Walmart sells a foldable version of the Karcher.. I picked it up after season for $300 (usually July after 4th). I like the Karcher for customer service, a phoned in complaining there are dripping from the quick connect, they send a whole new assembly and hose after diagnosing the problem over the phone.
Things to note about gas powered pressure washers.. the motor and pump are usually compatible with other brands. The name of the washer is actually the company that puts together the parts from different manufacturers.
What determines the longevity is actually the pistons in the water pump instead the engine (Briggs/ Honda etc don't really matter, unless you service your own motors and stock parts and manuals). While shopping, it is best to flip up the washer and look for the manufacturer name and origin of the pump. In general you don't want Chinese made pumps, because they usually use rubber pistons which will wear out/ shrink and crack even after a season. You want ones that use ceramic pistons.. so you will need to google up the specs of the pump. I would say pumps with an unloader valve usually are a bit better in quality.
At CT, all the washers are actually very similar despite different brand names. They all use pumps by an Italian company called Annovi Reverberi but they are made in China.
What if your pump turns on but doesn't pump water anymore? You can disassemble the pump and get a replacement at places like KMS or Summit. They are about $200 a pop for a quality pump (
in comparison I saw a whole new gas one from Walmart for $149), that's why I suggest get a good one to start. You can replace the pistons but it is such a pain in the ass, you need a few tools from engine building.. not the most easy DIY. You can also negotiate prices at KMS and Summit and also test drive power washers, those are better if you move it around quite a bit because a few of them have big inflatable tires etc. The staff there can also answer whether the pump pistons are ceramic or not, because I am sure they get a lot of people needing new pumps.
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