Side by Side Comparison of: Great Northern Popcorn Company vs West Bend

Soon as i got home from worked i rushed to put it together which was easy and fired it up.. popcorn is amazing from it.. we are having a kids Halloween party this year and can't wait to use it for the party

This product is great! Real easy to assemble, to make. Had a movie night with family and friends and everyone enjoyed themselves and plenty to go around. Definitely worth the price and can use it at any place and time.

Great popper with very simple setup. Easy to use and the popcorn is delicious. We recently received it and put it in our camper. It makes a generous amount for grandkids and for campfires. Love that it sits on our counter! I bought it for my husband for Fathers Day and he is very pleased.

This is a Great popcorn machine. It's simple to use and easy to clean. I do recommend getting a jar of coconut oil from your local grocery store, nothing else works as well. I tried four different types of oils or fats including butter, which gets slightly burned on too easily by the way. The coconut oil works amazingly well though. I also found that the Pop Secret kernels pop much better than Orville Redenbacher's. The one thing I recommend changing is the suggested sequence. The manual tells you to turn on the heat lamp, place your oil of choice in the pot, turn on the heat and wait for steam, then add your kernels and turn on the stirrer. I followed that instruction and ended up with burnt on oil in one spot where it was sitting. My fix was simple, turn on the heat lamp, place your oil of choice in the pot, turn on the stirrer and then the heat, once you have steam add your kernels, and viola, no burn. Really great machine to have at home for popcorn lovers.

This popcorn machine is incredible. We use the prepackaged oil/salt/kernel packs from Great Northern and it is the BEST popcorn I have ever tasted. I can't state how much we have loved this machine. Recently had a party and all the kids loved having the machine and eating the delicious popcorn. Easy to use, easy to clean and a great pop every time.

Great product easy assembly , came with 50 free popcorn bags, large scooper, 3 hard plastic containers and measuring scoopers. I've used it everyday since I received it on April 10 2015 just buy and injoy!!! You will Not be Disappointed...a Tip leave the heating light On and your popcorn will stay crispy for hours as if you just made them ..

Popcorn at its best. Fast and easy to use. I use Walgreen's brand popcorn, and it pops up so nicely. I don't put the butter on the dome top, I just melt it in a small gravy boat for easy pouring and less clean up. Each kernel pops up nicely and nothing burns. I wanted to get away from the microwave popcorn with the concerns I've read about. We tried just using paper bags and popcorn for air popped and it did work, but this really is the best tasting way to prepare it. The children love to watch it pop, and they are always ready to help finish the bowl and pop more. I use about two to three tablespoons of olive oil and half a cup of popcorn per batch. It does get very hot, so you need to be mindful of that when handling the base.

Makes great popcorn. I mix either 2 Tbsp coconut oil or vegetable oil with about 1.5 tsp flavacol and pour that into the popper before adding 2/3 popcorn kernels. Plug it in, put the lid (minus the black top) on and wait for the best homemade popcorn! It only takes about 4 or 5 minutes at max to pop. My children get excited every time they watch it pop. The unit will reverse the arms if it starts to get difficult to spin due to kernels. We have never had burned popcorn and almost always have very few unpopped kernels. My only complaint is that it is rather large. I have yet to find a place in my kitchen cabinets to store it when not in use.

Loving loving this pop corn popper ! 2 thumbs up .... as soon as it arrived i used it and this was my amazing experience, first of all I would recommned you buying the top of the line pop corn and pop corn oil, it will make a difference. So i bought me the Orville Redenbacher's 100% natural no GMO original, and the Orville popping and topping oil.....OMG! i had 2 pop corn seeds left yes 2 count them seeds left the first time i used and on the second time using it i had a half pop and half seed left. this West Bend gets the job done. a little oil goes a long way popcorn was NOT greasy at all it was light and fluffy the popcorn was also big.. they were popped to their fullest size pretty big size popcorn. I would recommend this item and I would purchase again.

I had one of those small air poppers, and finally got fed up with the constant spitting out unpopped kernels and having to replace & re-start the unit over and over to get a big bowl of popcorn. It was taking 20-25 minutes of frustration.So, I finally got this to replace it. This product DOES use oil to pop the popcorn. However, it works (and tastes) great with olive oil to keep it healthy. Just pour the oil in, then the popcorn kernels, put the lid on and plug it in. In 5 minutes, you will have tasty popcorn with no unpopped kernels!Another footnote: The basic recipe is 1Tbsp oil (and 1 Tbsp butter if you use it) and 1/3 cup popcorn. The unit can make up to triple of this in one shot. Write it down on a small piece of paper, then tape it to the power cord. This way you always have the correct proportions convenient each time you use it. They are printed in the included manual, but who wants to dig that out and flip through the pages every time they want popcorn??A great product and very recommended over those small air poppers.

Great popcorn maker! Fun to use; we enjoy watching it pop! Sometimes I use sesame oil or peanut oil to pop them in to give the popcorn some extra flavor. I also sometimes sprinkle brewers yeast over a drizzle of olive oil on the corn when it's done for some added nutrition and great taste. We buy organic corn from the bulk section and that way I feel better about eating corn as a snack since it's not genetically modified or filled with crazy pesticides and such. This was a good way we could know what we are eating and have a delicious treat for our movie nights.Pros: --Clear dome for viewing popcorn pop, hehe --Super fast to heat up and pop the corn --Simple, easy cleanup --We know what we're eatingCons: --Don't know about the black plastic lid on top of the dome - we might need to take that off because it interferes with cleanup, and we know to avoid burning ourselves on the steam.--Can be difficult to get clean, as with anything coming in contact with oil, but we found that just using straight soap with no water worked well to cut the oil

I read most of the product reviews before making the purchase. Most of the reviews centered around the stirring arms scraping the sides or bottoms. So when I got mine I plugged it in and sure enough one of the arms dragged on the bottom. A simple pull on the arm to bend it up a little had it free and working perfect. Yes, the kernels get caught between the arms and the bottom but this appears to be normal and no cause for alarm. As for popping, I bought a 3 pack of popcorn with it just to have when it got here. A tad pricey though, but it was good. The unit came with tips about popcorn in general, which I followed. Went to the store and acquired some fresh popcorn at a very low price. Popped up perfectly, way better than I expected. Easily pops 99.9% of all the kernels. Don't use the butter feature though, works, but makes the popcorn soggy. When done you unplug, flip it over and use the cover for your container. Works fast too, about 5 minutes from start to finish with no burned popcorn. Tip: Don't use butter, oil only. Add the butter after your finished. Surface is nonstick so it cleans up easy.

The popcorn maker arrived intact and required very little assembly on my part. The foldout metal hopper door is a bit flimsy and occasionally gets off track causing a little popcorn to fall on the floor and the reason for my 4 stars. I use this for a small concession stand at a Junior High school serving about 80 kids a 2 cup serving a day. It does the job quickly. I would not recommend this if you are trying to run a business, as it would be too small. I was a little leery of purchasing this after reading some reviews. I decided to give it a try and am glad I did. I use the commercial popcorn oil from the Big Warehouse chain. Keep in mind that if your popcorn is exposed to humidity, the kernels are going to take longer to pop. I just put any unpopped kernels back in the kettle with some oil and they pop the 2nd go around. (this has nothing to do with the machine, rather the popcorn itself). I would purchase this item again.

it needs to be taller so yoiu can get the scoop in under the kettle, but it works well.

The product itself is good. It works well and looks nice in the basement. The only complaint I have is that the instructions are horrible. The instructions to assemble the item are useless and there are no instructions in terms of quantities of products (oil, kernels and salt) when making the popcorn.

Nice looking, well made. Helps to turn my basement into a movie theater as hoped. Popcorn is great and smells wonderful. Would be five stars if not for the fact that the unpopped kernel catch tray at the bottom is hard to get seated because of interference with a screw on the bottom of the machine. Takes some fussing to get in.

Very good at making popcorn quickly. The only issue we have is removing the kettle to clean. The way it hangs doesn't leave very much room to get it off the hanger. Otherwise this is an excellent buy!

This is a great little machine! It was a replacement for a different brand machine and this one is built so much better. My only complaint is that I believe it cooks at hotter temperature than it should but overall I'm very happy with this purchase!

I saw this one on YouTube watched about 15 different videos and decided to buy it! The first and only time we use it, the popcorn tastes stale! I don't know if it was the brand new bag of kernels or the maker itself that made it take that was but ehhh! I give 4 stars because of that but everything else as far as the rotator and butter melter is fine! We melted our butter and just poured on top of popcorn when it was done

Bought this to replace our old Stir Crazy that was nearly 15 years old. It actually still worked but the cover was cracked and the base leaked a bit. So, even after researching a lot of other electric popper options, I decided this was the best choice for us for a few reasons. Cost: paid just over $30 total. Flavor: We like to pop our kernels in coconut oil, then skip adding butter - healthier! You won't miss the butter, and a little sprinkle of salt (or any flavoring!) sticks to the popcorn just fine for us. The rotating mechanism doesn't appear to be as durable as our old model, and isn't exactly flush against the bottom. The only issue this creates is having a popped kernel stuck now and again. It's the reason I didn't give it 5 stars. We use it at least twice a week and it'll be interesting to see if this one lasts 15 years.

West Bend 82306 Stir Crazy model is pretty good. This is our 2nd one in about 5 years (we do popcorn around x2-x3/week). For popping corn - it's pretty straightforward.PRO's:-easy to use-(pretty) easy to clean up-nice feature having the plastic lid to flip over to use as one of the bowl to serve/eat fromCON's:-the clear plastic lid is pretty flimsy. While it needs to have some flexibility so that it's pliable for use, IMO it should be a heavy gauge/thickness. Not sure how it will last over the long haul.I'll keep you posted though :)

A good corn popper. However there are a couple of improvements that could be made. Half of the holes for the melted butter to run down through have raised rings around them. What logic is there in that? It makes it hard for the butter to go through the holes. The holes should be countersunk not raised.Also, when I used a half cup of popcorn the sweep arm could not push it around. It would stop and then reverse direction. The reversing might be a good idea for HEAVY loads, but for a half cup of kernels it is ridiculous.The best thing is it pops almost ALL of the kernels of popcorn without scorching any of them. I would have given it a five star rating if it wern't for the things mentioned above.

It's neither good or bad! Does a good job of popping corn but not a great one! Requires a little more cleaning than a microwave popper but that's ok if you like cleaning. I like the fact that you can add all your ingredients,flavoring s,etc., at one time and let the machine mix it up. I have a microwave popper as well. It would be a toss up to decide between the two which is better. I like both and use both. Microwave in the bag is fluffier and more convenient. This is cheaper to use in the long tun. Won't know about durability for a year or so! Not a bad choice!12/05/2012After further use I'd give it a 4star rating at least. Sometimes trial and error is where you learn. I figured out that the product itself was functioning fine and that I was in error. After correcting my inequities the crazy popper works great! Oh, don't put butter and your other ingredients in the bottom with the oil and popcorn. The butter and ingredients will leave a black burnt film on your popcorn and crazy popper. And THAT makes clean up difficult!! Add that later as recommended! It really does pop like crazy. A lot of fun to watch!!!!

This is the 2nd 6qt. Stir Crazy I have purchased/owned, having purchased the 2nd one based on the great performance of the 1st one purchased years ago. In between, we tried a hot air popper (The Warden wanted me to eat healthier. Pshaw! The junk that hot air popper turned out was only good for making "shipping" popcorn.)From there we moved on to nuked popcorn.Last school year, I volunteered to be the "Popcorn Dude" at my nephew's Christian Day school and make popcorn for the kids that wanted it each Friday. Someone had donated a used "Movie Theater" style popcorn maker and the idea of using it appealed to me. Appealed that is until the person who had made popcorn in it the year before had the fire dept. show up twice because the smoke from the burnt popcorn set off the fire alarm. The thought of the FD showing up was pretty intimidating. It became apparent to me why is was donated in short order. I tried it twice and wasted 2 cups of unpopped corn for every cup it made, trying to prevent the alarm from going off. Enough of that!I came home and went straight to Amazon.com, having remembered how well the Stir Crazy had worked in the past and figuring they would have it. They did.I purchased one from Amazon.com and had it in short order. I have used it for the entire school year, making 4 to 8 batches every Friday except for the Holidays. I use Orville's Buttery Oil and popcorn exclsively. Other brands leave substantially more "old maids". The real beauty of the Stir Crazy is the arm that continually keeps the kernels moving around so almost every one pops.It's Deja Vu all over again, well, almost. The Stir Crazy is now made in China instead of Wisconsin and the lid is now frail. Being careful with is is the order of the day. I'm ordering a replacement lid as the school year is over. But the unit made a huge pile of popcorn for the kids.Friendly Advice: If you put too much corn in it the lid comes up off the popper and starts spinning around. It's fun to watch, unless you're the one making the popcorn! When the Stir Crazy quits poppin' unplug it and using 2 pot holders turn it over and let is set for at least 30 seconds before removing the bottom. This will prevent any IED's from surprising you!

I have sent pictures of the inside top of the popper showing the beginning of rusty areas. If it progresses with use it will encompass the complete inside top. All I have had is a response asking for purchase invoice which I sent and have had no additional responses.

I should have checked the dimensions closer - it is a VERY small unit, good for a home movie party.

The lid needs to have thumb screws added to make it easier to clean. The mounting bracket for the keddle had to be cut... again to make it easier to get out and cleaned. The heating element under the inside tray has a plastic cover that slightly melted... should be replaced. Don't get me wrong it works great but I've had to modify it to make it better.

the bracket holding the tray was bent, fixed it but the metal is sharp. the door on the kettle will not close and open properly.

We got this machine for our new movie room and I'm pretty disappointed with how it was packaged. When we got it, the bottom leg was bent in and so it wouldn't sit flush on the table. It rocked back and forth. The way it was bent also prevented the seed trap door from going in. We had to take the bottom screws out and bend it back. Which I don't think I should have to do when spending this kind of money on something. It was very disappointing. Also, the kettle is almost too big for the glass enclosure. You need to be very careful as to not burn yourself trying to get popcorn out.

The machine has 2 dents in the drawer that catches the unpopped kernel; finger prints and scratches on the glass. I wanted to return it but the kids started using it and could not get a replacement in time in time. I don't think this is a new machine at all. It was my birthday and we could not wait to use it, so we kept it anyway. It is working and a lot of enjoyment making he popcorn.

Typical of all such generics, the beefy 1,500 Watts is hog-tied by a hypochondriacal thermo-safety cut-off switch. 1st batch is a banger, but heating element cuts off halfway through during subsequent runs. Needs a L O N G rest between batches to reset switch; a party-ender. Installing a jumper wire over the thermo-switch did the trick but risks the China-Syndrome. Moved on to West-Bend's professional Air Popper. No extra calories and near 100% popping success during 1 hour non-stop production.

It pops corn well. I had an older Stir-Crazy (10 years old), which I liked and it worked well. They made some changes to the newer model clear-top-bowl/lid.The lid (clear dome) fitment to the base isn't as good as my old Stir-Crazy. They changed the design of the lid, so that the lid lip doesn't sit down inside the base well, causing the lid to slide off more easily.So the lid tends to fall off more easily when you are carrying the popper, causing the lid to fall on the floor and break more easily.If there was a similar popper that had a better fitting top (lid) then I would buy it instead, however if you aren't concerned the top sliding off and breaking, then this will work fine for you.

I've used this twice since receiving it and can only say that it works fairly well. I read several reviews that helped me. One reviewer said they waited a couple of minutes and put a couple of kernels in to test whether it was hot enough to start popping. Second suggestions was not to use too much oil and that works also. I am using a gourmet popcorn and believe I will try a less expensive brand next time. The corn just doesn't seem to be light and airy so it is not crunchy. Also, the actual supplier who shipped it to me inserted an invoice that listed a less cost amount than Amazon charged me. When I contacted customer service I was told they would not give me a credit for the amount.

I bought a Stir Crazy in 2006. It was a solid product, we liked it. We probably used it a couple of times a week (my wife's a big popcorn fan). Worked fine for five years. No teflon flaking. OK, yea, the thin 'stir' arms got bent up and started scraping off a narrow groove of non-stick coating, and the bent arms didn't do as good a job of stirring around the kernels. But in general it worked.What it did have an issue with, was that the plastic dome lid began to develop cracks, until finally after five years an entire handle broke off in 2011.At that point, I knew we were buying another, but I decided to upgrade to the West Bend 82386 Kettle Krazy Popcorn Popper and Nut Roaster. If you like the Stir Krazy, you'll like the Kettle Krazy even better:-Heavier 'cast' arms - no bending into contact with the non-stick bed here. And you don't have to worry about them getting bent out of alignment at all.-Ok, it's a bit 'multi-function', you can also roast nuts in it - though I think you can do that in the Stir Krazy as well. :P-Plastic dome strength? Well, it seems to be about the same as the cheaper model. BUT, what I did discover in the interrum, when cracks started appearing again in the Kettle Krazy, was that West Bend has replacement parts available from their web site! $13 and a week later, and I had a replacement dome for my fully-functional Stir Krazy.So on balance, no one else really does this 'stirred' niche as well. So a Kettle Krazy and a plan to replace the domes as needed may just be a solid option. :)

I've used Stir Crazys since the '80s and bought this to replace a 15 year old model my cat decided to destroy. The 1st thing I noticed was that the rounded feet and bowl handles made this model more difficult to flip than my previous model. Not a huge deal, but definitely an inconvenience. Second, none of the parts are dishwasher safe. I put the bowl from my previous model in the dishwasher without hesitation. Come on guys, it's a big plastic bowl...what's the problem? The final straw is that despite using the same oil and popcorn only 1/10th to 1/2 of the kernels are popping. I'm assuming this item is defective and am returning it. When this item works as intended it's a 4-5 star product. However, even if I happened to get a defective item and the replacement works perfectly the design decisions of this version do not warrant more than 3 stars.UPDATE: After using about a third more oil than usual and bending the stir rod to correct a design/manufacturing defect (ie kernels were piling up and not heating correctly) I finally got a decent batch with nearly all kernels popping.UPDATE 2: I've run the bowl and lid through the dishwasher twice with no ill effects. If they can take hot oil they can deal with some hot water.

We have had several Stir Crazy popcorn poppers over the last 20+ years. Furthermore, we use it a lot, maybe 3+ times/week, so we wear them out. While improvements have been made, new deficiencies have been added.Cons: This new machine will not last as long as previous poppers it seems. The motor is installed at a slight angle causing two problems: 1) the stir rod grinds into the base plate on one side at each rotation; 2) the stir rod traps kernels when it is on the high side making a terrible noise on each pass. All this binding has to take a toll on the motor life.Pluses:1) This unit heats up faster and pops faster than any of our 3-4 previous machines.2) The clear cover is sturdier and should outlast the base it would seem. The old cover/bowl, would crack at multiple places along the edge and it would seriously crack around the handles, so we were always looking for bowls at garage sales. On this unit the edge has been beefed up and the handles have been re-enforced.3) The cooking surface has been modified to better contain cooking oil. In the past, oil (even using the prescribed quantity) would seep down into the base causing two problems: a) oil residue was left wherever it was stored b) eventually the base would smoke during use and even catch fire if more than one batch was made.

It came in damaged. Too much Hassel to return

This product was covered in fiberglass particles above that allowed by the FDA. Make sure to thoroughly clean it before using. I had to clean the glass and everything multiple times with a vacuum and moist cloth. Product came dented even though there was no damage to the box and the tray wouldn't go in because the metal was bent on the bottom. Be careful to properly inspect this product before use. I ended up fixing the dents and ect myself but this is ridiculous​.

Unit is fairly small, so look closely at dimensions. I wanted stand up version but would not fit in place I needed. The silver tray tilts out but then slides out of its hinges and is quite a nuisance. It is also hard based on its size to get popcorn scoop inside. It does make great popcorn, I have only purchased the bags from Great Northern. Unit is otherwise sturdy as seems worth the money, if it fits what you are looking for.

Super fast shipping. Great little machine. Worked like a champ! But only for 3 months. Heating element seems to have burned out.

i bought this product as a Christmas present and i really liked the look of in and its size. until they opened it to find out they all the parts on the inside were bents and mangled up that we could not fix. I was unsatisfied with this product since i pays a descent amount on it and i bought it new to find out that this company sold me a non usable product.

Why in the world did the machine ship with the warming bulb in the buld outlet - needless to say, the buld was broken when I opened it and glass everwhere - in something that produces food - why not ship the bulb in a separate package within the box -

This is the third Stir Crazy electric popcorn popper that I purchased in the past 37 years. Making popcorn a few times every month, it's a great investment in this small appliance. Additionally the top becomes a bowl to serve the popcorn. Nice design. The last lid started to crack with years of use, so it was time to purchase a new one. The new one I just purchased is not the same quality as the past two. The black lid on the top does not fit correctly & falls off. As mentioned above, the lid becomes a bowl, but with the black top falling off salt & kernels can fall through making a mess. Additionally, the stir blade does not fit properly and kernels get jammed underneath and a few times caused the blade to stop turning. Having to free the kernels when the oil is hot is dangerous & can cause finger burns. I have tried to slightly bend the blade to fit better, but it still is up to high & jams. I was thinking of returning it to try another to see if this is just a bad one or if they now make them with different spects. We do eat lots of popcorn & this is a great way to make and eat popcorn

This was my "go-to" popcorn popper when I use a little oil. I've used the same popper for years and recently had to replace my third one. The company apparently made an adjustment with the automatic spinner and now the popcorn gets stuck under the spinner and causes burns. I returned it. Back to airpopping, I guess. Very disappointed

I really want to love this popcorn maker but it keeps letting me down. The first one I got the middle rod didn't​ spin (even if i loosened the middle screw. So I ordered a replacement. The replacement the middle arm worked fine but one of the handles broke on the first use.... I will say it makes a good batch of popcorn but I have to make two batches it seems like the first batch sucks and the second batch is much better. Or just wait a long time before I add the oil and popcorn.

West Bend sold a perfectly great Stir Crazy for a long time, but this new design falls far short of great. There is an issue with the stirring rod - the point of attachment is wobbly, so one side can be skimming the heated surface while the other side has a large enough clearance to let some of the kernels get caught under it, stalling and reversing the motor. And there is apparently no seal between the heating surface and the black plastic case - when you wash it out, water gets down in the motor compartment. We found that we have to put it up on its side and allow drainage. Hey, West Bend, are you listening? Go back to the old design!

I had high hopes for this popper. I read other reviews about the stirring bar getting jammed so I bent mine up just a hair and didn't have too many issues with that. It doesn't pop all (or enough) of the kernels before starting to overcook the ones already popped. So you end up with a bunch of unpopped kernels in your bowl.Another issue I had with it is melting the butter. The corn is fully popped before the butter begins to melt. Some suggested putting the butter in the top and running it before putting the kernels in, but that is such a messy way because you have to remove the lid holding the melted butter in order to add the kernels. I just melted my butter in the microwave then poured it in the drip cup area after the kernels started to pop.It's such a mess to clean up too. I rarely use it because of all these issues. I would not recommend it to a friend.

I have a love hate relationship with this popcorn popper. I have yet to find one that makes better-tasting popcorn, but in the last few years, the quality of this product has taken a severe nose dive. We had our first stir crazy for at least a decade, our most recent popper lasted just over a month, then died the same way as the last one: the plastic shattered when it fell on the floor. Granted, I don't really expect appliances to survive a nosedive off the counter, but I do expect that the bowl won't crack after two months of normal use (though it does). The teflon bottom breaks part easily, probably because the stir arm is improperly rubbing against it. After a few months of use, it will occasionally pop less than half your popcorn (heating problem?). Also, this makes the most horrific shrieky noise while it stirs, even when it's brand new. I'm searching for a comparable alternative, but so far I've got nothing. :(

Burner burns popcorn way to hot

The machine is poorly designed. The door Slides on and easily slides off. Have broken 2 doors just by transporting from one place to another. Love machine but wasted money trying to replace doors.

I would have given it 0 stars if I could. We ordered this item. The first one came in dented on both the top and the bottom. We ordered a replacement one that one came in and the kernal drawer will only go in half way and the door is too big and will not close properly. It also is unsteady and wobbles on a flat surface. Very disatified. We will not be trying a third one.

Terrible. Purchased one, tray would not go in, door horribly aligned, could tell it had been damaged. Returned and second one the door does not even come close to aligning. Used it and had popcorn flying out the bottom and sides of the door. I had high hopes but the quality is certainly lacking. Not to mention the cord lies hanging in the top of the unit to get covered in butter grease.

Shock and Fire HazardI ordered this for a family event and it arrived on time. Amazon has always come through with providing quality sellers and products. This time though I am grateful for the invention of GFI and surge protection.Assembly was fairly simple; you hang the cook pot from the hangers inside the unit and plug it into the outlet inside the chamber. After assembly, I took the unit and plugged it into any outlet with all of the switches off. Upon doing so, huge sparks shot out of the top right rear corner of the unit opposite of the glass door, behind where the pot plugs into the unit itself. I received quite the jolt of electricity myself as sparks flew out of the GFI outlet also. Being so, my assumption was something was shorted inside of the unit I did not even try to plug the unit in again after that. Upon inspection, there are char marks in the same area where the sparks and smoke came out of the top. I am no electrician but I feel this unit came out of the factory and no after assembly final test was completed. This I feel is extremely unsafe and final operational tests should always be done on electrical products prior to leaving any manufacture.Now I need to figure out how to pack this unit back into the packaging and send it back. Extremely disappointed in not only the loss of use but the lack of quality control and that a company would risk someone getting injured by not doing a final check.If Amazon or the manufacture would like to make this right, feel free to contact me.

I am very disappointed in this machine. We had a much larger glass unit that was 12 years old and died. This one hasn't lasted 2 months and it won't pop. Now I'm out the money, and needing to find the money for a better unit.

I have been a user of this popper model for 20 years. My last machine lasted 4 years of use nearly every day. Literally we buy popcorn in 50lb bags. Unfortunately, we are returning our replacement because the thermostat control is intermittent and causes inadequate results. I am hopeful the replacement of the replacement will result in my popcorn diet to resume. Until then back to the stove pot method, it's perfected.The popcorn gournmet

I had this machine for 10 years and loved it...then it broke. So I ordered a new one from Amazon and when I tried it the popcorn would get caught under the metal turner because it was raised too high (much higher than my old model). I thought it was defective and returned it to Amazon for another one. Well the same thing. I called West Bend and inquired and they said they had raised this bar because it was scraping off the teflon on the bottom (never had that problem with my old one). Continued to try this and it would pop only 1/4 of the kernels!! So I thought it might be the off-brand popcorn and purchased Orville Redenbacher's popcorn. Same thing.......It would pop only 1/4 of the kernels no matter how long I left it plugged in. If I could give this item zero stars I would.... this popcorn popper is a piece of junk!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so grateful that Amazon is giving me a refund and I do hope nobody else need go through this stress. Thank you Amazon. Go back to the drawing board West Bend!!

The first 2 batches of popcorn were great. It was a little hard for me to flip over the unit, but I have problems with my grip. A few weeks later I went to make a batch and barely a handful popped. It was the end of the bag so I opened a new bag of popcorn and the same thing happened like it didn't heat up enough. Too late to send it back. Ended up getting an air popper which has worked great.

I've been a long time user of this popper. After many years I needed to replace it. The one I received only popped maybe a quarter of the kernels. Knowing how good this popper is I figured some old kernels. Bought fresh kernels and it wasn't any better. Contacted the manufacturer and did everything they told me and it still didn't work any better. Finally they replaced it under warranty. The new one worked identically to the old one. Very disappointed. I returned it for a refund. I came across a similar popper from Presto, model 05200 at Walmart for $30. I noticed right off the quality of this popper was noticeably better than the Stir Crazy. The lid/bowl is thicker so it's not so flimsy when washing it. Also the plastic nut holding the metal stir rod has a metal threaded insert instead of the plastic threads in the Stir Crazy. However, the best part is it popped a half a cup of kernels leaving seven unpopped kernels. Yay! I can enjoy popcorn again.

The first time I used the popper it made weird squeeking noises, but popped the corn just fine. In the subsequent uses (I have only used it about 6 times, have not yet used all of the little bag of popcorn which was bought with it) the stir-arm did not sit quite like it should, it was at an angle instead of sitting level. Used the popper last night and the arm stopped turning at all. Looked at the machine closely after taking the arm off as if to clean the machine, and the plastic screw part on which the metal stir-arm sits has MELTED. Wish now I had not tossed the box it came in. Will be writing to West Bend and see if they will honor their warranty. My old Stir Crazy was wonderful and lasted for years. This machine was a piece of poop.

The first time I used this product it popped almost 75% of the corn. That was the best it ever performed.I tried using it five more times over the next week and the results were abysmal, yielding about 50% of thecorn used.That yield is simply unacceptable. Also unacceptable is a manufacturing design that avoids having an on/offswitch on the product. That absence should have been a red flag!Please don't waste your money. We've gone back to making popcorn in a pot on the stove and we'rehappy with the results.