Kärcher · 420 against 500 litres an hour
Is the K 5 worth the step up from the K 4, or is the difference just marketing?
Two machines from the same range, one bundle apart. The pressure difference is decorative; the flow difference is time.
| Compared on | K 4 FJ Home | K 5 FJ |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum pressure | 130 bar | 145 bar |
| Flow rate | 420 l/h | 500 l/h |
| Area performance | 30 m²/h | 40 m²/h |
| Weight | 5.7 kg | 6.3 kg |
| Surface cleaner included | Yes — T 5 | No |
| Handling | Carried | Wheels and fixed handle |
| Markets verified | Five | Five |
A tick marks the better answer on that line only. Counting ticks does not decide the page — the two verdicts below do, because these machines answer different questions.
Buy the K 4 for a courtyard or a small terrace: it includes the T 5 surface cleaner, which is worth more than the extra flow on a small area.
Buy the K 5 for a long drive or a large terrace — a fifth more water is roughly a fifth off the time, every session. Budget for a surface cleaner, because this version has none.
Almost none. Between 130 and 145 bar, technique, nozzle choice and dwell time dominate completely. The eighty litres an hour is what shortens the job.
The K 4, if you would otherwise have to buy a surface cleaner — it comes with one. The K 5, if you already own a surface head or the area is large enough that flow rate decides your afternoon.
130 bar · 420 l/h · 30 m²/h · 5.7 kg
The first Kärcher that publishes its flow rate — and the number that tells you what the machine will actually do.
Best for: A terrace, a drive and a car, cleaned two or three times a year, where the K 3 would need too many passes
≈ 220 €
145 bar · 500 l/h · 40 m²/h · 6.3 kg
Five hundred litres an hour and a fixed handle: the point in the range where the machine stops being carried and starts being wheeled.
Best for: A long drive, a large terrace or several vehicles — where flow rate, not pressure, sets the finishing time
≈ 250 €
