Two days ago, I received my mold, and I'm already on my third batch of pops. I almost didn't get this based on some of these negative reviews, but now I'm really glad I did. Here's my experience with it: First, I soaked the sticks like several reviewers recommended, and, as some reviewers mentioned, the sticks wouldn't fit through the slots in the lid. (The dry ones do, however.) I just put it in the freezer without the lid, and put the sticks in an hour and a half later as some recommended. No problem. For my second and third batch, I started with frozen fruit (with some coconut water) in the Vitamix. The result was thick like soft serve ice cream, so I just inserted the sticks dry (and immediately.) I'd say if your popsicle is thick enough to hold the sticks where you put them, just go with that. Start with whole fruit and you'll have a more healthful pop anyway. I haven't used the lid at all. It seems superfluous (or even detrimental) to the process if you can get your sticks straight without it. For unmolding the pops, I think people who expect to eat one at a time and keep the rest in the molds all the while are missing the point. Make 10, unmold them, and eat at your leisure. Currently, I am using snack bags to hold them. I'm not thrilled ( read: lazy) about washing and reusing the bags, but I refuse throw them away after one use. I'll find a solution that works for me eventually. It's important to get your wrapping/storage materials ready before you begin unmolding. For me, that means opening all the baggies ahead of time so the process goes quickly and the edges of the pops stay frozen. I filled a large bowl with room temp water and set the mold in the bowl so that the water came almost all the way up, but not over the mold. After a minute or two, I start gently pulling on the outside sticks. If they don't come out, try in 30 more seconds. The outside ones usually come out first. Once I've gotten 2 or 3 out, I take the mold out of the water to slow further melting and finish removing the others. Also, have something ready to put the wrapped pops in to carry back to the freezer. The less they're handled at this point, the less beat up your pops will appear. All in all, I'm tremendously happy with this. The missing star is for all the worrying and wondering about how to make it work, and the discovery that the lid is not helpful. I would buy another without hesitation. Pop on!
