Candyguy Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I've been looking into spiral gumball machines. What are your thoughts on these? I think they would be a nice attraction and moneymaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bravo Duck Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Hard to clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havending Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I've been looking into spiral gumball machines. What are your thoughts on these? I think they would be a nice attraction and moneymaker. Years ago yes. You could buy them new and they would pay for their self in 2 months or less. Not not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mainor5251 Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 if i can get them for $100 or less used I normally will pick them up. but only good for certain types of locations. better used as part of your arsenal not your only weapon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerformaVending Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Spirals are still profitable units, but as Mainor said, they are only worth it for certain locations. The biggest drawbacks to spirals, in my experience are the size of the unit (harder to locate), the volume of the unit (most will tie up between $100-$200 worth of gum, which will not sell out anytime soon), and sunlight. Sunlight is an absolute spiral killer. I have a great spiral location that has plenty of space and a swift gum trade, but because it's in direct sunlight, there's no way to sunscreen the product, so all the gum fades in a week or two. Downgraded to a smaller rack with a pair of 60's instead- not nearly as attractive, but the gum actually sells. I'll tell you this, it SUCKS mixing gum that's chalk-white on one side with regular mixes to try and get rid of it- and emptying a nearly-full spiral is a tremendous pain. The best places for spirals, in my experience, are restaurants (particularly buffets), Laundromats (most spirals are incredibly hardy), and retail stores if you can get them. A good rule of thumb for me is that if I have a spiral deployed, it's usually next to a rack (be it mine or someone else's) as any location that doesn't warrant at least a 5-way isn't going to have the traffic to properly sustain a spiral. If you're in the market, check Craigslist, and don't forget to search for more obscure search terms. The average Roadrunner can be picked up these days for about $100-$200 depending on size and condition, with the smaller (size/capacity) Spirals selling for more than the bigger ones, at least around here. I like to have at least one on standby in the shop in case I need a placeholder for a rack or something right away, but that's just me. If you have business brochures, try and get a nice pic or two of the spiral for it. A lot of business owners I've encountered may not be too familiar with a rack setup, but they recognize a spiral at a glance. They also look mighty good if you've got one cleaned up on location, which can help your locating efforts immensely. This picture has helped me land at least two spots, and it's not even that great of a picture. Like Mainor said, it's another tool in your arsenal, but sadly it can't singlehandedly carry a business anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candyguy Posted July 16, 2015 Author Share Posted July 16, 2015 At first ,it almost seemed like the perfect vending machine. You wouldn't have to service it that much and would make the same amount of profit over time than other machines serviced more frequently. But now, I see there's a little more to it. Thank you for this detailed information. What kinds of spirals would you recommend? I've heard great things about Ok manufacturing but not so much about the rest of the spirals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amc-vending Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 I had some with gumballs - they did okay. BUT after I dumped out the gumballs and cleaned them up and put in bouncy balls - I was averaging 80 a month on them. and only had to run every 30-60 days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candyguy Posted July 16, 2015 Author Share Posted July 16, 2015 Never thought of that either. Bouncy balls would be a great thing to run on a spiral. Wouldn't have to worry about spoilage, sunlight, and I bet the machine stays cleaner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerformaVending Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 At first ,it almost seemed like the perfect vending machine. You wouldn't have to service it that much and would make the same amount of profit over time than other machines serviced more frequently. But now, I see there's a little more to it. Thank you for this detailed information. What kinds of spirals would you recommend? I've heard great things about Ok manufacturing but not so much about the rest of the spirals. The nice thing about Spirals is that they are all, by and large, built pretty well. I've only ever had one (a Seaga model) that needed any attention, and that was only to the coin mech. Selectivend's "Roadrunner" is the most common around here, but traveling I've seen a ton of Wizard machines, and heard good things about them. When Spirals hit their "heyday" there was a boom of small-run manufacturers that cropped up, then went under after the Spiral boom was over. They all copied the same basic design though, so there are very few that make any wild deviation from what you see in Selectivend. The only three I'd advise you to avoid are: Anything super huge. I bought a really big one (1500+ gum capacity) and though I made it work, it was far more trouble than it was worth for it's size, and I definitely don't recommend anything of the "XL" variety to anyone new to spirals. Any of the small/novelty size machines. Granted they are very cool looking, but the few I've seen on route have been beaten up pretty badly. The spiral's inherent hardiness doesn't translate well to a smaller size I'm afraid- and at twice the cost of any traditional unit, it doesn't make much business sense to invest in them, in my opinion. (Photo below) Any machine with a "sign cap", "rope lights" or "neon". I learned this the hard way when I got into the game years ago- keep it simple. The fewer things on your machines to go wrong, the better. Neon Wizards look awesome when the lights work- but as soon as those lights stop working you'll be looking for a cheap Neon repair shop (I've never found one), as they look lousy when part of them isn't working. Rope lights are great as well... until one or two of the bulbs burn out partway up. If you think cleaning a spiral's guts are bad, spend an afternoon playing with rope lights tangled up inside one. Finally, while the sign cap isn't as big a deal, as most are removable/customizable, it's one more light-bulb to change, or signage to change. Again, more trouble than it's worth in my mind. If you see a deal, feel free to share the details and pics over here- if it's a good deal (or a bad one in disguise) we'll be able to help you out further. Some of the guys around here helped guide me through some of my best purchases back in the day. Good luck sir! These are Lil' Wizards, 27" tall mini-spirals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Snacks Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 I am not a big fan of spirals or any other giant gumball machine for that matter. The cleaning mess of the spirals and the fact that the novelty has worn off years ago are two points previously mentioned. Another big problem with spirals is that they hold waaaaay too many gumballs. Eventually the product will fade, crack and go stale. Have seem many Mexican restaurants around here where the owner has purchased their own spirals and have loaded up those globes. The gumballs look nasty (no telling how old they are). IMHO, a better alternative to a spiral would be an interactive (non-electronic) machine - usually for the same money. Such as a pinball, baseball or shootin hoops. Of course, my favorite interactive machine of all time is the shootin hoops. Currently have 30 of them out and they rock! Of course, interactive machines are harder to find, but they do appear on various listings from time to time - always keep an eye out for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candyguy Posted July 17, 2015 Author Share Posted July 17, 2015 Jax snacks, what would be a good used price on a shootin hoops machine. I see someone who has a listing for $225. Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Snacks Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 Jax snacks, what would be a good used price on a shootin hoops machine. I see someone who has a listing for $225. Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk $120 to $150 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkochan Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I place spiral gumball machines at high volume locations where I have 5-head or larger racks. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMD Snacks Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 This guy is selling one that i'm currently trying to negotiate a lower price on, does this look too big? I don't have any spirals, I just like the ideas you guys mentioned as a tool. http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/for/5491432868.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w2wUJ44y Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 This guy is selling one that i'm currently trying to negotiate a lower price on, does this look too big? I don't have any spirals, I just like the ideas you guys mentioned as a tool. http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/for/5491432868.html Personally I wouldn't offer him more than $150 as long as that product in it is fresh. When I negotiate with someone I always make sure to find out why they're getting rid of it so I can figure out if they're desperate to get rid of it and possibly lower my offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendio Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Does anyone know if there was a "standard" key code for the wizard spirals? I have two that I acquired with a business purchase, molten gumball blob and all, that I don't have keys for. I'm probably going to sell them, so don't want to spend a fortune for a locksmith or for new locks, but if I could get a key I could sell them for more than without. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerformaVending Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 On 1/25/2017 at 1:56 AM, brendio said: Does anyone know if there was a "standard" key code for the wizard spirals? I have two that I acquired with a business purchase, molten gumball blob and all, that I don't have keys for. I'm probably going to sell them, so don't want to spend a fortune for a locksmith or for new locks, but if I could get a key I could sell them for more than without. Contact Wizard direct, they should be able to help you out there as I believe they used a stock lock set for most of their gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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