A 5 star machine all around- but careless around workmanship, or implementing safety into their business plan. I'm not sure which. What I do know, is that the kettle, being very near the top of the unit, has limited space for filling with kernels. the center spindle is top-mounted to the unit from the ceiling and also impairs the addition of kernels to kettle. So the least that the manufacturer could do, is smooth the edges of the sheet metal housing that is used to construct most of the product. It's sharp, and the prefab design fits together with small overhangs. The top edge all along the ceiling inside is raw edges, both of the silver ceiling AND the black decorative outer trim. The sides are raw on the inside (where hands must scoop out the corn), the bottom edge is raw, and the entire tray opening is raw on all four sides (if you don't push it in straight, be very careful trying to pull it back out, those edges are disaster to human skin. I learned the hard way... And took a deep wound to my knuckle when filling the kettle with kernels. Be careful... Much as I send the warning, the reason I kept the unit is because it is AWESOME. I have to add/ as a side note: the little popcorn cups they include (for serving popcorn) made of plastic-- reusable, right? Not if you use coconut based oils in your popcorn (I think most major popcorn serving agencies do- as the pre-measures packets usually always contain coconut oil) Because: the painted graphic on the popcorn cup literally melts (as if you've put paint thinner on it) when it comes into contact with coconut oil. I've never seen anything like this. The greasy fingerpaint, suddenly sliding around under everyone's fingers, returns to its smooth, and "unmovable" state as soon as water rinses away the coconut. However, water won't clean the smeared paint : I put my cups through the dishwasher 3 times , trying to remove the paint that had smeared everywhere, and it wouldn't budge. So I actually thought it was safe to use the cups again, and One by one, coconut greasy fingers came into contact with the graphics and we had messes everywhere- clothes, couch, tv remote, etc.... I tried to wash it off, but even the fingers remained stained. The melting-paint, was once again frozen by lack of coconut contact. I'm baffled..... They used a finish that is disrupted by Coconut oil? PS Great Northern Popcorn Company, please tell me what the thought process was when you were building the units with raw edges of sheet metal left un-smoothed? Little curls of metal hairs still present along the edge, from when the form was cut?
