JOBSMART Portable 20 Gallon Parts Washer | Tested

Shop Talk

I've been in the market for a new parts washer for the last few months but hadn't really found what I was looking for. My old one worked fine, but was a little small-you could fit a single cylinder head in it, but a twin was iffy. Plus it tended to splash solvent all over the place which was a little dangerous, given the cramped quarters of my shop. I was wandering through my local Tractor Supply store when I stumbled over a JOBSMART 20 Gallon Portable Washer, and knew I'd struck gold.

Although the JOBSMART is labeled "for consumer use only" it incorporates features often found on more expensive professional models. To start with, there's the 20-Gallon tank-which doesn't mean the cleaner requires 20 gallons of solvent. In fact, the solvent capacity is actually 12-gallons, and mine is working just fine with 6.

The 20 gallons actually refers to the size of the cleaning area, which is large enough to accommodate anything I'll ever work on. Other handy features include a lower storage shelf, and drying shelf, with a drain and catch tank, so you can place a cleaned part on the shelf, and any runoff will drain into the catch tank for reuse. I also liked the fact that the unit is mounted on wheels so you can roll it to the work area, making it a bit more versatile than the standard drum or leg mounted parts washers.

The pump is rated for 120V, 192GPH, with the provided flex pipe, so you can flush plenty of solvent over those grimy parts, and as you'd expect the lid uses a fusible link that automatically closes in the event of a fire. There's also a convenient drain plug, so changing the solvent should be a snap. Overall, the unit appears to be sturdily built, with all of the steel parts being finished in red powder coat.

Frankly, it's tough to provide a critical review of something like this. A basic parts washer is nothing more than a tub and pump that sprays solvent. If the tub doesn't leak and the pump keeps working, everything else is down to the quality of the solvent and elbow grease. That being said, I'm going to give the JOBSMART Portable high marks because it's essentially a professional grade washer, and so far it's done everything I'd expect a parts washer to do. I'm going to recommend it without reservation.

JOBSMART 20-Gallon Portable Parts Washer
Rating: Four out of five stars
Price: $129.95
www.tractorsupply.com
www.buffalotools.com

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