Aqua2go PRO - Smart Pressure Cleaner

The Aqua2go PRO - Smart Pressure Cleaner is the most sophisticated portable pressure washer I've used. It's just the thing for post-ride bike clean-ups if you don't have a hose handy or your mains pressure's a bit feeble.

Washing bikes is a pain, so anything that makes it easier is good. The Aqua2go PRO - Smart Pressure Cleaner pumps out a stream of water that shifts mud and grime, but isn't so intense it'll rinse the grease out of your bearings if you're a bit sloppy with it.

Buy Aqua2go PRO - Smart Pressure Cleaner

The trigger-operated spray gun comes with three nozzles: the usual adjustable spray, a brush and a shower head. The spray gun is the one you'll use most and it works well enough. A few turns of the nozzle switches it between a broad spray and a narrow jet but the spray gun and attachments don't feel as high-quality as the rest of the washer.

The 20-litre water capacity means that when it's full it's heavy. I certainly wouldn't want to carry it more than a few metres. Aqua2go has thought of that and fitted wheels and a fold-out handle so you can tow it around, like a very heavy plastic overhead bag.

You can run the Aqua2go from either your car's 12V socket or the included battery pack. Since you're going to be carrying it your car, and sooner or later you're going to need a torch to find out where you've dropped your keys, Aqua2go has incorporated the battery pack into a torch and included a USB socket for charging small devices such as your phone or GPS. Four blue LEDs indicate the charge state of the battery.

And that's not all. The pump can be removed from the tank and used independently. It has a standard Hoselock connector so you can attach a hose and put the other end in whatever water supply you have available. All very ingenious.

If you do stick with the tank, as you probably will most of the time, there's easily enough water and battery capacity to wash two bikes.

The obvious applications are mountain biking and cyclocross where you want to clean up a bike before taking it home, but I've found it handy at home too. It's easier to pull it out of the garage and give a bike quick rinse after a soggy ride than to drag a dirty bike through the house to the back garden. Your mileage will vary of course, but if, say, you live in a flat, then this is a big improvement on washing your bike in the shower.

I'd have liked a hose lance to get me away from spray bounce-back, and to make it easier to get the water right into frame nooks and crannies. The spray gun and attachments are a bit basic; I managed to break the brush head with some industry standard clumsiness, but it's not like I don't have plenty of bike-cleaning brushes around.

Those niggles aside, this is a well-made, full-featured and very convenient bike cleaner.

Verdict

Well-thought-out bike cleaner with some clever extra features