Best Coin Acceptor?

[matts22]

We just bought a car wash and are in the process of modifying the existing bay meter boxes. We are going from two separate coin slots (one for tokens and one for quarters) to a single slot that will accept both so that we have a nice clean area to add cryptopay.

However, we need to replace the Ginsan Sensitron units with a coin acceptor that can accept both tokens and quarters.

Which multi-coin acceptor do you guys like best?

Slugbuster III
IDX MA800 or X10
Microcoin QL
Ginsan Multitron
or something else?

Thanks for the help!

 

[RAATCB]

Without a doubt Microcoin QL. Very reliable and can be programmed for many different features, coins, tokens, etc.

 

[cantbreak80]

Microcoin QL hands down.
They're in every bay, vacuum, and Laurel vendor.
Just one more think you don't have to worry about.

 

[chaz]

SlugbusterIII. Great service and reasonable repair prices. Though in 8 years, I've had only two issues with 20 in service, and one was my fault.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Another vote for the QL.

 

[mjwalsh]

Another vote for the QL.

QL for us. This is not to knock IDX, Parker, &/or GinSan though. We had great luck with Parker single coin & with IDX. The IDX we still use but we tend to use them now where we do not have the intense moisture (both overhead bay doors shut in wintertime) such as the Vacs, Dog Wash & hopefully for future 35+ coin mechs for our still to be completed dollar coin update for our washing machines in our laundromat.

mike walsh http://kingkoin.com/USA_Deficit_Reduction.html

 

[Kevin James]

We have had all of the coin acceptors in service at one time or another and this is how we rate them.

Microcoin QL – Easy to program, never had one fail, this is the one we are going over to.

Slugbuster EZ – Very good solid unit, excellent customer service, not overly expensive to repair, we have a lot o them.

IDX MA800 or X10 – They tend to have a lot of problems in time, expensive to repair, customer service sucks, we toss them into the dumpster when they fail.

Ginsan Multitron – we don’t have any left, they’ve all gone into the dumpster, a bitch to program.

 

[mjwalsh]

Kevin James,

Wow, it sounds like you & some others have more experience with the IDX coin mechs than we do! Do the IDX actually sometimes have more wrong with them than the personality plug & the occasional need to dry one out thoroughly that was temporarily affected by self service in bay moisture?

If you have a bunch more IDXs ... maybe we could make a deal on another batch of IDXs that would otherwise go into your dumpster?

mike walsh www.kingkoin.com

 

[matts22]

Thanks everyone! Looks like Microcoin QL is the way to go.

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

I keep hearing that microcoin QLs are good, but when microcoin first came out I bought a bunch of them as part of my switchover to tokens and $ coins. Had lots of problems, wasnt happy with the support. They ended up in the dumpster. Sour grapes, but I wont buy microcoins.

I have a bunch of idx and I like them. I do agree with Kevin's comments about them being too expensive to repair, thats quite annoying.
I also like slugbusters.

 

[Randy]

I'm kind of a Slugbuster II fan. We've been using them for years with very few problems

 

[MEP001]

I keep hearing that microcoin QLs are good, but when microcoin first came out I bought a bunch of them as part of my switchover to tokens and $ coins. Had lots of problems, wasnt happy with the support. They ended up in the dumpster. Sour grapes, but I wont buy microcoins.

I have a bunch of idx and I like them. I do agree with Kevin's comments about them being too expensive to repair, thats quite annoying.
I also like slugbusters.

I pretty much condemned Slugbusters over a similar experience - right after building the doors I found they would take $1 coins and give credit as a quarter, and when I called them I was told "Well, you're going to have to upgrade to Slugbuster III." It's not like I was trying to get some old stuff to work, these were new units going into a new wash. So I got six IDX and moved the Slugbusters to the vacs with a plate that didn't allow the larger coins through the slot. Some of those IDX have not been touched in 12 years, and all the SBII have been replaced.

My only experience with Microcoin was when I found an old, beat up one in a bucket of trash at a customer's wash and installed it and it worked perfectly.

 

[soapy]

I must be the only one using Secure Coin EP5. I love them. With the newer style hinged coin path and 5 coin acceptablity they are my choice. QTR, dollar coin and 3 dif tokens they have worked well for me. The slim profile helps in some of my vacs where a slug buster 3 just is too wide to fit.

 

[mjwalsh]

I must be the only one using Secure Coin EP5. I love them. With the newer style hinged coin path and 5 coin acceptablity they are my choice. QTR, dollar coin and 3 dif tokens they have worked well for me. The slim profile helps in some of my vacs where a slug buster 3 just is too wide to fit.

Soapy,

That is good information for us since we like the idea of being able to have another brand that we can go to if & when we complete our changeover (for dollar coins) to car wash style coin mechs for over 50 pieces of our laundromat equipment. I know that Secure Coin short drop version you no longer needed that you sold & sent us awhile back will fit fine in our 16 commercial laundromat dryers. It is reassuring that your experience with the Winnipeg based Secure Coin has been positive!

mike walsh www.kingkoin.com

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

I must be the only one using Secure Coin EP5. I love them. With the newer style hinged coin path and 5 coin acceptablity they are my choice. QTR, dollar coin and 3 dif tokens they have worked well for me. The slim profile helps in some of my vacs where a slug buster 3 just is too wide to fit.

I used Secure Coin acceptors for a long time, I liked them a lot. Simple, very reliable, customer service was very good. I stopped using them 10 years or so ago for 2 reasons: a) no hinge made it impossible to clean them or to clear jams; b) sending them off for repair was like the twilight zone, seemed like they disappeared forever. (the only "good customer service" exception.)

Soapy, have you had to send any out for repair?

 

[matts22]

Update:

We went with everyone's advice and bought Microcoin QL's for all 5 self-service bays. This has to be THE WORST purchase we have made in a long time. ALL FIVE of the coin acceptors jam (with quarters only) on a regular basis - at least one of them jams EVERY DAY. We have had discussions with Microcoin and they have not been helpful at all - no ideas for solutions, offers for replacements, or anything. They literally told us to contact Kleen-rite, ask for a refund, and get a different coin acceptor! What company does not stand by their products enough to at least offer to look into the problem or offer to replace them if they might be defective???

Has anyone else had problems with the Microcoin QL? Any ideas?

 

[MEP001]

What are you finding in the acceptor that's jamming it? You're sure there's no loose wire getting under it causing a jam, and there's plenty of room under it for the coins to fall clear into the safe?

 

[chaz]

I believe I suggested the SlugbusterIII.

 

[mjc3333]

Slug buster II or III. Very inexpensive to repair and very reliable. I have used them for 20 years. I, at one time had ginsan sensitrons, secure coin, and even idx. The Slug buster by far was the best all around. I am not suggesting the QL is bad because it's not, but if you are able to get a full refund, my choice would be the slug buster II or III.
Mike

 

[cantbreak80]

I suspect coins are not seeing a clear path to the collection box/safe. This could be a result of misalignment of the acceptor’s coin outlet with the safe’s inlet.

I have experienced this with meter boxes that have tight clearance or misalignment from the bottom of the acceptor to the safe’s inlet. Frequently, coins wobble as they exit the acceptor. One coin catches on the edge of the safe inlet, flops over and blocks the outlet path. Another 3 or 4 coins stack up in the discharge and voila…coin jam!

Another possibility is the plumb of the meter box faceplate. If it’s tipped back at the top, the coin path angle is reduced. This can result in rejected coins not clearing the acceptor, effectively blocking the subsequently accepted coin’s path. This can be easily solved by adding a couple of small washers placed between the meter box and the acceptor’s lower mounting holes.
The company cannot know all of the factors of every installation. And, with all 5 acceptors experiencing the same problem, I’d suggest it’s likely an installation issue.

Try installing one of your original acceptors into the new faceplate and see if you experience the same problem.