring out again from the bottom. I only had it out in my garage for a total of 30 minutes with the power only being turned on for about 5-10 of those minutes.I don't know if this is a quality control issue or if domething happed durring shipping but to have two different things go wrong so soon after turning it on for the first time doesn't give me confidence with this brand. This is my first Sun Joe product and may be my last... I was looking for a new battery powered cordless lawn mower but I'll probsbly steer clear from this brand... Thank goodness for Amazon's return/replacement policy I'll have a new one in a couple days. It was a hassle taking everything apart, repackaging it and dropping it off at the UPS Store. I am getting a replacement with the same unit so hopefully the next one won't have issues... ********** Update *********** I got my replacement today and I was able to finish power washing the driveway. Putting it together the second time was a breeze since I just did it a few days ago. The new unit worked without a hitch, the soap dispenser worked within seconds after turning the dial and pulling the trigger. It'll take some getting used to to figure out the perfect setting for the job in hand. Turing it half way went through the detergent in the container pretty quick. The washer did its job with the dirt but it couldn't remove some old paint drops that were on the the concrete. I used the 25 degree nozzle for the cleaning, may the 15 degree or the pin point would have taken care of the paint. I increased my rating to three stars for now since I'm still nervous about the reliability and build quality. I plan on power washing my deck next weekend and I'll see how it goes and will update my rating again if all goes well. ********** Update # 2 *********** I power washed a large deck and put the Sun Joe SPX3500 to the extreme test by running it almost continuously for about 8 hours. The only breaks were refilling the soap dispenser, moving around deck furniture and when I need to get out of the sun and get water/snacks. This thing handled everything I put it through without any issues and did everything I expected out of it. The deck belonged to a family member and was in need of a lot of work. It is about 17 years old and the last time it was re-stained was probably 9-10 years ago. I recently did repair work - replacing the stairs and sanding off all the paint that was peeling on the floorboards. The power washer's job was to finish off the removal of the old paint in areas the belt sanders couldn't reach, remove green residue that several plants left behind on the railings and posts and clean the grey & dingy coloring on the floorboards from years of weather and sun. It did everything I wanted and I was happy with the results. Sure it's not as powerful as a gas powered washer but the trade-off benefits of less noise, easy maintenance and simply use makes it a better choice for my needs. I increased my review to 4 stars - it would have been 5 if not for the experience of the first unit I received.