Ive always felt the pop up move is the one move that can tip a spectator on the method

Then you probably havn't done it correctly. or all magicians had luck over the last decades. and of course if you personally don't like this ending there are bunches of other killer endings, like the escalator, daryl's ambitious ending, the omni deck and so on, and so on.

Why not? In an ACR demonstration on the Revelations DVD (Vol.1), Dai Vernon uses the pass no less than four times during a single routine. So I don't really see what the problem is.

AFAIK, there's really nothing stopping anyone using a pass in an ACR, or any other sleights for the matter. What's most important to me IMHO, is that there's no sudden change in rhythm/tempo in the way you perform the routine while you execute the sleights.

While some may prefer to use a pass instead of a DL for an ACR, it lacks variety in looks. Unless of course you can perform different passes all the time, else sooner of later people will know what to look out for. However, subtle usage of different sleights will help to achieve a sense of interest and variety. An ACR like any other routine is similar to a song. A few notes won't be enough to bring the ups and downs of a song, but variety does. With that said, any song needs to end somehow without boring an audience.

IMHO, I believe that any visual shuffling or undercutting that brings a card to the top should not be performed in an ACR. By shuffling or undercutting, the audience will perceive the rising of a card as credible, possibly by means of certain control through the shuffle/cut. Thus the impact is not as strong. No visual manipulation of the selected card once placed in the center should be seen, is what I believe the best way to perform an ACR.

The Tilt is one of the greatest way in start off an ACR with the above mentioned criteria. One lessly used sleight that can accomplish the same job is the Bluff Cut.

Nate, you may wish to combine a pass with a DL or even a TL to bring more impact in a triple-revelation sequence with less visual movement, though a Bluff Cut at the beginning of the routine can do so in half the time.