Lincoln Oven New vs. Old

So I have decided on a Lincoln Conveyor Oven (I’m pretty sure, unless someone knows of another reliable conveyor oven for an INCREDIBLE price)

I’m debating on new vs. used. Of course we are trying to find a good deal and not spend a whole lotta money.

With used equiptment I worry about it breaking and having to get it fixed and where to go and what not. Thats my fear, because an oven is a very important piece of a pizzeria.

With new, of course the price is the problem. But maybe some places might finance the oven or work with on a payment plan. Anyone do this?

Any advice or information on their experience is greatly appreciated.

Thanks a bunch

=)

Ron,

I spoke with you the other day, I am from NJ. I would without doubt go with XLT. These ovens are better and less expensive than Lincoln. You can buy refurb from factory or look around for some used try George Mills.

I have to say new or used the best thing you can do is find a service guy you can trust. there will be time when you oven or your cooler will malfunction…its just part of being a pizzeria owner it happens…as for purchasing new or used…i bought a used middleby marshal and never have had it go down yet…knock on wood

I purchased an existing store that had 2.5 year old lincolns and they have been relatively trouble free for 7 years. The only problem has been an occasional issue with the honeywell burner control in my top oven, which I just replaced with an upgraded version of the controller so it should cease to bother me. Other than the control box they are very simple machines. The age of the ovens would obviously be a huge factor in a used oven. Mine are now coming up on ten years old and I would not be willing to pay too much for them because soon they start to see failures of moving parts. I am surprised I haven’t lost a motor yet.

Another option is refurbed. The only company I have personal experience with on refurbished ovens is MF&B. I have used a set of their refurbed lincolns and like the control set up better than Lincolns original. They are great people to work with and stand behind their product.

Before making a final decision look at the newer, high efficiency ovens. If the energy consumption is reduced as much as the manufacturers state, they will save you money in the long run if you can handle the initial outlay of money.

In any case, look for simplicity of design and maintenace. I have seen posts about owners having to bring in profesionals to disassemble and clean their ovens. The Lincoln 1450 I can have stripped down for cleaning in about 20 minutes.

Rick

Thank you all. I guess the only thing I’m certain on is a conveyor pizza oven. We are planning on doing a pizza buffet and I feel that will be the most efficient. I’ve been to another “franchise” pizza buffet and they used lincoln impingers. I just clicked on the little advertisement for XLT ovens so I will look at them as well.

I went on ebay and they have some fairly priced ovens. I think we’ve decided on a gas oven. I’ve seen some natural and LP gas so now we have to decide on that. Then trying to find a “repair” guy if something goes wrong. I just grabbed the phone book and wish they had an all around mr.fix it lol

So I’ve got to find George and talk with him then…I’m still new and learning how to work this place =P

I would also recommend looking at the Edge conveyor ovens produced by MF and B. I switched to these about a year ago from XLT’s and have seen a 30% drop in gas usage. They have been very reliable so far and if something does break, they seem like they’ll be easy to fix and parts are easily accessible. Plus they’re much less expensive than Lincolns or XLT’s.

Something else to consider when looking at ovens, if congress actually enacts this Cap and Tax bill they are trying to impose on the country, the cost of energy will go up significantly, which makes the high efficiency ovens much more attractive.

Rick

You may find this article on buying used equipment useful. The first few paragraphs are about the advantages of buying new (as a dealer that doesn’t carry used, of course we want you to buy new :D), but the last few pages give some great advice and gives you ideas of where to buy used equipment and what to look for. http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/edu … pment.aspx