Customer Reviews

Maxi-Matic EPM-450 Elite Tabletop Old-Fashioned 4-Ounce Kettle Popcorn Popper Machine

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

We've owned this machine for 3 months and consistently use it one or two times a week for our home theater. It's been a great machine - the stirring rod has never jammed, it's easy to clean and makes popcorn fast.

I did a bit of research before buying. Here's the key features on this machine that aren't on the others in its price range:

-- Really easy to clean kettle. It rotates down and the stirring rod stays affixed to the underside of the top of the machine. This makes it really easy to wipe out the kettle since there isn't a stirring mechanism in the way.

-- When you lift the lid on the kettle it sticks to a magnet on the underside of the top. This keeps it out of the way for adding popcorn or cleaning.

-- A heater beneath the popcorn to keep it warm. Most machines just have a lamp, which really doesn't do much. A dedicated heating element does a much better job. Also a bright lamp is distracting when watching a movie. I replaced my with a much lower wattage bulb, but since it has a separate heater the popcorn still stays warm.

-- Tempered glass walls. A nice touch and easier to clean, although the door is plexiglass.

-- 4 oz kettle. I've found this to be the perfect size for 2 adults and 2 kids. It will four small bags that are about 3" wide by 6" tall (labeled as 1 oz bags of course). Once you have a popcorn machine you love to have fresh popcorn but you also don't need a big huge bag. I'd wouldn't recommend a 2 oz kettle for anybody, it's just not enough for anything other than one person. A 6 oz kettle would be better for parties or more than 4 people, but I just pop two batches when we have guests.

Other machines have these features (such as the Paragon units) but they cost around $300. This is a great deal and I'd buy it again.

This was a wonderful addition to our home! From young to old enjoyed watching this old time looking popper make our favorite movie snack. It will fit just fine on the end of a counter or vanity/sofa size table.
Everything works as expected. One tip however, if you purchase the premixed bags of oil, kernels and seasoning; cut the end with the oil only and squeeze it into the hopper then cut the kernel and seasoning portion of the bag. This will allow the oil to get to the bottom of the hopper. Our first batch clumped together as the bag instructions didn't include this tip. 2 bag fulls will furnish a family of 6 and some may have seconds. There are all types of corn available, I think we will try kettle corn next. Well worth the extra money. The manufacturing is solid with glass and steel structure with steel hinges, easy cleanup design and comes with kernel measuring cup and oil spoon, salt shaker and popcorn scooper for the mix it yourselfers out there. The warming light keeps the popcorn fresh and warm for hours too. We thank the designers on this one!

The EPM-450 is just what the popcorn maniac needs for his serious home theater popcorn taste. It is a 4oz. popper and for two to four people it is ideal. I purchased the 8oz pre-measured popcorn packets with oil, salt and kernels and split them. That way if I need more I can make more (in about 4 -5 minutes)... if not I don't waste half the popcorn. The cost for the 4oz and 8oz is the same where I shop so twice the amount for the same price.

The popper makes a nice addition to my theater experience. I have had no problems with it and it works as advertised. The vendor shipped on time and it arrived the exact day I needed it without having to expedite it with air freight.

I researched a long time before purchasing this. My wife is very particular about her popcorn. After reading all reviews I decided this was the machine for us. Dozens of batches later, and it's still producing that "movie quality" popcorn. Highly recommended.

After looking for a machine that was affordable, portable and easy to maintain, we bought this one. First batch was awesome, and so far it has performed flawlessly. Popcorn tastes just like the movies. The 4oz machine is good for home use, but 4oz isn't much. Good thing it pops up quickly. :) I would recommend this machine, but have no long-term experience with it. But, so far, it appears to be a very good little machine for the money. Comes with scoop, salt shaker and measuring cups for oil and corn.

Great Popcorn Popper. Had the 4oz. three months without any problems. Cleans
easy, well built, looks great, and does not get real hot. I suggest you put
rubber casters under their table protectors so the machine won't slide. I put
my popper on a slick surface and it was moving about until I bought the brown
two inch flexible hard rubber casters for c.$2.00 at Home Depot. You will LOVE this BAD-BOY...

product was received a lot sooner then i excepted. made popcorn for the family. a great turn out. material all work very well. i am glad to received this. and what a great popcorn party. easy tray pulls out for easy cleaning. smell great too. nothing to put together already assembles.

just got it a couple of days ago, love it no problems well worth the money fast shipping

I did a lot of research before selecting this one, and our family has been using it every couple of days, still working great. The kettle part takes a little work to master, the latch is not so intuitive. I think someone else mentioned it has a warmer in the base, which is correct and a great feature, in my opinion. I have been using portion packs with it, works pretty well that way.

Now this is a quality product for a good price. We had a 2 oz Nostalgia hot oil popper and while it worked it was very loud and fairly cheaply made. This machine is much better designed and structurally sound. It is whisper quiet (until the delicious popcorn begins to pop!) In addition, the 4 oz size means I can use off the shelf popcorn packs instead of cutting them in half. The pot design is so much nicer. The pot rolls away from the stirring rod so clean up is much easier. My only beef is that it placed fairly high in the unit and it is a little bit of a pain to put the ingredients in. Not enough to worry you but I had to say something bad as this machine excels everywhere else. The bottom of the unit is heated so after you make the popcorn it stays warm for as long as you keep it on. It also has a warming light up top to help out and not just for illumination. Most units have a light for show only. If I could I'd buy one for each of my relatives. If this one fails and I don't think it will except through overuse, I'd buy another in a heartbeat. Shipping was also very fast, I got it in 2 days and it was free! I am very pleased with my purchase and highly recommend this unit.