West Bend 82707 Stir Crazy Hot Oil Popcorn Popper, Popcorn Maker Machine with Large Serving Bowl Lid and Stirring Rod, 6 Qt

Easy to use. Easy to clean. Perfect popcorn!

So happy you had this model on your site! I bought the newer one for my daughter and husband for their first Christmas and had to get them this one less than a year later! Mine at home is this model so I know it will last longer for them!

We had an original Whirly-Pop many years ago. It worked great. Almost bought a new one...but I wanted the convenience of loading the unit and flipping a switch.... & not having to dote over it or stand over a hot stove while it's popping. Just wait for the popping slow to one every one to two seconds and switch it "off". Done.On this initial test run, we went for broke with the factory suggested MAX of 3/4 cup (Snappy) popcorn, 3 tablespoons (Dutchman's Buttery) popping oil, and 1 tsp of Flavacol. I will say that this Factory-recommended MAX is pushing it, as the lid rose just a tad at the end of the popping stage, and spun around with the corn. hehe. We haven't ate the whole batch yet (about 50% remains) BUT there has been only ONE unpopped kernel- much to the credit of the popper AND the popcorn itself.This. Is. IT. Using the aforementioned ingredients, and not even real butter, the West Bend Popper did a yeoman's job and has immediately earned its place in this household. Easy to use, easy to clean- do NOT submerge the base but wipe it out (you can also easily remove the stir wire for complete cleaning)- easy peasy) and the top bowl and cover are TOP RACK ONLY dishwasher safe. Yes, there is a bit of flex to the top cover, so let's see how long it lasts...but the initial test today is a HOME RUN. We did get it during Prime Day and saved about 10 bucks...but even regular price, it's worth it...and these have tested and reviewed well against the other electric competition. BUY ONE!!

easy to use,use pot holders,very hot

I used this maybe 25 times, and it quit working. A washer and a nut literally fell out of it. I contacted West Bend customer service, and even though the reps were helpful, the end result was not good. It required multiple emails and multiple videos over a period of time. One video showed me holding my hand on the heating plate while it was running to show it wasn't working, but I still had to send another video showing that water drops on the heating plate were not evaporating. After a substantial amount of time invested, they agreed to replace it, but I had to pay $19.95 shipping. I declined since the popper wasn't worth much more than that. Had I known up front, I wouldn't have wasted my time. Many companies in this situation would ship one out to you free of charge immediately and tell you to dispose of the defective one. I threw it away and ordered a different brand.

I originally ordered this quite some time ago. I don’t know what happened to it, but it never got delivered and I finally canceled the order and re-ordered it. That did the trick. It finally came in a timely manner. Makes lovely popcorn. Clean up is a little bit more than what I thought it would be. I washed it in hot soapy water, but I could not get all of the grease out. Probably my fault. I put it through the dishwasher on the top rack and everything came out fine. Wiping out the base was no problem. I had a little bit of problem putting the arm back on, but finally got it figured out and everything was fine. It pops all the kernels and I like that you can put the lid on it when it’s finished, turn it over, and have your popcorn bowl right there. I would highly recommend this popper.

My family, while growing up and now parents and siblings all have one so currently 4 households, has used a West Bend Stir Crazy for years (like since the 1980s), and we all think this is the best. I think the new to me storing method with the bottom inside the lid is a wonderful improvement. I cracked the lid of my old one as I dropped it while getting it down from the shelf (totally my fault). We've always popped with the (now red) lid off and do not use the butter melting feature; we are also the type of family that will make several batches, put into bowls with our own added butter product. The former popper used 2T oil and 3/4 cup kernels, but this one says 3T oil (which I did for the first batch). I used canola oil and store brand popcorn. There was no plastic smell or whatever others noted in their reviews. I gave 4/5 for cleanup because I agree that sometimes it can get "gunky" in the ridges (well, the old one did), so the jury is still out on that. I do like the taste of popcorn made with coconut oil as someone said, but I do recall that it is a messier cleanup for the lid...but solved with soap and water. Mom puts her lid in the dishwasher, but I clean it in the sink.

My 10 year old machine that loved finally burnt up. Motor wouldn’t turn.New one has small improvements. Handles aren’t hot to touch. Cord stores under.Bad: the red lid snaps on initially but falls off when it’s hot and flips over. So the very point of it is defeated. It doesn’t hold salt or dripping oil. Put a towel under it, but it’s a complete fail for the red lid. Having said that, we didn’t use the lid on the old one.The new one’s rotating arm doesn’t reach the edges and the edges aren’t sloped enough to bring the kernels back in. On the old design the arm effectively moves all of the kernels. This one pushes them to the perimeter and there they sit. Defeats the purpose of the rotating arm. Really dumb.But the first use of it was fine. Experimented with using coconut oil. Meh. It was okay. I’ll go back to sunflower oil though.The unit does nest well in the lid, better than my first one, so that’s a big plus actually.Overall, I’d skip this and try a different configuration. Passable, but not great.