I went to buy a washboy today in the local tile shop but the tied to sell me one with no grid and no wheels for €65,when I asked about the missing parts they repled that most tilers dont use the grid and the only washboy with wheels was a"Rambo" .Needless to say I didnt buy thanks to knowing what I want from viewing the posts on here.I will have a look around tomorrow for something more genuine.

sounds like they were trying to offload a bucket and sponge to you

trying to offload a bucket and sponge to you,,,,,, i have the Rubi wash boy but only use on the larger jobs to much messing about otherwise.

I cant live without my washboys. I have three. Seem to go through alot of floats for it though but they do get alot of use.

It was looking for a washboy that led me to TF!(nearly 2 months ago now!) I got one from my local supplier and to be honest I think it was a bit of a rip off at £40, it does have wheels, but no grid and the rollers are placcy things that keep coming off inserts if you apply to much pressure! Will get father in law to engineer stainless rollers and a grid to upgrade it I think! Having said that I'd never go back to the old bucket and sponge!

1st of all, lets break down the components of a typical wash boy.
Bucket, usually they can vary slightly in size.
Rollers, dont bother with plastic and look at the means of fastening to the bucket. If they are plastic then dont bother. What you require are the rubber type rollers that are clipped on with metal brackets.
Grid, this is one of the reasons a wash boy works so well. it leaves the sedimment below the grid and the float sponge has access to the cleaner water.
Some models have a sediment trap below the rollers, which catches the excess grout when using the sponge across the rollers and not allowing it back to the water.
Wheels, well worth having but can be optional extras or just make a small trolley out of 18mm ply and castors.

Have alook here and see what a real washboy is
http://www.tradetiler.com/acatalog/G...Cleaning_.html

Bal do a washboy with all the componants you mention also rubi do various sizes with various extras you should be able to order either from CTD , we have had other slightly cheaper alternatives in stock but the trade customers always seem happier to pay a bit extra for the grid and rollers

I got mine for about 50, and it's basically the same as the karl dahm washboy @ tradetiler, albeit with wheels and a thicker more sturdy handle.

And tilers not using the grid is just taking the wee.

I got a cheep and cheerful washboy about 18 months ago, with plastic rollers, grid and wheels. I use a rubi sponge float with it now,does the job it meant to, But its seen better days, i need to get myself the 'karl damm' one in the newyear along with many other things!

The BAL washboys are just ther same as the karl dahm......plus tradetilers karl dahm ones are cheaper ( dare i say) than the BAL ones from CTD.....

TT do the castor kit for the KD washboy,think they are £3.99,they just push fit into the sockets underneath

TradeTiler.Ltd Grout Washing & Cleaning

Same as the other guys get a Karl Dahm

if you only want a bucket at sometime im told these are exactly the same as karl dahm and now with a lid.
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I told him what I thought of his exclusive no wheels,no grid top of the range pishbucket.
But seen as I was stuck and needed to give a mate a digout this am I had to go and buy a plastic wheel model for €50 .
Ah well new years res , Get a Karl Dahm .Thanks guys

I use the rubi washboy which works great, but for small jobs I just use a sponge and bucket.
One thing that I noticed is that the rubi has rollers with little ridges around them running the length of the roller and they don't get all the water out, so I have been using a float to squeeze that last bit of moisture out which works well.
I have since bought another roller set with 3 smooth rollers on a metal holder, but I haven't been doing any large enough jobs to warrant pulling it out.
But washboys are excellent.
great invention.

i use the karl dahm on bigger jobs but if you take the roller and a sticky bucket,squeeze the sides of the bucket and clip on the roller you can push the roller so its just passed the center of the bucket this gives you enough room to get the sponge in and out,works quite well if you dont want to lug the big bucket around.

Ive got the Bal one, which is essentially the Karl Dahm one, i got it cheap but the Karl Dahm one is the way to go, i also have a rubi which i cant get on with.

Wow your bang on with the washboy lads,it halves the amount of time at least when grouting. To be honest I have a long way to go before I can class myself as an even ok tiler.But on the other hand with the help of this forum and all the info I have gained from you guys I have been able to strech some extra days on jobs hence extra dosh which allows me to keep some young lads plastering with me going till xmas,plus I got a €100 tip this morning which will go towards my tiling kit.

Way to go corky
Glad to hear it.