Recommendations on where to purchase new machines

[MichaelCallahanPCFL]

Hi, 

I'm interested in purchasing a new machine, and am curious if anyone has any experience with any particular manufacturers. I'm new to vending, and would love to know the manufacturers who have reliable, high quality machines and great customer service. Thanks!

[tblake05]

Quality, price, or service….. pick two.

Basically anything that is made in china, run!

why a new machine? Why not used or refurbished for your first one? A new one would take forever to pay off.

[MichaelCallahanPCFL]

Among quality, price, and service I definitely prioritize quality and service. I am brand new to this and am trying to establish a reputation, so I am prioritizing reliability and dependability. I have a full-time job and a bunch of kids; I can't be worried about a machine breaking down all the time. A new machine can come with up to a five-year warranty, and I'm just feeling like I need that predictability as I get started. I already have so much to learn, and I don't want "fixing vending machines" to be the first thing I'm educating myself around. Any recommendations on manufacturers? I've spoken with vending.com, A&M, and have a call out to Betson to learn more. 

[Vendo Mike]

IF you decide to start with a new machine, just be aware that you're looking at a significant amount of capital upfront.  You're correct that you'll be covered with a warranty but don't expect a 5 year warranty on the entire machine.  In new equipment, the most common issue is vandalism which is not covered by any mfg warranty.  This is not an easy "side hustle".  It's going to take a good amount of your time and effort.  As much as I or any other mfg would like you to buy new, as everyone here will also share, your ROI will be significantly longer than a used machine; however, you will be clear of dealing with tracing old harnesses, old and or NLA parts, and previous repairs (good or bad) that was done to a used vendor.  There are reman units on the used market as well which are very reliable if the work was done by a .  Also, if you do decide vending is not for you, new Vendo equipment has good resale value on the used market as well as being compatible with all major coin, bill acceptors and card reader brands. 

Everyone here will suggest your first machine to be a drink machine. Drink machines are fairly simple to learn and manage and product can be easily sourced locally.  They're also easy to set up without extra parts (shims, etc) Stick with 12 oz cans, 20 oz bottles and your 16 oz energy drinks.   

Establish a relationship with a local vending distributor.  They will be able to help source your payment systems and parts as well as answer your questions because right now, you don't know what you don't know. Purchasing a unit on line and drop shipping cuts out your local guy on the equipment sale which generally doesn't make them real motivated to help down the road. They may say, "call whoever you purchased it from".   We go to market through distributors so the info I share will all be spec based.  You'll need to talk to a distributor about pricing. 

Vendo V21 series drink machines -( 621, 721, 821 )  is carried by most vending distributors including A&M and Betson.   

https://www.vendoco.com/vending-equipment for spec sheets of all models.  Since you aren't a bottler, you won't have access to purchase bottler branded equipment like Coke, Pepsi, DP, etc but we do have a line of "trade" equipment that you'll see.

warranty is as follows.

1 year covered parts (coin return button, led driver, refrigeration start relay, etc)

5 year VMC (board), display and vend motors

6 year on the sealed refer deck  vs clogs, leaks, faulty compressor)