Pressure Washer Cleaning Units (CU) Comparator
Every pressure washer is named after one number: PSI. Real cleaning power is PSI multiplied by GPM (gallons per minute) — a figure called Cleaning Units, CU. GPM is almost always the smaller number in a smaller font, further down the page. We fetched three brands' own current product pages directly to see what happens when you actually multiply the two numbers each one publishes.
Ryobi's own bigger number is the weaker machine.
Ryobi's own page for its 2700 PSI model states 1.1 GPM — 2,970 CU. Ryobi's own page for its
2500 PSI model, a lower headline number, states 1.2 GPM — 3,000 CU. Same brand, same brushless
electric line, and the model with the smaller name on the box cleans faster.
Sun Joe's own "MAX" successor claims less power than the model it replaces.
mysunjoe.com states the plain SPX3000's own rated figures plainly: 2030 PSI, 1.76 GPM — 3,572.8
CU. shopjoe.com names and captions the SPX3000-MAX around "2800 PSI" — but that same page's own
spec table states "Rated Pressure (PSI) 2200" and "Rated Flow (gallons/min.) 1.1," which works out
to 2,420 CU. By the newer model's own stated rated figures, it's the weaker machine.
Nine current models, unfiltered
This table doesn't depend on what you typed above — every PSI and GPM figure here is straight from each brand's own current page, sorted by computed Cleaning Units, highest first.
| Brand | Model | Their own PSI | Their own GPM | Cleaning Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Joe | SPX3000 | 2030 | 1.76 | 3,572.8 |
| Ryobi | 3000 PSI 1.1 GPM | 3000 | 1.1 | 3,300 |
| Craftsman | CMEPW2800 | 2800 | 1.1 | 3,080 |
| Ryobi | 2500 PSI 1.2 GPM | 2500 | 1.2 | 3,000 |
| Ryobi | 2700 PSI 1.1 GPM | 2700 | 1.1 | 2,970 |
| Craftsman | CMEPW2400 | 2400 | 1.1 | 2,640 |
| Ryobi | 2100 PSI 1.2 GPM | 2100 | 1.2 | 2,520 |
| Sun Joe | SPX3000-MAX | 2200 | 1.1 | 2,420 |
| Craftsman | CMEPW1900 | 1900 | 1.2 | 2,280 |
What this does not do
- Compares nine named electric models across three independently owned brands whose own current pages state both PSI and GPM in plain, readable text — not every pressure washer sold, and no gas models (which run far higher CU and aren't a fair comparison against a home electric unit).
- CU is arithmetic on each brand's own published numbers, not an independent lab measurement. Multiple sources agree two machines with the same CU can still clean differently depending on how the PSI and GPM split — higher flow generally rinses debris faster, higher pressure alone can just redeposit dirt. CU is a comparison starting point, not the only thing that matters.
- Craftsman's own CMEPW2400 page carries two different footnotes about its GPM figure — one ties it to the same 15° nozzle as its PSI figure, another calls it "Maximum GPM when used with soap nozzle." Its own fine print doesn't cleanly settle which basis the headline 1.1 GPM number uses, so treat that one row's CU as the brand's own stated claim, not a controlled measurement.
- Two of the nine rows (both Sun Joe models) state a "rated" figure distinct from a bigger "max" or marketing number elsewhere on the same page. This tool always uses the rated, spec-table figure — the one paired with an actual GPM — not the bigger unpaired number in the product name.