Used vs new floor scrubber: which should you buy?

Rod Michelini is the founder of OneUp Cleaning, which sells new equipment only. That gives the store a stake in this answer, so where used is the better call, this guide says so.

Buy a new floor scrubber when it is your only machine or runs every day. A used one makes sense only as a backup or for light, occasional work you can repair yourself. Tennant prices its used machines 40 to 60% below new, but warranties like Powr-Flite's end when a machine changes hands.

If that settles it, you're free to go. If you're weighing a specific used floor scrubber, the sections below show you what the price tag leaves out.

When should you buy a new floor scrubber?

Buy new when the floor can't wait: the scrubber is your only one, it runs every shift, or nobody on your team handles repairs and maintenance. In those situations, downtime costs you more than the discount saves.

Picture a grocery store that opens at seven. Your crew rolls out its only scrubber at five, and it lays down solution but leaves the dirty water behind. With a used floor scrubber and no warranty, what follows is a wet floor, a mop bucket and a week of calls to find a technician who'll work on an older model.

With new equipment, the manufacturer's warranty names you as the owner. On a new Powr-Flite CAS16, that means 1 year of parts and labor plus 10 years on its rotationally molded components. The repair bill isn't yours, and the fix goes through an authorized service center instead of whoever answers the phone.

One honest trade-off of buying online is that you won't have a local dealer's technician down the street. Manufacturers usually cover that gap with nationwide service and support, through on-site technicians or a partner service center near you.

How much cheaper is a used floor scrubber?

Usually 20 to 60% cheaper for a walk-behind or ride-on, depending on how much refurbishing the seller did. Tennant, which reconditions and resells its own equipment, publishes three tiers:

These are Tennant's figures for its own machines, checked in September 2026. Other sellers use similar labels for refurbished and used machines, but the terms vary, so read the coverage line on every listing.

The sticker price is only your first bill, and the hidden costs arrive early. Batteries and squeegees are where used-machine money goes first. Lead-acid and AGM batteries often last 18 to 24 months in regular commercial use, less with poor maintenance, so a used floor scrubber often arrives with a set near the end of its life. Operators on r/Custodians complain about what replacement batteries cost, especially on large machines that take six of them, and one crew scrubbing rubber flooring daily was replacing them about once a year.

In our store, a battery set for a 20-inch walk-behind like the Tornado BD 20/11L adds $639.77 to $2,209.93, depending on type. At that machine's $4,499 price in September 2026, buying one used at half off would save you about $2,250, and a single battery replacement would take back between 28% and 98% of that saving.

Squeegee blades are wear components that even new-machine warranties exclude. Whether a scrubber pays for itself at all is covered in the guide to whether auto scrubbers are worth the investment, with the full cost math.

Does the warranty transfer to a second owner?

Usually not. Powr-Flite's commercial limited warranty, updated March 13, 2024, covers only the customer who originally bought the machine and says it does not extend to any later owner. It also lists second-hand products among the things it excludes.

Other manufacturers word this differently, so check before you pay:

• Find the coverage document on the manufacturer's website and read who it protects.
• Ask the seller for the original invoice, the serial number and any maintenance records.
• Call the manufacturer with that serial number and ask what coverage, if any, remains.

Five minutes on the phone tells you whether you're buying a machine or a repair project.

Can you trust the hour meter?

Not on its own. On older machines the hour display often fails and stays broken, because the scrubber still cleans without it. In one r/Custodians thread where operators compared hours, two said the hour display on their machines had burned out or broken. One doubted his own 1,700-hour reading because the control console looked newer than the rest of his 2007 machine.

The same thread shows why hours are a weak guide anyway: one operator added about 190 hours over his entire time with a machine, a heavier user logged about 2,000 hours in three years, and another crew retired scrubbers past 3,000 hours that still worked fine.

So what should you make of a rule like "1,500 hours means it's done"? No manufacturer we could find publishes that cutoff. Age, storage and maintenance history tell you more than the meter. A machine that sat with a wet recovery tank in a closet can be in worse condition than a busier one that was rinsed every night.

The guide to how long floor scrubbers last covers what wears them out.

What should you check before buying used?

Check the steel, the batteries and the parts supply, in that order, because the electronic components tend to outlast everything around them. If you can, bring someone who handles equipment repairs to the inspection.

Rust in the squeegee assembly and scrub deck

Rust is what usually retires a scrubber, so start your inspection there. One operator kept an older walk-behind running for eight years: the squeegee assembly rusted out first, then the scrub deck, while the electronic controls still worked. Another crew found rust in the slot that holds the squeegee blade, so new blades never seat properly and the machine streaks. Lift the squeegee assembly, inspect the blade slot, and check under the scrub deck and around the recovery tank with a flashlight.

Battery age and a load test

Ask when the batteries went in, look for date codes, and check whether your seller's maintenance records show regular watering. Then run a test on a full charge and time it. If the machine quits well short of its rated run time, budget for a new set before you agree on a price.

Parts availability

Before you pay, call the manufacturer or an authorized service center with the model and serial number, and ask whether components and support are still available. A discontinued model can leave you with a sound frame and no easy source for the vacuum motor or circuit board that keeps it running. For the problems that come up most often, see the troubleshooting guide for floor scrubbers.

When does a used floor scrubber make sense?

When a breakdown won't stop your cleaning. A used floor scrubber works well as a backup for a facility that already runs a primary scrubber, so a repair day doesn't turn into a mop day. It also fits seasonal or short-term work, like a deep clean during summer break, and teams with their own technician who can swap batteries, squeegees or a worn vacuum motor without a service call.

In those cases the risks are low and the discount does real work. Buy from a dealer or seller who shows you the machine running, lets you inspect it, and puts the warranty terms and the equipment's condition in writing.

Before you buy used, price a new compact

Before you commit to a used floor scrubber, check whether your floor is small enough for a compact machine, because a new one may cost less than you'd expect. New compact scrubbers in our store currently run $1,921 to $4,495, and each comes with the manufacturer's warranty in your name. These six are a good place to start:

Go back to the battery math: a used 20-inch walk-behind at half price, plus its first battery set, came to roughly $2,890 to $4,460 in September 2026. That's the same range as a new compact, which arrives with a full warranty and no unknown history.

Not sure a compact covers your space? Browse all compact floor scrubbers, compare sizes in the guide to types of floor scrubbers, or ask for a spec review through the contact page.

Verdict: used or new?

Buy new if the scrubber is your only one or runs most days. The exception is when you already own a working primary machine, the job is occasional, or someone on your team handles repairs, and in those cases a used floor scrubber you've inspected is a fair buy.

For a second opinion on size, send your square footage, floor type and cleaning frequency through the contact page, or call (855) 601-5678, and we'll suggest machines that fit. New equipment also comes with our 30-day return policy if what arrives isn't what you expected, as long as it comes back in new condition.

Related reading

• How long do floor scrubbers last?
• Floor scrubber troubleshooting
• Are auto scrubbers worth the investment?
• Key features of a walk-behind floor scrubber
• Floor scrubber batteries compared
• All floor scrubbers