I have been making popcorn for decades, I have had every kind of popper made, oil ,air, open flame etc. my previous favorite was the Whirly pop. Keeping the kernels near the heat source is the key to popping corn ( not paying more for Orville Redenbachers B.S. "gourmet" corn). The problem with the whirly was the gears, it didn't take long to strip them out. it was always their weak point, and sure, they did a good job of sending new gears, it was just a hassle. This Victorio popper is stainless steel, has a thicker bottom, works on gas, electric,or induction stoves and my favorite part, it has flex drive stirring crank, No gears to strip! This thing is heavy duty, and it's rock solid build blows the whirly away! The lid has a pin and latch system, with a magnetic latch for pouring. The main part of the lid has a pin that goes thru the pan while the other end has a buckle type latch, so no worries when lifting and pouring. It also has a handle built into the pan which makes it that much easier to pour the fresh hot popcorn into a bowl. I cant say enough about this popper! I could not be happier! Of course time will tell if the flex drive will hold up, but based on what I have seen so far and how well it works, I am pretty sure this will hold up just fine for many many years!

We had been fairly impressed with this popper at least as compared to absolutely ALL other stovetop crank-to-stir poppers. Indeed this has the BEST Design!! Yet the manufacturer used a bit of cheaper quality material for the "mechanism"(type of spring cable) to transfer the cranking to the stirring rods-- primarily it is this connecting "spring cable" that WILL BREAK and then ALL is released and the popper is fatally finished(unless one pops the corn by shaking the pan) or obtaining through their LIFETIME WARRANTY their NEW and IMPROVED spring cable from Victoria, since these "spring cables" are Lifetime Guaranteed--simply call Victorio and inquire. If only high quality materials were used at the beginning of this poppers manufacture, this issue may have been avoided all together, but when the manufacturing process is outsourced to another country(read CHINA) these types of substitutions can be made without anyone the wiser(I am most sure Victorio is most better educated now) This is a most stellar small family company, and makes the WINNING POPCORN POPPER! Might add that one must follow the directions and use some common sense in the use and operation of the product for best results, like maybe don't use to "wash out" your socks, or at least check with Kimberly beforehand. Lol

This is absolutely the best popper we have ever used - a keeper. No hard leftover shells of corn. My husband loves popcorn and he can enjoy it once more. The unit is stainless and heavy (for good popping!) A great purchase and I would recommend it without reservation. Less than two months of use has passed and I am updating my review. Our wonderful popper has broken - the stirring mechanism broke last night and is now "free wheeling" and no popcorn is being moved in the pan - the popper is now useless. Believe me, we loved this popper initially - until last evening. We took "loving" care of it, no abuse or rough handling. The stirring mechanism is suspect and needs to be strengthened or re-engineered. Until this is done by the manufacturer, buyer beware!!!!! Only one star now!

Chose this popcorn maker over cheaper, aluminum pans. And for the first few months, it worked really well. But as others have mentioned, the drive mechanism is extremely fragile. The flexible spring/wire coil snapped in half, and the wooden crank pulled right out of the handle when I started a new batch of popcorn (only kernels in the pan). I have contacted the manufacturer to see if they'll send a replacement mechanism.

*Update (11/26/16) - Victorio's customer service is awesome. Emailed them on a Saturday. They replied on Monday and offered to send a new cable, which arrived a few days later with replacement instructions. But as another reviewer mentioned, the set screw on the old stirring mechanism was stripped (perfectly round). So, couldn't loosen the screw with the Allen hex wrench to remove the cable. Contacted customer service again, and they sent me a new stirring mechanism. My popcorn popper is up and running again.

I've owned this popper since March 2016, and it comes with a one-year warranty. Nice and sturdy, great to pop corn in, especially if making multiple batches. The first batch takes the longest, but once it heats up, subsequent batches start popping within just a few seconds of putting the kernels in. I especially like the lid and how it secures to the rest of the pot; it's so much nicer than a Whirley-Pop. A lot of people on here have mentioned problems with the stirrer. Mine recently fell off, but I was able to contact the company, and after viewing a couple of pictures, the rep sent me a document showing me how to reattach the stirrer to the flex cable, which I was able to do. I have attached an image of the cable attachment instructions in the hopes that it might help others who have experienced a problem with the flex cable stirrer assembly detaching.

Update: October 28, 2016.

Alas, my flex drive cable (stirrer) did, in fact, break this time. I contacted Kimberly with Victorio and let her know of my popcorn making woes. Here is the response I received from her:

"Thank you for letting me know about the broken flex-drive cable. I've issued a parts replacement order for one to be shipped out today. You'll see that in just a few days. It will come with instructions on installation into your existing lid with your existing stirring rod.

We have an improved cable in production. It is expected to be ready for shipping the end of November. We will be shipping you one of those when it becomes available. It, too, will come with instructions for installation.

Keep in mind that while your popper only has a 1-year warranty, the flex-drive cable has a lifetime warranty. So if anything else ever happens to it, don't hesitate reaching out to me."

So, not only did she immediately abate my problem by shipping out a new flex drive cable, she tells me that they have a new, improved cable and she will be shipping one of those to me as soon as they are available. Additionally, she informs me that the flex-drive cable is covered under a lifetime warranty (something I didn't know).

This company understands what customer service means, and is raising the bar. Kudos to them! I would not hesitate to purchase from this company again.