DeWalt 3300 PSI 2.4 GPM Cold Water Gas Pressure Washer with HONDA GCV200 Engine

Why I chose the DeWalt 3300 for my spring cleanup

I pulled the DeWalt 3300 out for a weekend of siding, fence, and driveway cleaning—jobs that overwhelm most electric units. The headline spec is 3300 PSI at 2.4 GPM with a Honda GCV200 under the shroud. That combination is a sweet spot for residential work: enough pressure to move embedded grime and lift oxidized paint, enough flow to rinse quickly, and an engine that doesn’t feel overworked doing it.

Setup and first impressions

Assembly is simple: bolt on the handle, connect the hose, add oil, and you’re ready for fuel. The included 50-foot polyurethane hose is much nicer than the stiff vinyl hoses that come with budget machines—light, flexible, and less likely to imprint coils into itself. I like the 12-inch wheels; they roll easily over grass and mulch without bogging down.

Two notes from unboxing:

• My unit arrived with a small cosmetic dent on the fuel tank. Function wasn’t affected, but it’s worth inspecting before you leave the store.
• The oil drain sits near a frame rail. Draining without a mess required a bit of aluminum foil to channel the oil past the frame.

Power and cleaning performance

The DeWalt 3300 is legitimately capable. On concrete, pairing the 15-degree tip or a 15–16-inch surface cleaner, I cut a two-car driveway and front walk in a single afternoon. On composite decking, the 25-degree tip at a little extra distance lifted algae without furring the surface. For cedar and other softwoods, I switched to the 40-degree tip and kept the wand moving—this much pressure can damage soft grain if you get careless.

A few takeaways from performance testing:

• Pressure and flow balance: At 2.4 GPM, rinsing is quick and you don’t end up chasing dirty water around. The machine feels efficient, which matters when you’re running on a small fuel tank.
• Nozzle set: The quick-connect tips are good quality, and the low-pressure soap nozzle works as expected with the onboard detergent tank. For large flat areas, a surface cleaner is almost mandatory; it prevents striping and saves a ton of time.
• Siding and fencing: The 25- and 40-degree tips with detergent pre-soak made quick work of mildew on vinyl and painted wood. Keep your angle shallow and work top-down to avoid forcing water behind the material.

Engine behavior and starting

Cold starts are excellent. The auto choke and Honda’s easy-pull recoil meant first- or second-pull starts consistently. The idle-down feature kicks in when you release the trigger, dropping RPM, noise, and fuel consumption. It’s a real quality-of-life improvement on intermittent tasks.

Hot restarts were more variable. After running hard, shutting down for 20–30 minutes, and trying to restart, I occasionally fought a heat-soaked carb that didn’t want to wake up. A few tips that helped:

• Squeeze and hold the trigger on the spray gun while pulling to reduce pump load.
• Give it a minute with the fuel cap cracked to relieve vapor pressure on hot days.
• Avoid full choke on hot restarts; half-choke or no choke worked better for me.

Once running, the engine is smooth. Honda’s low-oil shutdown gives some peace of mind, and the air filter and spark plug are easy to access.

Pump and duty cycle

This unit uses a maintenance-free axial cam pump with thermal relief. That means:

• Pros: No pump oil changes, simpler ownership, compact package.
• Cons: Axial pumps don’t love hours-long daily duty. If you plan to use a washer commercially or for marathon sessions, a triplex pump would be the better investment.

The thermal relief is there to protect against heat buildup when the gun is closed, but you shouldn’t leave it idling in bypass for long. If you need to step away for more than a couple minutes, shut it down.

Hose, wand, and ergonomics

The 50-foot hose length is perfect for most homes; I rarely moved the machine once I had it centrally located. A few ergonomic notes:

• Wand and gun: The 16-inch wand is on the short side. It’s fine for close-in work, but a 24–36 inch wand gives you more control for decks and sidewalks.
• Holster and routing: The spray gun holster doesn’t hold the gun as securely as I’d like, and the hose storage is on the opposite side from the outlet, so you’re wrapping across the frame. It works, but it’s inelegant.
• Handle height and balance: The handle is low for taller users, and I occasionally clipped my heels towing it across flat ground. The upright frame is stable, but the handle shape consumes more storage space than it needs to, and vertical storage isn’t practical—fuel can seep past the cap if you tip it up.

Noise and vibration

It’s loud—about what you’d expect from a 200 cc engine running a pump at load. The idle-down helps when you’re off the trigger, but during work sessions you’ll want ear protection for yourself and maybe a heads-up to the neighbors. Vibration through the gun is moderate and typical for this class.

Fuel use and runtime

The listed tank is small, and in practice I saw 40–60 minutes per fill depending on load and how often the idle-down could do its thing. Bring extra fuel if you’re tackling large areas. The auto-idle meaningfully extends runtime on stop-and-go tasks like fence and siding.

Detergent and winterization

The integrated soap tank is convenient for house and deck washes. Two cautions:

• Only run pressure-washer-safe detergents. Bleach and solvent mixes are a quick way to shorten pump life.
• Flush the tank and hose with clean water after use. Before winter, push pump saver through the inlet until it exits the wand; it protects seals from freezing and keeps the check valves from sticking in the spring.

What it’s best for

• Driveways, patios, and walkways with a surface cleaner
• Siding and fencing with detergent pre-soak
• Deck maintenance when used gently and with the right tip
• General-purpose homeowner use where speed matters more than all-day duty cycles

What could be better

• Hot restart can be finicky after a heat soak
• Spray gun holster and hose wrap feel like an afterthought
• Oil drain placement makes clean changes harder than they should be
• Handle height and storage footprint aren’t optimized for taller users and tight garages
• Small fuel tank means frequent refills on big jobs

Warranty, service, and ownership

DeWalt backs the frame for five years, the pump for two, and the engine for two, with 90 days on accessories. It’s worth noting that engine service goes through Honda’s small-engine network, while pump/frame issues go through DeWalt’s channels. That split is common, but it means you should keep your documentation organized and know your nearest authorized service centers before you need them.

Final recommendation

I recommend the DeWalt 3300 to homeowners who want real cleaning speed without stepping up to a commercial rig. It starts easily when cold, has more than enough cleaning authority for residential tasks, and the 50-foot hose plus idle-down make it pleasant to live with. You’ll work faster than with any midrange electric, and the Honda engine inspires confidence.

You do trade a few things for the convenience: an axial pump that isn’t meant for daily professional use, a small fuel tank, and some design quirks that show up during storage and maintenance. Hot restarts can be stubborn until you learn the technique, and the noise is every bit “gas pressure washer loud.”

If your use is seasonal cleanups, a few big driveway or deck projects, and periodic siding washes, the DeWalt 3300 hits a practical sweet spot. If you need a washer for all-day, every-day work, look to a triplex-pump unit with a larger tank and heavier frame. For the typical homeowner, though, this machine earns its keep.