Azkoyen Palma H87 Combi

The Palma+ H87 measures 1,830 millimetres in height, 888 in width and 875 in depth, and weighs 352 kilograms. For this unit, the value that must be checked first is not the floor area, but the weight.

352 kilograms on a footprint of 0.78 square metres yields roughly 453 kilograms per square metre, and that is the empty weight. Fully stocked with 300 units, of which 48 are cans and bottles, readily adds 60 to 80 kilograms. On an upper floor, over a timber-joist ceiling or on a hollow-floor structure, this must be verified before delivery, not after.

Regarding transport logistics, Azkoyen removes the calculation from the operator: the brochure explicitly lists as a feature that the units are designed for a 70-centimetre door pass-through. This is a specification one would not expect at 888 millimetres cabinet width, and in older buildings it regularly determines whether a unit can reach its intended location at all. The height of 1.83 metres also stays below the two-metre mark.

Regarding build, the brochure lists four points that together form a picture: triple-glazed front glass on the Palma+ H models, a cabinet of galvanised steel, tamper-resistant trim, and steel selection buttons. This is an equipment specification for semi-public locations, not for a guarded office corridor. Triple glazing is the most unusual point — besides increasing break-in resistance, it also improves insulation of the front panel, which in a glass-front unit is the primary source of heat ingress.

The build becomes interesting in comparison with the smaller sibling. The Palma+ H70 is at the same height of 1,830 millimetres but only 723 millimetres wide and 865 deep, and weighs 270 kilograms. The difference thus lies at 165 millimetres of width and 82 kilograms of weight. What this gain delivers is evident in the channel count: the H87 accommodates up to eight channels per level, the H70 only six. At a maximum of seven levels each, this yields up to 36 selections against up to 30. The additional 165 millimetres thus purchase two channels per level, not an entire level.

The H87 is offered in grey, the H70 additionally in black.

For vend control, Azkoyen relies on its own I-Detect Vend System. Its purpose is the same as an optical sensor: to detect whether the product has actually fallen out, and otherwise not charge the sale. The brochure calls it a guaranteed vend system and explicitly connects it to vandalism, meaning the customer claiming a failed vend. How the system works technically, Azkoyen does not specify; for this review, what matters is that the control exists and is not optional.

Operation is via an alphanumeric keypad with 36 selections. In addition, the H87 has six direct-select buttons that can be freely assigned to products — according to the brochure, intended for items with higher margin. For the H70, the brochure shows a dash in the same line: no direct select. This is the second difference between the models that goes beyond pure size.

There is no touchscreen here, and this is a deliberate choice for this machine category: a numeric keypad in front of glass is the fastest operation there is, because the customer sees the product and only enters the number. What is missing is the ability to display allergen and ingredient information on the unit. Anyone who must provide this mandatory information at the machine should clarify in advance whether this can be solved via channel labelling or an auxiliary sign. The price displays are, according to the brochure, changeable in real time, can display additional product information and can be adjusted in backlighting to highlight promotions.

Two functions address everyday failures. A stock-out alternate mode should bridge empty channels rather than letting a selection run idle. And programmable expiration-date control for perishable goods takes the sandwich section seriously — at 40 sandwich slots this is no minor matter. For bulky items, Azkoyen can drive two motors simultaneously.

For connectivity, Azkoyen names the protocols EXE and MDB as well as EVA-DTS. The first two are industry standards for payment systems; EVA-DTS is the standard for reading sales and fault data. This means the unit can connect to standard POS systems and to a telemetry solution without requiring a manufacturer-proprietary interface. Azkoyen does not list which payment modules can actually be installed.

The brochure names the standard configuration for the H87 as five configurable levels plus one adjustable. The upper limits are seven levels, eight channels per level and 36 selections. The actual layout is thus created only in the quotation, and it determines how heavily each of the three product categories is represented.

Azkoyen breaks down the H87's capacity clearly, which is rare in this machine class: 300 units total, of which 212 snacks, 40 sandwiches and 48 cans or bottles. The energy label additionally names the usable volume, namely 589 litres. This makes the H87 a true combination unit and not a snack machine with a beverage section.

The comparison with the H70 holds a surprise. The smaller machine holds 278 units, thus only 22 fewer, but distributes them entirely differently: 214 snacks, 64 sandwiches and zero cans or bottles. In this configuration, the H70 takes no beverages at all, but instead 24 more sandwiches than the larger H87. Its usable volume is also considerably less: 427 litres against 589, thus 162 litres fewer — almost exactly proportional to the 165 millimetres less width.

For site selection this means something concrete. Whoever needs beverages in the unit has no choice within the Palma range and ends up with the H87. Whoever instead operates a location with a high fresh-product share, for instance a canteen with sandwich sales and separate beverages beside it, gets more sandwich slots for less floor space and less weight with the narrower, lighter H70.

Moving up is via the XtraDrinks channel, which Azkoyen offers only for H87 models and houses behind the payment module. It adds 54 cans or bottles, bringing the brochure to a capacity of 300 plus 54 units and the beverages from 48 to 48 plus 54. It is sold as XtraCans and XtraBottles, depending on container format.

For locations requiring no cooling, the same cabinet form houses the unrefrigerated Hz range. The brochure gives for the Hz70 a capacity of 223 units at 250 kilograms and for the Hz87 267 units at 325 kilograms, both without sandwich slots. This is the option for locations where refrigeration does not pay off financially.

Unitised to floor area, H87 and H70 sit close together: 300 units on 0.78 square metres are roughly 386 per square metre, 278 units on 0.63 square metres roughly 445. The smaller machine thus uses its footprint more efficiently — it just cannot do beverages.

Both models maintain, according to Azkoyen, an internal temperature of 3 degrees, and explicitly at external conditions of 32 degrees and 65 per cent relative humidity. This specification is more valuable than a bare temperature claim, because it names the test point: 3 degrees at 32 degrees ambient is a reliable statement for a summer location, 3 degrees with no boundary conditions would not be. The brochure adds that the Palma+ H models regulate down to 3 degrees and depending on configuration have one or two temperature zones.

Cooling is via R290, a hydrocarbon refrigerant with a global warming potential in the single digits. For a unit that stands at a location for ten years or longer, this removes the question of phasing out fluorinated refrigerants from the table. Both Palma models are configured this way.

For power consumption, two manufacturer specifications exist for the H87 and they yield different results. The EU energy label, which Azkoyen offers for download on the product page, lists the machine with energy efficiency class F and an annual consumption of 2,211 kilowatt-hours, measured under the regulation for refrigerated display cabinets with direct-sale function. The product page itself separately names an idle-load consumption of 321 watt-hours per hour. Calculating this value over 24 hours and 365 days yields around 2,812 kilowatt-hours, thus a good 600 more than the label.

The contradiction resolves via the measurement conditions: the idle-load value belongs to the test point that Azkoyen consistently provides for this unit, namely 32 degrees ambient and 65 per cent relative humidity — the hot case. The label measures per standardised procedure. Both figures are thus manufacturer specifications, but not alternatives to each other. For site planning this means: at 29 to 34 cents per kilowatt-hour, operation costs per the label 641 to 752 euros per year, per the idle-load extrapolation 815 to 956 euros. Anyone planning at a warm location should calculate with the upper end.

The comparison with the H70 is reliable here, because a label exists for it too: also class F, but 1,947 kilowatt-hours per year at 427 litres of usable volume. The H87 thus consumes 264 kilowatt-hours more, roughly 77 to 90 euros per year. Per litre of cooled volume, however, it is the more efficient machine: 3.75 kilowatt-hours per litre against 4.56 in the H70. If the volume is genuinely needed, then with the larger machine you are buying the cheaper cooling.

Electrically there remains an inconsistency. The product page names a maximum power draw of 520 watts, the brochure for the range consistently 500 watts. Practically the difference is meaningless — 520 watts at 230 volts is roughly 2.3 amperes and thus a standard outlet without special protection — but it shows that the two documents are not kept in sync. When designing a circuit for multiple units, I would apply the higher value.

During stocking, the machine accrues points you appreciate only after the twentieth fill. The levels are, according to the brochure, fully removable at 90-degree door opening, the upper ones can be folded away for loading, and the levels are explicitly executed without sharp edges — Azkoyen justifies this with the safety of the person filling. The programming of levels, prices and special functions the brochure calls quick and easy; that is manufacturer language, but the direction is clear: the time spent at the machine should decrease.

What follows from the refrigerant for installation, Azkoyen does not name, but emerges from the facts: R290 is propane and thus flammable. Units with small charge amounts are approved for normal indoor locations, but the cooling circuit needs air. A machine that stands with its rear flush against a wall and sideways between two furnishings works against its own waste heat, and that is exactly when consumption rises above the stated values. The free space behind and above the unit is therefore not a cosmetic matter, but a cost matter.

On cleaning intervals, defrost cycles and filters, product page and brochure make no statements. For a refrigerated unit, these are the three points that should be clarified in the service offer.

Azkoyen names neither on the product page nor in the brochure a price. This page therefore passes no figure forward that cannot be documented.

The decision within the Palma range can be brought down cleanly to four questions. First: does the unit need beverages? If yes, the H70 in this configuration drops out, because Azkoyen specifies it with zero cans and bottles. Second: how much front width is available? Between 723 and 888 millimetres lie 165 millimetres, and they purchase two channels per level, six additional selections, six direct-select buttons and 162 litres of usable volume. Third: can the floor carry 352 kilograms plus product? And fourth: must there be cooling at all, or is an Hz configuration sufficient?

For running costs, maintenance does not dominate, but electricity does. Between 641 and 956 euros per year, depending on which of the two manufacturer specifications you apply, are not tied to sales volume but to the clock. At 20 sales per day and 250 days that is 5,000 sales per year; electricity alone thus burdens each sale with 13 to 19 cents. At 60 sales per day it is only 4 to 6 cents. The machine thus does not become economic over its purchase, but over its frequency — and that is exactly where the reason lies to consider the unrefrigerated Hz range at all.

One point regularly overlooked in combination units is the sortiment risk. 40 sandwich slots sound like little, but they are precisely the part of the sortiment with short shelf life. Whoever fills the fresh level without knowing the sales rate pays the mistake twice: once in waste and once in cooled air. The clear breakdown by Azkoyen helps here, because it allows you to calculate the ratio of the three product categories in advance rather than trying it out at the site. Programmable expiration-date control is the right tool for this.

What speaks for the unit are things that none hang on sales: R290 as the refrigerant, vend control via I-Detect as fixed equipment rather than as an option, open connectivity via EXE, MDB and EVA-DTS, the build with triple glazing and galvanised steel cabinet, the specified 70-centimetre door pass-through and a capacity specification broken down by product category. That Azkoyen openly provides the energy labels of both models for download belongs to this too — it makes the consumption comparison between models possible at all.

What is missing is equally nameable: no price, no idle-load consumption for the H70, no service intervals, no defrost cycle description, no filter specifications, no display specification, no list of possible payment systems — and a power specification that between product page and brochure differs by 20 watts. Energy efficiency class F is furthermore no badge of honour, even if it is the norm for machines with glass front; the H70 reaches the same class.

Publicly verifiable operator statements could not be found; that section accordingly remains empty rather than filled with quotes.

Status: Last updated 7 September 2026. All data from the Azkoyen product pages for Palma+ H87 and Palma+ H70, from the EU energy labels of both models, and from the Palma+ brochure 2022.