Have used this popper for a few weeks and so far I'm reasonably impressed. The popcorn pops fairly quickly and if you experiment with the timing you can ensure few un-popped kernels. The only downside of this machine is that is a chore to clean. It would have been nice if the hot plate part of the unit was removable for cleaning, especially since some oil will get under hotplate and is difficult to clean. Otherwise this is a good choice if you are looking for a popcorn maker.

I've been living without popcorn for many years; but given the fact that I now have Amazon Prime with it's movie channel, well, that just demands popcorn. I chose this unit based on the excellent reviews, and I will admit that I'm quite impressed. I mixed up 3/4 cup of popcorn on my first go, and that was a mistake; I'd recommend somewhere between half a cup and 2/3rds. After 4 minutes the machine was absolutely stuffed with popcorn, and I was left with perhaps 20 or 30 unpopped kernels. I think that, had the machine not been stuffed with popped corn, those kernels would have popped. The idea of turning the lid into a built in popcorn bowl is an excellent idea, and it worked out quite well. Cleanup requires dish detergent (or just run it through the dishwasher, if you have a load). The butter melter simply doesn't work, and I'd recommend that you either put your butter in the machine with the oil at startup, or do what most people seem to be doing; melting it in the microwave, and pouring it on later.The plastic lid strikes me as a bit flimsy, and I worry that it might crack easily. I would have preferred a thicker, more sturdy lid that could stand up to the occasional oops. Plan on being very careful and gentle.And while I'm picking nits, the cord is really short. Less than two feet from machine to plug. I wound up plugging the machine into my stove, simply because I couldn't find a spot on my counter where it would reach a plug. An extra foot would have helped a lot.The machine is very compact to store, with the base nesting into the popcorn bowl. This is very smart engineering, and makes it easy to put away in a compact kitchen.So in closing, I am quite satisfied. Yes, the popcorn from an air popper is healthier; but it doesn't taste as good, and popcorn is not regarded as a health food at the best of times. So I recommend this machine, perhaps with some seasoned salt (there's a whole industry of seasoned salt manufacturers just for popcorn. Who'd a thunk it?) and quality popcorn like Orville Redenbachers product. Select a movie, and away you go - theatre quality popcorn, right at home. Enjoy!

Replaced a similar style 7-8 yr old popper.Great Upgrade! Heating plate heats up very quickly. My usual routine to preheat, heat the oil, then add kernels, then fill mug and melt butter in the microwave for 1 min, then wait for last kernels to pop out and transfer to metal mixing bowl, add butter and salt. well... the kernels were all popped before the microwave even beeped! Nice big fluffy popcorn.Dome cover of a thinner, more flexible plastic... not sure if I like that or not...but works great .AND - I can store the base inside the dome so it is half the height for storage - really like that!!

Terrible design. I had the old red one it was great. This one sucks. The bar doesnt reach all kernels, stinks of chemicals, tons of unpopped kernels, messy, avoid

First off, this machine makes wonderful, delicious popcorn, and most importantly, I'm rarely even left with a single kernal, at most, of uncooked corn.But the entire reason I'm writing this review is to help out with the biggest gripes and frustrations I see people giving this machine negative reviews for. These "percieved" problems are just that, the reviewers perception. When in reality, those are actually how the machine is supposed to work!There's 2 main one's I see, so I want to address those! But I also want to tell you how to make popcorn that blows away movie theater popcorn. It's beyond good and it's beyond addicting (sorry!).1.) The Stirring Rod.So many users are screaming that the stirring rod doesn't actually stir all the corn, constantly. Guys and Gals, it's NOT suppposed to! The stirring rod is simply there to flatten all the corn initally dumped in and give it the best chance of being near the heat upon the initial heating up process (even heat spreading). Only after kernals start popping does the stirring rod catch those popped kernals which then catches the rest of unpopped kernals below them and start to put the whole uncooked kernals in motion!By this point, since kernals are already popping, this simply helps with FINAL heat required to make the kernal go POP! So it's SUPPOSED to work that way! Do not tweak the stirring rod and allow it to scrape around the kernals when the machine is running. If anything, raise it a bit higher for less interference!2.) Uncooked PopcornIf you are getting large batches of uncooked popcorn, it's because you aren't using enough oil. These types of machines rely almost entirely on boiling the popcorn in oil to cook. You are not getting around that for this type of machine. There are pictures posted here of a before and after popcorn batch (where 1/2 didn't pop) and a very negative review posted here.Check out the 1st picture, there was barely enough oil to even partially coat the kernals let alone have any standing oil! You can't do that with this machine. You know it's right when the entire base of the machine (where your kernals are sitting) is a bath of your cooking oil. If you are cooking the maxiumum amount of popcorn, that amounts to a good 1/4 of a CUP of oil. You won't get away with much less with a machine like this unless you don't want kernals to pop.Hint: look at premade single serving oil / seasoning / popcorn packs for use in carnival machines. You see the ratio? It's a lot of oil! I understand wanting to be healthy and using less, but you aren't doing it with this type of machine (why it's soooo delicious!).3.) How do I make the BEST tasting, and healthiest popcorn ever in the world?EASY! First off, start using coconut oil (you'll see the orange stuff already sold here that has been converted, molecularly, into a coconut oil that has butter flavor). Believe it or not, that's still straight up coconut oil, nothing added. It's one of the few oils that is actually good for you! 2ndly, you can throw in some clarified butter into the mix if you want full blown butter flavor too. And finally, throw salt (test yourself to how much you want) right into the oil as the popcorn is preparing. So to recap, the large majority is coconut oil (the orange stuff), with a 1/3 of the oil clarified butter (ghee) and your amount of salt for flavor. That's it. And you will never even want to put movie theater butter (flavoring) on top of it, the flavor is out of this world! Just remember, in this machine, oil is your friend. If you aren't cooking 99.99% of your kernals, you aren't using enough oil!Hope this helps! Happy yummy popcorn :)