Man, always looking for faster ways to clean my big concrete driveway. Saw these gadgets called water brooms and surface cleaners for my pressure washer. Couldn't figure out which one actually saved time, so I grabbed 'em both to test out last weekend. Gotta share what happened.

Getting Set Up

First, dragged my pressure washer outta the garage. Hooked up the hose, got the gas can ready. Laid out my two contenders: the water broom I got online last season, and this newer surface cleaner attachment I finally bought. Both looked simple enough to hook up.

The Water Broom Test

Started with the water broom. Clamped it onto the wand, twisted it tight. Turned the pressure washer on – boom, loud as ever. Started moving sideways across the concrete, kinda like sweeping. Water blasted down in a flat fan pattern. Felt alright at first, but man, it was messy. Water and dirt splashed everywhere, soaking my pants. Had to make lots of passes back and forth. The pattern wasn't super even either; some spots looked clean fast, others needed extra scrubbing motion. Felt like it took forever to cover one section. My back was starting to feel it from going side-to-side so much.

Switching to the Surface Cleaner

Okay, unhooked the broom, screwed on the surface cleaner. This thing's like a metal donut with spinning nozzles underneath. Turned the pressure washer back on. Instantly different. Just walked forward slowly, like pushing a lawnmower. The jets underneath spin super fast, scrubbing the concrete as it glides. Huge difference in splash back – stayed way cleaner myself. Covered ground way faster too, like walking in straight lines instead of sweeping. The clean pattern? Much more even. Could see exactly where I'd been.

Comparing the Time and Results

Did a timed section for each gadget on equally dirty patches:

• Water Broom: Felt like a workout. Took me almost 15 minutes for maybe 10x10 feet? Maybe longer. Legit got tired. Still had to go over some patches again.
• Surface Cleaner: Seriously easier push. Covered the same size area in maybe 5 minutes? Maybe less? Just pushed, kept walking. Done. Whole surface looked consistent.

Winner clear as day. The surface cleaner was way faster, easier on me, and gave a better clean with less mess flying around. The water broom? It kinda works, sure, but it's slower and messier. For big flat spaces like a driveway, patio, or sidewalk – surface cleaner hands down.

Honestly, might not even use the water broom much anymore. Surface cleaner just gets it done. No brainer if you're cleaning concrete a lot. Learned my lesson on that one!