My experience with JJP games is that parts are slow to get and costly. Hard when previously I had a game nearly twice the cost of Stern Pro (WOZ ruby red) waiting weeks on parts. When a game can not earn for weeks at a time and then parts cost more than weekly earnings, it is not a great business model. I have heard / seen enough horror stories from other local operators to steer clear for now. My older Bally / Williams games and Stern have been more reliable with parts available quickly from multiple locations. I might own a JJP at home, but for now will not operate.

I should have noted we have a mix of 20+ pins at my location. Stern Pros and Premiums, Bally / Williams (mostly DMD from 90s), and the Chicago Gaming Remakes. All have been pretty reliable and parts are readily available (generally quicker and cheaper than JJP).

The new JJP pricing for the Wonka ($7,500) aligns closely with the Stern Premiums and Chicago Gaming, so a step in the right direction. But still have the concerns about part pricing / timing and quality control from the factory.

Also the depreciation / resale markert on NIB and higher end games (say $7K and above) seems to have slowed. Whereas 90s era DMD games can be purchased, fixed up, and sold for close to the same cost. The loss on Stern Pros NIBs seems smaller than premiums, LEs, etc. $2-$3K loss on purchase vs. sell for higher end games also eats away at weekly profits.

I think Stern has the right business model. Get Pros into the wild for operators at good price and exposes potential buyers to buy one for home (or upgrade to premium). . . The LEs seem to already be spoken for at release. I have had a number of people come into the arcade try out a game and then but one for home.

I applaud JJP for what they are doing to push the industry in new directions and supply premium games. I enjoy playing some of their games . . . and may buy some for home in the future.

But I ask people when they are conceding buying a JJP LE for home, would you rather have that or two Stern Pros for virtually the same price? Or how about 3 Williams DMD games?