Paragon Theater Pop 4-Ounce Popper Popcorn Machine, Red

This is my first popcorn popper, and I'm very impressed with it! It's definitely a high-quality machine made of high quality parts. The thing is rock solid, and attractive at the same time. With the right stuff it is actually very easy to clean. It has a little grate in the floor where you can just whisk the unpopped kernels or other remnants of your prior batch, then slide out the compartment and throw it away. Very easy. The 4oz is a great size. Before you buy a larger size, think long and hard about how you are going to store such a beast. Honestly, no matter how many people you are making popcorn for, the 4oz will do just fine, because each batch will take only a couple of minutes to make.

After researching many machines I got for Christmas a Paragon TP4 machine. The look of the machine is awesome, the kettle is top notch. The taste of the popcorn with coconut oil is awesome. However I do have some criticism and wanted to post them. Overall all the machine is good so if you don't want to hear them read no further just go but and buy it, it is a good machine. 1 the kettle has a pin to remove it that is great for cleaning but there is no way to disconnect the power cord so it hangs there and whacks the side it would just make sense to have plug you and pull out so you can take the little out of the machine instead of cleaning it and pulling on the wire. Would make replacement a lot easer as well. 2 The door is horrible. This is the worst part it makes the whole machine feel cheap it is a really thin piece of flexy plexy glass. The stainless steel catch try can scratch it, there should be a protector there or a better design. My door had a deep gauge within 20 min of people looking at it and playing with the tray with out the door fully open. How hard is it for them to put on a glass door or at least a thicker plexy glass door so it doesn't feel cheap. 3 Needs a vent. The instructions tell you to crack the door when it is pooping to let the moisture out. Really! The popcorn flyes out of the machine on the floor. Maybe in the bigger machines it is not an issue because there is more room around the kettle but in the 4oz because it is a small machine it is. How hard is it to design a vent in the top or side that you can open and close. 4 Now I am being picky, but the stickers are on crooked, I swear they must be drunk when assembling these. So much for American made quality I think I would of preferred a Chinese machine with straight stickers. I need to call Paragon on this one to see if they can send me stickers. Take some pride put the stickers on straight. 5 This is just me but for the price the warming light should be a LED. Or a nice rope light around. It should also be a separate switch and dim so I can turn it on for looks in my HT without turning the heaters on. It is to bright durning a movie now I need to turn it off which I bought the machine to look nice, and when you turn it off it kills the heaters. 6. Warming element is off to one side below it would be nice if it warmed all the popcorn evenly. 7. Old maids tray is useless. It has a couple of holes in the middle but it is not where the popcorn lands in this machine and when you scoop you scoop agents a side so it pushes the unpoped kernels there. So there is more on the machine then in the try when done. The whole bottom hold be a olds maid tray or at least near the corners. Again probably better on the bigger machines. That's it for now for a company making these machines for years I'm surprised at the lack of refinement in the machine. But the popccorn still tastes good.

I've had this Paragon TP-4 for about two months and it has been a great popcorn machine so far. This one (the 4 ounce) has a lifetime warranty. It arrived in perfect condition, but missing the tilt out stainless steel piece under the door. I contacted the customer service folks at Paragon. They were very helpful and promptly sent me the missing part, free of charge. The 4 ounce machine is the perfect size for 2-3 adults. You may want to consider the 6 ounce for 3-4 adults, or do what we do and make two batches, i.e. two cycles. I usually clean the machine up with a dry paper towel. The popping pot cleans up easily with a paper towel as well. The pot has a kind of Teflon type coating inside that makes clean up easy. I chose this particular machine because it's manufactured in the US and according to some reviews of the lower priced machines that are made in China, much more durable and reliable. The glass and metal are high quality. I also like the classic popcorn machine appearance of this machine.

This is a fantastic popper and makes the perfect popcorn with the correct supplies. I highly recommend following the instructions for making popcorn, the popcorn will pop and taste better if followed. Like any oil popper it will get dirty, but this one is really easy to clean. The front plexiglass can come off, the bottom tray comes out, the popper can be unplugged and removed for easier cleaning. Be sure to unplug it and don't use water. When I clean it I simply wipe it down with paper towels. I have made popcorn for 25+ people and it can handle the volume and I have pulled it out for just a 1-time pop, which then turns into 2 because the first batch tasted so good. I would recommend this for any popcorn enthusiast!

This is the real deal for serious popcorn aficionados! A perfect example of the old adage: "you get what you pay for". Quite a refreshing change from the world of cheap Chinese imports sold at the retail box stores. This machine is bomb proof - powder coated steel, anodized aluminum, stainless steel, tempered glass, commercial grade electrical components, and twice the wattage of the plastic copycats. A true Culinary Mechanical Masterpiece. Buy this one and you will be happily popping away for life! Buy a cheapo import and you will be hungry and miserable standing in the merchandise return line!

Chewy Popcorn: You can do the following to avoid chewy popcorn: - Turn off the kettle about a minute after loading popcorn and oil, let sit for a few minutes and then turn back on to finish popping. - Leave door slightly ajar during popping as mentioned in instructions. - Leave popcorn on the warming deck (an hour or more) to further dry. - Use a variety of popcorn that is naturally crispier. Pros: - Sturdy metal construction. - Attractive design (minimal branding). - Heats up fast. - One batch is enough for one to two people, and the warming deck can hold multiple batches. - Fills room with the smell of theater popcorn. Cons: - Takes up a fair amount of counterspace. - Bottom fold out tray doesn’t open unless door is fully opened. - Popcorn can be chewy, if not careful.

I love popcorn and was so excited to get this machine. It is built from high quality materials but performance is terrible. I have followed the instructions as stated to the T and pop with the door open to allow steam out while popping. I have tried more than one brand of popcorn as well. It all comes out as the same chewy mess. Also large amounts of unpopped kernels come flying out of the kettle while popping. So disappointed that I paid so much money for something I will no longer use. Back to popping on top of the stove for me as it tastes so much better than what comes out of this popper. I wish I could return it and get my money back

I ordered this on Nov3, and it arrived on Nov. 7th. Dang fast for free shipping. I'm eating popcorn from the 2 sample "packages" of popcorn that come with the unit as I type this (a little greasy on the keyboard). Taste very good, much better then microwave popcorn. The rest of the same order has yet to arrive, but the sample packages will do until then. Machine looks nice and is American made. It will also make popcorn much faster then I can eat it ... glad I bought it.