Maxi-Matic - Popcorn Popper - Red

First off, this machine is very well constructed with metal and glass parts. The kettle is stainless steel which, for popcorn machines, is a step down from brushed aluminum which is better for conducting heat. You will find aluminum on more professional machines like Paramount but at an expected higher cost. For a home machine, this is surprisingly very portable. We use this in the basement in our theater room but can easily carry it upstairs to the kitchen for cleaning (more on that in a minute). Only weighs about 30 lbs. At 6 oz capacity, it pops about the same amount of popcorn as the West Bend Stir Crazy. As far as popcorn taste, it depends on the popcorn as each of these machines operates in a similar manner. I recommend the pre-packed kits which there are many choices and brands to choose from on the internet so experiment. The brand we use the most is Mega Pop as it is the closest to the movie theater taste for us. If you prefer to use your own popcorn, coconut oil makes a huge difference over other oils. A nice feature to this machine is that it does have a heated base, as well as the light. The heated base is usually found only in more professional models. As far as cleaning, the kettle cover, stirrer, and scoop are all stainless so you can wash in the dishwasher. The kettle itself plugs in internally so can only be hand-washed. Overall, cleaning is pretty easy and the glass cleans up with Windex. Most of the time, Best Buy runs a sale on these and you can get for about $130 so watch for price drops. Finally, if you have a large family, I would highly recommend going with the 8 oz model. Popcorn machines larger than 8oz capacity need special electrical and cannot be plugged into a standard wall outlet. Bottom line, great machine for the price and making popcorn with these beats air-popped and microwave any day.

Bought this for my children for Christmas, but when we set it up, the pot did not heat up. The card in the box said "Do not return to store, call this number and we will send a new part out immediately". So, I have called the number twice and was told both times that the part had been sent out. It has been three weeks, and I have not recieved it. Thinking I will return it to the store this weekend and buy a different brand, so my children can actually use their Christmas gift.