The Simpson Cleaning ALH3425 is the ultimate pressure washer for serious cleanups!

This is my first pressure washer and I wanted to get a good one. Sure, I could save some coin buying a lesser unit, but I didn't want to spend all weekend cleaning my driveway and patio. I'm glad I got the big one.Mine was slightly damaged during shipping; more on that later.After adding the included oil and filling the tank with fresh gasoline, I fed the pump some hose water and pulled the recoil starter. It fired right up, as a Honda should! I started off with the rotary head (rated for 4.0 GPM) and it immediately began to clear the scum from my driveway. The engine is well muffled for such a large displacement, by the way. The 50 foot hose is adequate for most residential needs, but adding a 100 footer to the accessories pile would help for cleaning off rockeries and brickwork around the backyard. This is the Evergreen State after all and moss is EVERYWHERE! Moss has met it's match with this unit, but I digress..The 4500 PSI rated hose is of a 3/8" size, and it's burly but not too unwieldy; there is a price for power. I found the hose needs a bit of attention to deliberately lay out according to your intended cleaning path because loops and twists are not easily handled without setting down the wand, walking back to the problem and uncoiling it manually. Again, it's par for the course here.The big Honda 390 pushes 4 gallons per minute with serious authority; it's easy to get cavalier with the wand but care must be used when getting close to wood as it will tear it up in no time flat, especially with a turbo head. Reducing the pressure and flow with the regulator on the wand proved invaluable around delicate structures and planter areas; I can't imagine using this machine without it.I really love the aluminum base and frame. It's nice to know that it will never rust and weight has been kept to a minimum. As for the CAT pump, what's not to like? Industrial duty and rebuildable, it's the best money can buy. And when it comes to pressure washers, it's really all about the pump.I can also say that if your plans for a pressure washer consist primarily of auto or boat washing, this unit is overkill extreme. An electric Karcher or similar machine would be much better suited to you. If you value your time as much as your money and want to spend more of it enjoying your property then cleaning it, this is the one to get!Now about the damage. The courier that delivered the box to my house had noted that they received it with the cardboard already torn and plastic shipping wrap bandaging up the sad sight. A brief inspection didn't show anything wrong, but as soon as the courier left, I noticed the frame had gotten bent and the handle wouldn't slide on. I decided to just bend the post back in place enough to slide the handle on and live with it. Thankfully the engine proper didn't sustain any blows.I've given the unit 5 stars because I think it deserves it, but Simpson has got to do something about their packaging. It's totally inappropriate to ship a 1300 dollar 125 pound machine in a 2 dollar single corrugated cardboard box. The machine was essentially swimming in a paper sack by the time it made it to my driveway. The wand and tube were simply dropped in the box without any extra protection and the fact that they weren't damaged or missing is nothing short of a miracle.In summary, I would say that if you order one of these, you're rolling the dice when it comes to damage. Be prepared to refuse the shipment or hassle with aftermath from a significant impact.