NaceCare NA 20SS 20" Floor Buffer Machine, 175 RPM, Heavy-Duty Steel

Strip-and-wax week is on the calendar. The finish on the hallway VCT is yellow and scuffed, the crew has three nights to get it back to bare tile, and a light-duty buffer just skates over the old coats. The NaceCare NA 20SS floor buffer machine is a 20-inch, 175 RPM machine with heavy-duty steel construction and dual planetary steel gears, made for the two jobs NaceCare names on its spec sheet: deep scrubbing and heavy stripping.

A 1.5 hp motor runs on a standard 115 V outlet with a 50-foot cord, and at 96 lbs the machine keeps the pad pressed into the floor so the stripper does the work. Add NaceCare's optional 4-gallon shampoo tank and it lays solution down as you go.

I'd hand the NA 20SS to a crew that strips a lot of floor. It's a classic low-speed machine: one speed, 175 RPM, a 20-inch pad and a steel body built to be leaned on. NaceCare keeps the job description short, deep scrubbing and heavy stripping, and that's exactly how I'd use it.

The honest part is the price. At $1,999 it costs more than the Clarke CFP Pro 20HD and the Tornado Brute Force we also sell, and both of those ship with a pad driver. What the NA 20SS gives you for the difference is NaceCare's 5-year steel frame warranty and a 4-gallon shampoo tank option, bigger than the 2.5-gallon tank Clarke offers for the CFP Pro.

It won't polish. A 175 RPM machine strips, scrubs and shampoos, but a wet-look gloss takes a burnisher spinning around 1,500 RPM, like NaceCare's NA 1520. Plenty of facilities run the pair: the NA 20SS for strip jobs, the NA 1520 for the weekly shine.

• Heavy-duty steel construction. Steel throughout, and NaceCare covers the steel frame for 5 years.

• Dual planetary steel gears. They carry the 1.5 hp motor's torque to the pad through long stripping shifts.

• 175 RPM on a 20-inch path. The speed stripping pads and scrub brushes are made for, wide enough to cover a corridor in fewer passes.

• 96 lbs on the pad. The weight keeps the pad biting into old finish instead of floating over it.

• Optional 4-gallon shampoo tank. Mounts on the machine and puts solution down while you work.

• Safety switch lock and 50-foot cord. The triggers won't start the machine until you push the lock forward, and one outlet covers a classroom.

Click or tap the sheet to enlarge it, or open the PDF spec sheet.

Standard machine (8025230). The NA 20SS on its own, $1,999. Pick it if you already own a 20-inch pad holder or brush for a NaceCare NA machine. NaceCare's price list doesn't spell out what drives the pad on this version, so ask us before you order if you need it confirmed.

With the premium pad holder (K-8025239). Adds NaceCare's premium pad holder for 20-inch pads, for $50 more. NaceCare sells that holder (part A0011) on its own for several times the difference, so if you don't have one yet, this is the version to buy.

With the 4-gallon shampoo tank. Adds NaceCare's shampoo tank for the NA 20SS (part A0001.1), which mounts on the machine and feeds solution to the floor as you work. It adds about $340 to either version, the same as buying the parts separately, rounded to the dollar.

Not sure which you need? Tell us what floors you strip and how often, or call (855) 601-5678, and we'll tell you, including when the standard machine is enough.

Sweep and dust mop first, put out wet-floor signs and close the area. Mop on stripper in sections small enough that it doesn't dry, and give it the dwell time on the label.

With a stripping pad on the holder, lower the handle to a comfortable working height, push the safety lock forward and squeeze the triggers. Keep the pad flat on the floor and guide the machine gently: lift the handle slightly to move right, lower it slightly to move left. Let the machine do the work.

Pick up the slurry with a wet vacuum or an auto scrubber, rinse, and let the floor dry completely before the first coat of finish. When you're done, unplug the machine, take the pad holder off and wipe it down. Leaving it parked on the pad bends the pad and makes the next job wobble.

The NA 20SS costs $1,999. Here's how it compares with other machines we sell, including some that are the better buy.

Same job, lower price. The Clarke CFP Pro 20HD is a 1.5 hp, 175 RPM floor machine with a triple planetary steel gearbox and a pad driver in the box, for $599 less. The Tornado Brute Force 20-inch comes with a pad holder for $900 less.

Scrub and buff with one machine. The Clarke CFP Pro 20DS runs at 185 or 330 RPM, so it can spray buff too, for $224 more.

A high-gloss shine. The NaceCare NA 1520 burnisher spins at 1,500 RPM for $2,299.

Scrub and dry in one pass. If the goal is daily cleaning rather than stripping, the NaceCare TT 1120 corded auto scrubber scrubs a 20-inch path and vacuums it dry, for $4,995.

See them all in our floor buffers collection, or call (855) 601-5678 and we'll help you choose.