My kids were asking about a claw/crane machine and got me wondering if they are fun in a home setting?
Asking for thoughts........
-What do you put in it?
-Do you charge quarters?
-Does it get any use?
-Am I just plain nuts for even thinking about one?

Thanks for the responses..... Keep them comming!
Thought I could add a few gag prizes with the good toys- old socks, empty candy box, dead squirrel.

Update-
I picked up a broken one real cheap that someone had cut out some switches.
It was a nightmare tracing the wires but it now works.
Starting to find stuff to put in it. Thanks for all the ideas!

I have been reading a little about these cranes and how they work.
The older ones just have a adjustable grip that is just a knob in the cabinet.
The operator would turn it up or down based on prizes to revenue ratio.

The new cranes are much more sophisticated. The coil in the griper is automatically electronically adjusting constantly. They may only have full power gripping every 10 or so plays. On some, the machine will lower the grip power after it raises the crane up. So it will pick it up, but when it starts to move the claw, the prize drops on the way to the win. It is a sneeky way to get you to put in more money as you think "I almost had it, one more try should do it."

I also read that a lot of states have laws that require a prize to be awarded on an average of so many plays. Around 10 to 15 depending on the state. But I am not sure how or who is testing the machines- maybe "The Crane Police"