Crane BevMax MEDIA2

First, the company classification, because Crane's structure is confusing. The machine is now managed under craneconvenience.com, but also appears in the Crane Payment Innovations catalogue, which belongs to Crane NXT; historically, the product line derives from Crane Merchandising Systems, merged with CPI in 2021. For the buyer, this means one thing above all: when searching for documentation and service, it pays to know all three names.

The MEDIA2 comes in two widths. The Narrow carries model number 723 and measures 183 × 102 × 86 centimetres at 289 kilograms; the Wide is 713 and comes in at 183 × 120 × 86 centimetres at 313 kilograms. This report covers the Wide, because at 45 selection positions it represents the more relevant configuration.

The depth is noteworthy: 86 centimetres. The service manual specifies 81.28 centimetres for the base housings 3800 and 5800 — the difference comes from the media door with the display. Anyone restocking an existing location should plan for 86 centimetres and add the minimum 10.5 centimetres of clearance to neighbouring structures required by the manual, otherwise the cooling operates outside its design parameters.

This is where the machine's strength lies, and it is where the reviewed European competitors had nothing to offer. Crane names "Simplifi CONNECT PLUS" for the MEDIA2 and describes specifically what runs on it: price updates, planogram changes, and nutritional information over the wireless interface. This is not a vague reference to connectivity, but a named function with a stated purpose — with the two Sielaff machines in this category, no source contained evidence of telemetry.

For an operator with multiple locations, remote price management is the line item that saves tours: a price adjustment across twenty machines becomes an afternoon at a desk instead of a service round. And remote management of nutritional data directly addresses the requirement that the Food Information Regulation places on vending machines.

On payment integration, MDB is standard; Executive is optional. The manufacturer describes cashless payment as integrated. This puts the setup in good position for a modern payment terminal, and unlike with snack machines, card payment need not be calculated as a separate cost item.

The Wide version offers 45 selection positions. In units, the manufacturer states 360 bottles in the 20-ounce format or 405 cans in the 12-ounce format; the Narrow comes in at 35 positions and 280 bottles or 315 cans.

These units reveal the origin. Twenty ounces are just under 0.6 litres; 12 ounces are slightly over 0.35 litres — these are American standard formats. For the German market, this means: capacity figures are only meaningful after conversion to 0.5-litre cans and PET bottles in common sizes, and no source states how many 1.5-litre bottles fit. Anyone planning a German product assortment should review the shelf configuration with a dealer using actual package dimensions, rather than adopting the unit figures.

Here stands the sentence that determines the suitability of this machine for a German location more than any rating: the refrigeration unit, according to the manual, contains no user-serviceable parts, and in case of failure the entire unit must return to Crane — explicitly via land transport, because the refrigerant is flammable.

For a German operator, this means: a cooling failure is not a two-hour technician visit, but a logistics operation across borders. With the two Sielaff machines in this category, the most common wear part replacement costs around €146 and takes five to seven working days, because the manufacturer is based in Bavaria. How long an aggregat replacement takes at Crane and what it costs could not be established from any source. This is the question that should be clarified in writing before ordering.

Add to this the requirements for the flammable refrigerant, and they are more detailed than with most R290 machines, because the manual writes them out. Service work may only be performed by factory-authorised personnel. Before each intervention, a gas detection device for flammable gases must be switched on and kept running throughout the entire service; because propane is heavier than air, the floor is checked when approaching. The manual names safety glasses and gloves as protective equipment.

On voltage, the product page is misleading, and this is the single most important clarification in this report for a German buyer. Both the Crane Convenience site and the European CPI page name 115 volts at 60 hertz — the American configuration. A 230-volt version is not listed.

The service manual resolves this. Its specifications table has four columns: model 3800 Domestic and Export, and model 5800 Domestic and Export. For Export configurations it states 230 volts at 4 amps operating current; for Domestic configurations 120 volts at 8 amps. A European variant exists — it simply does not appear in the sales brochure. When ordering, the Export configuration must be explicitly requested and the voltage confirmed in writing.

Consistently, the manual lists the European conformity bases: Low Voltage Directive 83/23/EEC as amended by 93/68/EEC, EMC Directive 89/336/EEC, EN 60335-1 for electrical appliance safety, DIN VDE 0700 Part 224 for coin-operated machines, and EN 55022 Class B for radio interference. The product page names CE, UL, and FCC. The machine is thus intended for the European market, even though the datasheets do not show it.

On consumption, the manufacturer provides a specification that is rare and useful: 251 watt-hours per hour for the Wide and 253 for the Narrow. In continuous operation, this calculates to roughly 2,200 kilowatt-hours per year. The manufacturer does not name the measurement basis, so the figure should be used with caution — but it is the only substantiated consumption figure among the three cold beverage machines we reviewed, and it is high. For comparison: Necta states 1,447 kilowatt-hours per year for a related snack machine in the same class.

At current commercial electricity rates, 2,200 kilowatt-hours fall in the range of €600 to €700 per year. Over eight years, this is a four-figure amount and therefore the single largest operating cost item — well ahead of spare parts. When comparing two machines, this figure should be requested from the respective dealer rather than estimated.

On refrigerant: R290 with 120 grams charge, legally permitted up to 150 grams. The manual notes that R290 operates more thermodynamically efficiently than the previously used R134a and that the charge is only about half that of a comparable R134a unit.

For this machine we provide no price, and this is a deliberate decision. Our database previously contained €12,375. No source could be found for this figure: neither Crane Convenience nor CPI publish list prices, and we found no German specialist dealer currently offering new MEDIA2 units. An unsourced price is worse than no price, so it now reads "on request".

This is itself a finding. For the two Sielaff machines in this category, new prices could be verified with two German dealers each — €5,268 to €5,651 net for the snack machine, €8,079 to €8,295 net for the glass-front. For the BevMax MEDIA2, this price transparency does not exist in the German market. The North American market provides a reference point, where dealers display openly: a US dealer lists a new Refresh MEDIA2 in model DN-5800-6HC at $10,943.36. This figure is not a German price and must not be converted — different configuration, different market, different tax and customs basis. As an order of magnitude, it serves: it lies well above the documented Sielaff prices and makes plausible the price range for MEDIA2 inquiries. Anyone seeking to procure the machine takes the route via an inquiry to Crane or a partner, and should explicitly ask three line items: the price of the Export configuration at 230 volts, response time in a service case, and the cost of an aggregat replacement.

Used BevMax machines are traded in Germany; we have seen listings but have not individually reviewed any and therefore name no figures. With a used machine of this series comes the usual questions — age of the refrigeration circuit, MDB version of the control — plus one more: whether it is the Export or Domestic configuration. A 120-volt machine is not operable in Germany without an isolation transformer, and that is not a minor detail but an exclusion criterion.

On operating costs, we have one figure well documented and one not at all. Power consumption is well documented: around 2,200 kilowatt-hours per year per manufacturer specification, so roughly €600 to €700. Service costs are not documented, and in the most significant respect — the refrigeration unit is not serviceable on-site but must return entirely to the manufacturer. Until a timeframe and price exist for this, the operating cost calculation for this machine remains incomplete.

In summary: technically, the MEDIA2 is the most advanced of the three machines reviewed, primarily because of its documented remote management. Economically, it is the least well documented. For an operator with many locations and a service agreement that addresses the aggregat question, it can be the right choice. For a single location without this safeguard, a machine with manufacturer and spare parts supply in Germany is the more prudent decision.