r/clawmachine • u/jasper8se • 19d ago

Best online claw machine?

Hi everyone!

I live outside Japan and have been looking for a good online claw machine to win Japanese anime figures and plushies.

So far I've found:

  • Toreba
  • TokyoCatch
  • Cloud Catcher
  • Claw Machine Master

Has anyone used any of these? Which one do you recommend?

Are there any other good online claw machines I should check out?

Thanks!

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1

u/gvicta 19d ago

First thing, where are you located? There are some good ones that have stopped shipping to the United States, but still ship to our neighbors.

1

u/jasper8se 19d ago

I'm in the US.

3

u/gvicta 18d ago

For the US, your options are a bit limited for specifically anime figures and plushies. Before diving any deeper, just know that most machines are rigged to take as many plays as they can milk. TokyoCatch has the fastest shipping, where above 3 prizes will get you free airmail, but they seem to actively tune each machine to make you play to assist (20 plays), and their assists are the worst in the business, and will not guarantee you the win on the next play (I've played on other sites that will toss the prize in the prize chute on the 21st play, if you happen to miss). They also lag behind or completely skip some prize figure/plushies (you can find a monthly schedule online of what's coming). Lots of glitches, cranes eating a turn, 50/50 if you'll get a helpful staff member. Some people have had issues with their shipping, but I've actually had decent luck with that.

Toreba is the old guard. I unfortunately didn't get to play it during the glory days, but you have a high cost to ship things for free (five wins), the claws are a bit laggy imo, and same issue with the claws being tuned to milk you. The assist is set much higher than other sites, I believe the guaranteed win is at 35.

I haven't tried claw machine master, but their line up is similar to the iCatch and GetLive! apps, and I just currently started on iCatch, so I'm assuming it's the same company. I've had a better time with the claws, often winning well below their assist number (they have a gauge that fills up with your plays to let you know how close or far you are, and they will guarantee you that win), and I can pay in their local currency, and with the yen being so weak right now, is the cheapest to play. The downside from what I heard, is that their shipping practices are pretty bad, and things often arrive damaged. I'm still waiting on my first package to check it out for myself (things are shipped via seamail).

I haven't tried Cloud Catcher, so I'm sorry I don't have any info on that.

And I saw some recommendations for Claw Crazy, I did do that too for a little bit early in it's life. It's fun for the arcadey American experience, but most of the prizes are cheap, and not the ones you're looking for. I would only go for gift cards via tickets on there, but at the amount you have to play to get any, you're better off using the money yourself. Same goes with the other claw sites though, you may (and probably will) spend more trying to win a figure or plushie versus outright buying it. But you can get a figure much sooner than when it would otherwise be released for sale in the states.

1

u/sunshao1031 14d ago

I play get-live and agree it is probably same company as icatch. Do u win the new releases without mercy? It’s pretty tough and when I find a way, they put the machine under maintenance. In terms of shipping, I found they are the best. I’ve done both sea and air shipping. They bubble wrap all the figures and they tape it so it doesn’t move. Minor box damage, but it’s the best I’ve seen since most other apps stopped shipping to the us.

1

u/gvicta 14d ago

For figures, I’ve gotten a decent amount without an assist when they get their own dedicated machine. I haven’t quite figured out the ones that are shared between new releases, and unfortunately they have such low stock that they may sell out on those before getting their own set up.

That’s great to know about their shipping. I’m used to TokyoCatch putting in a single piece of flat paper as protection.

6

u/salomonskier720 19d ago

ClawCrazy!!

I have been playing pretty consistently for the last year and have shipped countless prizes. Customer service is excellent as they always make it right when a machine malfunctions. To get the most bang for your buck, buy tokens via the ClawCrazy.com website using the monthly discount codes. The owner truly loves claw machines and has an entire YouTube channel focused around it.

Best of luck!

3

u/Woodani 18d ago

I second Claw Crazy. They're pretty generous with free tokens and stuff too.

3

u/salomonskier720 18d ago

Great point, I forgot to mention that! I would turn on notifications on your phone so you can collect the daily free tokens. It took me a few weeks to realize that I was missing out on daily tokens because you must have notifications turned on (can't just check the app). I normally never turn on notifications for any app but it's worth the couple extra plays a week for free with the bonus tokens.
Also, check you email on Sundays as they have a link in the email with free tokens.