Panasonic NC-EH22PC Water Boiler 2.3-Quart with Temperature Selector

The NC-EH30PC a first rate appliance that delivers terrific convenience and safety--it does what good technology is supposed to do, which is make our lives easier and better. I already dig it and rely on it. There are small considerations and oversights in use and design, however, that keep me from giving it 5 stars.First, the pros:The unit itself is a high quality appliance. Nothing feels cheap or flimsy, and I can tell that our little kettle replacement will be with us for a long time. The inner chamber, the "binchotan," is a heavy duty, non-removable heating lining that feels like a cross between heavy ceramic and teflon. Take a look at the picture I took--it's pretty thick, tough stuff, and unless you have unusually hard water or never clean the thing, there's no way it's going to flake or rust. It heats water like a sealed electric heater should, quickly and efficiently. I particularly like the way it opens and seals: you just push the little lever to open it, click it closed when it's full, and it's good and shut. It seals in heat, and keeps it that way, unlike kettles. Energy efficiency is a real plus here. So is safety; our old kettle dripped, as do many kettles when you overfill them or don't put the lid on right. That problem is obviated by our lovely little Panasonic. Kettles are the equivalent of rabbit ear TV antennas compared to this baby. It has buttons that are easy to push, a safety lock/unlock button that isn't inconvenient in the slightest, and it dispenses water as warm or as hot as you like on demand. We haven't spilled a drop, something I can't say about any kettle. It makes good horse sense bringing your tea or coffee cup to the source, rather than the other way around. Oatmeal, French press, whatever--our mornings have a bit less bustle now. Neat! Oh, and it has a swiveling base, so it rotates. Not exactly necessary, but still a plus. I put the Coke next to it for size reference. The 3.2 is just right for our family of three.Now to the reasons I'm deducting a star (albeit reluctantly, because they're a bit nitpicky):It doesn't come in any other colors. White doesn't go with our stainless/black themed kitchen, and it sticks out. Both figuratively and literally, in fact--because it's a little oval to accommodate the spout overhang, it takes up a bit more counter space than I'd like. It would be better if it were a little wider and shallower (I did say that I'm nitpicking.) When it comes to functionality and programming, though, there's a bit of a learning curve. Push a button and get hot water, yes--but which button, how long, and how hot takes a little practice. Example: there are four temps, 140º, 180º, 190º, and boiling, 208º. But when you plug it in, it goes right for boil, then defaults to 190º. I don't always want that. Also, it takes a long time to go down from hot to warm. Laws of thermodynamics, I realize. But the led lights blink a lot, depending on what the unit's up to, and I'm still getting used to getting it not to boil when I only want 180º. Another little ding is that it doesn't have an off switch. Does it need one? Maybe not, since I usually just leave the thing on (and don't be afraid to do this--it's what an on-demand water heater is for.) However, I don't always want to unplug something when I'm not going to use it for a couple of days. A coffee maker is off unless you turn it on; why should this be any different? One more design detraction is the six hour timer. You'll get six and like it. That means it's not a timer you can adjust. I can't go to bed at 9 and set it to heat at 5. Hardly a big deal, since I leave it on a lot anyway, but still. A little more versatility and ease of programming would be useful. A couple more whines: the max fill line inside is a bit hard to see. Check the photo. It's there, but I need good light or glasses to make sure. The unit also needs to be fairly full for the pump to really give you a good spout of water; if it dips to a quart or so, the water comes out like it needs a prostate exam. The steam vent in the back of the lid puts out lots of steam, too, something I didn't think about until I saw it humidifying the bottom of our wooden cabinets. Better reserve a spot where it can vent without obstruction.So, should you buy it? Yep. It's definitely worth it, it's fun, and it will immediately deliver hot water, safety, and convenience. Your kooky friends will adore it when they come over for tea. Just be ready to play with it a little while to get the hang of the temp and time of the water you want.UPDATE, Five months later:OK, I'm adding another star. This unit isn't just safe and convenient, it has altered our lifestyle for the better. My wife and I love an afternoon beer or glass of wine, but with the Panasonic at hand, we've been drinking more tea. Thus, we've created a healthier, cheaper habit that is become a treasured routine, one from my British heritage: Teatime. Having immediate hot water has helped us, not with convenience (which we Americans often have a bit too much of), but with routine and elegance. Also, sorry about the prostate gag...I'm a man approaching 50, after all. And it's not the case. If you're too daft to notice the water level is too low, then it's your own silly fault. The machine performs flawlessly.I can't imagine not having this little baby around. It has really added to our afternoons and evenings, and I think you'll be delighted with the change it brings too.

I purchased this some time ago so we have been using it since the end of April 2013. The reason why I bought this was to fill up thermoses to heat them in the mornings before school for my kids who take their lunches daily.But I'm also a big tea drinker, and I was always forgetting the water I put into the microwave to heat. Then I would reheat it and still forget about it. Well I don't have that problem anymore. Now when I want a cup of my favorite tea, the water is always hot and ready. This is fabulous!My husband who only makes coffee at home on the weekends uses a French Press for his freshly ground beans. Well now he doesn't have to wait to heat water in the microwave oven anymore either for that. The water is always hot and ready for him, and finds the 190` temp option is perfect for his coffee as well as tea. We both enjoy tea in the evenings most nights.So if your thinking of buying one of these, get this one. When I was looking for one, I read a lot of reviews and didn't want to break the bank one one and didn't want to get a cheap one either. This one was perfect. I selected their larger size one and I'm glad I didn't get the smaller one. It lasts us a couple of days depending on water usage, but it's nice to have the how water ready at hand when it's needed. It's easy to fill and operate.UPDATED October 10, 2013I just thought I would take a moment and post an update. We have been using this pot for about 6 months now and it gets used almost daily and more often on the weekends. Of course it will get more heavy use in the winter months after the kids come in from the cold and want something warm to drink. It's still going strong and works perfectly. I still love it now as much as I did right after it arrived. If the kids want a quick cuppa noodle soup they don't have to wait to boil water in the microwave anymore or to make a cuppa tea or cocoa. It's really handy when they aren't feeling good either and want soup or tea. The hubby drinks his coffee using a French Press coffee pot and this is perfect for him. No more waiting for hot water, he can just grind his beans and has hot water at his fingertips to steep his coffee. Plus the water is the right temp as well for his coffee.If you are thinking about buying one this is a good one to get. I fear the smaller one would be just to small, and I really like this size. It also fits nicely on the counter-top as well.HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!Above info has not been changed.EDITED ..... it's now August 1, 2015 and we still use this water boiler most days of the week for one reason or another. We still love it, and works perfectly. As stated above we have been using it since the end of April 2013.

I bought this as a replacement for a previous model Panasonic 3 quart. We've had for about a month and so far it's been doing it's job great. So far my only qualm is that it automatically boils at a default of 190 F. It's not much trouble if you never unplug it to fill but I always do.I have high hopes that this item lasts an equal amount of time (8+ years) as the previous model.

Been using this boiler for quite some time now. We decided to go with one of these instead of a kettle as we tend to use boiling water several times a day and don't need to go boil water each time.Works as advertised, no issues at all.

Purchased for home use. Very efficient little machine. Does a great job at heating and keeping my water to the set temperature. Does not leave a taste in my water. It's very much used and loved in my tea drinking coffee household!

I bought one for our office over a year ago and it works great. We have severely hard water at our office so it did succumb to that as do all other kettles and coffee pots, but while it working it was fantastic and the staff loved it so much we had to get another.

great unit wish it was bigger