I bought this after wanting to switch from microwave popcorn and after trying a hot air popper and not liking the result. I managed to get this via points, but in the end it wasn't worth the money. At first it make very good popcorn, and seemed ok, but in less than a year, parts starting coming off, or snapping, the bowl, with it's scalloped sides made it very hard to clean by hand (no dishwasher here) and then one day it just didn't work, the hot plate had stopped working. Then I did some research and found that this was a very common experience. Save your money, there are better options on the market. My new favourite is WestBend Stir Crazy.