Description
Who this machine is for and what it settles
The CRAFTSMAN CMEPW1700 is the entry point of the CRAFTSMAN electric pressure washer line, and the decision it settles is whether an occasional user needs more than a light machine. CRAFTSMAN publishes 1,700 maximum PSI with an asterisk in its own marketing, along with a compact 18.33 by 10.43 by 11.25 inch footprint and a 17.31 pound weight. That is a unit a single person carries out of a shed with one hand, sets up in a couple of minutes, and puts away without needing floor space reserved for it.
What it settles against is scope. This is cold water only, corded, and specified for washing a car or cleaning a back patio in CRAFTSMAN’s own description. A long concrete driveway, a two story siding job or a stripped deck are not the tasks this class of machine finishes quickly. Readers with that kind of work should be comparing against the heavier units in the electric pressure washer category, starting with the CRAFTSMAN CMEPW2100 review in the same family.
The specifications that matter, including the pair that disagree
Cleaning power is pressure and flow together. A machine with high PSI and low flow rinses slowly, and a machine with high flow and low PSI does not lift bonded dirt. Both figures have to be read as a pair, and on this listing the pair does not agree with itself.
The product title states 1700 PSI and 1.2 GPM. The first feature bullet repeats 1700 max psi and 1.2 gpm, with asterisks on both. The maximum flow rate field in the specification block says 2 gallons per minute. That is a difference of two thirds on the flow figure, and flow is the number that determines how fast a surface actually rinses. We are naming both values rather than picking one. The 1.2 GPM figure appears three times against a single instance of 2 GPM, but the specification block is the field most shopping tools read, so the discrepancy is worth confirming with CRAFTSMAN before ordering.
Never read a max PSI figure as a working pressure
CRAFTSMAN writes 1,700 MAX PSI with an asterisk in its own description, which is the manufacturer signaling that the figure is a maximum rather than a sustained working pressure. The listing does not publish what the working pressure is. Treat 1,700 as the ceiling under favorable conditions and expect less in normal use, and apply the same caution to every headline number in this category.
What comes with it and how to use it correctly
The kit includes a 20 foot kink resistant high pressure hose, a 35 foot power cord, a comfort grip wand, onboard storage for the nozzle, hose, cord and wand, a soap applicator bottle, and two nozzles including a turbo nozzle. That last detail matters more than it sounds. Two nozzles is a narrow selection compared with the five tip sets on larger machines, and it limits how finely the spray can be matched to a surface.
A turbo nozzle rotates a narrow jet in a cone. It removes material quickly on concrete and masonry, and it is the tip most likely to leave visible spiral marks on softer surfaces, strip paint or raise the grain on wood. When a job involves siding, painted trim, decking or vehicle paint, the wider fan tip is the correct choice, and where a wide angle tip is not supplied, increasing the distance to the surface is the only remaining control. Test on an inconspicuous area first.
The safety rules for this machine are the same as for any pressure washer regardless of its rating. The jet can force water and contaminants through skin, so never point the wand at a person or an animal and never test the spray against your hand. Wear eye protection, because grit blasted off a surface travels back toward the operator. Keep the spray angled downward on exterior cladding so water is not driven up behind siding, where it stays.
Limits and gaps in the published data
The electrical picture is partially published, which is better than most listings in this catalog. The 35 foot power cord length is stated, and the specification met field lists CSA, with CETA certification also claimed in a feature bullet. What is not published is the amperage draw, the motor wattage, the required circuit rating, or whether a GFCI protected outlet is required. Manufacturers of electric pressure washers commonly restrict or prohibit extension cords, and nothing in this listing addresses that either. Check the manual before running the machine from anything other than the supplied cord.
One field is almost certainly wrong. Tank volume is listed as 1.2 gallons, while the description and bullets describe a soap applicator bottle rather than a tank. A 1.2 gallon detergent reservoir on a 17 pound machine is implausible, and the figure matches the 1.2 GPM flow rate exactly, which suggests a flow number landed in a capacity field during import. We are naming it rather than reporting a tank that may not exist.
Also missing: the maximum inlet water temperature, the required supply pressure and flow, the pump type, and whether the pump can be serviced. Country of origin is given as Vietnam, the model number is CMEPW1700 and the UPC is 885911675000. Amazon showed a rating of 4.3 out of 5 across 2,872 ratings at capture, with a sales rank of 802nd in Patio, Lawn and Garden and 7th in pressure washers. Rank measures units sold and nothing else.
Alternatives worth comparing
Inside the same brand, the CRAFTSMAN CMEPW1900 review is the immediate step up and the CMEPW2100 linked above is the next one after that. Outside it, the Sun Joe SPX3000 review covers the machine this class is most often cross shopped against, with a five tip set and dual detergent tanks, and the Karcher K1700 review covers a similarly named unit from a different maker with its own flow rate discrepancy in the listing data.
If the real job is large area concrete, no electric unit in this size class will be quick, and the machines in the gas pressure washer category are where that requirement leads. Gas machines carry a hard restriction that electrics do not: they produce carbon monoxide and must never be run indoors or in a garage, including with the door open.
Who should buy it and who should not
Buy it if you wash a car, some patio furniture and a small deck a few times a season, want something light enough to carry with one hand, and value the 35 foot cord for reaching an existing outlet. Do not buy it expecting the 2 GPM figure in the specification block, do not rely on a turbo nozzle for painted or wooden surfaces, and do not buy it for a large driveway. Confirm the outlet and extension cord requirements in the manual before the first use.
