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Floor machine question

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2slow

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Aug 13, 2014
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Michigan
I have been considering buying a used floor machine. I found two that are potentially interesting and wanted to know the pros / cons.

One is a used 2 speed 20" Clarke unit for $175. It looks well used, but owner says it works great. It is missing a drive pad, which is about $100.

The other is a Nobles Speedshine 17" 175 RPM model. The owner purchased it new and only used it residentially, never commercially. It is in really good shape and includes a drive pad. He is asking $325.
http://www.jondon.com/nobles-speedshine-low-speed-floor-machine.html

I like the two speeds of the Clarke, but do't know much at all about floor machines. Do they wear out, or are they basically bulletproof? If bullet proof I would go with the Clarke since it has features I prefer, if they tend to wear, the Nobles unit is probably a better deal since it is basically a new unit.

Thoughts?
-Joe
 
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shaun oriold1

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Whats your plan with this machine. Are you getting into the floor business? or you want to save money from renting when you do your garage at a casual pace, exceeding the purchase price with multiple rentals.
 
A

A_Pmech

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Low speed machines are for scrubbing, high speed machines are for buffing. Two speed machines obviously combine the two functions. What type of floor you have will dictate the machine you need and the pads you should use on it.

There's very, very little to a floor machine. They're just a motor and a planetary gearbox. I have one that's probably 25 years old and it works perfectly.
 
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2

2slow

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I am not getting into the flooring business, just tired of paying $45 to rent one when I need it. I have a VCT floor in a 44x54 building and a combination of VCT and porcelain tile in a 24x54 building.

I have also seen they can be used to clean carpet and there is some of that in the house. They can be used to screen hardwood in-between coats of finish (and we have a lot of hardwood in the house) Generally it looks like a useful tool to own.

The 20" 2 speed unit low speed is standard 175 RPM and high speed is a little faster at 350 RPM. It is not capable of high speed burnishing. Not sure what the 350 RPM speed would be used for except maybe buffing out the VCT a little better than 175 would do.

The machines look dirt simple, but I did not know if there are bearings to wear out etc. The 17" unit is practically new, the 20" unit had a past life in commercial use. The other benefit of the 17" unit is my local Lowes sells 17" pads, but it looks like just about anything you could buy for a 17 comes in 20" as well if you buy it online...
 
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Shea

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For your purposes I would go with a 17". They are easier to move around and use, easy to get pads for, and from what I've been told from floor maintaining pros they last forever when treated right for residential use.
 
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Chuck W.

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Nov 19, 2007
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Agoura Hills (Los Angeles) California
Keep looking. There are a lot of bunishers out there for sale. For a VCT floor you want a high speed machine to get the wet look. I would recommend at least a 2000 RPM machine. I did the same thing you did, rented for $50 a shot and got tired of it. I found a NSS Charger 2500 on Craigslist for $200. After repairs and parts I had $300 into it. That was four years. That machine has paid for itself many times over.

Now, for stripping the floor you will want a low speed machine.

charger2500.jpg
 
J

James-W

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Any time you can get a good deal on something, I would say get it while you can. If nothing else you can probably sell it for at least as much as you paid for it.
 
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2

2slow

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Well I bought a Pioneer Laser high speed (2000 rpm) burnisher with dust collection today for $200, so now I have a two speed low speed unit to scrub and a high speed unit to burnish. Maybe I should start a flooring business.... :)
 
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Notgrownup

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You can do all with that machine... Black pad strips, green or blue pad scrubs, red pads fir spray buffing, little bit of hard work for buffing but it works. Once you spray buff you can go over it with a champagne or hogs hair pad on the higher speed....this will bring back some of the shine just not as great as a 1500 rpm machine...
Clarke is a very good machine....basically it's a motor attached to a frame, very little goes wrong with them...
Be glad it's a older one, they are much better than the cheap **** I sell nowadays.
 
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Notgrownup

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I see you got a 2000 sweet.
Pioneer is a good machine... If you get you some cleaner restorer UHS type. Mop it on let it dry buff with a light color pad dry...warning, those 2000 rpm machines are designed for dry only, if you put spray buff or anything wet prior to buffing it at burn the rectifiers...if it has a Caster on the front of the machine, make sure you find the right adjustment for the correct pressure.
I've been selling floor machines and floor finishes from SC Johson (now Diversey) for about 17 years to nursing homes.
 
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Lx460

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Don't cheap out on chemicals. You might think they're cheaper but they don't work as well. You'll have to work harder, use more chemicals, and it will still look like ***.

Back in the day I used Spartan brand but that was 20 plus years ago. Not sure if they even exist anymore. We used to strip and wax (4 coats) a Food Lion grocery store in about 5-6 hours with 5 guys. We had it pretty tight.

In between strips we used a product called "bounce-back" as a mop on, let dry, high speed buff with a propane burnisher to keep it shiny about 3 times a week. Took about 1:30 to 2:00 to do a store by yourself. 45 minutes with a helper to dustmop behind you.

I don't really miss doing commercial floorcare at all...
 
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Notgrownup

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Spartan is still very much in the game and a major player...I actually talked to the rep recently about switching to them...
 
L

Lx460

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Notgrownup said:
Spartan is still very much in the game and a major player...I actually talked to the rep recently about switching to them...
Click to expand...

I know back in the day Walmart contracted us out (back before they were 24 hours) and we had to use their chemicals. SC Johnson stuff I think, it came in a bag inside a box. That was the most horrible job we ever did. That wax went down like glue and the stripper emulsifier didn't work hardly at all. We had to strip it a couple times. Sucked bad.

Never, ever had a problem with Spartan. If I recall it was waaaaay cheaper than Johnson too.
 
S

stage20

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pcola FL
Shea said:
For your purposes I would go with a 17". They are easier to move around and use, easy to get pads for, and from what I've been told from floor maintaining pros they last forever when treated right for residential use.
Click to expand...

ill second that. a 20 inch machine is just too much to deal with.
 
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