I like the glass pot and I like the ring of ...
340119
At this time I've only had the VonShef about a month, but it works well. It heats water very quickly, much quicker than a microwave or stove top would. It does have a metal bottom, which is not a concern for me as it might be for others.  I like the glass pot and I like the ring of lights that comes on at the bottom when it is heating.  The bottom rim of the kettle does not get hot, nor does the handle or lid.  It is cool on the bottom of the base so you can place it anywhere.  I have not tested the shut-off when it runs dry.

It is heavier and bigger than I thought, but that is not a fault. The reason I did not rate it 5 stars is because I don't like the position of the on/off switch.  The button that opens the lid is right next to the on/off switch.  On occasion I have flipped open the lid when I wanted to turn the kettle off, which resulted in some escape of hot steam.  It didn't do any harm, but it is a design fault I thought I'd mention.

I think this kettle would be great for a small office or for  someone  who uses a lot of hot water during the day as it holds a pretty good capacity.  I think it would be helpful for canning so you don't have to heat gallons of water on the stove top, or just to hurry up heating water on the stove for pasta, etc.
86430
I love having an all glass teapot.  I wish it were wider so it fit on the gas burner grate better.  I also wish the lid were glass.  I don't like boiling water with the silicone and plastic coated bamboo on top.  So I boil with no lid, which is fine enough.  The cap readily starts to come apart.  The teapot is  light which makes it more comfortable to lift when full of water.  I don't find it to be fragile, I believe it's a lightweight sturdy form of glass.
4886572
Been using it everyday for months.  The stainless looks great and it is built like a tank.  Minimal grounds make their way into the pot.  I guess the one weak point like people have said is the plastic top.  I will replace with a glass one whenever I need to.
2952961
I have concerns about the thinness of the glass. I can't imagine it lasting very long before it is broken. I will have to baby it and keep it in its box. The tea I made with the tea pot has been excellent.
4847273
I already have a pot with the same straining system.  It's so incredibly convenient I can't imagine buying a pot without it now.  That's why I got this one recently.  However, the lid for this pot doesn't fit as well as the other one, which limits the usefulness of the straining system because of that little gap at the edges.  (I wonder how well the Oneida pot system fits.)  Overall, it's still a great pot for the price with very cool features.
3065704
This is a very nice looking looking glass teapot with lots of decorations and topped with a colored butterfly on the lid. Maximum water/tea is 24 ounces.

The infuser is nicely slotted for brewing tea leaves.

I suggest you take the top off when pouring (or at least hold it in place) so that it doesn't fall off as it is a bit loose.

The biggest downside I can see is that it seems very fragile. One accidental hit could crack it, so definitely handle with care as it says. On the plus side it is a very clear glass so you can easily see very clearly through it. You can put it in the dishwasher on the top rack.

Here's how I made my first pot of tea:
1. Measured about 15 ounces of filtered water and put into an electric water boiler. I highly recommend spring or filtered water and not straight tap water. DO NOT put the pot on the stove top and heat it that way.
2. When it was finished boiling, I poured the water into the teapot.
3. I then dropped in a blooming tea pod and waited for it to fully bloom (a few minutes). NOTE: I did not use the infuser for this. The pods I used are these:&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Tea-Beyond-FLS-3SET-BLF2100-12-Pack-Fab-Flowering-Blooms-Tea/dp/B00EIJ5MA2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Tea Beyond FLS-3SET-BLF2100 12-Pack Fab Flowering Blooms Tea</a>
4. I then poured the tea, waiting for it to cool a little, and then drank slowly to enjoy the flavor. There was plenty for my wife to have a cup as well. You may want to carefully remove the bloom when it's done brewing but if you leave it in then it will continue to brew.

The teapot is made in China, in case that matters to you.

Overall 5 stars... a very nice teapot that can make for a good gift, just handle with care.

NOTE: I was sent a free product sample for review. I was not paid or told what to write.
4331959
I love it but it is easy to knock over. Which I have done, so this one is in the china cabinet. I love the little ring on the pot and it is taller than some of the ones I have.
3849323
Overall it's a decent teapot. It pours nicely, and the infuser keeps the leaves in. The one issue I had was with the stand; the one I got (stainless steel) was not connected properly between the vertical support ring and the base. Not too big of an issue, but the metal is a bit loose.
2915790
I like the pot, downside of washing it in the dishwasher is water will go into the handle so you'll constantly have to drain it out after each cleaning.  Otherwise it's great and ruggid.
2238998
This product actually seems sturdier than the "loop-style" handle that was on my Crock-Pot lid when I purchased it years and years ago. It's a decent size and the finger guard is a nice touch. (Though making it all one-piece would be even better!)

While this product does suit my needs it does leave a lot of room for improvement:
1. Sell it in singles. When I ordered it I contacted some friends and family to try to find a home for the second one. I only have the one Crock Pot and it only needs one knob. I will likely be just getting rid of the second one as I will lose it before it is ever needed again anyway (that's if it is ever needed again).
2. As mentioned in my section, make the knob and the finger guard a single piece. I don't see any reason (aside from perhaps options and flexibility) for the product to be made in two parts in the first place.
3. This is my biggest issue: LENGTHEN THE SCREW (or maybe include two sizes).  It isn't long enough to go through the glass of the standard Crock-Pot lid, the finger guard, and the knob. (Maybe this is why the knob and the guard are separate parts?)
4. The screw should also be long enough to go through a small rubber or plastic washer that is included on most Crock-Pot lids or come with a replacement for that as well. The washer is there to distribute the pressure from the head of the screw across a larger surface area so it doesn't shatter glass lids at their weak point (the hole in the middle). Not accounting for this is a HUGE oversight in the design of the product.

Notes: I am going to try to find a different screw so that I can use the finger guard, but for now it's far better than the broken handle I had before.
4933780
This is a very nice pot.  I like to direct the water over my coffee so the spout works well for that. The movable handle makes it easy to fill. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that sometimes it doesn't "whistle". I found out that if the top is not tight, that will affect the whistle, but even when tight, there are times when it does not whistle
1996662
This coffee maker is the one for me. The main reason I got it was that it is not made of glass. I had a glass one and you can guess what happened to that one.
I like the size and the feel of it. It fits perfectly on the door in the fridge. I like that the lid seals when closed, so if you accidentally tip it over it doesn't spill. I like making my cold brew in small batches and the size of this pot is right for me.
The part for the coffee is nice size and the coffee comes out smooth and without bitterness.
I am very satisfied with this product.
1815641
I was immediately impressed with the beauty of this French Press coffee maker. I have used it to brew coffee and also loose leaf tea.

I appreciate the double walled cafetiere as it protects my hands from burning and keeps the beverage hot. I find the coffee and tea infuses well and the pot is easy to clean. My only concern is that the glass handle feels a little delicate. I understand that borosilicate glass is sturdy when it comes to withstanding high heat (according to an article I read in Consumer Reports -- not about this specific product), but I am just a little concerned how well thin borosilicate glass will last as a handle on a coffee pot. I will update my review if I find it doesn't last long.

With the one slight concern, I do recommend this for people looking for an attractive tea or coffee pot. I like the mix of glass and bamboo as I currently use a lot of bamboo items in the kitchen.

I received this pot free to review. All opinions and experiences described are my own.
4376510
I do like the pot.
The instructions don't tell you, but wash it out. They don't clean it after seasoning and there's a black soot in it.

Inverting the lid to put coals in is handy. I don't even bother with coals underneath. Some around half the circumference is enough. But the lid will dip into the pot contents which decreases the advertised volume.

I can go to 4 stars because the lid offers a viable, although clumsy to use, frying pan.

I don't think I would try to put this pot on a hanger, but sitting atop a rock is good enough.

It probably best suits the enthusiast who wants it because it's cast iron.
But it does still provide that nice even heat throughout. What's hot on the bottom is just about as hot on all sides.
2231852
Very nice; however I wasn't to fond of the pot. It is very small, I'm going to have to invest in a nice flower pot to put it in. Definitely worth the price tho.
3899265
I love this little pot but for cleaning and drying purposes it would be great to be able to remove the bottom plastic part. The pot is much smaller than I thought but still fits 3 mugs full of tea, which is sufficient for my purposes. I'm not sure how much longer the little jacket keeps the tea warm. I use it and believe it helps, I have previously used pots that come with a holder and a tea light to keep the tea warm. The strainer in the middle is super helpful and very dense for finer teas.
234637
Our old, plastic pot finally quit working, and so we took some time to look into the options available now. We didn't like that the old pot was plastic, and we decided that stainless steel is preferable to glass so far as leeching chemicals into the water is concerned. We see that this pot has (at this moment) over 1,400 reviews and that the vast majority are very positive, so we decided to go for it.

There are several things which we like about this new pot.

1. The first and most important (to us) is that there is only stainless steel in contact with the water or water vapor. Several other reviews already mention this, but even the inside of the lid is stainless steel. There is also no seam in the metal. It's a single, solid piece (i.e. nowhere for a leak to spring).

2. Speaking of the inside of the pot, the coils are not visible. They must be below the bottom of the inside, as the inside is a seamless, clean stainless steel finish. We haven't done it yet, but removing buildup in this pot should be a breeze without the coils to contend with.

3. Another important point is that the outside of this pot doesn't get hot, only the inside. We're not too clumsy, but it's nice to not worry about this aspect. It probably also means that the water will maintain its temperature for a longer time, but we didn't test it as that's not an important point for us.

4. The pot may be placed on the base in any orientation, as nothing needs to line up except for the single, round post in the center. Our old pot required being placed in a precise orientation in order to fit on the base, and the handle of the pot was therefore always inconveniently (to us) positioned.

5. The cord isn't too long. At 36", it might be too short for some. For us, it's just the right length, and we don't have to bundle any of it in order to keep the counter top neat. It also winds up onto the bottom of the charging base -- nice.

6. On this pot, pressing the release button causes the lid to pop and stay open. On our old pot, one needed to hold the release lever in order to hold the lid open, making filling the pot with water slightly challenging. On this one, the lid stays open while filling, and a very light push causes it to snap closed.

7. Most pots, including our old one, do shut off once the water boils. This one also does this, as expected, but it should be mentioned here as an important feature. There's no need to worry or babysit this pot, it'll shut off when ready.

The lone negative on this pot, for us, is that it's a bit on the noisy side. I think that the cause of the noise is the coils being below the actual water tank. As a result, the bottom of the pot needs to heat up and in turn heat the water. The sound we're hearing is very much like the noise of a pot with water heating up on the stove. We considered returning the pot for just this reason, but after a few uses, this noise doesn't bother us as much and we're no longer annoyed. Since the source of the noise seems to be the design with the coils not being in direct contact with the water, we also decided that the trade-off is worth it. It will be easy to clean the buildup off of the inside of this pot. There is no fan, motor or other noise-making hardware on this pot.

It's made in China, so there's no telling how long it will last. We do like the looks and function of this pot, though, and we feel comfortable giving it a high recommendation.