Bosch EasyAquatak 120 review: small yet mighty pressure
It isn’t the most expensive, nor the most advanced, or even the best built, but the Bosch EasyAquatak 120 pressure washer is a perfect all-rounder if you’re getting started in the world of pressure washers. It makes for a great entry-point and experience trainer until you fancy upgrading to a more powerful unit, should you end up deciding so.
It’s a compact little unit that packs a punch. It sits on the lower end of the Bosch pressure washer spectrum with 1500W of power, which helps churn out 350 litres per hour at 120 Bar of pressure. This is competitively capable for the price point, and surpasses most cordless pressure washers, and a testament to how well Bosch can package a pressure washer’s top notch capabilities in a compact unit.
It’s a fairly basic unit with a five-metre hose, a few nozzle attachments and plastic exterior trim that can hold the main hose in place. It’s no-nonsense, no complications, and a simple to use compact pressure washer that proved to be a great upgrade over a regular hose.
This test and review of the Bosch EasyAquatak 120 pressure washer was conducted and written by Aaron Hussain. As a classic car owner, he is fastidious about vehicle protection and ensuring he has all the products he needs to protect paintwork and the underside as much as possible, ranging from budget pressure washers to underseal.
Verdict: an ideal pressure washer for beginners that boasts quality, power, and cleaning capability all in one reasonably priced unit. If only it was a tad easier to move around.
Verdict score: 4.5/5
How do we test and place a verdict on pressure washers?
How capable they are at cleaning cars is our number 1 priority, which can be correlated to flow rate as well as how much pressure the machine churns out when under operation.
However, neither of these aspects would be useful without ease of use. We also want the user to ultimately be able to operate the pressure washer comfortably and without feeling overwhelmed in its setup or operation.
And who could recommend a pressure washer if it didn’t represent good value for money? The difference between the user and the machine is the cost between them, and that’s vital to us.
Pros
- Good materials and build quality throughout the machine and its attachments
- Feels pleasant to hold and wash a car with
- Easy to use, thanks to simple controls and attachments
Cons
- We wish it was on wheels for even easier manoeuvrability
| Dimensions | 15.7 x 7.8 x 14.7cm |
| Weight | 4kg |
| Flow rate | 350 litres per-hour |
| Pressure | 120 Bar |
| Hose length | 5m |
Bosch EasyAquatak 120: what’s good?
The main thing that I noticed about the Bosch EasyAquatak 120 that would benefit any pressure washer newbie is how good it is at spraying water. This sounds like stating the obvious, but you have to bear in mind this pressure washer starts from just over £100, which is close to the bottom end of the spectrum for corded units.
It produces water at 350 litres per hour at 120 Bar of pressure. While these aren’t top-end figures, you shouldn’t expect them to be at this price point. In your hands, it feels powerful. It feels like you’re holding a wraith of machine rather than a soft hose which you might be used to. This pressure figure is also ideal for paintwork, a sweet spot between cleaning power and not leaving damage.
The 120 is also not intimidating to hold either. You can grip it relatively lightly without worrying that it will be too powerful. And while it’s not the smoothest in operation, you don’t feel much vibration in your hands; it feels well-engineered and durable enough for the price point. A Kärcher K2, in comparison, rattles like an old train.
Bosch EasyAquatak 120: what’s okay?
The materials used on the Bosch EasyAquatak 120 aren’t top-grade, but they’re certainly good enough. Nilfisk tend to nail build quality better than its competitors at any price point, and it’s no different here. The 120 is a good effort from Bosch from a build quality perspective, but it’s not class-leading for budget pressure washers.
The nozzles aren’t the most advanced in the world. Competitions from Kärcher and Nilfisk do have a nicer variety in nozzles and settings, and this is where Bosch could improve by giving its users more choices in pressure washing settings. The nozzles included with the 120 differ only slightly compared to what others offer.
Bosch EasyAquatak 120: any negatives?
There aren’t many gripes with the 120, but there are a few drawbacks that let the side down slightly. Chief among them is that the side attachment was quite tricky to get off once it was attached. Of course, you wouldn’t necessarily need to get the hose holder off, but the machine can’t fit back into the box if you have it installed, which can make re-packaging trickier than it needs to be.
The other slightly annoying aspect is that the machine doesn’t have wheels. This can make it slightly more difficult to move around, especially with a five-metre hose on tap. Comparable pressure washers that sit on wheels score some points where the 120 lose them.
Other than those tiny little things, I really like the Bosch EasyAquatak 120 overall. It represents great value for money, is built properly, and is a mighty little thing when cleaning a dirty vehicle. It just has to be on wheels, and have a longer hose than a mere five-metres, and then it’d be perfect.
Most capable budget pressure washer
It develops the same amount of pressure as the Bosch at 120 Bar of it. But the Ryobi develops 420 litres per-hour - which is 70 more than the Bosch. Like the main product we're reviewing, you don't get too much in the way of attachments, but at under £115 RRP before discounts, it represents extortionately good value for money.
Pros
- Exceptional value for money at £115 RRP
- Immensely capable at 420 litres per-hour at 120 Bar of pressure
- Easier to move around than the Bosch, thanks to the rear wheels
Cons
- Hose is still a bit too short at 5-metres long
- There are only two hose attachments included
| Dimensions | 48 x 32 x 52.5cm |
| Weight | 10kg |
| Flow rate | 420 litres per-hour |
| Pressure | 120 Bar |
| Hose length | 5 metres |
Best quality budget pressure washer
Unfortunately however, the hose is still too short at five metres long, but it is fairly lightweight at 7.1kg, and considering it's on wheels, that makes it easier to move around than the Bosch.
Pros
- Great build quality and materials, as per Nilfisk products
- High flow rate (higher than the others) at 438 litres per-hour
- Easy to move around with a weight of 7.1kg
Cons
- Hose length is still very short at five-metres long
| Dimensions | 28.2 x 11.4 x 11.8cm |
| Weight | 7.1kg |
| Flow rate | 438 litres per-hour |
| Pressure | 125 Bar |
| Hose length | 5 metres |
Most comprehensive budget pressure washer
However, I was a little let down by how harsh and vibrating it felt in my hands compared to the others. It certainly challenged my palm muscles a touch, though not to the level where I needed to put it down. But it's something to keep in mind when shopping for your pressure washer.
Pros
- Patio cleaner included in this kit, which is a nice bonus
- Lightweight unit at just 4kg, which makes it easy to move around
- Powerful enough at 360 litres per-hour at 110 Bar of pressure
Cons
- Does feel a bit harsher in your hands from a vibrations perspective
| Dimensions | 24.6 x 28 x 58.6cm |
| Weight | 4kg |
| Flow rate | 360 litres per-hour |
| Pressure | 110 Bar |
| Hose length | 5 metres |
How was the Bosch EasyAquatak 120 tested?
The 120 was tested by cleaning a couple of staff members’ cars with a simple wash-and-rinse shampoo job, with pre-wash applied on one of them to rid bugs and stubborn filth. We hooked it up to an outside socket and ran it from an outside tap at the back of the Parkers HQ. We tried its attachments as well for a thorough test, but there weren’t many included.
Who tested the Bosch EasyAquatak 120?
The 120 was tested by Aaron Hussain, a commercial content writer for Parkers and its sister site, CAR. As a classic car owner, he is passionate about protecting a vehicle as much as he can – which extends to pressure washers (even if they’re under £100) as they’re useful items for clearing away muck and elements from the underside of a vehicle, thus preventing rot.
However, he couldn’t have done it without help from Ryan Gilmore, the deputy commercial content editor of the auto brands, Parkers and CAR, and Paula Cullington, our writer on the ownership team for both brands.
Aaron Hussain is a commercial content writer at Bauer Media writing for Parkers and CAR. He is obsessed with classic cars and anything with a fascinating story to tell.
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