Karcher has revealed its latest cleaner - the KHB 5 Multi Jet - and we've been hands-on with the cleaner to check it out.

Family-owned Karcher is famed for its cleaning tools - from larger power washers to window vacs - but this new tool brings things to a new level, more flexible and affordable for those of us who don't need to clean vast areas but instead just want to tidy up the garden on a semi-regular basis during the spring and summer.

While it's not exactly lightweight at around 3kg in the hand, it's a lot less cumbersome than a full-size power washer and you can also easily store it on a shelf or in another small location, too. 

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It's a cordless cleaner that's not actually cordless - after all, you still need to connect your hosepipe - but the actual device itself boasts the type of 18v Lithium-Ion battery that you'd find on other modern power tools. It gives a very clear indication of the amount of power left on the battery's LCD display. 

If there's one criticism we have of the device, it's that the cleaning cycle doesn't last that long - around 10 minutes on a single charge - but this is enough to do a set of garden chairs and a table, we found. Don't expect to be able to clean your entire patio though - unless you've only got a few slabs! 

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One of the most useful things we've found it for is cleaning bikes, since you can just wheel the bike out of the garage, attach the hose and blast. It's a lot more time-efficient than having to get the soap suds out to remove old dirt and then wash it after. 

Of course, you could always buy a second battery should you wish.  

So that users can be confident they’ve got enough time to complete any cleaning task, the KHB 5 also includes a Real Time LCD battery display which shows at any time the remaining battery level runtime so you can be sure you always have enough power for your cleaning tasks. The same battery can also be used across the complete range of Kärcher battery-powered products.

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There are two different spray lances for different tasks that the KHB 5 can perform. One lance - which you insert, press and twist to lock in place - has five different spray modes in one.

The modes generally cover different pressures, so you can use one for watering something should you want, while others are better for dirt - but without blasting flaky paint off metal chairs, for example. Then a second included lance is called 'dirt blaster' by Karcher, so you can imagine what that does, removing dried-on dirt. A brush is also available separately for cleaning sills, benches and the like. 

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