There many different types of auto scrubbers, walk behind auto scrubbers are used for cleaning small areas and ride on auto scrubbers are used for cleaning larger areas. The most sought-after auto scrubbers are smaller units that can easily be transported from one location to another. Smaller units cost less to repair and can maneuver easily in tight spaces. Most commercial cleaners use smaller scrubbers when cleaning multiple locations because of the ease of transportation. Their two main brush types on these types of auto scrubbers. The first type of brush system is a cylindrical brush that rotates just like the beater bar on a vacuum cleaner. This type of auto scrubber is great for cleaning ceramic tile floors because of its ability to scrub into grout lines, giving the floor overall cleaner appearance. More commonly known are disc type auto scrubbers which are more prevalent in smaller cleaning companies. The drawback to disc scrubbers is their inability to clean uneven floors. The saber compact auto scrubber by Windsor overcomes this obstacle by offering both cylindrical and disc cleaning systems.
The Windsor saber compact 16 unit is run-of-the-mill when it comes to its competition. Like most other auto scrubbers it utilizes a front brush system with trailing dirty water recovery system. The front brush system can either be purchased with a cylindrical brush or rotating disc. When purchasing one of these units is important to know what type of floor or surface it will be used on. Unfortunately the system is not interchangeable within one unit. Both systems feature the same recovery system utilizing a half horsepower vacuum motor which is attached to a trailing 30 inch squeegee. The water recovery system has ample power to dry the floor as it cleans and is able to maneuver in and out of tight places. The disc system relies on a cord which draws its power from an electrical outlet. The drawback to corded machines is the inability to clean large areas without re-plugging in the cord. For smaller companies on a budget a corded unit is perfect because there is no need to replace batteries when they wear out. The cylindrical model is battery powered and runs on a 24 Volt system. For a machine of this size this is ample power to clean at least 17,000 square feet before recharging.
The disc scrubber is perfect for all types of flooring including vinyl tile, Terrazo, marble and rubber floors. These types of floors are usually very even and smooth and are perfect for floor pad cleaning. Floor pads are used in conjunction with the disc system which make it versatile to the type of job it needs to perform. In general, the darker the floor pad the more aggressive it will be at scrubbing the floor. Lighter colored floor pads can be used for gentle scrubbing and removing light soil. The brush motor on the saber disc unit relies on a 1.6 hp power plant that turns the disc scrub the floor. This motor is larger than most in its class and will last longer then smaller brush motors in comparable units. The electrical system on the disc unit runs on 125 volts giving it consistent power at all times. The unit comes with a curved squeegee that traps water better than conventional straight squeegees eliminating splash and streaking once the floor has dried. When squeegees wear out they can be easily found at any Windsor parts dealer or online floor equipment parts store.
The cylindrical unit is perfect for tile and uneven floors. As this cylindrical brush rotates it digs deep into grout lines pulling dirt up and out so that the squeegee can recover the soiled water. The cylindrical brush will also float over uneven floors giving a uniform scrub with no dull spots after the floor dries. The disc unit relies on a.5 hp 24 Volt brush system powered by two 12 volt batteries. This machine can clean up to 17,000 square feet on a single charge and is perfect for long hallways and extended areas. The machines weighs just over 120 pounds without batteries making it extremely portable for multiple site cleaning. There is an assortment of brushes that can be purchased for the machine including a high low brush which is used for grout lines, a medium brush for general cleaning and a hard brush for cleaning concrete and other unfinished surfaces.
Both these machines are perfect for a smaller commercial cleaning company. Both units are equipped with a 6 gallon solution and 6 gallon recovery tank which should be more than suffice for smaller areas. The machine is easy to control and easy to maneuver around objects and can clean in tight areas. The best thing about the Windsor saber is that the controls are manual with no extra frills that can be costly to replace when they wear out. Overall this unit is low maintenance and is perfect for the money conscious user on a tight budget.