Popsmith Popcorn Popper in Cream - 6 Quart Stovetop Popcorn Machine - Stainless Steel Popcorn Maker Compatible with All Stovetops

I love my popper. It works great, looks nice to leave out, and is easy to use. Here’s my thoughts:I got this to replace my trusted whirly pop for the main reason of how hard it was to clean. All the gears and gadgets, oil would get all over the inside and both sides of the lid.Pros: dare I say it I think my popcorn tastes better. Same everything, different popper - but crisper/clearer taste. Not sure why or how, but the butter, oil, salt are perfectly disbursed on all the kernels.It’s so easy to clean by hand or the dishwasher.It’s also super easy to put together out of the box and to use.The ease of cleaning and no exposed gears makes it much easier to make kettle corn or flavored popcorn without worry of ruining the popper or tainting future batches flavors.Cons: cost (as many others have said. But I make stovetop popcorn multiple times a week, so it was worth it).Heavy. No mistaking its sturdy. But is heavy to lift/dump out the popcorn. It also (unless I’m missing something) can be tricky to pour the popcorn out with the inner spinning device in n there. The small pieces and old maids get caught on it - and it’s hot so it’s not easy to just grab and take out.In my old popper it would be rare that I’d have any old maids. I’ve used this about 5 times and I do get some old maids each time, but it’s a small amount (less than 10 each batch).

Everything about this popper is bad. The stirrer doesn’t operate smoothly continuously. If it starts out smooth, the smoothness doesn’t last more than a few cranks. The lid comes agar while using the stirring handle. The stirrer just pushes the mass of kernels around in a mass. The same kernels stay on the top and bottom of the pile. They do not roll around and change places. This leads to slow popping because all of the kernels are not being heated evenly at the same rate. The bottom of the pan is flat, so the oil doesn’t congregate in the area that the kernels are located.I had been using an aluminum whirly pop previously and it is far superior to this extremely overpriced piece of trash.With the same popcorn, the same technique and the same oil, the Popsmith only makes ~3/4 the amount of popcorn that the whirly pop makes. I can’t believe how bad this is.

I replaced an old less efficient popcorn popper with this one. This is stainless steel and much heavier than my old one. The pot heats more evenly and the popcorn pops better. This is an expensive popcorn popper but I felt it was worth the added expense. I am very pleased with this. The BAD is that after I bought this, the company sent an email advising that all of their products were increasing 15% due to “tariffs.” Sounds like a poor excuse to raise prices since it is made in the US. Very disappointed in the company.

This popper is overrated. The kernels get stuck under the arm making it hard to turn. It is hard to get all the kernels popped without burning some. I would not recommend this product.

The first Popsmith I ordered had chipped coating on the pot and the lid. I exchanged it for another one, hoping that it was a random defect. The second one I received looked better, but still had chipped coating on the lid, this time by the handle.At this pricepoint, and for Popsmith to market themselves as a “luxury” brand, I expect better craftsmanship. The popper works fine, smooth operation and all the kernels popped, but I suspect more chips will appear over time with normal use, as it just doesn’t seem that durable. If there were another dishwasher safe, stainless steel option out there I’d return the Popsmith.