Ex-demo and refurbished machines are the sensible route into a higher specification than a new budget would reach. A commercial machine is built for years of daily service, so a unit that has spent a few months on a showroom counter, or been stripped, serviced and rebuilt, has a great deal of working life ahead of it.
What appears here changes constantly and every machine is one of one. Recent stock has included a refurbished Jura Impressa X9 Platinum rated for up to 150 coffees a day with twin grinders and two 650g hoppers, a fully serviced Giga X8 rated to 200 cups, an ex-demonstration Giga X8 Speed, Ciao stations and bean to cup machines from the showroom floor, and the occasional pre-owned slush machine. If something fits your venue it is worth moving quickly, because there is rarely a second one.
The terms are not interchangeable, and the difference matters when you are comparing two listings. Ex-demo and ex-showroom units have typically seen light, controlled use — demonstrated rather than traded through a breakfast rush. Refurbished machines have been serviced, with wear parts such as seals, gaskets and shower screens replaced as needed and the boiler descaled. What ex-demo and refurbished actually mean sets out the questions to ask about any specific unit.
Whatever you buy, the running-in is the same as a new machine: get the cleaning schedule in place from week one, since a used machine is far less forgiving of a skipped routine. Would you rather buy new? Start with the bean to cup range, or ring 01706 216822 to talk through the history of a particular unit.