My Sam's club has this popcorn cart for sale.

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=346603

Full size old-fashioned movie time popcorn cart
All-steel construction
Traditional hot oil popper
Stainless steel (4 oz.) kettle with dual hinged lids and built-in stirring system
Warming light
Kernel catcher
ETL-listed and commercial approved
Large storage compartment
Includes popcorn scoop, measuring cup and instruction manual Dimensions and Weight:
Dimensions: 59"H x 20 1/4"W x 31"D
Weight: 75 lbs.

Question is.... Is this a good deal and is it a decent quality maker?


I'm asking because my wife is looking for ideas for me for Christmas.....

Thanks.

75 lbs... that's approximately 1/4 of what I'd weigh if I owned this thing

To answer your questions; Yes and yes. I bought mine at Costco a couple years ago. Works great. Try pre-packaged popcorn from popcornpopper.com. Has the oil, seasoning, etc. in one pack. Quick, easy, no mess.

I took mine off of the cart and use the popper on the counter. Works fine.

BTW, I usually just make a bag in the micro for just me since the popper makes a bunch, and takes longer. Looks cool though, and sure smells good.

I got one of those for last year for christmas. Works great without any problems.

To the OP excellent question, as Im too looking for a popcorn maker and this was the model I'm considering since I have to ship it overseas.

75 lbs... that's approximately 1/4 of what I'd weigh if I owned this thing

1/10th for me

Well, if this popcorn machine is the same one I saw four or five months ago at Sams, it is not built very well. I'd say no.
In comparison to my Theater Pop6. It was pretty flimsy.
I would give it a pass if it were me and look more closely at other machines.

This imported Popcorn maker is called a Nostalgia model.Distribute by the Helman group.They been on ebay for years.I have one that is 3 years old and works fine,It is a great machine for home use for smaller families.I use my machine at least twice a week.They are not the same quality as the paraggon' gold medal machines.But for $199 they are for me a buy.I have been very happy with my unit.To get 3 years going is not bad.The new ones are actully made better than the older ones like I have.My Sams has been selling quite a few of them.

buddha how's your panasonic PJ doing

Thanks for all the information guys.


I was very interested last time StargateCinema had a powerbuy on things, but wasn't sure if the WAF on a popper was high enough. My wife didn't seem too turned off to the idea of having a popper, so maybe Santa will be really nice to me this Christmas...


I'd definitely use the pre-portioned packages, if I got a popper. I don't want to have to measure everything out just to make a batch. I like the idea of turn it on, cut the top off the package, pour it in and wait.


The feel of the cart did seem kind of cheap. but the one they had on dislay also looked like it had been man-handled by a hundred hungry kids and an elephant with roid-rage. Both wheels were ****-eyed, the storage area door was bent, and the tray was banged up and dented. It's proably because they had it up on a few pallats and not too securely either. I guess it got knocked around a bit and rolled off onto the floor a few times. But I didn't let that distract me too much from checking it out.


Thanks again guys.....

:)buddha how's your panasonic PJ doing

Great elmalloc.Just hit 300 hours on my ax200.Been fighting the upgrade bug,Hard to do hanging around here.But my ax200 allways blows me away.I think by this spring the 1080p will be below the 2k then I will get exceited.have not had time to post pics of that new HT seat from kmart'saw your post.Thanks bob:)

JC Penney has a nice looking stand-alone popcorn maker at a very deep discount. Looks comparable to the one at Sam's.

If I needed to insure popcorn for a 200 seat theater at the metroplex I'd invest in a true commercial popcorn machine.

Home Theater? Our house it's via the microwave. LOL!

[QUOTE=rgroves;15098072]Thanks for all the information guys.



The feel of the cart did seem kind of cheap. but the one they had on dislay also looked like it had been man-handled by a hundred hungry kids and an elephant with roid-rage. Both wheels were ****-eyed, the storage area door was bent, and the tray was banged up and dented.

QUOTE]

so if you dont have kids or an elephant with emphysema it stands to be recommended?:p

what about a factory second popcorn machine? :o You can shop for deals out there..... :)

[QUOTE=rgroves;15098072]Thanks for all the information guys.



The feel of the cart did seem kind of cheap. but the one they had on dislay also looked like it had been man-handled by a hundred hungry kids and an elephant with roid-rage. Both wheels were ****-eyed, the storage area door was bent, and the tray was banged up and dented.

QUOTE]

so if you dont have kids or an elephant with emphysema it stands to be recommended?:p

The Cart is fine on this maker.Very sturdy.You must have seen a damage one or not put togeather right.My unit gets allot of use over 3 years and has been fine.Like I said for the money it is a great popper.

[QUOTE=Denophile;15101072]

The Cart is fine on this maker.Very sturdy.You must have seen a damage one or not put togeather right.My unit gets allot of use over 3 years and has been fine.Like I said for the money it is a great popper.

Yes, it may be a great popper.
The one I saw at my Sams Club was falling apart as well. The wheels on the cart were not straight. The kettle felt very loose. I suspect they are not going to take much abuse. But like the other person said about this popper on display at their local Sams Club, it could be the way it was assembled... who knows.
I just noticed right away that it was not built like my Theater Pop 6.

My popper also has a 50 watt 'warming light' , but if the tray weren't heated, I don't think the popcorn would stay crispy with just the light. Then again, I got mine thru a powerbuy here in the forum. Paid about $300 for a 4oz Paragon Contempro. Very happy with it.

Enjoy.

Unless it is a food warming bulb, the 40 watt bulb in the ceiling of the cabinet will do little to warm product. The bulb is for product illumination and for visibilty when using the machine. Marketting it as a heater is just wrong and deceptive, IMHO. You can breifly grasp the bulb bare handed. :rolleyes:
An overhead warmer is several hundred watts.
So, unless it's an infrared food warmer or other bulb designed for heating food, dismiss the claims and go with a heated warmer deck if that is importatnt to you.

Cool, thanks again for the info.

Unless it is a food warming bulb, the 40 watt bulb in the ceiling of the cabinet will do little to warm product. The bulb is for product illumination and for visibilty when using the machine. Marketting it as a heater is just wrong and deceptive, IMHO. You can breifly grasp the bulb bare handed. :rolleyes:
An overhead warmer is several hundred watts.
So, unless it's an infrared food warmer or other bulb designed for heating food, dismiss the claims and go with a heated warmer deck if that is importatnt to you.

The Sams club Nostalia popper has a heated deck.Mind does.Also has a light.

Unless it is a food warming bulb, the 40 watt bulb in the ceiling of the cabinet will do little to warm product. The bulb is for product illumination and for visibilty when using the machine. Marketting it as a heater is just wrong and deceptive, IMHO. You can breifly grasp the bulb bare handed. :rolleyes:
An overhead warmer is several hundred watts.
So, unless it's an infrared food warmer or other bulb designed for heating food, dismiss the claims and go with a heated warmer deck if that is importatnt to you.

I am not sure if the Sams Club model has a warming tray or not.
Mine has a warming tray and of course the light. But I would bet the light does aid in warming the popcorn.

"But I would bet the light does aid in warming the popcorn."

But it's 60 watts shy of the Easy Bake Oven! :o

"But I would bet the light does aid in warming the popcorn."

But it's 60 watts shy of the Easy Bake Oven! :o

Hahahahaha... I have never used an Easy Bake Oven. :D

The pros and cons of this unit is first and foremost the price. My wife purchased one for me about 4 years ago for $399 and it's still going strong. Biggest complaint is the stirring mechanism has always been on the weak side and so you do have to be careful not to overload the kettle. I have found it's best to get 6 ounce pre-paks and cut them in half. Just takes a few additional minutes to pop this way and is better for the stirrer.

As someone else has posted the Paragon or Gold Medal poppers are better, but if you're on a budget at this price it's a bargain. Just make sure you're the one that does the popping (ie: know the limitations) and you'll be happy.

P.S. Warming tray does a good job as long as you've popped about a half hour before you're wanting to serve.

JC Penney has a nice looking stand-alone popcorn maker at a very deep discount. Looks comparable to the one at Sam's.

If I needed to insure popcorn for a 200 seat theater at the metroplex I'd invest in a true commercial popcorn machine.

Home Theater? Our house it's via the microwave. LOL!
I have the JC Penney one. It is the same brand as the above Sam's one, just a slightly smaller scale. The kettle is the same. Works fine!

There's a big thread on these on here somewhere...

The one I posted at Sams's DOES NOT have hte heated deck, it only has the "eazy-bake" oven light bulb at the top.

The one I posted at Sams's DOES NOT have hte heated deck, it only has the "eazy-bake" oven light bulb at the top.

Wrong'The one at Sams has a heated deck.It does not state it.My unit did not.But when you turn the light on the back half of the deck gets hot.:D

Wrong'The one at Sams has a heated deck.It does not state it.My unit did not.But when you turn the light on the back half of the deck gets hot.:D

I'll second that.....!!!!! Yes this popper does have the heated deck. For a budget popper this is an excellent buy. Like anything else if you abuse it then it could easily become a POS quickly. Treat it like you do your other home theater equipment and it will last for several years. And now that they're down to half the price they were just 4 years ago it would be hard to resist.

Simply, if you have the extra money then go with the better built Paragon. Or if you still dream of other things for your theater room/space and would like the extra cash to apply toward that then the Nostalgic really is a no brainer.

After having this particular popper for 4 years and finding out the average use is maybe twice a week I would once again go with the Nostalgic.

Or just get a Whirly Pop and forget it. :D

I'm pretty sure these are all the same as the Nostalgia Electrics CCP-509. Do a search on that and you'll find a thread dedicated to it with just about anything you want to know (good and bad).

I have one going on now 2.5 years and I've been pleased with mine.

Hahaha, Irmo, I haven't been on this forum for 6 months or more, and when I do, we cross paths! :) We'll have to actually meet some day. Do you ever come to the Greenville area? PM me if you ever do.

My CP509 is also about 2.5 years old. I was not satisfied with it for the first two years or so....then, I made an adjustment to the stirring mechanism (just slid it further up and tighted the nut better) and have been pleased ever since.

It is not made as well as the more expensive varieties, and is finicky to operate. But if you make sure that you are the only chef, and keep the kids from treating it roughly, it should last at least several years.

Just a week ago, my wife had the kettle out to clean it and when she got it back downstairs the outlet receptacle in the kettle had cracked up and fallen apart. I'll have to see about a replacement part for that.

Even though I've gotten my monies worth, I still wouldn't buy another. I'd go for something better built. Popcorn will be a necessity in our home for 20-30 years longer and I need a machine that will hold up to the test of time.

30 years of TIME!!!? THat's like to the end of the earth's life

Something to consider....

I just bought a Paragon 1911 series popper from a reliabe guy on eBay. Bought it using the Microsoft Live Cashback program. Essentially I got 25% off the price of the machine. Something to consider if you are on the fence of a Sam's Club popper verses something higher end. Got my machine ($690 retail) for $500 shipped! Details on the Microsoft Live Cashback program are located here (http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/838081/) at Fat Wallet. I have used it several times since it started saving me several hundred bucks on a variety of things.

Hope this helps someone.