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What Is the Best Gumball Dispensing Machine? Read Our Gumball Machine Reviews!
Choose a gumball machine of the right type, color, size, capacity and materials, and carefully consider any other features it comes with. A good gumball machine has a high capacity and doubles up as a bank; for commercial use, a machine should be compatible with local coins. Read on to find out if one of our recommended gumball machines is what you need!
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Our Top Choice
The Great Northern Popcorn Vintage Gumball Machine features a real glass globe to hold gumballs and a cast metal stand to prop it up. Designed to accept any coins, this gumball machine also works as a gumball bank. Don't need the stand? This Old Fashioned Vintage Gumball Machine
also comes in a countertop model.
Great Northern Popcorn Cast Iron Vintage Candy and Gumball Machine Bank – Real Glass Globe Antique Gumball Machine
Features
The Great Northern Popcorn is a brand popular for its high quality concession equipment. It manufactures and services snow cones, popcorn machines, kegerators, cotton candy, etc. The company ships the products directly from its warehouse and exceeds the expectations of many of its customers.
The Great Northern Popcorn Vintage Gumball Machine is made to last . It comes with a real glass globe and looks just like an old school antique gumball machine. The lid, base and coin mechanism are made of cast metal, so you know you’re not buying something cheap. Designed to accept any coins, the gumball machine also doubles up as a gumball bank that allows coin retrieval when full. It’s available in an additional size and style to choose from.
Best Value
The Carousel Gumball Bank doubles up as a gumball, nut or candy dispending machine. It has a capacity of two pounds, a height of 12 inches and supports free-spin use without coins. If you want a similar gumball machine that’s taller, opt for the 15”
Carousel King Gumball Machine Bank for a slightly higher cost. Both are also available with a stand.
Carousel 12-Inch Medium Cast Iron Gumball Machine – Vintage Style Countertop Candy and Gumball Dispenser with Carousel Door
Features
Carousel is an ideal choice if you’re looking for a small gumball machine for home use within an affordable price range. The brand has many antique collections that’ll add a vintage look into your interior space. There’s simply no better way to teach your kids how to save money!
The Carousel Gumball Bank features a metal lid, base and coin mechanism for durability. The glass globe is transparent for complete visibility of its contents. The chute door cover prevents spillage of gumballs. It comes with free-spin instructions to support use without coins.
Here are three other Carousel gumball machines to look out for:
- Carousel Antique Gumball Machine – silver, 9” tall
- Carousel Junior Antique Gumball Machine – 12” tall, silver
- Carousel Petite Gumball Machine bank – die cast metal, 9” tall, glass globe, red
This gumball machine comes in a classic red finish for a beautiful addition to your interior space, and two different sizes in packs of one or two.
The Wholesale Vending Products Gumball Machine has a classic, retro style and will hold 325 1-inch gumballs! Prefer a larger, round globe that holds up to 1000 gumballs? The
High Capacity Bulk Vending Gumball Machine comes in four vibrant color choices.
Economy Bulk Gumball Vending Machine – Adjustable Gumball Wheel, High Security Barrel Lock, Also Works with Bouncy Balls
Features
Wholesale Vending Products is a US-based manufacturer of all things vending. They produce commercial quality and size products as well as those that wouldn’t be out of place in the home. Their product range includes antique gumball machines, vending capsules and claw crane machines. They also have everything you could possibly want to put inside the vending machines including bouncy balls, giant gummy bears, smarties and a huge selection of gumballs.
The Wholesale Vending Products Bulk Gumball Machine is a fantastic option for a countertop treat dispenser or it could be the perfect addition to any game room! Kids would love this gumball machine and having one in the home could help them understand that in order to have candy and other toys, you need to save your money to buy it! The globe of this gumball machine is made from shatter resistant polycarbonate, so hopefully you won’t have to worry about damage.
Measuring 16 x 8 x 8 inches, this machine is compact enough to fit in most commercial or home settings. The globe will hold up to 325 1” gumballs, enough to ensure you don’t have to refill too much, and the metal coin acceptor will take quarters only. Once you’ve reached the maximum capacity of $125, just use the lock and key supplied to collect your money. Depending on where you’re planning to put your gumball machine, you can opt for the yellow or black options.
The Schylling Dubble Bubble Gumball Machine is a fantastic budget gumball machine for all ages. It even comes with 50 double bubble gumballs already stocked up! Looking for the same nostalgia, but on a smaller scale? Check out the
Dubble Bubble Mini Gumball Machine! No coins required and they make great stocking stuffers or party favors.
Classic Dubble Bubble Vintage Gumball Machine Coin Bank – Comes with Bag of Double Bubble Gumballs
Features
Schylling has been around for over 40 years, specializing in timeless toys. Although Schylling loves to manufacture classic and nostalgic toys, they’re also passionate about innovation and strive to produce intriguing new products. Among others, Schylling is the leading manufacturer of the jack in the box toys and Kaleidoscopes. They also manufacture arts & crafts, retro toys, pretend play, magic tricks and Star Wars and Pixar characters.
The Schylling Dubble Bubble Gumball Machine doubles as a coin bank to help you or your little one save! Get rewarded every time you save a coin with yummy, bubble blowing fun! This retro designed machine includes 50 double bubble gumballs so it’s ready to go as soon as you take it out of the box. All you need to do is put any coin in, turn the handle and bam…it’s gumball time. Standing at just 8.5-inches tall, it is a compact machine that would fit anywhere in the home and it’s made from sturdy plastic so it’s not likely to break. This gumball machine is ideal for anyone over the age of 3!
The Jelly Belly Mickey Mouse gumball style bean dispenser is ideal for any Disney fan and it can hold up to 23 ounces of beans (or go for the larger 1.5 pound option)! Alternatively, the
Jelly Belly Mini Bean Machine is a vintage style dispenser designed for use with or without coins. Standing nine inches tall, the bean machine has a capacity of 1.5 pounds and comes with operating instructions/
Jelly Belly Disney Mickey Mouse Gumball Machine Style Jelly Bean Dispenser with Sample Jelly Beans Bag – Variety of Styles to Choose From
Features
Jelly Belly manufactures jelly beans in various colors and flavors ranging from peanut, blueberry and berry blue to coconut, cinnamon and chili mango among other great flavors. It also manufactures jelly belly machines to accompany its wide range of jelly beans.
Jelly Belly has taken the much loved Disney and chosen one of the most iconic characters, Mickey Mouse, to base their gumball machine on. The countertop jelly bean dispenser has the famous Mickey Mouse ears on top, with a comic film strip around the base of the globe. Underneath this is a blue slide where the jelly beans slide down and Mickey Mouse is there himself, level in hand.
The smaller size globe can hold up to 23 ounces of jelly beans and if you opt for Jelly Belly beans you’ll be pleased to know they’re vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free, peanut free, fat free and OU Kosher! The gumball machine is about 12 inches tall, 7.5 inches across and 8.5 inches deep. Need more room? Go for the larger version which has enough room for almost 1.5 pounds
With each machine you get a sample bag of jelly beans in 20 assorted flavors – a one ounce bag for the smaller one, and a 1.5 pound bag plus an exclusive Travel Tin.
Best Vintage Gumball Machine Guide – What to Look for in a Gumball Dispenser
We all like a treat every once in a while; whether it’s ice-cream, popcorn or candy, it’s nice to reward ourselves and our children when we feel it’s deserved. That’s where a gumball machine can come in handy. Gumball machines are a type of vending machine that dispense gumballs, peanuts, or candy in bulk. They can come as commercial devices or a fun toy for your kids. When shopping for gumball machines, you need to first determine whether you want one for home use or a large machine for commercial purposes.
The best gumball machines are fun, attractive and entertaining; at least that’s what Sweet N Fun aim to do with it’s wide variety of character inspired and musical gumball machines (a quality brand that just didn’t make our list because of space). What’s more, you can invest in one to generate extra income at your store or another venue in your neighborhood. Available in various sizes, styles, designs and color finishes, you’ll find gumball machines on the market that can dispense no only candy, but also trinkets and small toys.
Although we’ve featured five awesome brands on this review, we couldn’t feature them all! One brand in particular that caught our attention was Gumball Machine Factory. They manufacture commercial-quality gumball machines like the Pro Line 6 Unit Gumball Candy Machine with Step Stand and the Pro Line Double Gumball and Candy Machine with Retro Stand.
Whether you’re looking for a gumball machine for your kid’s birthday present or one with a large capacity to start a business, this guide will help you find one that best suits what you need it for.
Video: How Gumballs Are Made
The Gumball Making Process. | Courtesy of Food Network
Price
The quality, brand, size, capacity and material used to make a gumball machine determine its price. More inexpensive gumball machines are designed for home or personal use in entertaining colors your kids will love. They’re also ideal when you’re working on a tight budget. You’ll find good gumball machines for the home in the price range of $10 to $600. On the other hand, high-end gumball machines for commercial use can cost as much as $5,000.
Features
Gumball machines come with various features you need to consider when shopping around. With the right capacity and size, your machine should hold enough gumballs or candies to last days, weeks or even months, depending on your needs.
Here are some important features to look out for in your gumball machine:
- Type
- Size
- Capacity
- Spiral tracks
- Colors
- Material
- Free-spin
- Compatibility
With these basic features, you should end up with a gumball machine that’s not just functional, but also attractive.
Construction and Design
When shopping for a commercial gumball machines, you can choose between selector and countertop types. They can feature stands to support a single gumball machine or vending racks (shelves) to support many machines holding different contents ranging from trinkets to candies and gumballs.
Go for a vending machine that has a large size and capacity to accommodate many gumballs if you’re planning to use it for business. The material used to make it should be strong and sturdy for durable use; consider metal gumball machines for this end. Ensure that the machine accepts local coins before investing in one; machines that accept all coins would be handy.
When shopping for a gumball machine for home use, however, pick a material, capacity, color finish, size and type of your own liking or what your child would love. Similarly, you’ll want to choose a machine that’s compatible with the coins around your household. Another idea is to find machines that double as banks to teach your kids the value of money and the benefits of saving it up.
When there’s need to use the machines to reward kids at home, at the dentist or hospital, opt for the free-spin variants. For home use, you can consider gumball machines with spiral tracks, not just for their aesthetic appeal, but also for their functionality. Pick a color that reflects your personality or complements your business or home décor.
Video: DIY Gumball Machine Operated at Home
Easy to Make Cardboard Gumball Machine. | Courtesy of The Q
Performance and Ease of Use
Gumball machines come with instructions to support use. The glass or plastic globes hold candies, gumballs, peanuts or small toys for dispensing when the occasion arises. Depending on your intended application, opt for sufficient capacity; large capacities are of course ideal for commercial use of the machines. It’s recommended to keep spare parts of your vending machine if you’re using it for business reasons.
Free-spin variants ensure you can dispense gumballs without using coins. Whichever gumball machine you buy, ensure that it is durable and functional with a desirable aesthetic that will blend into its new home.
Get the Best Gumball Machine of 2023!
Whether you’re looking for a gumball machine for commercial or home use, there’s one out there for you. We hope that with our review of five of the top gumball machines, you’re now in a position to pick the right machine to meet your entertainment or business needs. In case you need something different, check out our other vending machine reviews.
Our Top Choice
Great Northern Vintage Gumball Machine
Best Value
Carousel Junior Gumball Machine Bank
Commercial Bulk Gumball Machine
Schylling Dubble Bubble Gumball Machine
Jelly Belly Gumball Style Bean Dispenser
Gumball Machine FAQs
How does a gumball machine work?
Using a gumball machine is easy and involves you slotting in a coin and turning the crank. That simple action is enough to make a gumball fall out of the chute. Inside, the machine has a disk that collects one gumball at a time, dropping them through the chute.
Where can I buy a gumball machine?
You can buy a gumball machine from Amazon, the largest online retailer for various goods and great deals. If you are looking for a gumball machine to buy, we have reviewed some of the best.
How much is a gumball machine?
A gumball machine costs anything between $10 and $60, depending on the manufacturer and the device's quality. While the price is an important consideration, it shouldn't be the only one guiding your choice for a gumball machine.
