USS-64 vs 96

[Pixel]

I've been kind of wondering about this for some time. What are the pros and cons of a USS-64 vs a 96? There are the obvious differences like weight and number of selections, but what about things like value and which is easier to repair and restore?

[tkaz]

The 64 will always be the better bet to restore.  The 96 is just too tall and heavy.  The restoration on either should be about the same amount of effort, just a few more shelves and vending cradles to do on a 96.   I think there's a sweet spot on the size of the machine, same thing with square top Vendo machines, the 63 does better than the 90.

[Pixel]

Every once in a while I'll run across a USS-96 on CL, and wonder if I'd be happier with it. My primary purpose is to find a machine I can make use of. I'd like to fix it up some certainly, but to use. It would be nice if I could recoup the investment should the need arise, but I'm not really intending sell the machine.

The only real problem with the 64 is that if you like a wide variety of soft drinks, you can't put a large number of any particular variety in the machine at one time, especially if the machine is popular. By the time the 8 shelves are evenly distributed between Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, and Bottled Water, there isn't room for a large number of any of them, and you'd have trouble placing a fifth flavor in there as well.

I could see the 96 alleviating that problem somewhat. I'm not sure it's worth the drawbacks though.

The 96 is not particularly valuable, is it? Are the shelves the same as the 64?

[MoonDawg]

 It would be nice if I could recoup the investment should the need arise, but I'm not really intending sell the machine.

   Nobody intends to sell their first machine, but better deals always keep finding you when soda machines start running through your blood...

 

   Edit:   Maybe I should have stated "when freon starts running through your blood"?

               Did anybody get a shot of R-12 this weekend? 

[jholmgren]

      Nobody intends to sell their first machine, but better deals always keep finding you when soda machines start running through your blood...

AMEN Glen!   I just wanted one old Coke machine for the house - now I have 6 or 7 of the darn things.  Sold my first one (CS-96) because I decided a USS-64 would be more practical (cans and bottles + smaller) but I still have the rest of them.   On the plus side - we rearranged some furniture and now I have room for pretty much all of them in the house.  The USS-64 sits in the garage, and the WE-6 is on the back deck, but otherwise they are inside.

[Pixel]

I didn't intend to sell the first machine I bought, but wound up scrapping it anyway because everything about it was too heavy to work on. Without being able to repair the vending, it just wasn't worth investing in the cooling system.

The first functional machine I bought Ihad in mind reselling at some point. It's a late 70's CSS-64 that was 90% complete when I bought it. The antique store that had it did not know if it cooled, and didn't act much like they cared if it did. My dad and I went and plugged it in, and the air began cooling within a very short time. I got it at an
excellent price, and it wasn't even all that rusty on the inside. I felt the cooling system at least would be useful in a USS at some point, so I didn't think I could lose.

Something happened I wasn't quite expecting. I have this theory that older soda machines were made to cool extremely well, because they were at times the only places where soda was sold in a given establishment (like an auto repair shop). If the machine cooled the drinks nicely, people would remember and come back, maybe even just to buy a drink from it if the machine was conveniently located.

I'm sure I was right on the money, because it worked like a charm on my mother and sister. They saw the machine first, and relayed it to me. Not too long after we started pulling cold Cokes and Pepsis from it, they fell in love with it and absolutely forbade me from selling it to someone else.

I waited 24 hours to plug the machine in after we got it home, and it's has stayed plugged in pretty much full time. It has been running nearly every day since.

I still have the receipt. In just over three weeks it'll have been there for 8 years, and the cooling has never had a major problem that I can tell. The machine does occasionally get rather loud, but that's about it. It is right around 36 years old. I'm not convinced the new soda machines sold today will last even half that long.

That's why I like Cavaliers. I wouldn't question anyone here who says Vendo makes machines of equal quality, but this Cavalier is the only one I've had practical experience with. I'd say this particular machine was worth every penny.