VIVO Blue Electric Commercial Cotton Candy Machine - Candy Floss Maker for Parties, Events & Concessions (Model CANDY-V001B) | Perfect for Carnival, Fair, Birthday & Wedding Treats

WE HAD A SMALL MACHINE THAT NEVER REALLY WORKED,,,SO AFTER LOOKING AT MANY DIFFERENT MACHINES ONLINE I DECIDED ON THIS ONE,,,WOW I AM SURE GLAD I DID THIS MACHINE WORKS VERY WELL / FAST , AND IS SUPER EASY TO CLEAN. SO IF YOU WANT A MACHINE THAT MAKES COTTON CANDY FAST AND EASY AND FOR A GOOD PRICE THEN BUY THIS MACHINE,,,IT'S GREAT! AS FOR THE TOP/BUBBLE I WAS WORRIED WHEN I DID NOT GET ONE, BUT IT IS NOT NEEDED IF YOU PAY ATTENTION. THIS MACHINE WORKS QUICKLY ONCE YOU POUR THE SUGAR YOU BETTER BE READY I HOLD THE PAPER STICK IN ONE HAND AND POUR WITH THE OTHER AS SOON AS SUGAR HITS IT STARTS MAKING CANDY YOU WILL GET SOME SUGAR FLYING AROUND AT FIRST BUT AFTER YOU MAKE A COUPLE YOU WILL GET GOOD AT IT. I THINK A TOP WOULD BE IN MY WAY WHEN I MAKE A LARGE ONE. PICTURE IS TWO SCOOPS. ANOTHER THING IS DO "NOT" OVER FILL THE SCOOP THAT IT COMES WITH IT JUST THROWS OUT THE EXTRA SUGAR AS DOES NOT WORK AS WELL, JUST DO ONE SCOOP AT A TIME!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.Works amazingly but you’ll want to do the recommended cleaning and more than just every 20 minutes of use especially if you use hard candy to make your cotton candy. Overall I was super impressed by this machine and have had no problems with it at all.This is a high quality product. We took it out of the box and almost laughed at what we found. A pro level device that could be used to start a business. Product works well and I’m sure we will use for a long time to entertain the kids and friends. It’s large though so storage is a consideration.We purchased this machine for some parties we had coming up. There was an issue with the shipping company getting the machine to us in time but VIVO took care of us we received the machine just in time. It was a huge success and it made perfect cotton candy and it was so easy to use. We purchased this one to replace a cheap one we had bought and we were not disappointed. Would definitely recommend whether you're producing commercially or for your neighborhood block parties. I debated about purchasing the matching plastic cover, but have since ordered one and would recommend it to everyone for ease of use.Wow! We went to a party where a friend rented a unit for $60, didn’t sound bad, but I researched and found this unit on Amazon. After reading reviews, thought with three kids I will use this endlessly. SO GLAD I DID. It’s easy to use, easy to clean, makes the kiddos sooooo happy. My new absolute favorite purchase. Thank you!! My only complaint was I ordered this and the floss sugar (separate companies) and this came first and my kids were so excited and we had to wait two extra days for the Floss sugar to arrive .AGAIN, not this company’s fault- but as a parent keep this in mind- order the usage ahead cause it’s not avail at your eg grocery store :)We’ve had this for a few weeks now and it has been so much fun! We use it for block parties, birthday parties, and even just a random Tuesday night. I upgraded from the Nostalgia machines because they just couldn’t keep up with our use. We had family over one night and spent an hour mixing custom flavors ( cherry chocolate, banana chocolate and orange vanilla were favorites!) and this just kept working like a champ.The cotton candy machine arrived without the bag containing the power cord, sugar scoop, and spare belt. I contacted customer support and they expedite shipped it to me in time for the event I purchased it for. Deducting 1 star for parts missing.As for the machine, it blows the cotton candy up not to the sides so it's a bit more messy and a tad more difficult to make. The dome sold separately would help keep the cotton candy from blowing all over the place. It makes floss fine but also blows out a lot of the sugar crystals into the pan. I'm not sure if it makes the amount of servings per hour that they advertise. I'll time it and update the review with my results.My son decided to start a Cotton Candy business and after some research we chose this machine. It's performed well all summer and he's probably served up about 500 by now. Giving it appropriate down-time, the machine can do a 6 hour day at the local market. It's served at school events and birthdays. The past weekend it ran pretty well 2 hours solid - the only real 'problem' was needing to clean it occasionally. With isn't a problem, just dump some water in the floss head. At one point it felt out of the back of the car - kept on ticking (although there's a dent in the paint now).The 'downside' was the drive belt, it snapped after about 50 hrs of use. Replacing it wasn't easy, but was something we managed to do. We now have spares for the next time. Then again, if you're not running it as a business, you might never come across this problem.Overall a great machine which has more than paid for itself in a few months.Sooo...I've never left a review about a product good or bad ,but I feel I have to with regards to this purchase.We have a tobban party at our house when conditions are good for the hill .Between 150-200 family friends and coworkers.I usually rent a large flos machine for the day.I have another event now at a club that I'm a member of that merits and machine also.So after reading reviews about the Vivo machine I took the plunge and bought one.It arrived 4 days earlier than expected.I fired it up for a trial run.I'm gobsmacked with the results.To say it exceeded my expectations would be a monumental understatement !This little unit out performs what I rented flat out hands down !With the rental unit even after being used for say 30 mins when I put sugar in I have to wait 30 seconds or more for flos to start to appear.Not with this one !When you dump sugar in you better be ready.....it's coming...like now. !I'm very impressed !And let's face it who wins the grandpa with a candy flos machine or the grandpa without one ?Vivo...thank you !I bought this to help with fundraising. It's worked so far, but I have been very disciplined with following the directions letting the machine rest for the full 20 minutes after the recommended active period. Keep the instruction manual for sure. The machine is easy to set up and use. I have, however, had a hard time cleaning the head (where the sugar goes). The bowl itself is easy to clean, I would suggest doing so during the resting period, just to keep the sugar build-up under control. I did not buy the plastic bubble cover, you will want one if you are using this machine inside to stop the whispies from covering everything. So far I have only used the machine outside, I have had to set up a wind beak a couple of times so that the floss would not fly away in the wind. This is a good cotton candy machine for the price point.Well i would of given this 5 stars up until today we bought this on march 23rd used it as soon as we got it worked great used again for my daughters birthday april 11th and then got the idea to start a buisness for her she is 10 has a fb page we have orders for 150 bags for july and many orders today we have to say we couldnt fill we started the buisness 3 days ago gave the machine breaks would run it on and off gave it cool down time it worked amazing!! Then today in the middle of orders took a break to fill bags and turned back on an a horrible noise came from it when we turned the heat on now we are worried to turn it back on it does not seem safe we lost money today i honestly was going to buy another machine next friday now im very dissapointed my daughter is in tears we just called a food bank to donate proceeds got everything set up and now we cant do anything it said my return date expired 3 days ago im lost for what to do ive got hundreds of dollars in supplies and dissapointed customers how can i get this fixed how long will it take and cost or can i still get a replacenent ?This was my 4th floss machine, and i can honestly say it's awesome. At first I was unimpressed with the fact i had to purchase a dome so it didn't candy coat my house. But soon realized that you don't need1 if you use the right candy. Hard candy ?Jolly rancher's are the Bomb!