September 1988 (3)
STAR*TECH Journal
Cranes: SHOWCASE Has 'No case'
by Frank ' 'Ibe Crank' Seninsky
Al:Etia-Qnega Amusements & Sales
F.dison, New Jersey
Victor told me two days ago that his
SH
since I got it. It never worked and is
still in the repair shop gathering dust".
(Frank's reply to Showcase Inc. ' s Ronald
Yaffe o.o., see S*TJ Aug86.)
Victor says that the switches go out of
adjustment frequently and it's too
expensive, labor wise, to keep the crane
operating. He also doesn't like how the
front panel nust be lifted up to load the
crane. It can't be used if there is a low
ceiling. (Showcase Inc. has since nodified
the loading door.) Victor's SHOQSE crane
may be a candidate for the company's
annual bonfire, and I think Mr. Yaffe
should spend some time on Mr. Cook's crane
I find it amusing that a manufacturer in
our industry \«>uld openly challenge Il!Y
credibility as an operator. I purchase
equipnent for my route that I feel will
give the best return and be easy to
maintain, just as all operators try to do.
When I recently wrote that: "The best
crane on the market today is the BIG
OIOICE", it was based on three years of
studies, surveys, and canparitive testing.
Mr. Yaffe of Showcase Inc. took offence
and wanted to 'sue me for libel'
(defamatory statements which expose
another to public contempt), and I never
even mentioned or even referred to his
product, conq;any, or his name!
ASAP!
Aladdin's castle operates many different
types of cranes in its 313 arcades and has
purchased BIG OIOICE, 'llUPLE WAY, LUCKY,
WEOOFS & LEOOFS, FOR'IUNE, SKn.L, and
BUBBLE cranes. Aladdin's, like
Al:Etia-orega, doesn't operate even one
SH
He, however, says that his crane is "the
nost dependable crane game in the world"
and is "the cadillac of the crane games".
Mr. Yaffe is certainly entitled to his
opinion, and thankfully, his opinion is
not shared by many crane operators.
To further add credibility to my "opinion"
Mr. Yaffe goes so far as to say that it is
simply Il!Y ignorance of the crane market
that allows me to justify my p:>0r choice
in my crane decision statements. Why then
have I purchased 100re than 8 dozen BIG
OIOICE cranes, 8 UAI cranes (which I sold
off) and recently, even a BFAR CLAW crane
and am very happy with the collections of
these BIG OIOICE cranes?
Milton Brechner of Dan Brechner & Sons,
one of the largest plush and novelty
distributors, has used 100re than 120 BIG
OIOICE cranes and also feels that it is
the best crane available. Milton and
myself were independently consulted by
Bally Six Flags Parks when they were
looking at which nodel crane to go with
last year. We both evaluated the different
types of cranes and overwhelmingly
recomnended BIG OIOICE as our choice. For
Bally, BIG OIOICE was the right choice.
I must concede that one thing Mr. Yaffe
states is true: "I do not own or operate
any of the 'newer' SHCJ'lCM,E cranes". (He
inserts "newer", I presume, to imply that
the "older" SHCJ'lCM,E cranes are not the
cadillacs he advertised them to be.
Let me give you some other operator
.
opinions on cranes: Victor cook of Modern
Music (wh:> operates south Of 'Ibe Border·on
the carolina state line), presently has 65
BIG OIOICE cranes operating with little or
no service calls. Because Victor is a nice
guy, he purchased one SH~E crane.
that BIG OIOICE is the best crane, Bob
Fliday, Vice President of Aladdin's castle
and Bally·Distributing, also feels that
BIG OIOICE is, overall, Aladdin's best
earning and performing crane.
I even evaluated the SH
quickly eliminated.it as a contender for
the following reasons: 1) the rollers
under the rotating tub are plastic
(cheaply made) , and must be replaced with
ball bearings; 2) the unit is 10" wider
than BIG CHOICE single (or other
competitors) and is.hard to work with in
street locations; 3) the "scratch
resistant" plexiglass windows are not
scratch resistant
Mr. Yaffe claims and
as