Aftermarket replacement part — not a genuine OEM part. The squeegee blades and rubber parts on this page are aftermarket replacements made to fit Hako machines. They are not genuine Hako parts, we are not affiliated with or endorsed by Hako, and brand names, model names and part numbers are used for fitment reference only. Confirm dimensions against your own sample or drawing before ordering.
Your customer has never asked who made the blade. They have asked whether the floor is dry, and whether the invoice matches the quote.
That is the whole frame for this decision. The OEM-versus-aftermarket question is not about loyalty to a brand. It is about which cost structure lets you quote competitively and still keep the margin. Let’s do the math the way a business does it, not the way a parts catalog does it.
What a blade replacement actually costs
A blade job has four cost lines:
- The part — the blade itself
- The travel — getting a technician and the part to the machine
- The labour — removing, fitting, testing
- The waiting — machine down, or the job scheduled twice because the part hadn’t arrived
The blade is usually the smallest number on that list. European aftermarket listings for a single Hako B45 front blade run around €50–65 retail (example listing, €54 excl. VAT) — while a wasted van trip costs more than that before lunch.
This is the first insight: the part price matters less than the part’s arrival. Anything that removes “the waiting” from the cost structure is worth more than a few euros off the blade.
Where OEM earns its price
Be fair to the OEM channel. It wins when:
- The machine is under a full-service lease that specifies original parts
- The customer’s procurement demands brand-name parts on paper
- The machine is new and the dealer relationship is doing the selling for you
For those accounts, quote OEM and move on. It is not a battleground worth fighting.
Where aftermarket wins — and by how much
Everywhere else, the logic is structural, not emotional:
Price anchor. Aftermarket blades from a direct manufacturer typically land far below dealer pricing — wholesale from a source factory commonly runs at a fraction of the €50–65 retail anchor quoted above. Your customer sees a fair invoice; the spread between your cost and your quote is where your margin lives.
Availability. A factory that ships in production quantity doesn’t back-order a wear part for three weeks. The Hako B45/B115R size guide shows how many distinct blades hide behind two model names — a dealer network that stocks one of them is a network that makes you come back.
Coverage. OEM catalogs end where production ended. Aftermarket built on dimensions and samples doesn’t. Old machines are precisely where aftermarket earns its keep.
The margin, made explicit
Here is the arithmetic most shops never write down.
Same job, same quote to the customer, two part sources:
- OEM part at dealer price → thin margin, competitive quote pressure
- Aftermarket part at factory price → same customer quote, materially higher margin per job
- Bulk rubber sheet, cut in-house → lowest per-blade cost of all, and zero waiting — see the sheet approach
The customer’s invoice doesn’t have to drop for you to win the job. The margin improves at the same price point. Or you drop the quote slightly, take the account from a competitor, and still keep the better margin. Either way, the part source is doing the work.
The objection you will actually face
Not price. “Will aftermarket void the warranty?”
Squeegee blades are wear parts — designed to be replaced routinely, like wiper blades or brake pads. Keep your answer practical rather than legalistic, and back it with a supplier who stands behind the part: if a blade arrives with a manufacturing defect — wrong dimensions, torn edge, bad material — we replace it, with evidence, within one week of receipt. That is a stronger position than most dealers will offer you over the phone.
How to trial it without risk
Start with one machine family you service often. For Hako fleets, that’s usually B45 or B115R:
- Send us the model and squeegee width, or a photo of the assembly
- We confirm fitment and quote — minimum order is 20 sets per style, mixed models allowed up to a USD 3,000 opening order
- Fit a set, run it, compare against the OEM part you were using
- Reorder on your rhythm — blades are wear parts; they come back on their own
The replacement cycle article shows how that trial turns into standing revenue.
Request a trial quote
Send one machine model and we’ll come back with fitment confirmation, pricing at 20 sets, and a sample lead time. One order tells you more than any brochure.
