Clarke® CFP Pro® 17HD & 20HD Low-Speed Floor Machine, 175 RPM

It's the week before classes start. The hallway finish has to come off tonight so the new coats can cure by Friday, and the whole plan depends on one machine starting and staying on the pad for hours. The Clarke CFP Pro 17HD and 20HD are low-speed floor machines (floor buffers, if that's what your crew calls them) that turn the pad at 175 RPM with a 1.5 hp motor behind it. That combination of low speed and torque is what stripping pads and scrub brushes need to cut through old finish.

Everything that takes a beating is metal: a cast aluminum chassis, an all-steel triple planetary gearbox and a heavy-duty 66-frame motor. Pick the 17-inch for classrooms, restrooms and offices, or the 20-inch for long corridors, gyms and open retail floors.

The Owner's Insights on the Clarke CFP Pro HD

I'll be straight with you: a 175 RPM floor machine is not exciting equipment. It's the machine that comes out of the closet every time a floor needs stripping, deep scrubbing or a spray buff, and it has to start every time. That's where the CFP Pro earns its price.

The weight is the first thing you notice. At 101 lb for the 17HD and 109 lb for the 20HD, it sits on the pad instead of skating over the finish, and the handle lock works with your foot, so setting the height doesn't mean bending over the base.

My honest note: this is a single-speed machine. It won't give you a high-speed burnished shine, and a new operator needs a few minutes to learn how it moves (lift the handle slightly and it swings right, lower it and it swings left). If the machine will only come out a few times a year, the Viper Venom 17-inch floor machine from the same Nilfisk family costs less. If you strip and scrub every week, the CFP Pro is the one I'd buy.

What Customers Say About the Clarke CFP Pro HD

There aren't many public owner reviews for this machine, but the ones we found are consistent. On one large floor equipment retailer, the 20HD holds a 5.0 average across 5 reviews, and the word owners reach for is dependable. One calls it a workhorse.

The use case that stood out: several owners use it for sanding between coats, from screen-and-recoat work on basketball gym floors to coated garage floors, not only for stripping VCT. Others mention good results on hardwood and masonry. It's a small sample, so treat it as a signal rather than a verdict.

Why You'll Love the Clarke CFP Pro HD

• All-steel triple planetary gearbox. The parts that carry the torque are steel, so weekly stripping doesn't wear the drive out.

• 1.5 hp, 66-frame motor at 175 RPM. Low speed with real torque, which is what black stripping pads and scrub brushes need to do their job.

• 63 dB(A) sound level. Close to a normal conversation (about 60 dB), so a daytime scrub won't clear an occupied building.

• 50-foot safety-yellow power cord. Work up to 50 feet from each outlet before you move the plug, and the bright cord stays easy to see and avoid.

• Red safety lockout button. The machine won't start until it's pressed, and it stops the moment you let go of the triggers.

• Pad driver with universal clutch plate included. A quarter turn locks it on, so you're ready for pads out of the box.

17-Inch or 20-Inch Floor Buffer: Which Size Fits Your Floors?

Both sizes share the same motor, gearbox, speed and cord. The difference is the cleaning path and how the machine handles in tight spaces.

The 17HD runs a 16-inch pad driver and takes 17-inch pads. It's the better fit for classrooms, restrooms, offices and rooms full of desks or fixtures, and it's 8 lb lighter to load into a van. The 20HD runs a 19-inch pad driver and takes 20-inch pads. It covers about 18% more floor with every sweep, which adds up fast on long corridors, gyms, cafeterias and open retail floors.

Not sure? Send us your square footage, floor type and how often you strip, or call (855) 601-5678, and we'll tell you which size fits.

Low-Speed Floor Machine or Burnisher?

A 175 RPM machine is the tool for stripping, scrubbing, spray buffing and sanding between coats. It is not a burnisher. For a wet-look shine on finished floors, you need something spinning around 1,500 RPM, like the Clarke Ultra Speed Pro 1500 burnisher. Most facilities that keep a finish program going own one of each. Our guide on floor buffers vs burnishers walks through the difference.

Pads, Brushes and the Optional Solution Tank

Your pads decide the job. On most pad color charts, black is for stripping, blue or green for scrubbing and red for spray buffing. Order 17-inch pads for the 17HD and 20-inch pads for the 20HD. Brushes attach with the same quarter-turn clutch plate.

A 2.5 gal (9.46 L) solution tank is available as an option and mounts on the handle, so you can meter stripper or cleaner onto the floor as you go. Budget for pads as a running cost. Nilfisk treats pad holders and brushes as wear items, so they're outside the machine warranty.

Why You Should Consider a Clarke Floor Machine

Clarke is a Nilfisk brand, and the CFP Pro is its standard swing machine, the kind you find in school and facility closets that need one machine for every floor job. Nilfisk covers its floor machines for 3 years parts, 3 years labor and 1 year travel through authorized service centers, and parts stay easy to find. We're an authorized Clarke retailer, so that warranty is yours from day one.

Clarke CFP Pro HD Specifications

Document Downloads

Found a lower price? Call or message us and we'll beat it. And if you're still weighing sizes or wondering whether you need a burnisher too, send us your square footage and floor type. We'll tell you what fits, including when the answer is a smaller machine. Returns follow our return policy.

Ready when you are: pick your size above and add it to your cart.