Why did I get rid of my older popper?

I got this popcorn maker as a gift because I love hot-air popcorn over the microwave brands. I like putting what I want on my popcorn without having to coat over the oils that microwave bags have.

I was excited to see that this popper had an on/off switch which is a better way to control this popper than my previous one which could only be turned off by unplugging the machine.

Toastmaster makes a fairly decent toaster, so I thought this has to be a good machine, right? Wrong!! My first batch I used white kernel popping corn which is supposed to pop up fluffier than normal yellow corn. This popper didn't do that at all. In fact the popcorn was very small in size, not too mention all the un-popped kernels.

I tried it again, thinking it must need to be broken in. This time I counted kernels popped to ones not, and in the end I had more un-popped kernels! The experience of this popper left me very unimpressed and I have starting searching for a new one! I have also tried popping yellow corn and then the gourmet kinds with no difference in results.

The popcorn popper's construction is fairly well made with a tougher material for the shoot. Thats about it for the positives. The shoot itself is way to short allowing kernels to fly over the bowl and off to the side. The only way I could keep the kernels in the bowl was to drape a dish towel (yes, it was a clean one) over the shoot and the bowl. This was also done because the kernels that were not popped in the popper would on occasion burst in the bowl sending popcorn showering down to the floor.

Bottom line, don't waste your money on a toastmaster popcorn maker. The price may be right, but you'll outspend it in buying bags of popcorn.