Beyond just cleaning your hard floors by scrubbing and washing them, a floor buffer can also strip, sand, polish, refinish, and wax them. And this is why a floor buffer is a good investment, it has multiple features so you can be more productive by doing more jobs with one piece of equipment. So, if you are in the market for one, here are some floor buffer options for your business.
With the right floor buffer machine, you can make the hard floor investment in your business last longer, especially in high-traffic areas.
Benefits of a Floor Buffer for Small Business Owners & Freelancers
If you’re a small business owner or freelancer with a physical workspace, keeping it clean and polished can create a great first impression. One valuable tool to help with this is a floor buffer. But, how can it benefit you?
- Fresh Look Every Time: A floor buffer can make old floors look new. Whether you have clients visiting or just want a pleasant environment for yourself, a shiny floor can brighten the space.
- Saves Time: Manually cleaning and polishing a floor can take hours. A buffer does the job faster, giving you more time to focus on your business.
- Long-Term Savings: Regular buffing maintains the health of your floors, reducing the need for expensive replacements or repairs.
- Safety: A well-maintained floor reduces the risk of slips and falls. Safety is important, especially if you have frequent visitors or employees.
Floor Buffers for Your Business
Selecting a reliable and efficient floor buffer is crucial for businesses and homeowners aiming for pristine floor finishes. A good buffer can not only enhance the appearance of floors but also prolong their life. However, the variety of options available can make the choice challenging. To help navigate this, we’ve compiled a list of criteria we used to find our floor buffer picks:
Criteria for Choosing the Floor Buffers:
- Motor Power & Speed
- Importance Scale: 10/10
- The strength and speed of the buffer determine its efficiency. A more potent motor ensures the machine can handle tougher jobs and various floor types.
- Importance Scale: 10/10
- Pad Size & Type
- Importance Scale: 9/10
- The size of the pad determines the coverage area. Larger pads are suitable for expansive areas, while smaller pads can navigate tight spaces. Also, ensure the machine supports various pad types for different floor finishes.
- Importance Scale: 9/10
- Machine Weight
- Importance Scale: 8/10
- Heavier machines can provide a deeper clean due to the added weight but might be harder to maneuver. Choose a weight that balances ease of use with cleaning efficiency.
- Importance Scale: 8/10
- Ergonomics & Handling
- Importance Scale: 9/10
- The machine should be comfortable to use, with handles designed for prolonged usage without causing strain. Features like adjustable handles can enhance user comfort.
- Importance Scale: 9/10
- Noise Level
- Importance Scale: 8/10
- Especially for locations where noise can be disruptive, like offices or residential areas, the noise output of the machine is a significant consideration.
- Importance Scale: 8/10
- Versatility & Attachments
- Importance Scale: 9/10
- Some buffers offer attachments for tasks like scrubbing, polishing, or even carpet cleaning, making them more versatile.
- Importance Scale: 9/10
- Durability & Build Quality
- Importance Scale: 10/10
- A good floor buffer is an investment. Ensure it’s constructed from durable materials that can withstand regular use.
- Importance Scale: 10/10
- Safety Features
- Importance Scale: 9/10
- Look for features that prevent accidental starts, offer stable operation, and protect both the user and the floor from potential damage.
- Importance Scale: 9/10
- Ease of Maintenance
- Importance Scale: 8/10
- The machine should be straightforward to clean and maintain. Components like pads or brushes should be easily replaceable.
- Importance Scale: 8/10
- Price & Warranty
- Importance Scale: 8/10
- While you should aim for quality, also seek out a buffer that offers good value for the price. A robust warranty can provide peace of mind regarding your investment.
By referring to this guide, you can ensure you’re selecting a floor buffer that is efficient, durable, and right for your specific needs.
A floor buffer has several different names depending on where you are. Also called a side-to-side machine, a floor polisher, a floor machine, a swing machine, or a bonnet cleaner. Take a look at some of the best options Amazon offers.
Oreck Commercial Orbiter Hard Floor Cleaner Machine
The Oreck Commercial Orbiter is a commercial-grade cleaner for different surfaces. It lets you sand, refinish, strip, scrub, wax, polish, and even deep clean your carpets. You get a 13” cleaning path with a brush head that rotates in a random orbital pattern. Oreck is, of course, one of the most trusted and well-known brands in cleaning tools.
Oreck Commercial Orbiter Hard Floor Cleaner Machine
Bissell BigGreen Commercial Easy Motion Floor Machine
Bissell is also a known brand in the cleaning segment, established in 1876. Their BigGreen industrial orbiter runs at 175 RPM to clean, buff, sand, polish, and strip hardwood floors, tiles, carpets, and more.
Bissell BigGreen Commercial Easy Motion Floor Machine
Oreck Orbiter Multi-Purpose Floor Cleaner
This orbiter’s 13” cleaning path can scrub, sand, buff, polish and of course clean. Oreck also provides a 5-year motor and 1-year overall limited warranty for this unit.
Oreck Orbiter Multi-Purpose Floor Cleaner,
Viper Venom Series Low-Speed Buffer
This is a low-speed buffer from Viper with 175 RPM a 16” pad driver and 1.5 horsepower with an all-steel triple planetary gearbox. It is also available in both 17″ and 20″ models along with a 3-year parts warranty and a 2-year labor warranty.
Viper Venom Series Low-Speed Buffer
Prolux Core Floor Buffer
The 150 RPM random orbit motor on this buffer has a 13” path to clean, scrub, sand, strip, wax, and more. The high torque motor is designed and developed in the USA and the company offers a five-year motor factory service and 2-year bumper to bumper.
Koblenz Industrial Floor Machine
This Koblenz unit is a heavy-duty industrial machine with a 1.5 HP vibration-free motor delivering 175 RPM brush speed. It has a wide 17” cleaning path, a 50’ 14 gauge power cord, and non-marking sealed double ball bearing wheels. The company provides a 3-year warranty on the motor and all parts.
Koblenz Industrial Floor Machine
Clarke CFP Pro 20HD Polisher
With a 20” cleaning path, this Clarke polisher runs at 175 RPM and it is suitable for scrubbing, grinding, polishing, or bonnet cleaning a floor. It comes with a 1.5 HP motor and a 5-year parts and labor limited warranty from Clarke
Bissell Commercial Cleaning Path Floor Machine
The second-floor buffer machine from Bissell is also a commercial unit with a 13” cleaning path. It has an orbital motor running at 175 RPM that can scrub, clean, buff, and polish natural stone, LVT, ceramic tile, brick, marble, concrete and wood. It can also dry clean carpets and remove allergens.
Bissell Commercial Cleaning Path Floor Machine
Powr-Flite Classic Metal Floor Machine
This Powr-Flite floor machine has an all-metal housing powered by a 1.5 HP motor running at 175 RPM and a 20” cleaning path. An all-steel triple planetary gearbox, tube and trigger assemblies, and a thumb-activated safety interlock switch round out its features.
Powr-Flite Classic Metal Floor Machine
Mercury L-17E Lo-Boy Floor Machine
A 1.5 HP rotary motor running at 175 RPM powers this Mercury floor machine that has a 17” cleaning path with a metal bell housing. You can use it to strip, scrub, polish and clean wood, vinyl, tile, and other hard floors and dry-clean and loosen dirt from carpeted floors.
Mercury L-17E Lo-Boy Floor Machine
What to Look for When Buying a Floor Buffer
Floor buffers have different sizes, motors, and other features you should be aware of before you make a purchase. Take into account your flooring, square footage, and how often you will clean it so you can match the machine. This will help you find the best floor buffer options for your business.
- Buffer and Burnisher: Know the difference between the two. A buffer runs at slower RPMs (150 to 300) and has multiple uses. A burnisher on the other hand runs at a much faster 1000 to 3000 RPM. The burnisher only serves a single purpose, which is to burnish or polish floors with a high gloss.
- Rotary or Dual Action (orbital) Machines: A rotary buffer spins on a single axis in a regular circular motion that swings hard if you don’t know how to control it. An orbital scrubber oscillates in all directions making it easier to control.
- Cleaning Path or Size: The brush or floor pad can range from 13 inches to 20 inches. This is the path the machine will clean with each pass.
- Motor: Most commercial floor buffers have a 1.5 horsepower motor these days. Older machines might have more horsepower, but they are not as efficient as the new ones.
- Gear Ratio: A machine with a high-torque motor will be able to handle tougher jobs such as grinding and polishing. If the job is only for cleaning and stripping floors a regular torque motor will do.
- Speed: Buffers come in single and variable or dual speeds. The single speed is 175 RPMS and the variable speed machines can have 200 or 300 RPM options.
- Weight: A heavier machine will deliver more cleaning power to scrub or strip the floor. A lighter machine on the other hand will deliver a faster polish with a glossy finish.
- Accessories: Find a brand that provides as many accessories as possible to save you money and get the job done with a single purchase.
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Image: Amazon
This article, "Floor Buffers: Options for Your Business" was first published on Small Business Trends
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