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. :)

I love the pre-set temps. Using this a few times it’s easy to understand the functions & lights. (Setting down full kettle = all previously selected functions light up, then pressing Start = Blinking = heating up to pre-lit or pre-selected temp), pressing Start again will shut it off. It’s design is simple & practical. The octopus gives it personality. The pic faces the pouring side. The spout is large enough to fill with water from a faucet without overflowing. It pours nicely. Mine is developing some deposits already (hard water) I haven’t attempted to remove this yet w/vinegar etc. I find the kettle to be lightweight. The base has a stem that fits into the kettle which sometimes (mornings) it’s a bit of sliding around to get this seated. The lid is plastic. I’m not happy about this. Less plastic is better. I’m including a pic of the interior (inner lid is open & black) that shows a couple other items that are plastic that will come into contact w/your hot water. I dislike the plug. The plug, it’s huge, maybe twice a standard size. I’ll include a pic. I’m generally happy with this purchase but honestly I thought I’d like it more.

I love Cuisinart and we love kraken/octopus so decor wise, LOVE the kettle. Usage wise, not as much. We make 2 French Presses of coffee daily & 2 pitchers loose leaf steeped iced tea so the kettle is used full 4 times daily. Other kettles are easier to see when filled with water. This has the gauge under the handle so can't see as well. Other kettles have the lights go out when water ready and we can see that through the kitchen window whilst on our patio. This one has the small lights on the top of handle go out but the much larger blue light stays on & even after pouring water & returning kettle, it is on for 5 minutes so that "nightlight" feature takes some getting used to...and why? what is the purpose of that? It beeps 5 times when the water is ready but we can only hear that outside when the kitchen window is open. We don't really use the 'keep warm' feature because that is more for those doing individual cups of tea or oatmeal or something.