First amusement machine - is this a good claw machine?

[OVend]

I currently have a vending route for snacks and drinks. One of my accounts is looking for amusement vending as well because they have a good amount of foot traffic. Is this claw machine a good / reliable machine? I know nothing about amusement machines. Is it difficult to repair claw machines if they break? Also, what would be a fair price for this machine in working order? One near me for $1,250. Thanks 

 

[gumball guy]

On 8/8/2022 at 4:51 PM, OVend said:

I currently have a vending route for snacks and drinks. One of my accounts is looking for amusement vending as well because they have a good amount of foot traffic. Is this claw machine a good / reliable machine? I know nothing about amusement machines. Is it difficult to repair claw machines if they break? Also, what would be a fair price for this machine in working order? One near me for $1,250. Thanks 

 

Looks like Betson Chinese import. If it is in good shape and works as it should $1250.00 is a fair price in today's market in my opinion. Just like your full line equipment there is a learning curve when working on them but if you have the aptitude to repair a soda machine or a snack machine you will be fine. The possible down side is I'm not sure if Betson still offers support on that machine so you may be on your own trying to learn how to repair it and when sourcing parts. Just wondering......are you doing this only for this location or are you looking to branch out into amusement further? Having only one location may not be cost effective when buying product for the claw machine (kinda like operating just one snack machine) but if you are looking to test the amusement waters for possible expansion then it could be a good learning opportunity.

[OVend]

On 8/9/2022 at 7:11 PM, gumball guy said:

Looks like Betson Chinese import. If it is in good shape and works as it should $1250.00 is a fair price in today's market in my opinion. Just like your full line equipment there is a learning curve when working on them but if you have the aptitude to repair a soda machine or a snack machine you will be fine. The possible down side is I'm not sure if Betson still offers support on that machine so you may be on your own trying to learn how to repair it and when sourcing parts. Just wondering......are you doing this only for this location or are you looking to branch out into amusement further? Having only one location may not be cost effective when buying product for the claw machine (kinda like operating just one snack machine) but if you are looking to test the amusement waters for possible expansion then it could be a good learning opportunity.

Thank you for the reply. I Ended up purchasing the machine, but I see what you mean about how it may not be supported by betson. I would be open to branching into amusement vending, but mostly I was just planning to get this 1 machine for the specific location. I see what you mean though that it would be less cost effective. I guess I will give it a shot and if it doesn’t work out I will resell it. Picked it up for 1,000.

[AZVendor]

You must like this account a lot to drop $1k on a machine that might not work right, can't get parts for and may lose money on every vend.

[tblake05]

Could always fill it with bags of chips and run it as a snack machine lol!

no but seriously. I’ve always wondered where claw operators got their products.

I wouldn’t mind branching into amusement, but not redemption. Just pinball and arcade games. But that’s sort of gone by the wayside about 30 years ago unfortunately.

[OVend]

On 8/12/2022 at 9:16 AM, AZVendor said:

You must like this account a lot to drop $1k on a machine that might not work right, can't get parts for and may lose money on every vend.

Ya I will admit I have relatively no knowledge of claw machines. I knew it was a risk but will see what happens. 

[OVend]

2 hours ago, tblake05 said:

Could always fill it with bags of chips and run it as a snack machine lol!

no but seriously. I’ve always wondered where claw operators got their products.

I wouldn’t mind branching into amusement, but not redemption. Just pinball and arcade games. But that’s sort of gone by the wayside about 30 years ago unfortunately.

Ya I have been searching for a source on plush toys but they are pretty expensive right now just like everything else. I see what you mean on arcade machines how they dent need prizes. this location of mine has also requested arcade games such as racing game etc. thinking I will stick with just the claw machine for now and see if it is profitable at the account 

[tblake05]

6 minutes ago, OVend said:

Ya I have been searching for a source on plush toys but they are pretty expensive right now just like everything else. I see what you mean on arcade machines how they dent need prizes. this location of mine has also requested arcade games such as racing game etc. thinking I will stick with just the claw machine for now and see if it is profitable at the account 

Or just source a cruzin USA sit down arcade game off Craigslist. They pop up around here  from time to time working in good shape pretty cheap cause no one has room for them.

[tblake05]

Plus arcade games are easier to fix than vending. At least to me. Their schematics go all the way down to component level on the board. Pretty amazing compared to vending.

[RoadDogAmusements]

Personally I only recommend doing plush cranes in a crane that has auto percentaging. Unless you're a pro. If you don't know what that means then you probably are going to lose money on plush cranes. As others have stated 1250 is a lot to gamble with... but in the right location that can easily be a 1 year ROI. I try get my cranes broken and fix them myself, usually able to get a crane on location for under $600.

 

source: currently operating 17 cranes, 11 are plush.

[OVend]

On 8/19/2022 at 9:45 PM, RoadDogAmusements said:

Personally I only recommend doing plush cranes in a crane that has auto percentaging. Unless you're a pro. If you don't know what that means then you probably are going to lose money on plush cranes. As others have stated 1250 is a lot to gamble with... but in the right location that can easily be a 1 year ROI. I try get my cranes broken and fix them myself, usually able to get a crane on location for under $600.

 

source: currently operating 17 cranes, 11 are plush.

Unfortunately it doesn't have auto percentaging. It has VR1 VR2 VR3 voltage controls for strong, low, and bonus. I messed around with it for a long time until it seemed difficult enough to have a profitable payout rate without being too obvious of a scam per say.

[RoadDogAmusements]

4 hours ago, OVend said:

Unfortunately it doesn't have auto percentaging. It has VR1 VR2 VR3 voltage controls for strong, low, and bonus. I messed around with it for a long time until it seemed difficult enough to have a profitable payout rate without being too obvious of a scam per say.

yeah, you're going to have to watch it and adjust week to week. I personally try to do 1 win in 10, but it depends on your cost basis and your profit split with your location, if any. good luck, keep track of your profits and when the machine is paid for.

[OVend]

On 8/22/2022 at 3:52 AM, RoadDogAmusements said:

yeah, you're going to have to watch it and adjust week to week. I personally try to do 1 win in 10, but it depends on your cost basis and your profit split with your location, if any. good luck, keep track of your profits and when the machine is paid for.

Thank you appreciate it

[dkochan]

Yes, that Betson Big Choice crane is a good crane machine.  It was made by Coast to Coast.  It is a Toy Taxi/Hot Stuff clone.  The claw strength (Strong, Weak and Win) is adjustable and so is the win rate.  The manual for this crane machine is available here: