Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Lots of little features that show there was someone really smart working on the design of this product. E.g., the top of the carafe, when opened fully, clicks and stays open ... when you first take this out of the box the cord must be unwrapped from inside the base, but you can easily choose to unwrap it to either a 12” or 24” length, whichever works for you. All-glass carafe which, as far as I can tell, is somehow annealed to the stainless heating base without any noticeable exposure to plastic or sealant. The top of the carafe is plastic, rather like a typical coffee maker, meaning there is minimal contact with plastic. A filter pops down when the carafe lid is lowered (a nylon-type mesh with a plastic rim), in case the (typical/normal) lime deposits happen to flake off when you pour. The carafe’s opening is just wide enough to get your hand inside (except if you have a huge hand) for cleaning. It should ONLY be used to boil water. Minimum mark is 0.5 L, max is 1.0 L. I suspect I will be trying it with less than 0.5L (don’t tell anyone) since it has an automatic shutoff mechanism if it boils dry ... which should never happen anyway because about 10 seconds after it reaches maximum boil it shuts itself off. To boil 0.7L of water to a full boil took 2-3/4 minutes. The huge advantage is that with a glass carafe you can see and stop it when it reaches an early boil if you wish, e.g. for tea, rather than buying a much more expensive hotpot where you specify the end-point temperature. The small base can remain plugged in when you lift off the carafe to pour the hot water. The carafe’s design is very nice; blue LED light comes on while it is heating up, shuts off when it reaches a boil. I guess they figured we have enough beeps in our kitchens already, this has no beep to signal it’s done — only shortcoming if that’s an issue; I find it boils so quickly that it gives me just enough time to get a mug, prep A french press with coffee, etc that I don’t mind. Note, this is ETL listed. Says very emphatically, “do not immerse in water” so certainly no dishwashing either — not a problem as I can see. Shouldn’t use abrasive cleaners on it; if lime/calcium deposits occur from your water supply, run IT with a bit of vinegar or cream of tartar. Manual says you should unplug this when not in use, perhaps because it’s fairly easy to hit the “power on” lever which is on the bottom of the carafe’s handle. Handle stays perfectly cool even with repeated use, but of course the glass is as hot as whatever is behind it. White markings are only on one side of the carafe, a negative point if you hold it in left hand while filling (I would take a sharpie and carefully draw three little dots...) One reviewer complained you need to squeeze two tabs to open top of pot... note, that is not needed when pouring only when refilling pitcher, and I have found it not to be too big a problem, no different than every tea kettle or hot pot I have ever had. I bought this not because I needed it, but because using this will somewhat reduce my carbon footprint, for daily teas and coffees, also if I use it to quickly boil water for cooking (pour the boiling water into a pot on stove, can’t cook in this thing) and it’s faster than a gas stove too. A sort of first step before the expensive plunge into induction cookware. Regardless of why you buy this, if you’re the sort of person who takes delight in nicely designed, styled, and functional items, you’re going to like this. If I encounter any flaws or problems, I will return and edit this, so if you find no notes below it means it’s still working well without problems for me.