Build my setup
All tools

Business calculator

Is this machine worth buying?

See when a polisher, carpet extractor, steamer, pressure washer, or other machine pays for itself. It works from your own price and jobs, so use real numbers.

Example paybackPays back in about 2.1 months
View result

Example values, not typical prices. Replace them with the real price of the machine and your own job numbers.

The machine and your jobs

Results update as you type
Equipment type
The type changes the hints and the shopping link. It does not change the math.
What you would pay for the machine. Use the real price from the store or listing. Commas are fine, as in 1,250.
Pads, backing plates, and a spare cord. Leave blank if there are none.

Way 1: new or add-on revenue

Fill this in if the machine lets you sell work you cannot sell now. Leave it blank if it does not.

The price of the work it lets you sell, such as a paint correction add-on.
Compound, polish, and pad wear used on one of those jobs.

Way 2: time saved

Time saved only counts if you fill that time with paid work. Leave both blank if you will not.

Compared with how you do the same step now, such as polishing by hand.
What one hour of your paid work earns. The pricing calculator can help you set it.

How often you use it

Only the jobs where you would use this machine.
How long you expect to use it. Leave blank to skip the yearly cost line.

Example payback · Dual-action polisher

It pays back after 7 jobs, about 2.1 months of use.

After 12 months it has paid for itself and added $2,380, if you book the jobs you entered.

Monthly benefit$240Benefit per job × jobs per month
Jobs to pay back7 jobsTotal cost ÷ benefit per job, rounded up
Months to pay back2.1 monthsTotal cost ÷ monthly benefit
Net after year one$2,38012 months of benefit − total cost

The math

  1. Total cost$350.00 price + $150.00 extras$500.00
  2. Revenue gain per job$100.00 revenue − $25.00 products$75.00
  3. Time value per job10 minutes ÷ 60 × $30.00 an hour$5.00
  4. Benefit per job$75.00 revenue gain + $5.00 time value$80.00
  5. Monthly benefit$80.00 × 3 jobs$240.00
  6. Jobs to pay back$500.00 ÷ $80.00 = 6.25, rounded up7
  7. Months to pay back$500.00 ÷ $240.002.08
  8. Net after year one$240.00 × 12 − $500.00$2,380.00
  9. Yearly cost of owning it$500.00 ÷ 4 years$125.00

This is a planning estimate from your numbers. It leaves out repairs, wear parts after the first set, card fees, and tax. Time saved is only money if you book paid work into it.

Compare dual-action polishers

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details. This is an Amazon search link, not a recommendation. Check the price and the pads, hoses, or attachments a listing includes, then enter your own numbers above.

How payback is calculated

A machine pays you back in one of two ways, or both. It can let you sell work you cannot sell now. It can also save time on work you already do. The calculator adds up what each job gains and compares that with what the machine costs.

  • Total cost = purchase price + extra one-time costs, such as pads or hoses.
  • Revenue gain per job = new revenue per job − product cost per job.
  • Time value per job = minutes saved ÷ 60 × your hourly rate.
  • Benefit per job = revenue gain + time value.
  • Monthly benefit = benefit per job × jobs per month that use it.
  • Jobs to pay back = total cost ÷ benefit per job, rounded up to a whole job.
  • Months to pay back = total cost ÷ monthly benefit.
  • Net after year one = monthly benefit × 12 − total cost.
  • Yearly cost of owning it = total cost ÷ useful life in years.

Blank optional fields are not read as zero in silence. The result lists them as not counted. If a job leaves no money, the result says the machine never pays back at those numbers.

A worked example

These are example inputs, not typical prices or measured results. A polisher costs $350, and pads and a backing plate cost $150 more. The total cost is $500.

The polisher lets you sell a $100 add-on. Each add-on uses $25 of products, so the revenue gain is $75 per job. It also saves 10 minutes per job. At $30 an hour, 10 minutes is worth $5. The benefit is $80 per job.

With 3 jobs a month, the monthly benefit is $240. $500 ÷ $80 is 6.25, so the machine pays back after 7 jobs. $500 ÷ $240 is about 2.1 months of use at 3 jobs a month. After one year, 12 × $240 − $500 leaves $2,380. Over a 4-year useful life, the machine costs $125 a year.

Time saved only counts if you fill that time with paid work

Ten minutes saved per job is not money by itself. It becomes money only if you book another paid job, or more paid work, into that time. If the saved time turns into a longer lunch or an earlier finish, leave the time fields blank. Then the result uses new revenue alone.

When not to buy yet

  • The result says the machine never pays back. Each job must leave money after products.
  • The payback takes longer than you expect to use the machine.
  • You have no customers yet for the add-on it makes possible. Book the first few before you buy.
  • The jobs per month are a hope, not bookings you can count on.
  • Buying it would leave too little cash for insurance, products, or a slow month.

To set the add-on price and your hourly rate, use the pricing calculator. To see when your whole setup pays for itself, use the break-even calculator. To compare complete equipment sets by budget, see the startup packages.