Alibaba Vewlix clones, anyone buy one?

[not sonic]

I'm looking to get one of those Vewlix clones that are all over Alibaba.

From what I've heard they're wired for jamma, which isn't preferable but I don't really care either. They're like 1/3rd the price of a real Vewlix, and they have 1080p screens.

Does anyone have experience with:
1. Vewlix clones

but more importantly,
2. Ordering shit from Alibaba

I started talking to one of the sellers and they're going on about CIF or FOB, customs, and all this other shit.

Also, maybe there's a group buy opportunity if anyone is interested.

 

[RAZO]

I've ordered things from them before like atomiswave carts and they showed up but never anything of that size.

 

[not sonic]

I've ordered things from them before like atomiswave carts and they showed up but never anything of that size.

Yeah same. When I did the cabinet group buy that was direct with a Japanese dealer. No clue about changes to importing since then, especially dealing with mainland China.

 

[BanishingFlatsAC]

VLX clones are of lower quality, and the monitors lag like a mother fucker. After all is said and done with shipping, you may want to just pay a little more and get a real one that's already stateside.

 

[max 330 mega]

I have one... It's pretty cool. Tony majors has a bunch of them too that he takes to conventions. May want to ask him about anything he has noticed since owning a bunch of them and having endless people jam on them.
Yeah the monitor isn't the best but it's not terrible either, and the good news is you can swap any monitor with Vesa mounts into it and then have a perfect cab.

 

[XxHennersXx]

I have one... It's pretty cool. Tony majors has a bunch of them too that he takes to conventions. May want to ask him about anything he has noticed since owning a bunch of them and having endless people jam on them.
Yeah the monitor isn't the best but it's not terrible either, and the good news is you can swap any monitor with Vesa mounts into it and then have a perfect cab.

That was my thought - monitors are easy, especially LCD panels.

If the build is study enough, for 1/3 the price I don’t mind putting in elbow grease to get it decent for my home

 

[BanishingFlatsAC]

Since when are Chewlix Vesa standard? There is a reason why people bulid their own brackets and such for legit VLX machines as they're not Vesa.

 

[wyo]

I have a Chewlix on order as part of a group buy here in FL. There was another group buy last year and I saw one of the cabs. IDK about the ones on Alibaba but these are on par with the "real" Viewlix cabs after minor mods. They are brand new in box and manufactured in the same facility as official cabs.

 

[ShootTheCore]

I have a Chewlix on order as part of a group buy here in FL. There was another group buy last year and I saw one of the cabs. IDK about the ones on Alibaba but these are on par with the "real" Viewlix cabs after minor mods. They are brand new in box and manufactured in the same facility as official cabs.

Can you be more specific about the Chewlix cabs you're ordering that have the high build quality? Make? Model?

 

[BanishingFlatsAC]

LOL. If you think these are of the same quality, you've never used a real Vewlix cabinet. These are OK Babys compared to an Astro in terms of quality. Enjoy rewiring the entire cabinet.

 

[FilthyRear]

Can you be more specific about the Chewlix cabs you're ordering that have the high build quality? Make? Model?

"At cost."

 

[radiantsvgun]

The quality of these cabs are all over the place, and they are a far cry from a real vewlix. If you want something cheap, then go for it. After fees, shipping, ect- you can get a real Vewlix for about the same price. It’s a clone cab, plain and simple.

 

[not sonic]

A real Vewlix would have the same shipping and fees on top, and still not be 1080p.

Unless they're literally falling apart out of the box, a clone should be fine for home use.

Does anyone have hands on experience or specific examples or pictures of how bad they're claiming the clones to be?

 

[BanishingFlatsAC]

A real Vewlix would have the same shipping and fees on top, and still not be 1080p.

Unless they're literally falling apart out of the box, a clone should be fine for home use.

Does anyone have hands on experience or specific examples or pictures of how bad they're claiming the clones to be?

-The machine is wired for Chamma and it has a shit power supply.
-They have no I/O or Fast I/O (don't get that one most VLX but there is always a chance).
-They have horrible input lag (far worse then a real entry model VLX).
-These cabinets are Midnight Specials, meaning they're made quickly and illegally after house in manufacturing plants. To accomplish this they cut corners and there is no QC.
-They've also been dubbed "Vewlix C" and said to be made for China. That's horse shit.
-The panels are thin and it usually doesn't fit real Taito panels.

All that being said, it sounds like you've already made up your mind, so I wonder why you even made the thread honestly.

 

[radiantsvgun]

A real Vewlix would have the same shipping and fees on top, and still not be 1080p.

Unless they're literally falling apart out of the box, a clone should be fine for home use.

Does anyone have hands on experience or specific examples or pictures of how bad they're claiming the clones to be?

I’ve played on several and they’ve all been bad with lag. Out of the box they’re wired wrong, they’re wired for chamma, no I/O and come with a jank psu that is usually a min dong.

It’s up to you, it’s your money; like I said earlier, it’s a bootleg cab. Ymmv.

 

[not sonic]

Well the reality is I don't care about wiring or power supplies since I'll be using a PC with it.

The number one thing I care about is a native 1080p display that works well. If there's too much input latency or ghosting or whatever then yeah maybe the clones aren't worth it either. But what were you playing? A jamma board? Something like an X2? A pc? PS4? Was the game outputting the native res of the display or being upscaled?

I played the blue Vewlixes with Nesica live and tbh they look really bad because they're super blurry with the resolution mismatch. Tekken 7 on the Noirs is pretty blurry too.

If I was trying to use an X2 or something, sure, I'd get a Vewlix F.

 

[BanishingFlatsAC]

Just buy the Chewlix. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

 

[ReplicaX]

Having dealt with both real and clones.

You are paying for a subpar frame and yes its fine for home use. BUT... you will need to change:
- Speakers (shit)
- Wiring (Not Standard)
- Display (input lag)
- PSU (subpar no QC trash)
- Not JVS, no I/O of any kind
- Hit or miss fitting real Taito parts

The folks stating its of Taito quality and equal in comparison are flat out liars.

Most of these shops specialize in inferior clones of all amusement types. Places with 50ish ppl working in them. To claim they have Taito contracts is a joke. Taito, regardless of who manufactures for them since 2007 to present has QC standards and material standards. They will reject every cabinet if they don't meet their specs or are subpar. Plus, they have to meet their demand.

I would never put a clone out at a location after even doing all that work. A total waste of time for an operator. If you want a project cab, NIB, for home use, then have at it!

 

[not sonic]

Just buy the Chewlix. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

The more research I do it seems the best solution is to put a modern panel in a real Vewlix but, as always, it's also the most expensive.

 

[radiantsvgun]

Well the reality is I don't care about wiring or power supplies since I'll be using a PC with it.

The number one thing I care about is a native 1080p display that works well. If there's too much input latency or ghosting or whatever then yeah maybe the clones aren't worth it either. But what were you playing? A jamma board? Something like an X2? A pc? PS4? Was the game outputting the native res of the display or being upscaled?

I played the blue Vewlixes with Nesica live and tbh they look really bad because they're super blurry with the resolution mismatch. Tekken 7 on the Noirs is pretty blurry too.

If I was trying to use an X2 or something, sure, I'd get a Vewlix F.

These were on location and they were running naomi, 246/256- that kind of stuff. They were next to authentic vewlixes so I got a chance to compare side by side. When I got to play a real Vewlix, that’s what made me want to get a real one.

 

[wyo]

Here's a video a friend of mine made of the Chewlix in question: https://youtu.be/wEFQuOM5o4Q?t=180

 

[max 330 mega]

You guys... Lmao most of you balding sweaty fucks. Fucking grow up and realize no arcade machine is great when you buy it. Ever. Get off your ugly ass and make it your own. Do what you did when you got your first ragged out Astro or aero or windy. Fix it the fuck up. Or wait? You never did? Seems likely.

 

[BanishingFlatsAC]

You guys... Lmao most of you balding sweaty fucks. Fucking grow up and realize no arcade machine is great when you buy it. Ever. Get off your ugly ass and make it your own. Do what you did when you got your first ragged out Astro or aero or windy. Fix it the fuck up. Or wait? You never did? Seems likely.

You're comparing apples to oranges. A 30 year old arcade machine will need work, sure. A brand new arcade machine that will be close to $2k when all is said and done shouldn't need "fixing up" done to it. Guy asked for advice, and it was given.

Also for the record I have 7 machines. All restored. Balding, yep . Sweaty, nope.

Think we covered all the bases.

 

[ReplicaX]

You guys... Lmao most of you balding sweaty fucks. Fucking grow up and realize no arcade machine is great when you buy it. Ever. Get off your ugly ass and make it your own. Do what you did when you got your first ragged out Astro or aero or windy. Fix it the fuck up. Or wait? You never did? Seems likely.

You are talking to ppl that actually work, restore, and play their machines. Have had their hands on both VLX and clones. For me, I have fixed them on location. You know, actually used for their original intended purpose. Which shows how a machine handles real abuse.

The advice was given. After importing and fixing things with a NIB machine. The cost is equal to a real one purchased in the US and shipped to your door.

Fact is, he has options, as advice was given. The clone imported isn't about "cost savings" at all.

The VLX L AMI I did for someone locally is clean. Has a PS3 and PC in it, yet still has all the wiring ready to go if he wants to toss a JVS game or TypeX multi in it. $2k

Here's a video a friend of mine made of the Chewlix in question: https://youtu.be/wEFQuOM5o4Q?t=180

We discuss everything I had to do to convert it to playable, and talk about some future plans we want to do with the cab.

Funny how he discusses only some of the things we have already brought up. As he hasn't gone through all the options available to him. Also, no its not properly JAMMA wired and he even explains he will be replacing it down the road.

I am glad he mentioned the fact to access the monitor remote board, is via the back of the machine. Which is why ppl buy a switcher. Again, all this shit adds up and why we give options for the OP.

 

[radiantsvgun]

Here's a video a friend of mine made of the Chewlix in question: https://youtu.be/wEFQuOM5o4Q?t=180

He also fails to mention, for screen rotation, it is impossible if you don’t have the special mounting brackets, sold separately of course.

You guys... Lmao most of you balding sweaty fucks. Fucking grow up and realize no arcade machine is great when you buy it. Ever. Get off your ugly ass and make it your own. Do what you did when you got your first ragged out Astro or aero or windy. Fix it the fuck up. Or wait? You never did? Seems likely.

These Vewlix cabs aren’t anywhere near as old or worn as the Aeros and Astros- that’s a completely different ball game. I’ve restored almost every one of my cabs, and when I bought my Vewlix Diamond from Matsu, I could eat off that thing, it was so clean.