I keep hearing anecdotal stories of people using them but wonder if they are still considered a good way to buy bitcoin, given the steep fees these machines often charge.
TBH I'm not interested anymore.
Aside from the fees and spread, all the bitcoin ATMs that weren't too far from us required folks to submit an ID. I try to control the platforms I give my personal documents so if I'm gonna do an identity verification, I might as well pick an exchange offering a variety of products/services I plan to use for a long time.