24 replies to this topic

[silv3rglat3]

Which is the best pepsi machine to buy and is refurbished ok? royal, dixie narco, vendo?

[personal vending machine]

Which is the best pepsi machine to buy and is refurbished ok? royal, dixie narco, vendo?

I would have to say the one you can get the best deal on.


,PVM

[gleno]

I personally like Dixie Narco then Royal. Vendo soda machines tend to jam more so than the other 2 makes. I've been int this business for over 35 years and those are my choices. Hope that helps!

[BOSSMAN]

I personally like Dixie Narco then Royal. Vendo soda machines tend to jam more so than the other 2 makes. I've been int this business for over 35 years and those are my choices. Hope that helps!

WHAT ABOUT SEAGA VENDING MACHINES

[tedk]

WHAT ABOUT SEAGA VENDING MACHINES

Don't waste your money.

[RJT]

Don't waste your money.

I agree....

[Doedoebird]

I agree....

/agree... Also stick with dixie. I rather have a Vendo than Royal. I will not buy another royal, but it is a quality machine. It is just easier to work on Dixie and Vendo than Royal, if you ask me.

[RJT]

/agree... Also stick with dixie. I rather have a Vendo than Royal. I will not buy another royal, but it is a quality machine. It is just easier to work on Dixie and Vendo than Royal, if you ask me.

Royal has a nice glass front machine but I do prefer DN and Vendo.

[That Guy]

Hey guys,

Depending on your experience it may not matter (but to the newer people), however, keep in mind you want to get electronic machines with bill validators as opposed to mechanical machines that only take coins. Also, it's a great idea to stick with one brand for all your machines. The reason why is because when issues arise you won't have to scramble to find a new mechanic or service person because your current one does not work on the other brands you have. Consistency, especially with the brands you keep as your route, will always win.

[dropsvendingcom]

Hello, In my experience of operating and selling soda vending machines all over the country the most popular machine customers ask for is a Dixie Narco. There current Bev Max Glass Front machine is a great machine for all shapes and sizes of drinks be it can or bottle. There 501 e and 276 e are great machines as the bottlers use them to. When customers call me i tell them the good and bad on the machines relative to cost and let them make there decision. Always ask if you are buying a clean and working machine or a refurbished machine because the sellers have different answers for that question. Good luck for your search for a good machine. Hope this information helps you out, Scott W. Drop of dropsvending.com " SINCE 1982 "

[Dirk]

Don't waste your money.

May I ask why you feel that Seaga machines are a waste of money? Are they unreliable (break down often)? Do they look "nasty" and thus do not sell the product as well because other machines draw customers more?

I am considering buying some Seaga but may not based upon your post.

[RJT]

May I ask why you feel that Seaga machines are a waste of money? Are they unreliable (break down often)? Do they look "nasty" and thus do not sell the product as well because other machines draw customers more?

I am considering buying some Seaga but may not based upon your post.

I am sure he will give you his opinion but here is mine. Pretty much everything you mentioned. They are not what you want to buy. NO large vending companies use Sega machines and for good reason. I want even get into the whole "combo machine" issue because I have talked about it before on this and other forums.

[wmpvending]

Saega machines are fine i have 20 saega hp3500 machines on mainly automotive repair shop locations and they work great just because someone doesnt like combo machines doesnt mean saega is a bad machine every machine has a purpose and combo machines are great for a 1 man operator using smaller locations

[Dirk]

How much are you grossing per week in your locations? Larger machines in larger locations tend to gross more per week. I have also heard that combo machines are not as durable as soda or snack only machines.

[Dirk]

The model # of the Seaga machines I am considering purchasing is CA 630. It is a combo (of course) and it has space for 6 drinks (2 of which are larger bottles). It can also dispense up to 20 snacks. The machine is electronic and accepts $1s, $5s $10s and $20s (although it only gives coins as change - no bills). I can program the price for each item being vended.

Does anyone have experience with this model of Seaga machine?

[dogcow]

The model # of the Seaga machines I am considering purchasing is CA 630. It is a combo (of course) and it has space for 6 drinks (2 of which are larger bottles). It can also dispense up to 20 snacks. The machine is electronic and accepts $1s, $5s $10s and $20s (although it only gives coins as change - no bills). I can program the price for each item being vended.

Does anyone have experience with this model of Seaga machine?

depending what u are going to spend u can get a used national or usi combo that will likely be higher quality

remember seaga is not a common machine in large vending co's your local repair place may not be completely familiar with it

[RJT]

depending what u are going to spend u can get a used national or usi combo that will likely be higher quality

remember seaga is not a common machine in large vending co's your local repair place may not be completely familiar with it

Not to mention the limited amount of places to get parts. Many sources for National, USI, AP, etc...

[Chocolate Bar W / Nuts]

I don't have any experience with the Seaga combo machines, but I can tell you that the USI Combo II, also know as the 3/6 machine,is awesome! The wonderful thing about them is that it has 27 snack selections (more than a typical 3 wide) and 6 can / Btl selections. On the snack side, the chip & pastry trays are all 8 count DUAL spirals and you can change them to higher counts simply by ordering different count augers from USI. The candy selections are various counts from 10-18. The drink side can hold about 50 cans per slot or 24 16.9oz or about 22 20oz bottles. These machines are beast! They hold a lot of product for being a combo. I pulled $168 from one yesterday & there was only 3 empty snack slots & 1 sold out bottle selection! But I wouldn't advise buying them new, as they run $5000+. Look for them on Ebay or Craig's list. I picked 1 up for $300 on Craig's list & put about $400 of parts into it along with a fresh coat of paint and it looks & works great! You can see a pic of it on my website at www.mrallworldsinc.com. It's the combo at the top of the page with the boxes leaning on it. The combo at the bottom of the page I bought new 4 yrs. ago (ouch!) & it's hard to tell a difference between them. I just wonder how hard or easy it will be to get parts for the Seaga machine. Will Seaga sell parts to you if you didn't buy the machines originally from them?

[Dirk]

One of my concerns about buying a used combo machine is the compressor. I lack knowledge in repairs to A/C units. I know I can quickly learn how to remove and replace a compressor or a condensor (I have done a lot of repair - replacment or parts over the years). However, it will be a while before I will be able to know which component is bad (i.e.: correctly properly diagonse the problem). That takes more skill! Plus I do not know the cost of replacement parts for vending machines (i.e.: compressors - condensors etc). Finally, I believe federal law requires that individuals working on AC units must take a test in order to purchase the gas needed to cool the unit (they used to use freon but that harms the ozone so the use something else now - R something). Thus I must either take (and pass) the test or hire a repairperson to work on the A/C of combo machines. So repairing a combo machine tht does not cool properly could cost quite a bit of $.

Would it be better to purchase a new combo machine and rely upon the 5 year warranty? It could be the warranty has little value (always depends upon the wording of the warranty).

[dogcow]

One of my concerns about buying a used combo machine is the compressor. I lack knowledge in repairs to A/C units. I know I can quickly learn how to remove and replace a compressor or a condensor (I have done a lot of repair - replacment or parts over the years). However, it will be a while before I will be able to know which component is bad (i.e.: correctly properly diagonse the problem). That takes more skill! Plus I do not know the cost of replacement parts for vending machines (i.e.: compressors - condensors etc). Finally, I believe federal law requires that individuals working on AC units must take a test in order to purchase the gas needed to cool the unit (they used to use freon but that harms the ozone so the use something else now - R something). Thus I must either take (and pass) the test or hire a repairperson to work on the A/C of combo machines. So repairing a combo machine tht does not cool properly could cost quite a bit of $.

Would it be better to purchase a new combo machine and rely upon the 5 year warranty? It could be the warranty has little value (always depends upon the wording of the warranty).

if you get an industry standard equipment its pretty likely someone in your area will be able to repair it most vending repair places here will come on location to do repairs

refrigeration decks on soda machines are pretty modular you can replace the whole thing if you wanted to, personally would not do it myself but ive seen directions and it does not look hard i am fairly confident i could replace it if i had to

[Dirk]

Thanks for the iput. I am also concerned with the cost to repair the cooling units of soda machines. If my profit from a soda machine is $50 per week and the reapir is similar to the cost to repair a car AC unit ($750 - $1,000 depending upon parts etc), it could cost 20 weeks of profits to repair the unit. I would hate to buy a used machine and them be forced to put another $1,000 of repairs into the unit. If the cost is @ $250 - $300 for major repairs, then the notion of buying a used unit over a new unit is much nicer!

[bcron]

You should be able to replace the deck in a pop machine yourself pretty easily for ballpark $400...give or take a little.

[dogcow]

You should be able to replace the deck in a pop machine yourself pretty easily for ballpark $400...give or take a little.

this sounds about right based on what local repair places have quoted me

[dogcow]

Thanks for the iput. I am also concerned with the cost to repair the cooling units of soda machines. If my profit from a soda machine is $50 per week and the reapir is similar to the cost to repair a car AC unit ($750 - $1,000 depending upon parts etc), it could cost 20 weeks of profits to repair the unit. I would hate to buy a used machine and them be forced to put another $1,000 of repairs into the unit. If the cost is @ $250 - $300 for major repairs, then the notion of buying a used unit over a new unit is much nicer!

u can buy a used single price soda machine for about 350-400 , so if u have a repair costing that much , just replace the unit...
multiprice units prob worth fixing for that price

[RJT]

Guys on Ebay sell complete working compressors for resonable prices...