I got my Franklin's Whirley Pop today and made my first batch of popcorn in it, and to sum it up all I can say is - this thing is AWESOME!Now for some details - forgive me, I tend to ramble on ;)I read most of the reviews before buying and there were a number of people expressing disappointment over the "quality," saying it felt cheap and flimsy due to the extremely light weight & very thin aluminum. Trust me, this is a PLUS for a stovetop popcorn popper. 35 or 40 years ago, I practically lived on popcorn due to money issues. In those days I had a 4 quart aluminum pot that was very lightweight and thin and of all the pots I have used over the decades to pop corn it gave the finest results. The pot I have been using for the past 3 years is an expensive Cusinart Tri-Ply 4.5 quart dutch oven. This is a heavy $90 pot with a thick aluminum core sandwiched between two layers of stainless steel, one on the outside and one on the inside. It got the job done, but took FAR longer due to being so slow to heat up, and the finished product was just not as good as I got from that lightweight aluminum pot 40 years ago.So when I opened the Whirley Pop today I was overjoyed to see how "light & flimsy" it was :) I had hopes that I would get results similar to that 40 year old pot that I wore out 35 years ago - and I wasn't disappointed.I have a 4 quart tupperware-type container I put my popcorn in to store it for the 3-4 days it takes me to eat it, and I know exactly how high it should be filled when I pop a batch of corn. I always use 1/4 cup Orville Redenbacher's Original and 2 tablespoons peanut oil, and using the Franklin's Whirley Pop my container was filled at LEAST 1 inch higher than it ever was using the heavy Cuisinart pot. This is due to the thinness of the pot and the resulting faster heat transfer, causing the kernals to explode with more force and as a result, to expand more.Also, due to the faster heat transfer the entire process in the Whirley Pop from start to finish was done in less time than the heavy Cuisinart pot required for the first kernal to pop. A heavy pot is an advantage if you're making a pot roast, but if you're making popcorn all I can say is "lighter is better."I also really appreciate the vents (4 of them) in the lid to allow steam to escape. No longer do I have to keep the lid ajar to allow steam to escape. The vents are VERY effective, the popcorn came out very crispy and tender without a trace of sogginess. There is also less mess - using my Cuisinart pot I had to keep the lid ajar and oil would splatter on the stove top, but with the Whirley Pop there was virtually no oil on the stove top when I was done.If you have eaten only microwave "popcorn," you owe it to yourself to get one of these. Any resemblance between stovetop popcorn and the microwave junk is purely coincidental, just as any resemblance between "Pasteurized process cheese food product" and real, actual cheese is purely coincidental. If you are new to making popcorn on the stovetop, be aware that it will take some practice and your first few batches may turn out less than ideal. But as you gain experience you will soon realize that there is no going back to the microwave ;^)To sum up, I am VERY pleased with this popper. I already knew that the lightweight construction was a good thing whereas some reviewers saw it as a negative indicating "cheap construction," but upon closely examining the pot I did not see ANYTHING that indicated cheap construction to me. The lid fits tightly and securely to the pot, the crank turns smoothly and easily without binding or sticking, and the thin wire that is turned by the crank is at just the right height above the bottom of the pot to keep the unpopped kernals in motion. Also, my popper arrived with not even the slightest damage.Thanks for taking the time to read this - if you buy one, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I plan to...

Final Update - 09/02/16They sent me a full replacement this time. New lid and pot and it's 100x better. Crank is super smooth and popcorn is back to being nice and fluffy. What amazes me through all this is the incredible support from the manufacturer. I didn't have to spend a dime to get any of the replacements. Wish more companies supported their product like this. A+!-----------------------------------------------08/22/16 - UpdateKnocked it back down to two stars. New lid w/ the metal gears came in and first thing that I noticed was how hard it was to turn, even out of the pot and metal shaving coming off as you turned it. After two weeks of this, the center gear popped up again, like the previous plastic one. Will again attempt to contact customer service to see if maybe I just received a defective lid.---------------------------------08/05/16 - UpdateI contacted the seller/manufacturer and they advised me there was a mix up and the incorrect lids/gears were accidentally used, so they are sending me a replacement. They also offered a full refund and/or replacement of the entire unit if I wanted.Suffice to say, this type of customer service is rare and much appreciated. Have updated my review to 5 stars.------------------------------------------Original review:Previous Whirley Pop last over 3 years before the plastic gears cracked. This one, broke in 2 months, but in a different way.The gear keeps popping up. I can put it back down, but it'll immediately pop back up as soon as I start cranking. I also bought this because they advertised metal gears. What I received was plastic. My fault for not returning it immediately, but I figured since the last one last years this one would as well. Apparently I was wrong.Will attempt to get a replacement and utilize their Life Time Warranty. Will update my review.

Have been trying to figure out that movie theater style popcorn for a while. This stuff is great. Switched to other kernels, and they just weren’t as good. Granted I did purchase another liquid butter from elsewhere, but the pot is awesome. The seasoning is awesome. The coconut oil for the base is awesome. Nothing but great things to say about this product. The only downfall is now when actually at the movie theater, the popcorn isn’t as special anymore. In fact. It’s not as good either.

I found other brands locally, and they were cheaply made. I was thrilled to find the Franklin brand which is much better made! The gears (in this old farm boy's view) seem a bit fragile so treat it with care (no muscle man handleling, no roughness), but the pot works fine, is pretty easy to clean, and makes great popcorn. Handwash only though. The top was tough to snap on and off the first few times, but then it got easier. I am old and handicapped, and I can easily use this popcorn popper easily.

Fun for the grandkids. Better than stovetop pan!

Makes great popcorn...easy to use....glad we bought it

I was expecting a bigger stronger popcorn maker for the price. Best to buy a really good pot for $40 and make your own popcorn that's easy to use and clean.