MrKentuckian Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Craigslist has an add for 4 almost brand new (whatever that means) U-Turn Terminator 8 selection units with keys fresh out of the box listed for $250 OBO. Most of these parts look plastic to me and I don't think they would last compared to the more durable metal machines. What is your opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orsd Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 search for the reviews in the forum...youll find that the reviews generally aren't favorable. Also, from what i heard, 8 selections are wayyyyy to much for the typical location. Unless you have a really good location, youll end up throwing away a lot of stale product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhumphrey829 Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I disagree. I have 23 U-turn Terminators out on location that do pretty well. I do make sure not to fill the canisters up to the top, so I don't throw away much product at all and I have had no problems out of any of the plastic parts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrKentuckian Posted February 13, 2013 Author Share Posted February 13, 2013 Where or what type of business does your U-Turns do better placed? If I purchase one, I am thinking at a new Steakhouse restaurant that will be opening up in my town this March. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threeponys Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Starting out and keeping your cash outlay at a minimum, you might consider the U-turn but I'd say only the 4 selection. As bhumphrey829 says, do not fill to the top. Keep in mind you see several of these and other types on Craigslist / Ebay for a reason. Metal machines and mechanisms are your best bet and hold up better. You can always upgrade or use the U-turn as a temporary machine if needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniocinisi Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I would do a little more research.for every one vendor that likes uturns there will be 50 that can tell you from experiance that they are no good for various reasons.dont buy it!!for 250 there are much better machines out there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhumphrey829 Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 The ones i have in automotive centers, car washes and laundry mats do the best for me. And also bigger work places, I put in their break rooms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherlock Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Some say "8 selections is fine if you don't fill the canister". I disagree with their logic. If the location doesn't support 8 selections adequately enough to fill the canisters, then why offer 8 selections in the first place? It's been said here a thousand times: MORE VARIETY DOES NOT EQUAL MORE QUARTERS. Swapping product regularly is the only variety that works... If you are willing and able to stock 6-8 different types of bulk product, still install only 2, 3, or 4 selections (in a single/double/triple), BUT fill the globes. Then use the remaining product varieties to change what you offer in the location every couple of services. Filling the globes allows you to keep your same service schedule as you would have had with an 8-selection machine. While offering customers something new every couple services keeps interest up AND helps them know your product is fresh. So, in short, I recommend you stay away from those monster U-turns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treadmill Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I've had as many as 40 uturns on location when I had my route. If you don't mind breaking down the machine all the way to service then that's fine. It took me about 15 min. to service one if I didn't have to change out product. Sometimes iwas there anywhere from 30-45 minutes just to service one machine. Now also you will find out that the coin mechs are a piece of plastic junk as they can be twisted backwards and be broken. One more thing too is they can be taken advantage of meaning they can take almost anything to bypass the security of the mech and give out free candy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetstop Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I inherited 2 with my lay route purchase I don't like them! Way to cumbersome Most bulk locations dont justify 8 selections and if the need more selection I add another triple or put in a single I will pull mine and sell them off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GagesVending Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I don't like them at all! Poor quality, they cause problems. The powder coating paint on the stands flakes off quickly and looks bad. Difficult and takes too long to service. You have to remove all of the canisters to get to the quarters, so you have to juggle all of the canisters or set them on the floor (which looks unprofessional and isn't very sanitary). Like said above, there's too many selections for about 75-90% of the locations you could place them in, from my experience. You'll find in each location, there's 1 to 3 favorites of the candies and the rest don't sell well. I always dreading servicing my UTurn, so I'll likely get rid of it soon, so I would recommend not buying those, so you don't have to deal with them in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orsd Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 also, keep in mind that you can buy a good quality, durable , professional, way easier to service Oak for ~50 bucks. This will last far longer than a uturn and will offer more flexiblilty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musser Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 U turn is probably the #1 bad choice for a bulk vendor. Too many products! out of every 100 charity stops you will ever get 90 of them will only support a single head machine, 6 will support a double 3 will support a triple and 1 will support 4 or more products and if that is the case you would be far better off to put in a small rack of Northwesterns, Oaks or A&A. Because if you lose the big productive stop you can easily break the rack down into singles. IMHO there is simply no place for a uturn anywhere that makes economic sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newheart53 Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 Well here's my 2 cents. I just purchased 40 locations with 48 u turn 4&8 select. I serviced half of them today [ well 16]. Took alot of time because of condition of product. taking the coin box out is a problem, but when there full of quarters who cares. Don't fill the canisters all of the way, because of wasted pproduct, but then in my other route if the product don't move you lose tht product also. I would give my machines a 6 to7 out of ten. As far as the machines your looking at I think he's to high. Make him an offer of 50 too 60 apiece He'll probably take it sooner or later. I paid 35.00 each for the ones I got. Oh 8 selects would be good for 4 candy and 4 toy [if there is kids present]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bctexas Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 I have over 100 U-Turns on location. Personally, I like the U-Turns but you have already heard from a bunch of U-Turn haters. One major point that I agree with is that most locations will not support an 8 select machine. However, when you find one that will you will be darn glad you have it. I have 7 or 8 locations that all do around $100/month that have 8 select machines. All 8 products get bought in most of these locations and I have not experienced any food spoilage. I also agree that the coin mechs are not the most durable out there but I have only experienced a few problems with them. With practice, you can service these machines in about 10-12 minutes. I bought a storage shed with a large number of extra parts for a great price so I don't worry much about parts. If you need spare parts (and I would advise keeping a small inventory of them) don't buy spare parts from U-Turn directly. Their parts prices are ridiculous. Also, you can find Terminators for less than $250 each. I you can get them for $100 to $150 I would say jump on it. The key is finding the right locations though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbo7256 Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 I don't like them. In my area I just can't do 8 selections. If you did get themi would not fill them completely. But I agree with most. The machines are not worth it. For 250 bucks I would buy northwestern triple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elite Vending Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 Would They be good for testing products at a new location? Put in the U-turn for the 1st cycle and then replace it with a double filled with your top two sellers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treadmill Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 Would They be good for testing products at a new location? Put in the U-turn for the 1st cycle and then replace it with a double filled with your top two sellers. I wouldn't want to lug a uturn in and out of each business just to test out. How about putting in a double head and experiment that way you can save alot of energy moving that bulky uturn all of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrKentuckian Posted February 14, 2013 Author Share Posted February 14, 2013 I have decided to not go with any U-Turn machines and I appreciate every ones feedback both positive and negative concerning those machines. They just looked to cheaply made and when I read some seller's stating that they have a tote full of parts to go with it, that also tells you something about these types of machines. I am going to go with the advice of purchasing a NW Triple Play, if I can find one at a descent price with some on Craigslist asking $140-$150 I still feel that I can find a better deal even though I know you can get them at Sam's Club for $250 but if you got them retail new they would cost about $300. I think if I'm patient I may be able to make a trade or get one for more like $80-$100. I am in no rush really since I'm just teaching my son about being a young entrepeneur starting out with 2 candy machines (1 single; 1 3-head). I also researched Vendstars and have found them to be troublesome too with many for sale in lots on Craigslist which also says a lot about these 3-head candy machines. I think the way to go would be with 2-head Oak and 3-head NW Triple Plays or Vendesign candy machines as good buys. If you know of any other 2-head or 3-head candy machines that you would recommend, let me know and I will be on the lookout for those brand names too. Really, thanks again for all of this invaluable feedback from everyone. I have found this website to be very resourceful for anyone new to bulk or line vending and once "Father and Son Vending" becomes profitable, I will be donating to keep this site up and running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newheart53 Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 I will be very happy to take those un wanted unloved and un appreciated u turns and all the parts you all don't have a need for. For me its what I have and I have no choice but to deal with them. I will and can only pay junk prices for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musser Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 I will and can only pay junk prices for them. reason 173 for not buying a Uturn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Search the term "candy machines*" for any major city on craigslist. Other than vendstars (and possibly those SnackTime tabletop machines which are just a Hall Of Fame level of crap) I can almost guarantee U-Turns are the second most available machine. Is there really anything you need to know other than that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reel Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 A lot of uturn haters here, i think the biggest problem with them is simply a lot of operators dont know how to run, fix and service a large fleet of uturns. Sorry no disrespect intended but a lot of people here bagging them dont have large fleets and not a great deal of experience at all. I run a large fleet of unturns yes larger than on my profile and theres no way it takes 30 minutes to service an 8 select unless your incredibly slow, no experienced operator would ever fill a canister as the idea is to fill to a third to a half only so it gives the appearance of being used not necessarily product spoilage!. Terminators are a great machine to locate in a business where there is a lot of kids passing through as 4 of othe 8 canisters should be used for vending capsuled toys and bouncy balls and not candy. Hard dextrose candy can be used in some of the other 4 canisters and this product never spoils and lasts a long time. We have uturns sited in clusters within close proximity to each other, often 15 to 20 within minutes of each other. Sure they are loads of them for sale thats because inexperienced people wanting to enter the vending world overpay for them new and have no clue at all how to locate them...................i love these type of people, thats how we built our large uturn fleet by buying these types out reallly cheap!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniocinisi Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I have a 4 selection u turn that is missing 3 canisters.the one canister that is left is a gumball canister.make me an offer for it with shipping NEWHEART53.I am in central Illinois. I also have 5 locks all keyed the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treadmill Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 A lot of uturn haters here, i think the biggest problem with them is simply a lot of operators dont know how to run, fix and service a large fleet of uturns. Sorry no disrespect intended but a lot of people here bagging them dont have large fleets and not a great deal of experience at all. I run a large fleet of unturns yes larger than on my profile and theres no way it takes 30 minutes to service an 8 select unless your incredibly slow, no experienced operator would ever fill a canister as the idea is to fill to a third to a half only so it gives the appearance of being used not necessarily product spoilage!. Terminators are a great machine to locate in a business where there is a lot of kids passing through as 4 of othe 8 canisters should be used for vending capsuled toys and bouncy balls and not candy. Hard dextrose candy can be used in some of the other 4 canisters and this product never spoils and lasts a long time. We have uturns sited in clusters within close proximity to each other, often 15 to 20 within minutes of each other. Sure they are loads of them for sale thats because inexperienced people wanting to enter the vending world overpay for them new and have no clue at all how to locate them...................i love these type of people, thats how we built our large uturn fleet by buying these types out reallly cheap!. Hey mate, The reason it may of taken me 30 min. or more was to take apart the canister and change setting for a new product as well as clean out canister. This may have been done to two or three canisters. That's all right though you can have all the uturns you want.. Oh by the way I've seen kids take them uturns and spin them around and around trying to make them take off just like a rocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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