Machine ID please

[DrJamesDaddy]

Any ideas? I have a chance to pick up a few of these and wonder:

 

What are they (brand)

Anyone have experience/feedback on them

What should I be paying for these

 

Any and all feedback is welcome.

 

DrJamesDaddy

[DrJamesDaddy]

Going to bump this if that's ok. Any feedback would be sweet. Want to get a couple more machines but don't want to overpay/get junk.

 

Thanks in advance

[Lake Cities Vending]

Junk, Silent Force machine

[DrJamesDaddy]

Great, thanks for the info. They have a dozen or so at $75 each. Just didn't know.

[ClarkMI]

Yes, Silent Sales Force machines. Most here recommend against them, unless they are included in the "start with the equipment you are able to" group.

Those look like Beaver coin mechs though. Let's wait for more input from the experienced vendors to get the full picture on what these are worth.

[PerformaVending]

Early-gen SSF's. Don't see the red ones too often- I really thought they'd be LYPC's or V-Lines from the color.

 

SSF's are clones of Beaver's RB-16 bulk machine, which is itself a clone of the Oak "Acorn" vending machine. The machines it is patterned after are quality machines, but the clones (SSF and their peers) are all Chinese imports using the absolute cheapest parts possible. The globes typically turn yellow very quickly, product wheels are far more prone to jams and damage, and the locks need are finicky at best. The real killer are the coin mechanisms, which are prone to jams and damage. You can replace them with either Oak Acorn mechs or RB-series mechs, but at that point you may as well get the better machine.

 

The absolute most I'd pay for an SSF double would be $25 a set- mostly for the stands, which I kinda like. If you don't like the wood stands though, they're pretty much useless, at least in my opinion.

 

There are a lot of 3rd party machines that will work for you in the short term, and units you can "upgrade" to make them more worthwhile, but SSF's are not one of them. For whatever miniscule amount of money you'll save with them, you'll lose it in repairs, service calls, and lost sales. To be totally honest, no one deserves that kind of frustration, especially not starting out.

 

There are a lot of quality machines that can be purchased used very reasonably (roughly $40 a head depending on condition) that will serve you reliably for years and years to come- grab yourself a Northwestern 60 or an Oak Vista, and save yourself a lot of trouble in the long run. Whatever you choose to do, good luck!

[Lake Cities Vending]

There have been some for sale here for $10.00 a head and he can't get rid of them.

[DrJamesDaddy]

All kinds of great info gang. Thank you. This is a great example of why I joined on this forum.

 

While on machine topics. What would be a good price on an Astro 2 head machine with stand? 

[PerformaVending]

All kinds of great info gang. Thank you. This is a great example of why I joined on this forum.

 

While on machine topics. What would be a good price on an Astro 2 head machine with stand? 

 

Depends on the stand, but Astros are just re-badged Oak Vistas. I pay between $25-$40 for Oak heads- it really depends on the condition there, but barring any major damage Oaks will clean up really nicely. If it's a stock pipe stand, it's worth between $10-$30, again depending on condition, mounting plate, etc. I'd lowball it at $45 and go up from there.