If you ask kids what they love most about going to the funfair, we’re convinced that quite a few will mention candy floss.
Now, imagine bringing your kids and paying £4 for a single stick.
It’s absolutely outrageous how such a price can be charged for what is essentially just sugar.
Well, to put it simply, people think it is difficult to make and the kids love it. This combined makes it very easy to charge extortionate prices at funfair stalls.
To get rid of the misconception that it is difficult and expensive to make, we thought it would be a good idea to find the best candy floss machine so anyone can make it for their kids at very little cost.
At a birthday party, we can guarantee that every kid will be lining up for a stick. The best thing is that once you get a good quality maker, all you need is a little bit of sugar to make a large serving, making it extremely cost effective.
You might be thinking that such a machine will be quite expensive, but actually, our list has plenty of low-priced products that work extremely well.
We have tested many different products and have ended up with 5 products that we believe are of excellent quality and provide the best value for money.
Now that we have got the basics out of the way, let’s get started on this list.
Quick Comparison Table of our Top Candy Floss Machine Picks
| PRODUCT | COLOUR | EXTRAS | WARRANTY (YEARS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gourmet Gadgetry – Retro | Red | 2 Paper Cones, Measuring scoop | 1 |
| Gourmet Gadgetry – Standard | Pink/White | Measuring scoop | 1 |
| Electric Cotton Sugar – Standard | Pink | 10 Bamboo Sticks | 1 |
| JM Posner – Standard | Pink | 225g Sugar Bottle, Measuring Spoon, Paper cones | 1 |
| Andrew James – Standard | Red | 3 x 250g Sugar Jars, Measuring Spoon, 2 Sticks | 2 |
* At time of publishing
5 of the Best Candy Floss Machine Reviews 2022
1. Gourmet Gadgetry Red Cotton Candy Maker
(4.6 / 5)
This cool product by Gourmet Gadgetry is extremely easy to use and will bring the funfair to your home.
It’s as easy as adding 1 scoop of ordinary caster or granulated sugar and just rolling it up for a few minutes. You can buy the expensive flavoured sugar if it’s a special occasion but there really is no need as ordinary sugar works just as well.
The alternative option would be to add some food colouring onto the sugar, which also works just fine.
To explain the process, this floss machine basically creates high temperatures, which then melt the sugar. It then spins out and solidifies in the air, and as long as you’re twirling the stick, it catches the candy in portions.
It might seem a little complicated but it is actually very simple to use. As always, it takes a little bit of practice to get used to it. If for example, you’re planning to use it at a birthday party, we would recommend trying it out a few times beforehand.
Saying that, you get instructions on how to operate it as well as 2 paper cones and a measurer to get you started. Unfortunately, no sticks are included, but these are normally quite cheap anyway.
Cleaning isn’t actually as difficult as we expected, which is always nice when you’re tired after a long party.
For some reason, most products on the market are of a pink colour. While that is perfect for girls, what about the boys? They love candy floss too!
Well, this product is of a red colour, which is ideal for boys.
The price is not bad at all either, which makes this a great option.
Overall, this Gourmet Gadgetry candy floss machine is arguably the best option that is available in the UK market, and we highly recommend it.
2. Gourmet Gadgetry Floss Maker – Pink/White
(4.4 / 5)
This machine is also made by Gourmet Gadgetry and is of pink colour, which is perfect for girls.
It’s very easy to use, and you can have traditional funfair quality floss in less than 5 minutes.
You can use normal cheap caster or granulated sugar if you’re planning to make lots of sticks, and maybe add on a bit of food colouring on top. If however, it’s a birthday party, you might want to consider buying the flavoured sugar although it is quite expensive. It’s certainly not needed though, because ordinary sugar works very well.
This candy floss machine is compact and requires very little space for storage. On top of that, it’s also quite portable so you can easily bring it with you to a special event.
The included instructions make it very easy to assemble and get started. It’s pretty easy to clean afterwards as well so you don’t have to worry about that.
The non-slip rubber feet ensure that it doesn’t slip off the table and cause injury to anyone, which is important when you’re dealing with high temperatures.
The included measuring scoop is a handy addition and will make it easier in choosing the right amount of sugar. Unfortunately, there are no included paper cones or sticks so you will also need to buy them separately.
Considering its low price, this machine makes great-tasting floss very quickly and requires very little effort.
3. Electric Cotton Sugar Floss Maker – Pink
(4.4 / 5)
This is the cheapest product on our list and makes candy floss that is just like the one you get at the funfair.
It’s quite easy to use and with a bit of twirling practice, you’ll be making delicious floss in no time.
Normal caster and granulated sugar work just fine, and you can also buy the expensive flavoured sugar if it’s for a special event and you want the “official” funfair style.
With the included instructions, this candy floss machine is very easy to set up and use. Cleaning up afterwards is easy as well and requires very little effort.
The build quality looks to be good and if you take good care of it, it should definitely last you a long time. It’s also compact and doesn’t take up too much space.
It doesn’t just make delicious-tasting floss but it’s also a great way to spend more time with your kids.
This pink coloured machine might be more suited for a girl, but that probably doesn’t matter too much.
To get you started, there are also 10 bamboo sticks included, which is a nice addition.
4. JM Posner Pink Candy Floss Maker
(4.3 / 5)
This all-in-one kit is all you need to get started in making delicious floss.
Along with the maker itself, you get a 225g bottle of flavoured sugar, a measuring spoon to get the right amount of sugar, and some paper cones. This is enough to make up to 11 servings depending on how much sugar you use for each serving.
This machine uses halogen heater technology to get the right temperatures very quickly. While this is a very good feature, you still need to ensure that young children are adequately supervised when using it, as the halogen bulbs do tend to get quite hot.
Saying that, it is very easy to use, and as long as you read the instructions and practice a little bit, you should be completely fine.
Just start it up and let it heat up for a while. Then, use the included measuring spoon to get the right amount of sugar.
Once you finish the included bottle of sugar, you can use normal caster or granulated sugar and add in a bit of food colouring.
It’s quite small so shouldn’t take up too much space in your kitchen. It can be easily stored in one of the cupboards when not in use and is also portable if you need to bring it anywhere.
You can easily take it apart for cleaning, and while it is apparently dishwasher safe, we wouldn’t bother as it is very easy to clean up and takes less than 5 minutes.
Overall, this JM Posner candy floss machine seems to be well made, and includes everything you need to get started. It is one of the best options available on the market right now at this price.
5. Andrew James Floss Machine – Red
(4.3 / 5)
This all-in-one kit is the last option on our list and is a great option for those who want everything in one package.
Along with the maker, you get 2 sticks and 3 250g jars of flavoured sugar. The flavours include cherry, lemon and orange. Considering each jar normally costs £4, this makes the actual machine a lot cheaper.
You also get the Andrew James brand name, which is backed up by a 2-year guarantee just in case the machine breaks down in the future.
It’s extremely easy to use, and once you get the hang of it, you will be making delicious floss in no time. There is no oil or anything else required. All you need to do is pick up the included measuring spoon and use about 1 scoop of sugar. Keep twirling the stick for a few minutes and that’s all there is to it.
The quality was excellent and it was just like what you would expect at the funfair.
Things to Consider When choosing the ideal Candy Floss Machine
One of the reasons why people end up wasting their hard-earned money is because they don’t pay enough attention to what they actually need. Here are some things you should consider before parting with your money.
- Entire Package: As we saw with the last option on this list, you need to consider the entire package. If you were planning on buying expensive flavoured sugars, it would be a good idea to buy a candy floss machine that includes a couple of bottles. On the other hand, if you’re going to be using normal caster or granulated sugar, stick to just the machine as it will be much cheaper.
- Price: This again depends entirely on the above point. If you want just the machine, expect to pay around £25. If however, you want a fully-fledged package with cones and sugar bottles, it will cost you over £30.
- Guarantee: Gadgets like these can be susceptible to breaking so it would be worth considering the included guarantee. Obviously, every product will have a 1-year guarantee but some options like the Andrew James one has a 2-year guarantee.
Summary
Buying a candy floss machine can be a tricky task.
There are plenty of options out there so you really need to do proper research beforehand. If not, you could end up with a poor quality machine that breaks within a few weeks. Or, you could end up spending more money on expensive flavoured sugars that you don’t really need.
In this post, we have discussed some aspects you need to consider before parting with your money and have also included 5 products, which we felt performed very well and provided the best value for money.
We came to this conclusion having tested a wide range of different products, and can confidently say that you will struggle to get better value machines than the options we have included.