In any new business, there's always the question whether to buy or rent ice cream supplies and equipment. As for the ice cream business, you may be weighing the benefits of a new batch freezer versus a used batch freezer. This is a natural question in the business field. Let us find out the pros and cons of buying and renting ice cream equipment.

A soft serve unit is considered as an investment – a costly investment. Let’s also take into consideration its importance to the business. It's the centerpiece of the frozen dessert operation, that's why it's important for the unit to be dependable in performance and efficiency, and it needs to produce a product that meets the quality standard on a consistent basis. Business owners should consider customer satisfaction with the product, that's why every product produced should exceed customer expectations. The equipment used plays a huge part in that experience.

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Pros of Buying a New Equipment

First off, it’s new, shiny and beautiful. You’ll be getting the newest technology with the highest efficiency. Also, this new equipment has a warranty which protects your investment and you are assured of no out of pocket costs as you learn to use the equipment. You will also have a “peace of mind” if you buy a new equipment because it ensures you have comfort in the performance, support, efficiency and process of buying the machine. Errors and dysfunctions are minimized since the equipment is new. Lastly, with the new equipment, there is a whole world of lease purchase options to help alleviate the capital expense.

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Cons of Buying a New Equipment

One thing that hinders us from buying a new equipment is the price. If the price wasn’t a factor, everyone would definitely buy a new one. However, ice cream machines and batch freezers last for about 15-20 years.

Pros of Renting Used Equipment

Of course, you save some money. The only pro to used equipment is the money you can save. A good used soft serve machine should cost about 50-60% of what a new machine sells for. This saves the capital that may come in handy.

Cons of Renting Used Equipment

One of the usual reasons why business owners try not buy used equipment is because of the buyer trust. Ice cream business is quite a sensitive business and you cannot trust someone you don’t know with your products. That is a big risk. In business, success comes from minimizing the known risks as much as possible. Also, used equipment does not have a warranty. You are risking your money for something you don’t know for how long it will work for. With used machines, you really cannot check whether it's in good condition. In the long run, there will be maintenance that should be performed on the machine for it to work. This simply means that you’ll still invest in the machine and it may cost you a lot more than buying a new one.

There might be a hundred reasons for the pros and cons of both new and used ice cream equipment. Bottomline, if you are looking to turn your investment into profits, do your homework and create a plan and see the best option for you.

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