Original Whirley-Pop Popper Kit - Nylon Gears - Silver - 1 Real Theater All Inclusive Popping Kit

I felt compelled to write a review after owning this popcorn popper for more than four years and seeing it churn out a perfect batch time after time. The manufacturer deserves praise for this product. It works just as well -- indeed slightly better -- than the day I bought it. I use a half cup of kernels and a little oil, over a gas stovetop burner on high, and it consistently makes a fully-popped batch with zero waste. I have to hunt to find a single unpopped kernel. Nothing is burnt. It's fast, extremely economical, high-performing and durable. I can't ask for anything more.Although it is lightweight aluminum, it has proven perfectly durable, even though I was a bit skeptical of the thinness of the metal and the little stirring arms when I got it. The whole family, including kids, use it. It's been dropped once or twice, too! You don't really need the heat retention of thicker metal like cast iron for popping popcorn, as long as the bottom is hot enough, which I've never had trouble obtaining.I use oil only: olive oil most times, corn oil in a pinch. I followed a reviewer's advice not to wash it with soap and water or put it in the dishwasher. All I do is wipe it out after a batch. As with cast iron, it has developed a light seasoned coating on the bottom, which enhances the non-stick quality of the bottom surface. That's why I say it works slightly better now than it did the first day. Early on I would sometimes get a kernel stuck to the bottom; now that doesn't happen at all. All popped kernels rise to the top and the unpopped fall to the bottom till it's done. And I use cheap generic popcorn most times.The gears and stirring rod still work just fine. You don't have to crank it fast. A lazy one rotation a second always works for me. If you feel a kernel slip under the stirring rod at the bottom (you'll feel a slight drag), just reverse direction and it usually comes out from underneath. I don't know if other people crank it rapidly but perhaps that leads to more wear on the gears? That said, my kids still crank it fast and I've had no problems.The only maintenance I've done on it a couple times is to bend slightly the little metal clips that secure the cover's side flaps to the pot. After many openings and closings, these can get a little loose. It's just like the metal clip that keeps a typical mailbox shut. Just press it inward slightly and it secures tightly, good as new.I don't think I'll ever go back to electric poppers or microwave bag popcorn. Microwave bag popcorn tends to burn or waste a lot, it's relatively expensive, and it's got all kinds of fake flavors I don't enjoy. (If you like those, you can always buy "movie theater" flavored oil at the store.) Popping our own corn, everyone can add whatever amount of butter, salt, etc. they like. I've owned a few electric models, and besides being noisy, they're slower, they've failed after a few years, and while better than microwave bags, electrics still tend to spit unpopped kernels into the bowl. And if you have kids, you might know the drill with electric poppers: if the bowl gets bumped, the butter-melter is removed, the lid knocked accidentally, popcorn goes flying everywhere. Whirley-Pop is tidy. Of course you have to watch younger kids if they're novices using the stove. But compared to an electric popper, I've gotten a far better return on my investment with Whirley-Pop. It's simple, so there's far less to break: no switches to fail, fans to break down, or coils to burn out. Storing it is easier too. There's no parts to keep track of -- it stores as a unit under the cupboard. Again, a boon with kids.The only "pro tip" I've developed is to pour in the oil, then the kernels, crank it once or twice to spread them out and coat them with oil, then give it a little side-to-side shake. The stirring arm tends to push the kernels all to the outside initially. Shake it a little, and you get a nice even layer of kernels on the bottom. Then apply heat. I leave it heating like that, without stirring but giving an occasional little shake, for the first minute or two until the first pop -- all the kernels heat evenly and tend to pop more at one time. What really gets them all going, however, is that there's a cascade when the steam escaping from popping kernels creates more heat energy in the pot. This might be why electric poppers take so long -- they're blowing out all the heat energy they've generated in the bowl converting water to steam, whereas Whirley-Pop confines it as steam for cooking. Just take care to have your hand aside when dumping the batch out, since steam will escape if you dump it immediately, which I tend to do -- either because the gas stove burner grid still retains a lot of heat even when the burner is off or sometimes I'm overzealous in measuring a half-cup and it starts to get jam-packed. But in this case, just dump from the top and keep going, and everything turns out fine.All-in-all, this machine has been fabulous: works flawlessly, extremely economical, easy to maintain, and durable. If ever it breaks, which I don't expect, I'd buy another one immediately.

I was wary of buying this because of the reviews warning about the plastic gears. But I did buy it because I wanted good popcorn! (And this thing sure makes it!!) I am just careful with it. If the turning mechanism seems "stuck", I reverse the direction I am turning, or jiggle the handle (or pot) a little to get it to move easily again. I do NOT put too much pressure on the crank. I don't try to turn it too fast either, we are just moving popcorn here, not making meringue! ha ha!! I do about one rotation a second. Near the end of popping, there is just too much popcorn and too little room for agitating. So I lift the entire pot and shake it to help any unpopped ones filter down to the bottom. I then turn off the heat and let the residual temperature of the pan, surrounding corn, and stove help pop the potential "old maids" for a few seconds while I set out the bowls. Most kernels do pop that way and I usually only end up with say 10-15 in the entire pot. You can feel when the stirrer doesn't want to move, and I know I could try to force it, but why ruin my popper? Even if there WERE metal gears, something else likely would torque or bend if you push too hard. So I use it as designed, not as a concrete mixer!I am currently using the Great Northern 4-Ounce Portion Packs which are super easy. Cut the top, dump it all in, and stir. Medium to a touch higher, but not-high heat. The packets have the oil, the corn, and the flavored salt already measured for me. There may come a time when I want to experiment with mixing my own proportions of corn, oil, salt, possibly sugar, etc., but I am happy with the results I am getting with those packets. In about 5 minutes, I have a kettle full of popcorn for my family to share (or to eat all by myself!! ha ha!!) It is SOOO much crunchier than microwave! And doesn't really involve that much more work or time. The 4 ounce packs fill my popper to the top. I also bought Wabash's Butter Flavored Topping. Now, I am a "real" butter fan for many things, but it just isn't right for popcorn, it sort of deflates it! Without the topping, the popcorn reminds you of the dry sort you often get in those cardboard boxes at a circus or fair, but sometimes I want the decadent movie kind!! I put the topping in a squeeze bottle like this. I dump a little corn, squirt a drizzled layer of topping, shake maybe a little more popcorn salt (I also bought extra Flavacol to experiment with...sometimes I like it salty, and repeat the layers of corn, topping, salt...sorta like a popcorn lasagne! ha! It is AWESOME!I lift the lid and shake a little to get the popcorn to come out...it is kind of packed in there at the beginning of pouring!I do wash mine. Sometimes we make popcorn a few days in a row and I don't. I don't even bother wiping it out! I just dump any leftover "skins" or kernels, and add a new packet. Usually though I wash the bottom (the top is completely removable) like any other dish. Regular dish soap and hot water. I don't re-season...nothing sticks. For the top, I use the soapy sponge on the flat parts, but there are too many cracks and corners to get into without spending 15 minutes on it (which I don't do.) I just let my tap water get as hot as possible and just sort of run it over the lid to melt off the splattered oil in those places. I don't submerge the thing, and I usually just let it air dry. If you put it back on your warm stove, it helps dry it more quickly. (However, I don't always do dishes right away...I am more interested in EATING the popcorn that silly dishes! they can wait!) It looks as shiny and new as when I got it (mine did arrive with a light scratch on the outside, it was so minor that I just kept it.)The ONLY thing that I haven't seen mentioned in reviews, is that it is designed for right-handed people. Now of course you can turn it 180 degrees and crank with your left hand, but when you pick it up that way to pour, the lid with no latch is on top! (One side of the lid has a latch to hold it closed, the other side doesn't.) I have tried to unlatch it (and it is HOT) but then the other top-half flops open and the popcorn spills out of both sides. Also, the handle is attached to the LID (not the pot) so there is no way to reverse it. I just stir and pour with my right hand...most lefties know well that we often just have to adapt to a right-handed world! :D The awesome popcorn is worth it.