Sun Joe SPX3000 vs Craftsman 1700 PSI Electric: Which Is Better?

Overview

Alright, let’s get this straight. I’m a contractor—I clean driveways, strip decks, wash houses, and haul my gear in a rattling work van. I bought the Sun Joe SPX3000 and the Craftsman 1700 PSI Electric with my own cash, ran them side-by-side for a month straight, and I’m telling you what’s worth your money.

The Sun Joe SPX3000 is the budget king that everyone online keeps screaming about. It’s 2030 PSI, 1.76 GPM, and weighs 24.3 pounds. It’s aimed at homeowners who want to wash their car, clean the patio, and maybe pretend they’re a pro for an afternoon. It’s cheap, it’s plastic, and it damn well works.

The Craftsman 1700 PSI Electric is the little brother that nobody talks about. 1700 PSI, 1.2 GPM, 22 pounds. It’s sold at Sears and Ace Hardware, and it’s meant for the guy who wants something simple, no fuss, and doesn’t mind paying a bit more for a name he trusts. It’s lighter, but it’s also weaker on paper.

Who are these for? The Sun Joe is for the guy who wants max cleaning power for the lowest possible price. The Craftsman is for the guy who thinks “Craftsman” means it won’t break after one season. I’ll tell you right now: only one of those guys is walking away happy.

Spec Comparison

Let’s put the numbers on the table. I hate reading spec sheets as much as you do, but here’s what matters when you’re blasting mud off a truck:

• PSI (Pressure): Sun Joe – 2030 | Craftsman – 1700. That’s a 330 PSI difference. Doesn’t sound like much, but on old concrete, that’s the difference between a clean driveway and a half-assed one.
• GPM (Flow): Sun Joe – 1.76 | Craftsman – 1.2. This is the real killer. GPM is what washes away dirt; PSI just breaks it loose. The Sun Joe pushes half a gallon more per minute. That’s a huge difference when you’ve got a big job.
• Weight: Sun Joe – 24.3 lbs | Craftsman – 22 lbs. Both are light enough to carry around. The Craftsman is a couple pounds lighter, but neither will break your back.
• Hose Length: Sun Joe – 35 feet | Craftsman – 30 feet. Five more feet of hose on the Sun Joe. That matters more than you think when you’re working around a corner.
• Motor Type: Both are electric, universal brush motors. No difference in tech—just power delivery.

On paper, the Sun Joe wins. Higher pressure, more flow, longer hose. The Craftsman costs more and delivers less. That’s the math. But paper don’t clean concrete. So I took ‘em both outside.

Performance

I set up the worst-case scenario: a client’s 2018 Ford F-250 that had been sitting in a field for two months. Mud caked on the wheel wells, dried cow shit on the lower panels, and a layer of tree sap on the roof. No pre-soak. No chemicals. Just the stock nozzles that came with each machine.

I started with the Craftsman. 1700 PSI and 1.2 GPM. I hit the wheel well with the 0-degree nozzle. It blasted some mud off, but it wasn’t aggressive. I had to get close—like six inches away—to really cut through the crust. On the flat body panels, the 40-degree nozzle left a streaky mess. I had to go over the same spot twice. The F-250 took me 45 minutes. My arm was tired. The water flow felt like a strong garden hose with a burst of pressure. Not bad for a little machine, but it’s a tease.

Then I grabbed the Sun Joe. 2030 PSI, 1.76 GPM. The minute I pulled the trigger, I felt the difference. The spray pattern was wider and the water volume was noticeably heavier. The mud on the wheel wells came off in one pass, from a foot away. On the body panels, the 40-degree nozzle swept the dirt away like it wasn’t there. The tree sap needed a bit of scrubbing, but the pressure alone knocked off half of it. I finished the F-250 in 25 minutes. Same truck, same water temp, same conditions. The Sun Joe cut my time by almost half.

Then I took both to a deck that needed stripping. Old stain, gray wood, two summers of neglect. The Craftsman took the top layer off, but I had to hit every board twice with the rotary nozzle. The Sun Joe’s higher flow rate blasted the stain off in one pass. It wasn’t even close. The wood came out looking raw and ready for re-staining. The Craftsman left patches that I had to go back over.

And for the big test: a three-story house with mildew on the north side. I used a 20-foot extension wand on both. The Craftsman lost pressure at the top—I’m guessing the 1.2 GPM just couldn’t push water up that high efficiently. The Sun Joe kept a steady stream even at the third-story eaves. That’s flow rate doing its job.

Build Quality & Durability

Okay, I’m gonna be real with you. Neither of these is a commercial-grade machine. They’re both plastic-bodied electric units. But I’ve used them for over 30 hours total, and I’ve got bruises to show for it.

The Sun Joe feels cheap. The housing is thin ABS plastic. The hose connectors are plastic. The little detergent bottle on the side? It works, but it looks like it’ll crack if you drop it. I’ve dragged this thing over gravel, and it’s got scuffs and scratches. But—and this is the weird part—it hasn’t broken. The pump is aluminum-head, and it’s still pumping strong. The motor isn’t dying. For $119, I expected it to give up after a year. It hasn’t.

The Craftsman feels a bit nicer in the hand. Thicker plastic, better trigger feel on the gun, and the hose feels more pliable. But here’s the thing: it’s weaker, so you end up pushing it harder. I had the motor bog down on me twice during the deck job—overloaded it trying to get that last bit of stain off. The thermal cutoff kicked in, and I had to wait five minutes. That’s embarrassing for a machine that costs $20 more.

I’ll also mention the wheels. The Sun Joe has those cheap little plastic wheels that wobble. The Craftsman has slightly better ones. But both are crap on grass. Plan to carry them, not roll them.

Durability verdict: The Sun Joe is like a $20 hammer from Harbor Freight—ugly, the handle might splinter, but it’ll drive nails for years. The Craftsman is the hammer your dad bought at Sears that looks nice and then the head flies off when you swing it too hard.

Price & Value

The Sun Joe SPX3000 is $119 on a good day, $139 normally. The Craftsman 1700 PSI Electric is $139 at best, usually $149. So the Craftsman costs $20 to $30 more for a machine that delivers less pressure, less flow, and worse real-world performance.

Let’s talk about that. The Craftsman costs more. That’s not opinion; that’s a fact. And for that extra cash, you get a slightly nicer handle and a brand that used to mean something. That’s it. You don’t get more cleaning power. You don’t get a longer hose. You don’t get better nozzles. You get the privilege of paying more for less.

I’ve seen guys online say “Craftsman has better parts availability.” I called two local repair shops. Neither stocks parts for electric pressure washers. They said “just buy a new one.” So spare parts are a myth.

If you’re in the market, here’s the deal: the Sun Joe is the best value in electric pressure washers right now. Period. The Craftsman is a good machine for a specific person—someone who wants a lighter unit, doesn’t need high flow, and has a soft spot for the brand. But value? Sun Joe wins by a lot.

Let’s compare it to something else: the DeWalt DWPW2100 costs $289. It’s 2100 PSI and 1.3 GPM. That’s $170 more than the Sun Joe for nearly identical pressure but less flow. Is it worth it? No. I sold my DeWalt after I got the Sun Joe. The DeWalt felt more solid, but it didn’t clean better.

Winner

I’m picking a winner, and it’s the Sun Joe SPX3000.

Here’s why: I cleaned a muddy F-250, stripped a deck, and washed a three-story house with both machines. The Sun Joe finished faster every single time. It had more pressure, more flow, and a longer hose. It’s cheaper by $20. I don’t care that it feels a little flimsy—I care that it works. And it works better than the Craftsman in every practical way.

The one scenario where the Craftsman beats the Sun Joe? If you’re a 140-pound guy who only washes a Honda Civic and a small patio once a year, and you want a machine that’s two pounds lighter and you don’t mind taking an extra 10 minutes per job, then the Craftsman is fine. But for everyone else—for the guy who wants to actually clean stuff without fighting his tools—the Sun Joe is the only choice.

If they were $20 apart with even performance, I’d say “it’s a toss-up.” But they’re not. The Sun Joe clobbers the Craftsman in output, and it costs less. That’s a no-brainer. I put my own money on the Sun Joe, and I’d do it again tomorrow. If it breaks after two years, I’ll cry a little, then buy another one because it’s still cheaper than one season of rental fees.

That’s my take. Get the Sun Joe, save your money, and spend the difference on a better nozzle or a beer. You’ll thank me when your driveway looks like new.