New vs. Used FARO Laser Trackers: A Procurement Manager's TCO Comparison

I've managed our metrology equipment budget for a 90-person precision machining shop for seven years. We spend around $180,000 annually on measurement tools — everything from portable CMM arms and laser trackers down to a $200 dial indicator set. And here's what I've learned the hard way: the sticker price is almost never the real cost.

When we needed to add a second tracking station in late 2024, our engineering lead pushed for a used FARO laser tracker for sale he'd found online. Our CFO wanted new. I ran the numbers.

Here's how the comparison actually played out.

The Framework: What I Actually Compared

Before I start comparing, let me explain what dimensions matter.

Most teams default to a simple spec comparison — range, accuracy, portability. That's the easy part. What gets missed:

• Total cost of ownership (i.e., everything from acquisition through end-of-life)
• Support and calibration reality (especially when FARO support contracts are involved)
• Ancillary tool costs that no one quotes you upfront

It's tempting to think you can just compare listing prices and call it done. But identical specs from different acquisition channels can result in wildly different three-year costs.

Dimension 1: Upfront Cost — Where Used Looks Obvious

New FARO laser tracker: rough range we were quoted in Q4 2024 was $40,000–70,000 depending on configuration and whether software was bundled.

Used FARO laser tracker for sale: $15,000–35,000 for older generation units (typically Vantage or ION series). Occasionally you'll see a listing under $15,000 — but those are usually missing accessories, out of calibration, or both.

From the outside, that's a 50-65% savings. And if that's where your analysis stops, used wins without question.

But when I audited our 2023 equipment purchases, I found that 38% of quoted savings on used gear evaporated in the first year due to missing accessories and calibration surprises. That's not a rounding error.

Dimension 2: Support — Where the Math Gets Interesting

This is where FARO support matters, and it's the dimension most buyers underestimate.

Brand-new equipment typically comes with:

• 1-year standard warranty
• Factory calibration certificate
• Access to FARO's technical support portal
• Optional extended service plans ($3,000–6,000/year, based on what we were quoted in Q3 2024)

Used equipment... doesn't. And FARO support for second-hand units is genuinely different. Here's what I mean:

1. Transferability — FARO support contracts generally aren't transferable with the hardware. The original buyer's plan doesn't follow the device.
2. Calibration — You can still send a used tracker to FARO for calibration (typically $2,000–4,000), but you lose priority scheduling. Turnaround went from 3-5 business days for warranty customers to 2-3 weeks for our used unit.
3. Parts availability — For older generations, some components are on extended lead times. We waited 6 weeks for a replacement battery pack.

The used unit we evaluated would have saved us roughly $28,000 upfront. Over three years, the delta shrank to about $12,000 once you factor in calibration, expedited shipping, and a third-party service contract to fill the support gap.

Not nothing. But not the obvious win it looked like, either.

Dimension 3: The Ancillary Trap

Nobody quotes you the ecosystem. Let me give you a real example.

A laser tracker is useless without targets, nests, tripods, and the software seat to run it. When we bought new, those were mostly included. When we looked at used, they weren't — and piecing them together cost us about $6,000 more than expected because we bought from multiple sellers.

Same logic applies at the small end. A $120 dial indicator set seems trivial until you start counting how many you actually need across shifts. And you'd think a 5 ml pipette is a 5 ml pipette — until you're the one figuring out how to get an Eppendorf pipette pen replacement and realize each manufacturer has its own calibration ecosystem.

The lesson: whenever you compare new vs. used, add a line item called "everything that isn't the main unit." That line is almost never small.

The Frustrating Part

The most frustrating part of procurement: writing three pages of requirements, getting three quotes, and then discovering every quote is missing different things. You'd think standard specs would prevent this, but interpretation varies wildly.

For our tracker decision, I ended up building my own comparison sheet. Fifty-seven line items. And even then, we got surprised by a freight charge we hadn't factored in (because of course we did).

So Which One?

Here's my honest take, after tracking over $180,000 in cumulative equipment spending:

Go new if:

• You need uptime guarantees and can't afford 2-3 week calibration turnarounds
• You value FARO support access for the life of the device
• Your accuracy requirements are near the edge of spec

Go used if:

• You have in-house calibration capability or a trusted third-party shop
• The equipment is for non-critical reference work rather than customer-facing measurements
• You can stomach the accessory hunt (and honestly, some people love this part)

To be fair, the used market has gotten better. More sellers are including calibration history upfront. But not all of them, and not consistently.

There's no universal answer here. Budgets matter. Uptime matters. And the right call for a two-shift job shop might be wrong for a research lab. But if you're going to compare, compare the full picture — not just the listing price.

And if you're buying used, verify the calibration history before anything else. Ask for the last three calibration certificates. A tracker that hasn't been calibrated in four years isn't a bargain; it's a project.

Pricing references in this article are based on internal purchase records and vendor quotes from Q1 2025. Market rates vary significantly by region and configuration — always verify current pricing before making a purchasing decision.