Review on Effortless Entertainment: Great Northern Popcorn Black Matinee Sets the Stage for Movie Nights by Drew Poulin

"Pretty good" value for the price, but you're not paying for a high-end product. First positive points: the shipping was fast and the packaging was well designed to protect the product (although unpacking is not very easy!). The assembly was relatively easy, just look at the photos. The kettle heats up very quickly and quickly cooks a full batch of 8 oz popcorn. You don't have to wait long for the kettle to heat up. The agitator keeps the popcorn moving well and thankfully it's quiet. I have not experienced any burning or burning issues. The kettle has a handy modular design that can be quickly removed without tools, making it *relatively* easy to clean. Keep popcorn warm and fresh until it's served. - The surfaces and graphics on the outside of the device look nice and are in great shape. - If you follow the instructions, you will get delicious cinema quality popcorn. the product itself: - Steel is the thinnest possible that will still work. The chute, teapot lid, handle/shelf, trim and spinster tray feel fragile to the touch, and the unfolded edges can easily cut your fingers if you're not careful. Yes, it's stainless steel, but not "heavy duty" at all. An aluminum spoon is the most fragile similar utensil I have ever seen. We bought a nicer one to replace the one that came with the kit. The kettle's lid is so loose (probably to facilitate factory assembly) that the cam on the agitator shaft can't reach the lid to close it if it ruptures. means you have unpopped kernels and oil splatters in the popcorn. This is because the first bit that breaks will push both lids into the open position and stay there. There is a metal cam designed to close the lids in this case, but it doesn't work properly as the hinges on the lid are too big. Another problem with the kettle lid is that due to the super thin material, the lids are so light that the first hard knocks open them completely. Heaver lids help solve the biggest problem with this popcorn maker. (I've made some weights out of washers which greatly improves this situation, but it's not necessary!) - The instructions and pictures show that there is a pallet on one side of the cart and a handle on the other. This has been reduced to a single tray/handle made from the same fine rustproof material as mentioned above. This is a cheap one piece piece that originally consisted of two pieces on each side of the car. The agitator itself was bent so far upwards on my device that it could no longer stir the popcorn properly. I had to take the lid of the kettle apart, bend it, straighten it, and fiddle with the stirrer until it was close enough to the bottom of the kettle to get the job done. When I gave it the right shape, it worked very well. Luckily, the stirrer is quite strong and will hold its shape when bent. The graphics on the plastic popcorn buckets that come with the kit get sticky and smear when washed in the dishwasher - not only do they fade, they're sticky too. Strange! Some complaints about the company: - There is an 800 number on their website that is out of service. Your "customer support" is directing you to a third-party customer service company that knows little or nothing about the products they support and cannot locate your account or order information. Errors due to cost-cutting design (e.g. missing handle). This is a large scale operation that sells a product at a very low margin and cuts every corner to keep costs down. Many compromises are acceptable, but some, such as a loose-fitting lid, go just slightly beyond what is reasonable. Take advantage of the deal, it matters a lot. If you want a worry-free, plug-and-play, turnkey popcorn maker, you may find yourself frustrated and/or annoyed - consider spending 2x or 3x that amount on a high-end unit that's yours meets expectations.