Paragon Theater Pop 8 Ounce Popcorn Machine for Professional Concessionaires Requiring Commercial Quality High Output Popcorn Equipment, Red

Love the popcorn machine, here's my review....Took a minute to get it set up, all the Stainless Steel parts have a plastic laminate on it from the factory that has to be peeled away. Wasn't the end of the world, just took a few minutes and a little patience. Please don't open it up and expect to use it right that second.Popper works great so far. I read a ton of horror stories of people buying the cheap-O ones from Great Northern and regretting it. This particular machine was defiantly the best deal for one of this size, feature set and quality brand (Paragon makes good poppers).I bought it for our PTA and it pops about 9-12 of those little 1oz popcorn bags with each 8oz popcorn packet (also something you shouldn't skimp on as the cheap brands don't pop as well and taste awful) and takes all of about 2-1/2 minutes from the time you dump the kernels in until its done popping so I consider it fast enough.What they don't tell you is how much you'll be burning your hands trying to put the popcorn and oil in these things because the edge of the kettle is wrapped in a hot surface and you don't have a ton of room between the kettle and the ceiling of the machine to get in there and dump in the popcorn. A cheap pair of leather work gloves took care of that problem and now we keep a pair with the machine and just put them on every time we add the popcorn kernels.It comes with a plastic scooper and it works fine, don't bother spending money on an aftermarket one.Cleaning is easy enough. Everything comes apart so we just wipe the surfaces down with a spray bottle full of vinegar (don't use ammonia detergents with the machine, it tells you so in the hand book) and some paper towels and that's that.Great popper. I did a ton of research on them before buying it and I'm completely satisfied with it.

Our Paragon gets used for parties, school events and fundraisers. It is the third popcorn machine we've owned. The other popcorn machines were junk compared to this one. This popcorn maker is like a Lexus - solid, well-designed and with excellent fit and finish. This popcorn maker is a pleasure to use - all the hassles we endured from using the other machines are designed out of this one. It is made to be properly cleaned, too . . . everything you need to get to is easy access. Finally . . . and this may be the best part . . . it produces perfect popcorn. Perfect size, texture and taste with almost zero unpopped kernels. Worth the money.

The media could not be loaded. Love this Popcorn Machine! My only complaint would be it needs a little more room between the kettle and the lifted lid for adding ingredients. Otherwise I highly recommend

Paragon, this manufacturer, guarantees the WHOLE machine for three years. Yes, many of the others listed are less expensive, and they ought to be, because by the time you replace the kettle out of warranty for one of those other poppers at your expense you will discover why it was cheaper. This machine is made in America with quality parts. As it arrives the sheet metal and plastic doors have a plastic coating that kept it scratch free during manufacture and shipment, you peel it off before use. The three sides of the machine are glass. The deck is heated, has an old maid drawer, the popcorn is illuminated and also top-heated. The inside of the kettle surface is anodized making it non-stick. It's heavy guage material throughout and built to last under substantial use. Our first use was at a church Halloween alternative in our community (Harvest Happening) and we served over 1200, we started early to get ahead and ran the unit near continuously without problems. We recommend you separately buy a long sleeve silicon glove (Amazon search for "ASIN: B00NJS16PI") for when you wipe out the hot kettle between batches. We had our best results with Jolly Time All-In One (Amazon search for "ASIN: B007PCVIFM"). One of the other all-in-one packets we returned as being too salty (so said our guests). It will also handle Orville Redinbacher's bulk with your own seasoning. It recommends using coconut oil for flavor, fine, I'll just recommend that you clean between any change of oil type since mixing oils is potentially dangerous due to how one oil will behave if it contains another with a lower flash point; enough said on that. Our Paragon arrived with the four rubber top bumpers loose, they were easy to press back into place. If when you peel off the protective film any adhesive residue is left, use soap; soap failing use Goo-Off followed by a soap/water rinse. After the 1200+ servings I sprayed the cool and unplugged unit inside with Formula 409 (to degrease splatter) and wiped with a paper towel, I recommend something softer than paper for the plastic doors. I avoided getting spray or liquid near the front right bottom where the 110V comes into a junction box. I had occasion to call the manufacturer and they were eager to help, a pleasant surprise in this day and age.NOTE: Read the manufacturer's warranty details before buying a different brand or unit. One of the more prominent popcorn machine manufacturers sold by Amazon (NOT Paragon which I bought and recommend) might warrant it's unit a couple of years, BUT THE FINE PRINT SAYS (in some way or another) that the moving, expendable, or "KETTLE" parts (the main and most expensive component) is ONLY WARRANTED FOR 30 DAYS. If that's the fine print on the unit you are considering then think about what that brand and that short warranty communicates to you! It is saying (to me anyway) that their confidence in the most important component is that it will "fail sometime after only 30 days". By the time you pay out of pocket for a replacement kettle (labor and parts) only to replace that 30 day kettle with another one just like it you'll find you could have bought one of the more expensive poppers to begin with and enjoyed a full warranty on everything and all the reliability/quality that implies. Local repairmen for popcorn machines don't grow on trees so add to the cost of the replacement kettle the cost of shipping the whole machine both ways (my unit weight 60#). Spending a little more in the first place for a properly warranted popper assures a better value for your dollar. It assures, by virtue of a stronger warranty that quality is designed in. It's not just that you don't want to replace a kettle after the first month, it's the expense, hassle, downtime, and inconvenience. Would you buy a car or a TV warranted for just 30 days? Why don't those manufacturers just make it better to begin with so they can express their confidence with a reasonable warranty covering everything? To warrant only the cabinet for two or three years is an exercise in silliness, who falls for that? Paragon's warranty unlike some of the others is unequivocally for the whole machine for the entire term of the warranty.

This is the best popper hands down. My daughter bought one and told me about it. I used hers just to be sure I liked it. I liked it so much that I ordered one like it. Sure, it's more expensive, but like one review I read, it is so well made and works just like the one at the theater. My first batch was perfect and one batch was more than two people could eat. That's saying a lot because we love popcorn so much, it is a meal to us! I couldn't believe how much I got in one batch and only a few old maids. (unpopped kernels)