I kid. I love popcorn too.

I was looking at popcorn machines at costco and found that they sell a cotton candy machine, with the similar cart style. Amazing! :) I only have room for one, and won't be using either that frequently, and wanted to know if anyone has the cotton candy machine and how do you like it?

If I do the cotton candy machine, I will pick up a something like a stircrazy to make popcorn with.

I kid. I love popcorn too.

I was looking at popcorn machines at costco and found that they sell a cotton candy machine, with the similar cart style. Amazing! :) I only have room for one, and won't be using either that frequently, and wanted to know if anyone has the cotton candy machine and how do you like it?

If I do the cotton candy machine, I will pick up a something like a stircrazy to make popcorn with.

I vote the popcorn maker will get alot more use.Who eats cottoncandy at the movies,Now if you have a fair in your basement and a rollercoaster then get the cottoncany maker.:confused:

I vote the popcorn maker will get alot more use.Who eats cottoncandy at the movies,Now if you have a fair in your basement and a rollercoaster then get the cottoncany maker.:confused:

I wasn't really asking for your personal preference, but the rollercoaster is a good idea. I may have to kick out my prize winning pig to fit it in there though. The great thing about my home theater is that I'm not at the commercial cinema. I can drink a beer, eat pizza, or cotton candy(which you can get at theaters btw) if that's what I'd like.

I can make popcorn in a microwave or in a stircrazy and my house won't smell like popcorn for days in the winter. It's covered. A cotton candy machine is unique, I don't know 15 other people that have them. Who knows, maybe I'll have more room then I though and end up with one of each. I'd more like to know impressions of how well the cotton candy machine works.

I have used other small toy style cotton candy machines and they work very poorly. This machine is no toy at 1000 watts this is similar to the machines you can rent. Those machines work great and produce cotton candy just like at the fair. I was surprised to see that you can use just plain old sugar in the machine with a pinch of kool-aid for flavor and color. If you do get it make sure you give us a review.

We had a cotton candy machine for years, it was great, the kids and their friends loved it! it was a little messy, but it was worth it. We ended up selling it a couple of years ago,our machine was a commercial machine and was a little big for our space, so we ended up selling it.

Seems like it could be a messy/sticky snack to deal with...tasty..but messy.

Sounds interesting. What's the cost?

Sounds interesting. What's the cost?

299 shipped from Costco. Amazon had it for 330 and lowes had it for 500.

edit: I think it was Home Depot, not Lowes

I have used other small toy style cotton candy machines and they work very poorly. This machine is no toy at 1000 watts this is similar to the machines you can rent. Those machines work great and produce cotton candy just like at the fair. I was surprised to see that you can use just plain old sugar in the machine with a pinch of kool-aid for flavor and color. If you do get it make sure you give us a review.

The sugar and kool-aid was one of the things that got me. 50 different flavors of cotton candy to try. :) My 8 year old daughter will be in heaven. I was actually more worried about how hard it would be to find the blue and red sugar once it ran out.

Robby-p sold me. I'm going to go ahead and order one this week. I'll let you know how it goes.

We'll alert your dentist(s).

:)

I've always wanted one of these too, let me know how it turns out, I may have to go for one of these myself!

Which one are you getting? Do you have a link?
We got one a few years ago for about $250. We actually just used plain old sugar. On this model there was nothing covering the top of the machine, so sugary floss would be floating all over the place after making several things of it. Another irritating thing about it was that it took several cycles to get a decent size thing of cotton candy. Standing at the machine making cotton candy for everyone for over an hour got old real fast.
Make sure there is some sort of covering for it.

Which one are you getting? Do you have a link?
We got one a few years ago for about $250. We actually just used plain old sugar. On this model there was nothing covering the top of the machine, so sugary floss would be floating all over the place after making several things of it. Another irritating thing about it was that it took several cycles to get a decent size thing of cotton candy. Standing at the machine making cotton candy for everyone for over an hour got old real fast.
Make sure there is some sort of covering for it.

Here's the link (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11159155&search=cotton%20candy&Mo=1&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=0&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=cotton%20candy&Ntt=cotton%20candy&No=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1)

How does that machine compare with Gold Medal's entry level machine?
http://www.gmpopcorn.com/products/Cotton-Candy-Machines/3024-Floss-Boss.php

The Costco unit is 44 lbs including cart and the Gold Medal is 37 lbs without the cart. There is also a difference of 300 watts. Is the Costco unit really suitable for "commercial" use?? :confused:

How does that machine compare with Gold Medal's entry level machine?
http://www.gmpopcorn.com/products/Cotton-Candy-Machines/3024-Floss-Boss.php

The Costco unit is 44 lbs including cart and the Gold Medal is 37 lbs without the cart. There is also a difference of 300 watts. Is the Costco unit really suitable for "commercial" use?? :confused:

I'm not sure how they compare. The gold medal machine is probably better, but by the time you bought the machine, cart, and bubble it would cost 4-5x as much.

It would be interesting to hear from someone that had one if its powerful enough. If it doesn't work well enough I can always retrofit the cart to fit one of the standalone GM units. The price for the costco unit is about the price of just the cart for the GM.

That sounds great cotton candy floating around my HT and getting into my lens and screen.No thanks here.

That sounds great cotton candy floating around my HT and getting into my lens and screen.No thanks here.

I'm glad we solved that mystery. ;)

It's just that many of the Nostalgia Electric products are lower end. This is fine, because they are designed as a novelty home-use product, but claiming approval for "commercial" use, I become a little sckeptical. :rolleyes: I was just curious if this machine really does produce cotton candy rapidly enough and consistently enough for serving guests. :confused:

You really don't want a cotton candy machine anywhere near your theater or running in your house. A cotton candy machine has a big heater in the center of the bowl that heats the fine granulated sugar until it melts. The heater spins and the molten sugar flies out through slits in the side of the heater chamber. As the molten sugar flies through the air, it hardens into the fine strands of pink or blue cotton candy. As these hit the side of the bowl they begin to buildup (the ones that stay in the bowl) When you place the cone into the bowl and twirl it around the bowl you wrap up the strands. Meanwhile the new strands are going all over your arm. It cannot be operated anywhere there is a breeze for obvious reasons. This is one machine that belongs only at fairs, carnivals and kids events. Those that think otherwise had better make sure there is room in Fido's quarters as they will soon be residing there.

..Doyle (concessionaire in a former life)

bummer...so this is an "outdoor" toy? :(

I would say go for the popcorn machine. I don't think there is a whole lot of difference in the taste of fresh cotton candy and just buying some from the store. Popcorn on the other hand is definitely different.

Not to mention movie theatre themes just scream "Popcorn"...whereas I have never seen cotton candy being sold in a movie theatre.

It might be a fun thing to add later...but a popcorn machine should definitely come first.

Thanks Doyle. Would have been nice, but that settles it for me...

man i wanted a cotton candy machine!! i hate him for giving us that descriptin but also love him for saving our life

I dont totally agree - I have a GM machine, and we enjoy it very much. I definitely would give it up before my popcorn machine though. We use it about 2 times per month, and I make 10 or 12 baags, which I store in the unit to eat between uses. The machine makes it pretty fast, makes a bit of a mess, which can be cleaned up pretty quickly, and is LOVED by the neighborhood kids. I use flossine and regular sugar, and I sprinkle a few drops of water in the mix to bring out the color. I wouldn't keep it in the den, but I don't keep my popcorn machine there either.

Heres a pic:


http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=85764&d=1185281547

Jerry

That's pretty kool. Looks heavy duty. Does the motor take up the space in the cart or is there room for storage under there? And that's a pretty tall bubble. How do you clean it? Do you have to take apart the "head" for cleaning each time? Is it difficult?

Hey!

Theres not a lot of storage space in the cart, but a little bit - not really intended for it anyway. The bubble contains most (not all) of the floss. Its pretty easy to clean. I just rinse out the bowl, and dry it. I allow the head to spin until its empty. It doesnt need any cleaning. The machine is a GM #3030 "Breeze", with a resistance element which lasts much longer than the ribbon heaters. It produces cotton candy pretty fast - I can fill a large bag in less than a minute.

Jerry

Nice Machine. Gold Medal makes high quality concession equipment. Next time you make a batch post us a couple pics of the machine in operation. It sounds like you are bagging the cotton candy instead of twirling it onto a cone. Your machine does have a nice bubble to keep things reasonably under control. The biggest deal with cleaning is that the two parts that need cleaning(bowl and bubble)are large. Sugar obviously cleans up easily with hot water. If you have young kids, this is always a popular item. The Floss sugar comes in various colors and is readily available at most of the same places that carry popcorn machines. Glad it is working out for you. I think my Gold Medal Popper spends more time at the church than it does at my house.

..Doyle

I want a cotton candy machine badly but they seem unsafe?

A hair dryer is unsafe if it is wired or used improperly. I dont think that the cotton candy machine is any safer or unsafe than a popcorn machine. You can hurt your hand on the spinning head if you get too careless while you are using it. You can buy it at Wally world or Movie Gallery, although theres nothing like making it and eating it while its still warm and fresh :)

i am going to stop using hair dryers ok

The cotton candy machine should be here tomorrow. With the mixed reports I figured it was cheap enough to try it out for myself. I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

On a side note, I picked up a stir crazy and it works well. We have a popcorn machine at work and the stir crazy seems to work just as well so far.

Did you order Floss sugar to go with the machine?

..Doyle

Did you order Floss sugar to go with the machine?

..Doyle

It comes with some, but I will have to order more. Any suggestions on a brand or a place to buy it?

I would do a search for: Cotton Candy Floss Sugar
There are about three popular manufacturers of Flossugar and tons of dealer out there. just shop by price and reputation.

I just bought a few flavors of flossine, and mix it with sugar as I need it. A pound can of flavor (about $8) goes a long way (one tbsp per 10 pounds granulated sugar) - Simply mix (using a few drops of water to bring out the color), store, and use as needed. I got some blue rasberry, strawberry, and pina colada,

I was at a picnic the other day and got some cotton candy.
I could not determine the flavour>?>?!
Why do we have to move away from traditional "vanilla" flavor and such for cotton candy???!?!
The flavour I got was some awful berry/tart or some such "off-taste".
Oh well, no different than the "NEW" Tootsie-Pop flavor....get this...wait for it....Chocolate Watermellon........

GAG

Maybe I'm just a little too old, but, comeon, chocolate watermellon???!?!?! :eek:
Gross.

And the blueberry/raspberry/watermellon/peach or whaterver the heck the flavour was was gross!
jmo.

I got the cc machine on Friday. I've had a few chances now to make some

Performance wise it seems to work pretty well. It doesn't take more than a minute, maybe two, to make cotton candy for 3-4 people. I'm not a professional concessionaire so it's more than enough to fit my needs.

It is a bit messy. The bubble in the picture is not what you get. It is more of a plastic band that curves in around the bowl but is open in the top and leads to some cotton candy floating - mainly on my arm. It doesn't seem to make it far, but as a precaution I wouldn't keep it next to my electronics or where my pj could suck it up. The Gold Medal unit looks to have a much better bubble which is closed on the top.

Overall I would have to say it's a keeper. It is a bit of a mess, but is very manageable and not the horror story it was made out to be. It makes cotton candy quickly and does a great job of it. Everyone loves it.

can you takea pic of it please?

Cotton Candy Machine At JCPenney (http://www3.jcpenney.com/jcp/Products.aspx?ItemID=12c9a1c&ItemTyp=G&GrpTyp=PRD&ShowMenu=T&ShopBy=0&SearchString=cotton+candy&RefPage=SearchDepartment.aspx&CmCatId=SearchResults&Search1Prod=True)

That's a great price! What's the shipping cost?

That's a great price! What's the shipping cost?

According to the Fatwallet post I got it from shipping was $23.00

Fatwallet Post (http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.php?catid=18&threadid=779161&highlight_key=y&keyword1=cotton)

An update.

The cotton candy machine was great while it lasted. It no longer heats up and just spins the sugar around. UPS will be picking it up. I only used it about 4 times.

Looks like I'm going to end up ordering the Gold Medal Floss Boss. It was too much fun while it lasted and everyone really enjoyed it. I guess I just need something a little better.

If anyone knows of a good price or place to buy the GM units let me know. I saw GM sells a dual use cart for a popcorn machine and cotton candy machine (http://www.gmpopcorn.com/products/Cotton-Candy-Machines/3150CP-Cotton-Candy-and-Popcorn-Wagon.php) which could be kinda cool, but I can't find it for sale anywhere.

Thats a HUGE cart - I bet it is at least $2000 or more. Its really aimed at a larger concession business - not mass produced. I made a popcorn machine stand by using parts from a small computer desk ($59). Works great for me...

Heres a pic showing the top at least.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=85767&d=1185281609

Jerry

Thats a HUGE cart - I bet it is at least $2000 or more. Its really aimed at a larger concession business - not mass produced. I made a popcorn machine stand by using parts from a small computer desk ($59). Works great for me...

Heres a pic showing the top at least.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=85767&d=1185281609

Jerry

I saw one similar, but without the shelf for the popcorn machine for around 450. The thing is huge and really kinda ugly but with a new paint job and the right surroundings it could be cool.

I saw one similar, but without the shelf for the popcorn machine for around 450. The thing is huge and really kinda ugly but with a new paint job and the right surroundings it could be cool.

That would be a bargain - Is that new for $450? I would get it quick for that price if you have the space for it. The very small cart I use retails for ~400 to 450 dollars.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=85764&d=1185281547

I would have guessed the large one would be at least a grand...

That would be a bargain - Is that new for $450? I would get it quick for that price if you have the space for it. The very small cart I use retails for ~400 to 450 dollars.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=85764&d=1185281547

I would have guessed the large one would be at least a grand...

This is the one I saw here. (http://www.cottoncandyexpress.com/3150cc.html) It is basically the same thing but without a shelf for a popcorn machine. It may have room on top of the cart next to the bowl for a 4 oz popcorn machine though?

I think you should have room for a 4 oz machine - they are usually only 18" or so square at the base. The cart is only $30 more than the "pinkie" cart - pretty good deal, and good use of space for holding both machines!

did a test ride of our new cotton candy machine this past weekend! :D
Now, being a novice, I quickly became COMPLETELY covered in pink candy floss! :D
The family digital cameras quickly came out and captured the momment in all it's glory.
The machine had been in the basement still boxed up for a couple of months.
It's a MEGA Breeze with the BIG 7" head. Floss was litterly floating EVERYWHERE! The machine really does put out quite a breeze. I tried to flatten out the leather floaters and put the half-bubble on, but the floss just kept flying out everywhere. I think because I had the mesh up tight to the inside of the bowl was my mistake. Just realized walking out from the garage today that I had the mesh clips on backwards!!! The mesh should be about two inches from the inside of the bowl. Would this help control the fly-away floss? :confused:
I got a commercial machine and this is DEFINATELY an outdoor toy! :)
How do the carneys do it without it flying everywhere? Is it beacuse they've established so much buildup inside the bowl?
Anyway the floss was Great and all the kids liked it. I am using it for fund raisers.

Well, I was right, the Whirlgrip was installed incorrectly!:o
I had the clips on backwards!
I reversed the clips and now the floss stabilizer is about an inch or two away from the wall of the bowl. Works perfectly now! All the floss stays clinging in the floss bowl as it should! :D The key is to allow the air to flow through the mesh!
PICS:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g273/MidLife_2006/CottonCandy1.jpg?t=1234315919 http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g273/MidLife_2006/CC2.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g273/MidLife_2006/CC3.jpg

We used to rent these machines at college for fundraisers. While the candy cotton was awesome (what else can beat FRESH cotton candy) it is incredibly difficult to keep that stuff off of your hair (if you're the spinner). And quite a bit of cotton candy residue does get around. I'd be reluctant to put it in the near vicinity of the actual HT room. Plus, sticky fingers and Berks don't make a good combo. But then again, I don't even let soda enter my room-water bottles only :D so some may say I'm a bit of a fanatic.

yep, the garage is as close to inside as the machine will every get! :cool:
However, the whirlgrip (when installed poperly :rolleyes: ) does do the trick to keep the floss float to a minimum.
Also, the smoke detector kept going off in the garage. While there was NO burnt sugar smell or anything, I think the HOT sugar probaly trips off the smoke detector. Me and the kids bagged up a ton of floss tonight during our new whirlgrip floss stabilizer mounting testing!

All in all, You need a hood fan or a big room with a machine like this.
It's fun though. I plan on taking it to outdoor and/or large gymnasium type events. Should be fine.
It's amazing how cheap the floss is.

We used to rent these machines at college for fundraisers. While the candy cotton was awesome (what else can beat FRESH cotton candy) it is incredibly difficult to keep that stuff off of your hair (if you're the spinner). And quite a bit of cotton candy residue does get around. I'd be reluctant to put it in the near vicinity of the actual HT room. Plus, sticky fingers and Berks don't make a good combo. But then again, I don't even let soda enter my room-water bottles only :D so some may say I'm a bit of a fanatic.

I wouldn't allow that thing within a mile of my HT room. :eek:
Sounds cool, but I am not a big CC fan either.
Popcorn and candy are all that ever goes into my HT.

Which one are you getting? Do you have a link?
We got one a few years ago for about $250. We actually just used plain old sugar. On this model there was nothing covering the top of the machine, so sugary floss would be floating all over the place after making several things of it. Another irritating thing about it was that it took several cycles to get a decent size thing of cotton candy. Standing at the machine making cotton candy for everyone for over an hour got old real fast.
Make sure there is some sort of covering for it.

I like the idea but that thing would drive me crazy. I like to keep my basement really clean (touch of ocd) so I think this would be a bad choice...

With my machine (Mega Breeze) I had to have a helper. The cotton candy was coming out so fast I couldn't keep up! I was bagging it up, and just couldn't get it in the bags fast enough. :p