combo machines

[ttoner]

I was wondering if I can get some info on combo machines. I have looked at 1800 vending and their site. The machines look great. I want to buy used machines, but I wanted to get some feedback on the most reliable as well as is the combo better to have than seperate drink and snack mchines.

[mxer518]

that's how i started out with full line vending and i still have a bunch on location but i HATE all combo machines. they are usually terrible to find parts for and they can be ripped off and broken easily. I am now in the process of upgrading all of my combo locations with full size snack and soda where it makes sense. but if you do go with combo machines to start out i can only say do not buy Snack time/Drink time machines. these things are everywhere and you can usually pick them up dirt cheap but they are impossible to get parts for recently, i have been waiting over 7 months now for a simple coin mech.

[G-man422]

TT, here is what I have gathered from reading other posts on the forum (I do not operate full line machines).

Pros: 

-One machine for both snack and drinks. 

-Usually can be picked up for a decent price.

Cons:

-If they are a manual coin mech, they can be ripped off easily.

-Plastic coin mechs run rampid on the cheaper machines and have jamming problems.

- There is a limited amount of snacks and drinks you are able to put in one machine.  This means that you will have to fill it more frequently.  Never put a combo in a location that does a lot of business.