It’s easier to list the shortcomings first, because there are so few:
1. It isn’t a gooseneck, so pour-over enthusiasts may want to look elsewhere. That said, I use it for pour over and I’ll be honest for my Neanderthal palate it works just fine.
2. It isn’t tunable down to the single degree. I’ve had kettles that were, and frankly I always used the presets anyway. This has nice, tactile buttons for the presets, and it feels like they’ll stand the test of time (online reviews seem to support that theory).
3. It isn’t glass so you can’t see immediately how much water is in it. Oh no you have to open the lid. How sad. (Note that the glass level tube on the side will also tell you how much is in it, but only if it’s at least a quarter full and even then it’s pretty hard to read, so this is probably a legitimate complaint)

That’s pretty much it as far as complaints go. It gets hot as fast or faster than any kettle I’ve had before. It looks fine, utilitarian but hardly an eyesore. It pours easily and cleanly without any drips running down the side. It holds a nice large volume of water so you can get pasta water started in it if you’re still using a burner, but does so without having a large footprint eating up precious counter space. (This last one was why I went with this over the gooseneck version, which holds a smaller volume)

Like I said in the title, pretty much the perfect generic kettle.

I wish there was a way to do 4.75 stars. This tea kettle is great, but is just a little bit shy of five stars.

Pros: stainless steel side and lid. I have broken too many glass kettles or kettles with plastic lids. I feel much more confident that this is almost unbreakable. No more cracking the lid when I lift up the kettle and accidentally hit the bottom of my kitchen shelf. Another pro is the temperature selection. My husband can use the French press option for his coffee, and I can use the black tea option for my tea. Works perfectly.

Cons: The exterior of the electric kettle can get SUPER hot, so if you have small children (like I do) you need to take time to educate them about not touching the water kettle. Or keep it out of reach so that they don't accidentally hurt themselves. The second con is that the "off" feature is confusing. The start button supposedly functions as an off button as well, but I feel like everytime I turn the kettle off, it will turn back on and go back to the warm setting and reheat to the pre-selected temperature. It's not a big deal though, so that's why I think this electric kettle should get a 4.75 star rating. :)

This Kettle does what it is supposed to do which is boil water but I paid to much for this kettle to have bad experiences:

Pros: I gave it 2 stars because it boils water fast, there are 3 short beeps to let you know it is finished. I heard reports of 5 loud beeps that wakes folks in the other rooms but mines were 3 beeps and not loud at all. Maybe a slight softer than a microwave.

Cons: Black spots on the bottom of the kettle after 1 use - even after emptying the kettle after use. I tried boiling the white vinegar but that didn't work. I used cold tap water from the facet.

Con #2: Kettle is hard to clean the inside. Opening is too narrow and you will have to use a baby bottle cleaner to clean inside but you cannot see as you clean it. I wish the top had a bigger opening so I could stick my hand in to clean.

I really wanted to like it but the black spots at the bottom scared me and I didn't want to develop any health issues from the spots or material the kettle is made of. Someone told me I should invest in a water filter or buy distilled water and use that instead of tap. I paid too much $84 for this kettle from Macy's to have to purchase another device or water just to make tea. Once again, I boil water using a pot for tea or I just put water in a cup and heat it in the microwave.

We purchased this Cuisinart kettle to simplify tea and French Press preparation. The kettle warms the full amount of water to boil much faster than the gas stove top using a traditional tea kettle and if not full, even faster.

I did NOT notice an odd smell as others have noted. I recommend that you rinse it thoroughly and boil one batch of water first.

This kettle is easy to rinse out. My only concern is not to get the control panel, bottom of the pot, or the base wet. Per the instructions, you are not to get them wet. The filter is easy to remove, clean, and reinstall.

As for temperature accuracy and keep warm ability it was very accurate for my needs.

Below are the actual temperatures from my "Thermapen" for each setting.

Setting Themapen

160 = 159

175 = 172

185 = 184

190 = 192

200 = 197

Boil = 212

These were one-time measurements so no averages. Scientific enough for my demonstration.