Nostalgia Cotton Candy Machine - Retro Cotton Candy Machine for Kids with 2 Reusable Cones, 1 Sugar Scoop, and 1 Extractor Head – Red

Was nervous about the many poor reviews, particularly recent ones, so put it together carefully, read the instructions, and watched some YouTube videos about cotton candy machines. After making our first set of batches, my overall take is it's a great little unit. I had no trouble getting it going, waited the full 10 minutes for it to heat up before using it, and used candy floss sugar bought separately (unit doesn't come with any). Spun up into floss in about a minute, and was relatively easy to spin out onto cones (came with the flossing sugar), or a straw / chopstick we had around. We made about 6 'batches' consisting of about a tablespoon of sugar (the max for the unit), and they got eaten very very quickly (faster than I could make them).I set it up outside because of the reviews saying the sugar got sprayed 4 ft in every direction. I did not notice any sugar spraying out of it at all for me; my next batch I will try inside. I did however, find some perhaps 25%-50% of the sugar in the batch fails to make it into the floss, and is flung as small particles onto the walls of the bowl in a ring (where the spinning disk is). I collected it afterward (the pieces snapped off easily) and tried putting a couple big pieces in to re-melt and have less waste. That turned out not to be such a good idea, as the weighting wasn't distributed evenly for the spinning disk. The solution is to crush the hard candy into little pieces first, so that it can spin out more evenly, which I'll try next time.I stopped the machine due to the odd rotation that was occurring, and let it cool. The sugar in the head all hardened inside and looked like a fairly nasty mess to clean up. Good news is it's sugar, so it dissolves in water. After cooling for 20 mins I popped the head off and ran it under hot water and dissolved out all the sugar that had hardened inside. Took a good 10-15 mins to get it all out, so I won't be in any hurry to re-create that situation. But all in all it's straightforward to clean and looks like new again.In sum, does what it's supposed to do (makes delicious cotton candy), is easy to set up, easy to use, and easy to clean. 5 stars. Just know it's small batches, you may want to make some ahead of time if you have a bunch of kids / people that want to eat it.

The Nostalgia Cotton Candy Machine is such a fun addition to our kitchen! It’s easy to use and works great with both regular sugar and hard candies, which makes it even more versatile. The cotton candy comes out light, fluffy, and just like the kind you’d get at a fair. It’s a big hit at family gatherings and parties, and even fun just for a weekend treat. Cleanup is pretty simple too. If you’re looking for something fun, nostalgic, and kid-friendly (or just for your inner kid), this machine is totally worth it!

This seems like it is going to be great. I got it for my daughter for Christmas so I have only used it once to test it out and make sure I had the instructions down as I am sure she will want to use it right away. I read a few reviews that said it didn't work properly or well. I believe if you read the instructions and do as it says you will have good results.I used a candy cane crushed up to make the first batch. I will say that the cotton candy was more brittle than cotton candy I have ever had before and it didn't stick to the reusable sticks that come with the unit very well. It did however make a nice ball of what was easily identifiable as cotton candy and I am certain my daughter would have enjoyed it. I also have confidence that when our cotton candy sugars arrive that they will have an even better result. Crushed candy cane worked great and I trust it will do a great job if you follow the instructions. It was easy, fast after the recommended warm up time and will be a thrill to my daughters.If you have the ability, you may want to use it outside because the guard does not keep all of the floss from rising out of the top. I caught most of it, but if I were to make multiple batches (for a party or to make more than a small amount) I would consider doing it outside to prevent getting things sticky. It really was minimal flying of sugar string but I would prefer it was outside. Of course, if you live in MN you would likely not have good results outside in winter because it needs to be very hot. AND if you were to use it outside in humid weather it would probably not turn out well since humidity melts cotton candy. Regardless I am pleased and in a scientific curiosity sense for kids this is a really neat and fun appliance.The candy didn't stick to the plastic cones included with the set, I will attempt to put a dot of syrup or VERY small amount of water on one side next time to see if it sticks better. A paper cone or straw may work better.