Or.... why it just isn't a viable source of crypto anymore.

Years ago, when I first discovered crypto, I also discovered Pipeflare.io.  Pipeflare was a newish site that blended games with their own utility token in order to spread ZEC.  Years ago, it was a simple site with a few flash games and a ZEC faucet.  It then grew when they submitted their own token and a secondary token on the Aurora network.  

While doing a quick research on the age of pipeflare, I found an old publish0x article here: https://www.publish0x.com/theminingblog/pipeflareio-is-it-a-scam-an-overview-and-review-xvwwgdo

In that article, from 2021, the writer is questioning whether this site is real or a scam.  See, at the time, it was different and was just a faucet for ZEC and/or doge.  It never was as big as it is now, which sometimes is a big annoying.  My average claim of ZEC, back in 2021 from Pipeflare was about 0.0000081.  That basically amounts to nothing.  But every day, I was allowed to claim on the ZEC faucet and claim something.  Then on the Fridays, you could get a bonus claim and get somewhere around 0.00004593.  Now it wasn't much, but I had hopes of all of that adding up and being worth something, but then again, this is when ZEC was hovering around the $117 mark.  

Now, Pipeflare.io has turned into an ADHD's nightmare.  When you first get to the page, you are hit with no less than 5 pop-ups and then when you want to claim the faucet, you have to close a few more pop-ups.

You can only claim the ZEC faucet once a week now as for the others, I have only been able to claim the MATIC and 1 FLR faucet successfully.  The SHIB faucet seems always empty.  The MATIC is earned in such a small increment that when you collect 0.25 MATIC, it will be sent to your wallet.  The MATIC claim is also once a week.  The utility coin, 1FLR, also has a claim once a week and you can stake it on the site, as is seen in the top of this photo with me having over 8,600 staked and slowly earning some.  They released a second coin, which they wanted to go public and become a valuable coin, 2FLR and from what I gather, they are still on the roadmap for that as it has yet to be fully released.  

I have Metamask, which allows me to claim the 2FLR, but it is so annoying.  Right now, the gas fee to claim the 2FLR is more than I would like.  They released the FLR tokens on the ETH network.  So right now, to claim the 371 2FLR, which has no value currently, I would need to pay a fee of 8 cents worth of ETH as gas.  I know, I know. Eight cents worth is nothing.  But, when you are paying 8 cents, every week to claim something worth 0 cents, then you are out 24 cents a month for nothing.  

Pipeflare also has airdrops of special NFT items like eggs, and then to claim the eggs you have to pay the gas fee again.  

Pros: 

*Now as you can see, since I first started my account, several years ago, I have claimed about 0.1449936 ZEC.  That is worth almost nothing now, but is a good. 

*You get to claim one of the faucets, SHIB, MATIC or ZEC at least once a week, so you get something.

*There are games and other ways to earn coins and rewards and prizes. 

Cons:

*The faucets give so little, that it almost isn't worth it.

*The site is riddled with pop-ups and banners advertising their own games and functions.

*The gas fees to claim the coins is more than the claim.

*The gas fee for the NFT transactions if more than the NFT is worth.

Final verdict now:

*For almost 4 years Pipeflare has been one of my dailies.  I check in, even on the weekends, to claim my spot in the claim streak.  I keep hoping that these coins will start to pay off, but like so many other sites which I have been a fan of, over time, the site never grows.  I would say that it may have something to do with making a gaming site using the ETH network, may have been an expensive thought.  I know that companies use ETH for NFT's and their other blockchain ecosystems, but the gas fees of ETH are more than the ecosystems, in most cases.  I never understand the fanboys who defend paying $15 in ETH for an NFT purchase of $5.  Every movement costs gas and it is a high fee.  I like ETH, as an investment tool, but it has no purpose in my life.