After reading reviews and comparing products we decided on this unit largely due to the 2 minute setting memory feature when the pot is removed, and that it defaults to the Keep Warm cycle automatically. Typically either myself or my wife will get up an hour or so before the other and wanted to have the pot ready for the other. I had concerns about comments that because of the size and curve of the handle that it was more difficult to lift and pour compared to some others. My wife has very small, almost child sized hands and not a lot of hand strength. Neither my wife or I had any difficulty and find it entirely comfortable to hold and control the pour. It seems to me the width of the handle may allow for a meatier grip and less likely to slide in the hand than some others. I also had concerns about the lettering coming off as reported in reviews, which was an easy fix which I describe in detail below. This is the first kettle we've had so I can't speak from much experience, but according to reviews this heats up as fast or slightly faster than most others. I think this is largely a factor of the wattage rating of the heater element and little else. In any case it is faster than a stove or low power microwave. We have a small under counter microwave, but I suspect a single cup in a high power microwave may be equally fast if not faster than heating up a similar or larger amount in the kettle. Obviously the more water there is in the kettle the longer it takes to heat. However, I suspect larger volumes would be faster in the kettle compared to a large volume in a high power microwave. Either way the kettle allows you to use the microwave for other cooking and collectively work more efficiently to save time. There seems to be only a few seconds difference between heating times of competing models of the same wattage which seems pretty obvious to expect, and largely irrelevant. However, one factor I didn't expect with this product that could affect this; lack of insulation. The more insulation, the faster it's likely to heat, the longer it would stay at temperature and the less energy it would use to stay hot. For some reason I expected this to be a dual wall insulated pitcher - it is not! This is single wall stainless steel which is quick to conduct heat. This has five negative consequences; the two I just mentioned, and; it gets hot to the touch; it is comparatively noisy; and it's a little room heater in summer, though that may be an advantage in winter. While I didn't find the noise really any worse than boiling water in a pot on the stove, it is noticeable in the room. I would expect a double wall product would be quieter if that's important to you. A quick touch of the pot at the maximum temperature did not leave a burn, but it was painfully uncomfortable and I wouldn't want to inadvertently use my other hand to hold the side to support the weight while pouring... I expect that could leave a mark. The pot sounds a single beep with each button press, selecting temp, start and/or turning off keep warm, and three beeps when the heat cycle is complete. They're clearly audible but I would not characterize them as loud. I believe I saw a link in these reviews for instructions, that are not in the product manual, to turn that off if it bothers you. It's a non-issue for us. I find it's easy to clean and it's possible to fit my average man sized hand in to scrub mineral buildup from the bottom. Stainless is easy to wipe clean, durable and scratch resistant compared to plastics, though prone to finger prints and smudges as it typical of any stainless appliance. I like being able to easily open the lid in hand, with one hand, after lifting the pitcher off the base -not possible with some competing products. Be careful positioning this under cabinets. This, probably like most other kettles, emits a significant amount of steam. While it wasn't initially obvious, the underside of our wood cabinets was soaking wet and literally dripping. This would result in significant damage to your cabinets over time, particularly if like most, your cabinets are made of particle board as is required by Code in many areas. Ensure it sits away from upper cabinets! We've not had this long enough to require service, but from previous experience with Cuisinart I would agree with comments regarding their warranty support; essentially 'customer no support'. If it breaks, return to seller in 30 days or buy another IMO. Cuisinart Support is not good and I wouldn't buy anything from them or any similar 'no-support company if you can avoid it or unless you have a compelling reason. According to other reviews there may be reliability/"safety" issues with this model, but speaking generally, keep in mind that people often over exaggerate and suggest bursting into flames, electrical fires and other such nonsense with electrical products. This simply isn't the case 99.9999% of the time. Where there's smoke, there is rarely fire. This is the nature of all electrical or electronic devices. Components may overheat, smoke and blacken, melt, etc. but rarely if ever get hot enough to result in an open flame. Typically the process of overheating results in the component failing entirely and breaking the circuit and it simply stops working. With that said, any product with a heating element which fails in a constant on state, such as this product, is a concern and may result in damage to the device or the surrounding area such as counters or cabinets. This unit has had issues reported so buyer beware. Place in your kitchen accordingly. If your counters are wood or plastic resin or even stone, consider a trivot or piece of tile under it. I don't believe this is a common occurrence, but the issue with this not shutting off shouldn't happen unless corners are being cut. Decide if you're willing to tolerate their support, but also consider if the 'other' product you would consider would be any different. I've had the same poor support, coverage avoidance, hidden disclaimers or limited coverage, charging substantially for shipping to and or from the manufacturer, hidden handling fees, etc from many of the top appliance companies too. For something you'll probably use multiple times a day, possibly your most used appliance, is ~$70 really that much, or to consider disposable even if it only lasts a year or so? I don't think so, but opinions will vary. Button Lettering: I have seen many high end products which have their lettering simply painted or decaled on. Universally you can expect this to wear off in a short time or stripped off entirely from various cleaning products. This certainly applies to this product as well. Usually you can mitigate this by simply spraying several coats of clear coat urethane over it. I use/used Behlen Master Jet Spray Lacquer Finish clear satin for most applications but you may want to consider a gloss product depending on the item's finish. Satin seemed to be the perfect match for this product and resulted in an undetectable factory new appearance. Other products may work equally well of course. This took less than 10 minutes to do. Be aware this may void your warranty if discovered. Steps: 1) Use painter's masking tape to mask off the buttons. 2" worked well. Put a strip of tape parallel to the handle right down the middle over the lid open and button panels. 2) Press the tape down and work you fingernail or small object around the perimeter of the panels to define the gap between the buttons and the frame of the handle. Reposition the tape as needed. Make sure there are no wrinkles around the panels and that the tape is essentially flat against the handle. 3) Use a razor blade or similar knife to trace the gap around the panel and remove the tape over the panels. You can use the gap created by the buttons themselves and carefully, with less pressure on the knife over the plastic connector portions of the trim insert frame, and try to just cut through the tap
