Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm reviewing all issues we wanted to know since I had to read though many reviews to find as much information on this unit as we could before purchase. Product is made in China, as many things are these days. From what I have read the plastic used in this unit it BPA free Packaging properly done, shipped in larger Amazon box and the unit is encased in molded cardboard inside of the colored/pictured product box. I would expect that breakage on this unit would be low in shipping, which is what you want. Unit worked perfectly after the unpacking. There had been reviews stating some of the LED bulbs did not work, but on this unit they all work. There is an initial "new product" smell which I'm not sure was from the plastic molded handle or top or somewhere else. We filled water to the line and ran through the cycle of heating, after 6 times the scent was no longer evident and the water tasted "fresh". I would suggest this on ANY unit similar to these anyway. We are very cautious of everything we purchase for possible chemicals that we can avoid. The top IS plastic so to avoid and possible chemical reaction we leave the lid open when heating, although I have read that the plastic top is BPA free. One thing we did notice is the automatic "shut off" takes much longer on this unit to stop than any previous water heater we have owned. It was the same length of time whether the lid was open or closed, the water boiled for around 90 seconds before shutting off. Not sure if this is how it's designed or not, just keep that in mind. You MAY have to shut off manually. The lid has 2 side buttons which have to be pushed in to open so there is a sufficient seal if you leave the top closed. There appears to be nothing but the glass and stainless metal heating base that actually come in direct contact with the water as it's heating. This is the reason we purchased this model, the heating element base is sealed onto the glass bottom. The lights add a VERY nice appearance, which my wife loves. I think it looks great as well, it appears like something I would see in a "Star Trek" movie. The only issue which caused me to give 4 stars and not 5 was the cord and plug. This have a fairly thin electrical cord ending in a 2 prong plug. EVERY unit we have bought has come with 3 prong plugs with thick insulated electrical cords. The reason I question this is the wattage that this unit consumes is quite high, 1500 watts. The cord gets quite warm during heating. I don't believe that's a major issue since it will not be operating for longer than 3 minutes or so at a time. There are notations on similar units to not leave water in the unit continuously, we try to adhere to this since these are not "aquariums". I'm sure that however it is sealed between the steel and glass in the base, over time they will all leak and emptying them after use will hopefully prolong their life. We are in Florida with VERY hard water, so we use Vinegar or Lemon Juice to wipe down the inside every 2 weeks on these water heaters. There is nothing else that can be done on this issue that I'm aware of outside of installing a water softener which we don't want again, ever!! We are quite pleased with this product and would buy again. I can't speak to durability since it is new, but will update here if any issues arise. We only drink hot or warm water and tea, so units like these get used in our home frequently. For the price of this unit, I don't think you could any better.