Well built, makes great popcorn!
I purchased this popcorn maker after much research into the different brands and kettle sizes. I am very very happy with this machine! The 8 oz size makes a large amount of popcorn but I love popcorn and so does my family. It also tastes just fine a day or two old. I like the ease of cleaning with this popper, the kettle is large, easy to remove and wipes clean without a problem. It is also no problem to fill with oil, salt and popcorn. I tried one of the prepackaged kits but find I like to use a combination of canola oil and butter rather than the coconut oil in the kits. With the buttery flavored salt added with the popcorn, nothing else is needed, it tastes perfect right out of the machine. For the money, this is a great buy and comes with a 5 year warranty.

Great
For the last 7 years I have used a Paragon 4oz popper which runs more than twice the cost of this unit. While it still works as it did the day I bought it, the Paragon unit never produced crisp popcorn like this does. In fact, I popped the same popcorn packs in both machines and this unit just blows that one away in terms of taste not too mention there was very little smoke from this unit compared to the Paragon unit. The Paramount popped corn tastes just like the popcorn you get from the movies or from the shops that have commercial popcorn machines. The kids immediately said the popcorn is sooo much better.

If you are planning to buy a smaller one, I recommend you do not purchase a 4oz popper. The hopper tends to kick out the popcorn too quickly and they tend not to run as hot. I hope this one can give me 7+ years of service. The only issue I have is that it is not as easy to clean as the Paragon one as the lid does not remove but opens on both sides but that's not really much of an issue. If I run into issues, I'll post them.

just like the movie theater!
Just got this popcorn machine & set it up- only had to clean the inside, and attach the cup that holds the popcorn kernels. We love it! Made great tasting popcorn, very quiet machine. Can't wait to see my grandchildren enjoy this! It's well made, works great, easy to use- an excellent value for the price. Much more fun than any 'air popper'-, healthier than microwave popcorn, tastes great!