VIVO Blue 1030W Commercial Cotton Candy Machine with 20" Stainless Steel Bowl & Sugar Scoop - Electric Candy Floss Maker for Home, Parties, Fairs & Events - CANDY-V001B

Prompt delivery even here in Alaska, easy setup. I have been using it for the last several days pretty hard to get a feel for it. Planned use is for fundraising events, parties etc. At first I considered a machine with a temperature knob and more expensive devices. Turns out this device has a thermal switch that keeps the head at the same temperature so there doesn't appear to be a need for heat control. The device has a number of safety features I was surprised to see on a machine in at this price point.1) Grounded2) Safety switch on one of the bowl hold down catches that prevents machine from powering on at all should the bowl not be installed for any reason3) Shields around the head and motor to prevent debris from entering motor assembly and parts under the head.Overall very happy, makes floss quickly both from a cold start and just in pure volume. Its designed to toss floss up and in batches. You can use a stick or cone to collect above the head and then transfer to bags if needed. It has about a 2oz spoon with a nice handle that works pretty well, looks like the spot welds on the bowl and spoon will be the first to have issues but that can be addressed. My unit included a spare belt for the motor and appears to be a decent nylon belt.If I had to have something to dislike it would be that the unit is a bit out of balance so it has a little table creap while running. That and the single page manual that I skipped over had the key element about the safety switch. I missed that after my first clean and I went to turn the unit on without the bowl and thought I got a dud. Turns out I should just RTFM.Other reviewers mentioned "sparks" and such from under similar machines. The primary reason this would happen is there are two carbon brushes that supply power to the head's heater and so if the brush contact points were dirty or such then I could see that point would spark like any other brushed motor. This will eventually need some maintenance (brush replacements, contact cleaning) but for my expected use not likely for some years.The floss head is machined aluminum and has 4 screws and it's easy to pop them off and clean the burnt sugar that inevitably builds up. I personally like this design better then a ribbon. The head is a bit on the heavy side so it holds heat well. There is a video showing you can toss a bit of water in the hot head to help clean out some carbon during use. Yes this works just be aware that you get a pretty hot cloud of steam and I frequently get a bit of burnt floss to flow out shortly after so be prepared for a bit of a mess. If you do this it flings water and steam a fair distance around, ended up splashing my kids and coating the workspace with gunk. However it did clear the head pretty well.I paired this unit with a bubble top for another brand and it fits fine. It's harder to work since the bubble limits how high you can work your cone but I like the reduction in mess. One drawback is any debris is pretty much blown out of the bubble onto the operator so if you do this setup prepare to get floss over your arms, in your face and hair etc.In the interest of being fair, I have only used this machine a few days. However we got this after trying one of the Nostalgia units. I wish I had just saved my money and went for this unit first! The Nostalgia unit takes ages to heat, is harder to clean, and only makes one cone every 5-10 minutes. I knew that it would be slower and lower volume but you try having 8 kids around you asking when they can each have their own. @ 10min a cone thats basically asking the last kid to wait nearly an hour and a half. By comparison this unit makes a full cone in about 20 seconds. The first day I let my kids eat as much as they wanted in about 45 minutes they all taped out and said they had enough. I was still tossing cones because it was enjoyable!Cleanup is a snap. I use a bit of water in the head to flush out what I can and to help cool the head for safer handling after turning the unit off. Pop the pan off and wash with hot water. That's pretty much it, occasionally you will want to clean the head more, the manual recommends using vinegar. I haven't gotten that dirty yet.