If you've been scrolling through Facebook, Instagram or the main news sites over the past few weeks, you've almost certainly come across the same gadget we did: the TurboJet.
A small machined fitting. You screw it onto the garden hose, and it's supposed to turn that hose into a pressure washer. Glowing reviews in every gardening group. Adverts everywhere. And piles of messages from readers asking us whether it's actually true.
So we checked for ourselves. We ordered a TurboJet and tested it for 14 days in various spots around the house — with no time for the marketing hype. Here's what we found.
For the typical cleaning jobs around the home — patio, driveway, car, walls — it's noticeably more convenient than a conventional pressure washer. No cable, next to no weight, and it lives in a drawer rather than out in the shed. Here are the test results, step by step:
Ordering & delivery
First hurdle: how reliable is the manufacturer? The TurboJet is sold exclusively through the official manufacturer's website — not on Amazon, not at Bunnings. That makes a lot of readers wary straight away (us included).
We placed our order on Tuesday at 2:32pm. Paid by debit card. Order confirmation landed within 9 minutes. Dispatch notification with an Australia Post tracking number: the next morning.
(IMG1)Packaging: solid. Printed cardboard box, protective foam inside.
Inside the parcel:
- The TurboJet nozzle, machined from a single block (noticeably heavy in the hand)
- A complete adapter kit for all the common fittings
- A manual in English (readable even for those 70+)
- A Quick-Start sticker with the nozzle settings
First impression: this feels like quality, not a plastic toy. The fitting is far heavier than any plastic Bunnings nozzle. Clean threading — no burrs, no sloppy tolerances. Fitting it to the hose: unscrew the old head, screw on the TurboJet. Stopwatch in hand: 20 seconds, no tools.
Test 1: a 32 m² stone patio with algae and moss in the joints
The classic post-winter state: the light slabs were coated in a grey-green film, moss was growing in every joint, and several spots had black stains from rotted leaves. We'd even deliberately let one corner deteriorate over winter to keep the test honest.
How the test went
Fan-jet setting, roughly 25 cm from the ground, moving steadily across the slabs. For stubborn marks we briefly switched to the concentrated jet — enough to lift even the black leaf stains in a single pass.
What surprised us most: the mossy joints. We'd photographed them out of scepticism, convinced we'd need a wire brush. Wrong. The water literally blasted the moss out of the joints, without damaging the joints themselves.
For anyone worried about spray: the fan is tight enough to work with precision — we didn't have to cover or move a single thing.
32 m² completely clean in 14 minutes. No brush, no detergent, no kneeling down. Light stone again, joints cleared out. The nicest surprise of the whole test.
Test 2: an 18 m² concrete path between the house and the garden shed
The tougher case: a narrow strip of concrete running along the house, between the wall and the garden shed. Little sun, plenty of shade — ideal conditions for a thick algae film. The whole surface was covered in a black-green layer — you couldn't even make out the concrete underneath.
How the test went
Here we wanted to know whether the TurboJet could handle the extreme. Straight onto the concentrated jet, working slowly in strips. The black layer lifted immediately — visibly, the instant the jet hit it. It was as if the surface was being peeled off in layers.
What really surprised us: despite how thick the grime was, a single pass was enough. And after 13 minutes of work, no ache in the arms at all — the attachment weighs next to nothing, a real difference from an 11 kg lance.
18 m² taken from black-green to light grey in 13 minutes. A single pass did it. Just as suited to badly neglected areas as to light soiling.
Test 3: the family station wagon after a long highway drive
The test we had the most respect for. Pressure washers and car paint are always a delicate combination — get too close and the paintwork suffers. Our tester's car was coated in dust after a long highway run, with insect splatter on the bonnet and front bumper, and dark brake dust on the wheels.
How the test went
Safe distance of 30 cm, on the gentlest fan setting. First the bonnet and front end, then the sides, then the wheels. The insect residue vanished completely on the second pass. Brake dust on the wheels: four or five minutes per side, and the wheel was genuinely clean.
The most important point for anyone who cares about their paintwork: we checked the paint once it had dried — no scratches, no scuffs, no white marks. The chrome tailgate badge wasn't dented, and the bumper plastic showed no marks at all.
The whole exterior clean in 11 minutes. No car wash, no bucket, no sponge. Paint check afterwards: flawless.
Three bonus uses we tested along the way
Over the 14 days of testing, we also put the TurboJet to work on a few jobs that came up. A quick rundown:
14 metres streaked with algae — an even beige again in 12 minutes. Fan-jet, no need for the concentrated mode.
28 m² with oil stains and tyre marks — concentrated-jet mode, 14 minutes.
Small pavers at the garage entrance, heavily soiled — lifted clean in a single pass.
How does the TurboJet actually work? The physics behind it
At this point in the test, we wanted to understand it. How can an attachment with no motor, no pump and no electricity produce the same pressure as a conventional pressure washer with a top-end pump?
The answer is called the Venturi effect — a piece of 18th-century physics. When water passes through a narrowing pipe, it speeds up. Like putting your thumb halfway over a garden hose — the jet suddenly becomes far stronger.
(IMG5)The TurboJet builds this effect into three successive chambers, each machined more precisely than the last:
- Low-pressure inlet (3–4 bar): what comes out of any garden hose.
- Precision Venturi constriction: machined to within 0.1 mm. This is where the water accelerates to 280 km/h.
- High-pressure outlet (up to 200 bar): that's more than most pressure washers in the $350 range.
Why no cheap plastic Bunnings nozzle reaches this performance: first, plastic can't hold the pressure and bursts within a few weeks. Second, the precision of the Venturi constriction is decisive — with tolerances beyond 0.5 mm, the effect disappears. The TurboJet is machined from a solid block, stable under pressure for the long term.
At a standard hose pressure of 4 bar, the TurboJet produces an effective output of up to 207 bar — comparable to a branded pressure washer in the $350 range.
Frequently asked questions — what we wanted to know from the manufacturer
Yes. The parcel includes a complete adapter kit for all the common fittings — quick-click, ½″, ¾″ and 1″. During the test we tried three different hoses — all of them clicked into place straight away. Even old hoses from the 90s work.
Unscrew the old head, screw on the TurboJet. 20 seconds, no tools. Anyone who can connect a garden hose can fit the TurboJet.
Yes — the Venturi effect amplifies the pressure you already have. Even homes with old pipework and low pressure (3 bar) get the high-pressure effect. At normal mains pressure (4–6 bar) it comfortably outperforms any $300 washer.
No. The TurboJet has an adjustable nozzle — from a gentle fan-jet (car, wood, plants) to a concentrated jet (stubborn grime on stone). During the car test we saw no damage to the paintwork whatsoever.
No. The TurboJet is sold exclusively through the official manufacturer's website. There's a reason: on Amazon and at Bunnings, plastic counterfeits carrying the brand name have appeared — moulded, not machined — and they burst after three weeks.
30-day trial — no questions asked
money-back guarantee
30 days to try it. If it doesn't perform as expected, you simply send it back. No phone calls, no explanation, no retention emails. Full purchase price refunded.
The official manufacturer's website is currently running a launch promotion with up to 60% off every bundle.
The promotion is time-limited — best not to leave it too long.
