energy drink machine recommendations

[battlebuddiez]

First post, so TYIA for your input.

background: I am opening a SMALL beverage vending machine business. We are owned/operated by disabled veterans only. I work as service tech for Coke for years after the military, but Im now starting this company/project. I need the machines to merely break even and cover payroll. revenue is coming from other streams. main goal is giving disabled vets a job/skill they can use that works around their schedules, limitations, etc. My focus is finding 7 machines to start with, 5 deploying to locations 2 to teach/instruct/backups. 

I am seeking recommendations on what brand/model of machine to use that will be able to distribute cold coffee and energy drink products ONLY. I need the machine to be relatively easy to work on, reliable, and able to adapt to products with a weird can size like those $%^&ing Red Bulls. I know I am asking a lot and have a lot of other questions but this is my main focus atm. I am located in Texas, so if you know of any manufacturer retailers or how to look them up ( cant find much on just Google ) I would appreciate it greatly. 

Thank you so much for your input. 

 

[Vendo Mike]

SandenVendo America is based and manufactures vending equipment in Dallas.  We have a few distributors in TX that can answer your questions.  I believe the guys on here would agree that the V21 series (621,721, 821) drink machines are easy to set up, easy to operate and have a good track record regarding service needs.  For those oddball packages, there is a setup for each that would require some hardware (shims, etc).  Especially for 8.6 oz Redbull that everyone loves so much. 

AVS Companies have offices in Dallas and Houston. 

Aeco has offices in Farmers Branch (DFW area) and OKC areas. 

Precision Vending is in Buda, TX.  

There are more but not coming to mind at the moment since I moved out of Texas around 6 years ago and don't cover that territory any more.  

[AngryChris]

For most vendors, I recommend vendo v21 models, Dixie narco E models, or royal Merlin 4 models.  Usi makes a good soda machine too but they are notorious for things I'd rather avoid, although I like their snack machines.  There are also older can machines that are very capable with the right setup.  However, to the best of my knowledge, the v21 is the only series I recommend which is still in production.  And, from my experience, vendo actually stands behind their product.  Having said that, I recommend the v21.  It's probably the easiest machine to configure.  And it could be argued that it has the best capacity for its cabinet utilization but there's a case to make for royal too.  I operate all three (v21, E series, and Merlin 4) and I do like the v21.  The 721 is 10 column, 621 is 8 column, and 821 is the tall version of the 721 but I don't recommend that for you.

[battlebuddiez]

i dont have much experience with Vendo equipment. Ive only worked on dixies and Royals, however, a lot of people seem to use them according to the majority of these forums. Thank you for your input. Im going to try and contact someone and hopefully get out to Dallas and take a look as some of the different models to get a better feel. Thanks again

[battlebuddiez]

On 5/5/2023 at 6:26 PM, AngryChris said:

For most vendors, I recommend vendo v21 models, Dixie narco E models, or royal Merlin 4 models.  Usi makes a good soda machine too but they are notorious for things I'd rather avoid, although I like their snack machines.  There are also older can machines that are very capable with the right setup.  However, to the best of my knowledge, the v21 is the only series I recommend which is still in production.  And, from my experience, vendo actually stands behind their product.  Having said that, I recommend the v21.  It's probably the easiest machine to configure.  And it could be argued that it has the best capacity for its cabinet utilization but there's a case to make for royal too.  I operate all three (v21, E series, and Merlin 4) and I do like the v21.  The 721 is 10 column, 621 is 8 column, and 821 is the tall version of the 721 but I don't recommend that for you.

would you happen to know if the front plexiglass on any of these models are replaceable? Have you ever heard of anyone being able to customize the front plexiglass? or know of anyone or company who could do that? 

[AngryChris]

1 hour ago, battlebuddiez said:

would you happen to know if the front plexiglass on any of these models are replaceable? Have you ever heard of anyone being able to customize the front plexiglass? or know of anyone or company who could do that? 

@Vendo Mike

[Vendo Mike]

The lexan front is replaceable.  If you want a customized signface, you should reach out to Dalb, NBS or Graphics that Pop and they can help you understand the costs of design, tooling etc.  They can be drop shipped for field install or they can be shipped to the factory for installation in a brand new vendor.

[orsd]

National Beverage Screen Printers (NBS) is pretty reasonable for custom fronts. I think they’re 150-200 a pop plus like 150 for a setup fee.

[battlebuddiez]

you guys are awesome, ty