Misconceptions about equipment rental persist, often preventing business owners from objectively evaluating their options. Let’s address the most common myths with factual clarity.
Myth 1: “Renting Is Always More Expensive in the Long Run”
This myth contains a kernel of truth wrapped in misleading simplification. If you compare only the purchase price of equipment versus total rental payments over five-plus years, buying appears cheaper on a spreadsheet.
The reality is far more complex. The “long run” calculation must include:
- Opportunity costs of capital
- Hidden ownership expenses (maintenance, repairs, downtime)
- Business value beyond pure dollars
- Technology obsolescence
- The hassle of managing service relationships
That $45,000 spent on equipment day one isn’t available for revenue-generating marketing or for surviving a slow month. The financial stress of being undercapitalised causes businesses to fail before any “long run” cost benefits materialize.
When you factor in these elements, rental often provides superior total value.
Myth 2: “I Won’t Be Able to Customise or Control Rented Equipment”
This concern reveals confusion about what equipment rental actually means. When you rent a commercial espresso machine from SubSkribe, it’s installed in your café for your exclusive use. You have complete operational control. You set the brew parameters, choose your coffee beans, train your staff, and use it exactly as if you owned it.
The only restriction is that you can’t permanently modify the equipment in ways that would damage its value. But for normal operation, customisation of settings, and daily use? You have full control.
Myth 3: “Rental Agreements Lock Me in With No Flexibility”
Traditional equipment finance leases did often function as rigid, inflexible contracts that were expensive to exit. This reputation haunts modern rental models that are fundamentally different.
SubSkribe’s rental agreements offer substantial flexibility at multiple points:
- Choose your initial term length based on your preference
- Add equipment mid-term as your business grows
- Multiple clear options at term end (upgrade, extend, return, or sometimes purchase)
- No pressure toward any particular choice
This flexibility is built into the business model, not begrudgingly offered.
Myth 4: “I Won’t Get Good Equipment Through Rental—It’s Second-Hand or Inferior”
Modern equipment rental through SubSkribe provides new or near-new equipment from premium brands. The machines you rent are the same brands and models that top cafés purchase outright: La Marzocco, Victoria Arduino, Mazzer, Mahlkönig. These aren’t budget alternatives or unknown brands.
SubSkribe’s business model depends on equipment reliability—providing worn-out or inferior machines would create service costs and unhappy customers that harm their business. Equipment is regularly rotated through our fleet and professionally maintained between rentals.
Myth 5: “Owning Is Better for My Business’s Balance Sheet and Credit”
The assumption that owning assets always improves your financial position reflects outdated thinking. Modern financial analysis increasingly recognizes the value of asset-light models.
From a balance sheet perspective, rental equipment is an operating expense that doesn’t appear as an asset or liability. This can actually improve certain financial ratios that banks and investors examine. Your return on assets looks better when you’re generating revenue without carrying depreciating assets.
Furthermore, preserving cash and maintaining healthy liquidity often matters more to lenders than fixed asset values.
Myth 6: “Repairs and Maintenance Won’t Be Handled Quickly”
There’s a concern that when you don’t own equipment, repairs become someone else’s problem that they’ll handle on their own timeline. The opposite is true.
SubSkribe has a direct financial incentive to minimise your downtime. A broken machine in your café means an unhappy customer potentially looking for alternatives. Our business model depends on customer satisfaction and retention.
In practice, rental customers often experience faster repair response than equipment owners managing their own service contracts. Rental providers have established technician relationships, parts inventory, and loaner equipment readily available.