I was about to rent a cotton candy machine for my son's circus party but for the same price of a one day rental, I could buy this little gadget. I'm so happy I bought and cancelled the rental! The product was shipped quick and only needed the cover and extractor to be put on before use as everything came assembled. It's a perfect size for the table top and won't take up more space amongst the party tables. The directions were straightforward and easy to understand. My husband and I decided to play around with it while the kids were in bed to get familiar with it before the party. We started with sugar free cinnamon hard candies and on the first try it was a success. What a treat! We then experimented with a scoop of regular granulated sugar and a drop of orange essential oil. The granulated sugar produced a more fluffy, voluminous and consistent web of candy. The product initially had a burning smell and I worried that the plastic was touching the metal area that heats up but there were no issues and the burning smell dissipated as I suspect the oils and particles from manufacturing burned off before use. The cover/drum and the extractor were easy to clean, which was such a huge relief as I know I'll have plenty of cleaning to do after the party and knowing this won't be tedious is awesome. I recommend this for any family with kiddos or even adults that are just kids at heart. It's a great way to have a novelty treat and to be able to customize it to your liking. It's a great way to make such a sugary treat a little more 'healthy' by being able to use sugar free options and add natural colors and flavors and control the portion being made. Excellent product!