So I was in my garage staring at my crappy Westinghouse pressure washer that stopped working after just two months. Thought hey, who actually builds these things? That old Westinghouse logo looks legit, but something felt off. Grabbed my laptop and started digging.

The Google Rabbit Hole

First thing I typed was "Westinghouse pressure washer manufacturer." Tons of shady forum posts popped up. Some dude claimed they're made by Karcher, another said Briggs & Stratton. Felt like a wild goose chase. Clicked through five pages until I found a post mentioning some company called "TTI." Had zero clue who that was.

Product Teardown Clues

Took my broken machine apart right there on the garage floor. Scraped grease off the motor with a screwdriver - found tiny letters stamped under grime: "CN" followed by numbers. Googled that code and bam! It's a Chinese manufacturer in Guangdong. But their website showed generic motors, no brand names anywhere.

Corporate Address Hunt

Checked the warranty card address: "Westinghouse Outdoor Power Equipment - 3333 Beverly Road, Illinois." Plugged that into Google Maps. Satellite view showed this massive warehouse complex. Searched the property records - turns out it's just a distribution center owned by... surprise! TTI again.

• Spent 20 mins on their corporate site maze
• Found their "brand portfolio" page buried under investor relations
• Westinghouse wasn't listed anywhere

The Patent Breakthrough

Got desperate and searched USPTO patents for recent pressure washer designs. Filtered by Westinghouse-related filings. Most patents expired decades ago. Then I spotted a 2021 design patent for a nozzle assembly - assigned to TTI. Cross-referenced with FCC certifications on file for electric pressure washers. All TTI IDs.

Supplier Confirmation

Remembered my neighbor works at Home Depot. Called him up - he checked their vendor system right then. Texted me back: "Dude, all Westinghouse outdoor stuff comes from TTI's PO system. We literally get them in crates labeled 'TTI OEM product.'"

So turns out Westinghouse is just a sticker slapped on by Techtronic Industries (TTI), same company that makes Ryobi and Hoover. All these years I thought I had vintage American engineering. Reality? It's rebranded Chinese tools with a dead company's name. Feels like finding out your luxury watch came from a flea market.