Side by Side Comparison of: Panasonic vs Zojirushi

Drink tea? Coffee? Or just need hot water for whatever?Yes! I had this for about a year now and I still love it. Honestly, if you spend as much time as I do boiling water, it's a chore and drinking tea gets old real quick.It's amazing to just have boiling hot water readily available. So much time saved!With this, I can have coffee or tea in a few. Pretty much what EVERYONE probably would do. Right?I don't just use it for coffees and teas though... Sometimes I don't have time to eat so I settle for instant ramen and even that its pretty much ready in about 2-3 minutes.I also heat up pouched curry, thaw frozen edamame (shelled), oatmeal, quick soups, and the list goes on...Truly one of those "money well spent" items!

I came across this product while searching for a traditional style electric water kettle.. The issue I kept running into was the "keep warm" settings on almost all of the water kettles only went up to an hour at the most. I really wanted something that could keep water hot for a longer period of time (at least a few hours). This Panasonic fit the bill! I've been using it about a week and love the fact that I have hot water whenever I like it.The only "con" compared to electric tea kettles is that the boil time is significantly slower (this takes about 30 minutes where an electric kettle takes about 5). But the tradeoff is that you leave this unit running all of the time and you have hot water at the touch of a button.So if you are a big tea drinker or you like the idea of hot water available all of the time I would go for this unit or a similar one. If you occasionally drink tea or need hot water go for one of the cheaper alternative electric kettles.

I quite like this hot pot for all of the reasons people have mentioned in positive reviews. I just wanted to chime in to say that the highly "helpful" review that complain of rust may not, in fact, be rust.The manual says to clean once every few months by boiling a solution of citric acid and water. The entire interior is like a big charcoal filter that captures minerals and impurities before dispensing, and citric acid pulls those minerals out and restores the interior to a clean, fresh state. None of the popular reviews complaining of rust that I've seen have mentioned doing this step.I did, and after building up white film on the sides and substantial reddening of the bottom, my citric acid cleaning made the pot look new again. This isn't to say all complaints of rust are mistaken, but if they don't do this prescribed cleaning then they've failed to rule out the likely cause.I wish I'd taken a before photo, but it would have looked like a lot of the rust complaint photos. The attached photo is after the citric acid cleaning.And if the words citric acid scare you, stop drinking orange juice, because that stuff is FULL of it!

Traditional way to make hot water here in the US is to use an electric or gas stove pot, but that only helps for water you need at the moment. This boils water and maintains hot water temperature for as long as you need it and so the hot water you need is immediately available. Because it's 4 Liter size, you have enough hot water ready for you and your family for everything from making coffee, cup o noodle, to anything else. It has a safety feature to prevent accidents. My favorite part really is just having hot water constantly maintained at 190 degrees which works for most things you want to do and only downside to this product which I believe is a fault in all others similar to this is, there is no automatic ON/OFF schedule. But, I have remedied the issue with another product I had readily available which I have used with other appliances. I use a outlet timer which has programmable schedule and I have the boiler plugged into that and so outlet controller turns on in the morning when I wake up and shuts off when I goto work, and turns on when I get home and turns off when I goto bed. It's just a small investment about $10 which you can buy at amazon or homedepot which improves this product quite a bit.

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 read the negative reviews but ordered this hot water pot anyway. It is exactly what I wanted because I drink a lot of hot and iced tea. I had an old Mr Cofee tea maker and while it heated up ok, it got dirty and had to be cleaned regularly. It was also a pain because I drink four to six cups of tea a day and the Mr Coffee only had enough water for two cups. I was constantly refilling the water cylinder.Those who had problems with sediment or rusting with this hot water pot should have notified Panasonic about the problems to see if they could help. It has a limited two year warranty. My tap water is full of hard water so I always use filtered water and check the pot for sediment. Take care of it like you would with a steam iron.There are so many uses for the pot I hadn't even thought of. It is wonderful for cooking when hot water is needed. Great for hot chocolate or for adding to condensed soup and of course for my beloved hot tea!!.I am so pleased with this product that even if it wears out in a year I would buy another one immediately. This pot will probably save me at least seventy dollars a year for electricity so it would virtually pay for itself.

This is the first hot water dispenser I got from Panasonic. I have been using another brand for the past 15 years. I have had it for a couple of weeks. It is working fine. The only thing I feel need improvement is the cover, which feels too think, and not solid. Hope it will last for a long time without issue. Therefore I am giving it a four star instead of five.Amazon offers greatest service. My first shipment got lost during shipment, and Amazon immediately sent me a replacement. After a few weeks USPS just located the first shipment and delivered it to me, which I will be sending back to Amazon.

Its a very efficient water boiler to always have it on with hot water at your service. We use it for instant hot water (Tea, hot chocolate and soup packets) I have no complaints except for one - I wish the inside tank was removable to easily discard and clean. Its uncomfortable to clean since you need the flap open... but overall I'm happy with the purchase.

A not well-known maxim: The older your mom gets, the less options you have for really good Mother's Day gifts. At least that's the way it is for Mom, now 91. So, when you find that your Mom is having trouble operating a microwave safely, you try to come up with some options that will work for her and let you sleep at night! This Water Boiler is helping! Mom now has hot water available all the time. She uses it to make her instant oatmeal, grits, and cream of wheat, instant rice, and hot chocolate and hot tea. She told me the other day she thought it might be her best Mother's Day gift ever. Whew! Mom is happy and my sis and I are happy too.

A good and excellent Thermo Hot water pot with safety features (hence the good house keeping seal). The carbon activated steel (I think) container inside does a great job in ensuring the water tastes fresh. I have a 5 stage water filter so I really cannot tell the difference in carbonizing the water for smell and taste. But is good to know that it is there if I need it.I would have given it a 5 stars if only if it had a capability to extend up to 12 hours on energy saving mode. It would also be nicer if the max temp can reach 2012 as well (some teas and coffees require that temp). On the overall, this product seems to be fairly well-built with good QC. Only time will tell. I am hoping for this Pot to last at least 2 years. The price was reasonable. However, I notice that the prices is heading north. If it becomes too pricey, then, it may lose it's competitive price heck.My wife and I have made many a teapots and so far enjoyed the convenience an the quality so far. I believe this is a good buy if the prices stays the same.

***EDIT Jan 2014*** Amazon tells me I bought this pot in April 2011. As of Jan 2014, I have got two sets of rust spots in my Panasonic hot pot. I have always been very careful with it, but we did move house last year, and I noticed the rust after the move. I consider it possible that either the finish got damaged during the moving process, the pot didn't like being left empty for a month in storage, or the water at our new home is somehow affecting the interior differently. (The water we have now has a stronger taste and more minerals. Using the same Brita filter pitcher does not result in the same quality drinking water.)I'm buying a new kettle, and honestly torn between the obvious value of this lower priced model, and the chance that a Zojirushi will last longer under what MAY be harsher conditions.*************ORIGINAL REVIEW***Since I got married to a person of Russian heritage, we've always kept an electric kettle on our counter. It's just common practice, similar to other tea drinking cultures, and I readily adapted to having hot water always available. We did a kitchen remodel in 2007 and I opted to install an under-sink electric hot water heater (by the big brand known for garbage disposals) as a convenience. My parents have had one of these in various houses over the past 20 years, and I knew the water taste suffered over time, but I desperately wanted to avoid counter-clutter in my new--but still small--kitchen. Since the new models of Insta-hot had added filtration to the boiler, I hoped the water would taste better.Fast forward a couple of years, and our electric boiler acquired that metallic taste that my parents' older units always had. Darn! So the quality of my tea went down, except for those times I boiled water on the stove or in the microwave, because I wasn't willing to replace the ~$400 unit on the built-in. A year after that, the built-in began to sputter and spit boiling water when you used it. Ouch! The plumber said turning the temp down might help (another hit to tea quality), or we could replace the unit. I pulled out our old electric kettle and cluttered up my counter again.But by this point, I was concerned about heating water in plastic containers, and there weren't any electric kettles available (late 2010/early 2011) without some plastic interior parts. Very frustrating. It was then that I decided to accept a non-stick interior (not my preference) but add the energy saving factor of a Japanese style electric thermal pot. Here's what decided me on this course of action:1) Built in systems cost too much and sacrificed too much water quality--both because they only have one temperature setting, and because the boiler degrades over time releasing a metallic taste.2) Electric kettles usually have plastic interior parts that come in contact with the water. They all seemed to over a year ago, but I think this has been addressed since. However, I also found myself boiling the kettle really, really, REALLY often. I drink tea and coffee, but also just hot water, all day long, and the water in the kettle cooled off quickly. I would routinely hit the button to boil, go do something else, then find I needed to re-boil the kettle when I remembered what I was intending to do in the first place. Quite a waste of energy.3) Thermal pots offered an energy saving advantage to a family like ours where hot water is used from first rising until just before bed. They also solved my "mommy brain" problem of serial re-boils.4) While some electric kettles offer temperature control, these settings seem more useful in a thermal pot that is sitting there waiting for me instead of a kettle I have to turn on every time I want water.We primarily need very hot (208 setting on the Panasonic NC-EH22PC 2.3 Quart Electric Thermal Hot Pot) water first thing in the morning to brew black tea. After breakfast, as I get the kids out the door to school, I switch to the 190 setting to let the pot cool a bit if I'm returning home shortly for housework. (I'll hit the 6 hour delay if I'm out for the day.) Late morning, I make my coffee, recently using the AeroPress which suggests 175F water, though I find the 190 setting on my NC-EH22PC to be ~182 F and the coffee tastes good. After lunch and a cup of darjeeling (still 190), I switch the pot to 180 (if my husband will be home early enough for green tea) or 140 (which is a pleasant drinking temperature for me.) I might boil the kettle again when I make dinner if a few cups of hot water will speed up preparations. When we go up to bed, I switch the temp back up to 208 but then immediately hit the 6 hour delay so I won't have to wait for my tea the next morning.* If our family all left for the entire workday, I think a quick-boil electric kettle would suit our needs perfectly well. You might consider a kettle over a thermal pot if this is your family's schedule. (But consider your hot drink needs for weekends!)* Similarly, in 10 months constant use, I've never wished my thermal pot had an on/off switch. We never turn it off under normal circumstances. I do empty the pot and dry it and leave it unplugged when we leave the house overnight or on vacation.* This kettle is fairly small, and I often fill it twice per day--after breakfast and after dinner. I prefer this to leaving a larger quantity of water to sit and boil over and over, but this is a personal preference. When my kids get old enough for frequent hot drinks, I'll probably prefer a much larger pot.* When I took a two night trip recently, I actually brought the thermal pot with me to our hotel. Yes, they had a coffee machine, but coffee-flavored, under-extracted tea is just foul. This kettle is compact enough to travel with... though I think I'll splurge on a compact (plastic--sigh) electric kettle like Bodum Bistro 34-Ounce Cordless Electric Water Kettle, Red before my next trip for even easier packing.* I liked the short height of this thermal pot because it can easily sit anywhere on my countertops without being too close to the upper cabinets which could get water-and/or heat-damaged by the top-rear steam vents. HOWEVER, the pump spout is correspondingly low on this short pot--about 6.25 inches above the counter. This is trivial for filling a mug or teapot, but only my Bodum Brazil 3 cup French Press Coffee Maker, 12 oz, Black can be filled with the thermal pot in its usual position at the back of the counter. If I want to fill my Aerobie AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker or my company-sized Bodum Chambord 8 cup French Press Coffee Maker, 34 oz., Chrome, I have to pull the unit right up to the edge of the counter and hold the receiving vessel below counter-height. This makes me nervous when my kids are underfoot, and is a factor to consider. The cord is sufficient to allow pulling the pot forward.* I still wish there were a thermal pot made without non-stick interior. I'm just not a fan of these chemicals, in production or in household use. On the reverse, I empty and wipe out my pot about once every week or two, and have had no build-up or deposits. (I use Brita pitcher-filtered Boston-area tap water.) There is nothing like the taste in the old, built-in boiler, but I do believe I taste a slight metallic residue when I drink hot water straight from the Panasonic NC-EH22PC. It is not enough to affect the taste of strong tea like the built-in system aftertaste was.* In 10 months of constant use, I've seen no evidence of rust on my pot. I wonder if some users got pots with scratched interiors to begin with?* I prefer to fill the pot with a pitcher, but, since I'm filtering with a pitcher already, this is just the easiest thing to do. I don't think I would like holding the pot under the tap in the sink, but I have a pull-out faucet, so I suppose that would be my filling method of choice if my water were filtered under the sink somewhere.* If I upgrade my thermal pot in the future, I will likely go to the top of the line Zojirushi CV-DYC40 Super VE 4-Liter Vacuum Electric Dispensing Pot which includes a battery backup for dispensing hot water without being plugged in to electric current. For daily use, my Panasonic is perfectly fine, but I've taken to setting up a small table to the side in my dining room during big dinners (Thanksgiving) or parties so hot water can be dispensed close to the table/action. In my hundred-year-old house, outlets are rarely conveniently located, so this set up puts the thermal pot down at kid-reachable level, again, making me a bit nervous, though my boys are old enough that this option isn't insanely dangerous anymore. (Toddler boys LOVE to push buttons, especially on things with flashing lights!)* Finally, I don't find the display confusing in the slightest, but I did read the manual when I got the pot, like I always do with new appliances. I think an average person should be able to understand what their pot is doing without too much mental effort.

My relatives have an equivalent Zojirushi model. The only difference is this one only has a 6 hour delay whereas the Zojirushi has a longer delay setting. It actually seems like the Panasonic insulates and holds the heat in better than the Zojirushi as it doesn't seem to reheat as often. I'm sure it would save a few pennies in power costs if I could delay it a little longer while I'm away at work all day but it isn't worth almost double the price to get that. That's the only reason for the 4 stars instead of 5. I actually like and prefer the nonstick interior and unless you've got hard water, you don't have to clean it as often as they suggest. It's over a month for mine being used every day and it doesn't look any different than when I bought it. I figure I'll clean it with lemon juice every other month.Note that you don't have to buy the special cleaning solution. Make your own citric acid with a half cup of lemon juice concentrate mixed in with the water and then run it through the cleaning cycle. If you use fresh lemons make sure you get the pulp out.Update 3 years later in 2012: Still working great. I clean it about twice a year as our water is already softened and we filter it before pouring into the boiler. One time after not running a cleaning cycle for over a year it stopped working in that it couldn't tell when to stop heating and overheated. I ran it through a cleaning cycle and it was fine after that. I suspect the thermometer had some calcium or other deposits built up on it.

This is not a smart water boiler as it keeps boiling water inside when temperature drops below certain set point. Ideally, it should just heat the water to maintain or raise the temperature to the set temperature. Keep boiling water is not as ideal. We finally stash this away and found another smarter one and been happy with the new one ever since.

I've chosen the 2.2 ml and was a little bit annoying to keep refilling with cold water. I should have chosen the 3.3ml or higher. The product was ok. The locking lid was at first hard to open to pour more cold water. Finally got the trick how to open it conveniently. The small flip that open the entire lid was somewhat shaky, It wiggles left and right as if it was loose (my previous hot pot for 15+ years of using everyday and up to the end doesn't do that). Also, it is hard to spot it the water level is low for it doesn't have any small red plastic round ball inside. to monitor.

I bought this boiler about 1 year ago. I like the 4 temperature modes. I like the sleep mode. It is a pretty good water boiler, but extended use might cause the pot to "rust" or produce brown flakes.Here's how I use the boiler:1. I filter tap water using a Brita water filter and then pour it into the boiler2. I leave the water inside the machineAbout 9-10 months in, I started noticing the small brown flakes. They tended to come out when the water hadn't been poured out for a while.After a few more months (and more flakes), I decided to get to the bottom of the issue. When I poured out most of the water, I noticed there were small cracks in the enamel on the surface. While the surface was still hot, I used a soft cloth to lightly wipe the bottom of the pot: a little bit of enamel rubbed off onto cloth. When the surface was cool, the enamel did not come off at all.Based on my usage (it runs 24/7 and we put it to sleep at night and when we leave the house for the day), I can't strongly recommend this pot. If you plan to use this pot less, it will probably work fine for years. I suspect that long-term use of the pot slowly weakens the enamel and causes it to start coming off.

Definitely not what I was looking for. I wanted an adjustable temperature tea kettle that would heat water to select able temperatures and a bonus would be if I could set the time it turns on in the morning.This item boils the water first so you always have boiled water...So if you are looking for water under 212 degrees...you have to wait for it to cool (at which point it beeps at you)The whole boil thing is maybe necessary outside the US, but it makes this annoying to use here.

Like the title says - this little guy was great for two years of frequent use. We use it daily, probably filling it up once a day, sometimes twice. We rinse/wash it (soft sponge, very little detergent, nothing abrasive) once a week or every other week, and use filtered water (britta) to fill it up. In the last month or two, it has started to output some black speckles, and when we washed the pot, larger pieces (like large snowflakes, but grey/black-ish) came out, and it looks like the inner coating is starting to loosen up and flake off or something. It's more noticeable right after the water has boiled (and is swirling around more), and sometimes nothing comes out, but it has gotten annoying enough that we are buying a new unit. This time we'll try the Zojirushi, and we'll upgrade to the larger capacity since we use it so much. For the price, and for the amount of use we got out of it, it's not too bad, but I do think Panasonic appliances usually lasts a little longer than this, so it was a bummer that we only got two years out of it.

Unit works as described and has many features that really make it a good buy. Unfortunately the user interface can be hard to understand as the same buttons are used to activate different features and it can be hard to understand exactly what features are currently in use. I have used this thermopot for about four months and have gotten used to the quirks. Overall, once you have the settings that you want dialed in you won't have to push any buttons except the dispense button, which makes the interface a lot more bearable.Things I wished that I would have know before buying:If you have hard water in your area make sure to buy some citric acid to clean it out. I have extremely hard water in my area and had to clean it every two weeks or so.Distilled water works even better in it and means that you will never have to clean it and it will last many years longer because the pump will not get clogged and overworked.The default temperature is 190F. It will always default to this temp when first powered on, or if you use the 6 hour delayed start.The thermopot will ALWAYS boil the water whenever it is started, or if you add more water to it.The temperature control is excellent, meaning that it stays within a few degrees of your set temperature.The bad news:If you live in an area that is considered high altitude you should not buy this product. I live at 7000 feet (2100 meters)and the thermopot will boil for about 45 minutes before it decides that it has boiled enough and it's time to cool down to the preset temperature. This means that half of the reservoir will disappear as steam and a large electric bill. This is complicated by the fact that it senses when more water is added and reboils, which makes it very hard to keep more than a quart in the reservoir at the correct temperature.The good news:This works perfect with an Aerobie AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker coffee maker to make the BEST cup of coffee you will ever taste. You can set the temp to the exact specifications that come with the aeropress.If you are a tea drinker (especially green tea) then you will love this because of the temperature controls.The reboil features works pretty quickly to make instant soups or oatmeal quickly.Here is a link to the manual which can explain the user interface until you have it figured out. Page 23 also briefly covers the high altitude problem that I wished I had known about before purchasing.[...]

Bought this in 2013,after 4 years the bottom of pot started to rust. If you forgot to refill water after you draw all the water(believe my it will happen), the pot will burn the bottom of the pot. And destroy the protection layer on the bottom. I think I will buy other brands like Zojirushi which will last longer.

Nice when it works as advertised. Very. Occasionally it boils water at a very high rate and fails to reduce the temperature automatically. The only way to stop the rapid boiling is to unplug the unit. When plugged back in the unit functions normally. This unit has been in use less than two months. Panasonic has offered to replace it.

This thermal pot was on our wedding registry, and we ended up receiving two of these units.After using the first unit for around 6 months of use, I noticed a small spot of what appeared to be rust on the inside of the lid. I contacted Panasonic USA and asked them if they could send me the replacement part, but they said they wanted to inspect the entire unit. They provided me with a mailing label and asked me to bring it to get professionally packed, and that they would reimburse me for any expenses incurred. I brought it to the UPS store, had them pack it up, and I shipped it off. Several days later, Panasonic had notified me that their engineeers examined it, and determined that damage was indeed rust, and that it would not be covered under warranty. Panasonic stated that this unit is not designed to store water for extended periods of time. I explained that the reason I purchased this unit was to store water in it for extended periods of time, so that I can have hot water at the ready. Apparently, I was not using this unit in accordance with the manual (I threw the manual away after the first month, so I can't confirm that the manual actually says not to store water in it).Panasonic asked me if I wanted the unit back, I said yes. They sent it back, and also reimbursed me for the professional packing done by the UPS store. Their customer service was friendly and attentive, but the fact that their warranty wouldn't cover the damage left much to be desired. My inlaws have a Zojirushi thermal pot that is always on, except when they go on vacations, and it has lasted them well over 10 years!The second unit we received has been used constantly for over 2 years and has been working just fine, with no signs of rust.A number of reviewers complaining about rust stated that it developed on the inside of the lid, leading me to suspect that there's a quality control issue with this part. One reviewer said that they were successful in getting Panasonic to reimburse them for the unit, so if you end up with a rusty unit during the warranty period, persistence may pay off. Otherwise, I believe you can find this piece as a replacement part on Panasonic's website for a reasonable fee. I am contemplating doing this myself with our damaged unit, but am somewhat reluctant to even bother.I have been a huge supporter of Panasonic over the years. Microwave, TV, electric razors, several cameras and camera bodies, even more camera lenses, rice cooker, etc. I have always been extremely satisfied with their products, so am quite surprised by the development of rust in our first thermal pot. Panasonic's refusal to repair or replace it under warranty was very disappointing as well.Five stars for our second unit, but have to reduce it down to two for the failure of our first unit and the lack of warranty service.

I was a bit skeptical when I was deciding whether or not to buy this water boiler. Should I have purchased the much more expensive Zojirushi? Would I experience the black flakes or rusting that other people experienced? I decided to take a chance, since there were so many positive reviews for this unit. I've only had it for a couple of days, and absolutely love it. I can now have hot water whenever I want it, and 2.2 quarts is just about enough to supply me with enough tea to make it through a day.Now I would like to have the chance to address some of the negative comments this unit has received. I'm an engineer, and a big part of my job is troubleshooting customer issues with my company's products. Frankly, a lot of negative comments are received simply because people don't read instructions. I'm not suggesting some people are dumb, but there are a couple of things about this unit that may not seem intuitive. The first item is water storage. The instructions clearly say to empty the unit when it is not in use, which prevents minerals in the water from building up or corroding the tank. If you leave a little water in the tank each day, the mineral concentration can build over time (or worse, get into your hot water). Secondly, I have seen some of the reviews address the dark gray coating as teflon, which it is not. This is a charcoal flocking, meant to assist in removing chemicals such as chlorine, from the water. If you are scrubbing the inside of the tank to get rid of residue, stop! You are probably scrubbing the flocking off, which would account for black flakes in your water. Some of the pictures I have seen that show rust stains appear like the flocking has been entirely scrubbed off. This is not a durable coating and should not be scrubbed. Read the instructions on how to clean the tank using lemon juice, and simply rinse the tank out after every use and you should do fine! Please note that dish detergent, especially Dawn, should never be used. By the way, did you know that teflon coated pots & pans should never be soaked in Dawn, because it is so corrosive? It will strip the wax off of a car finish.As far as the unit's operation, it is fairly simple. The stream of water through the pump splashes a bit, but only a small drop here and there. As far as temperature accuracy, I set it at 190 degrees, and measured 193.5 degrees with a digital thermometer in the tank. I'm sure that as it goes through reheat cycles, the temperature will be above the mark and will gradually drop to where it reaches the minimum and another reheat cycle is started.I have only had this unit for a few days, but I expect that with proper care, it will provide me with hot water for my Chinese white and green teas for a long time to come. Believe me, if I have any problems, I will be updating my review!Update: Well, here we are a couple years later and the unit has clogged with minerals and will not operate. I didn't follow my own advice and left water in the unit continuously. I guess if you're not good at maintaining the product, this is not the one for you. I would also say that it built up mineral deposits rather quickly.

We bought this Panasonic 2.3 qaurter water boiler in 2011 and after 3 years of use, its inner stainless lid has developed few rusted spots. Since the lid is in direct contact with the water, we have to throw away the boiler. It appears this kind of rusting inner stainless lid problem happens to other brand. The manufacturer should be aware of the problem and able to take care of it by using a better quality stainless lid instead a cheap and thinly coated one.

I purchased this item as a Christmas gift for much mother (age 97) - she has trouble lifting and pouring with a heavy tea kettle boiling on her stove top - I thought this would be great for her - it does everything that it is supposed to do, but it takes 30 MINUTES PLUS to boil a complete fill of water - her tea kettle takes about 10 minutes - nowhere in the product description did it say that boiling the water would take that much time - if it had, I would not have purchased it - I don't think she will get much use out of this, but I tried

BEWARE!! Bought 2 different sizes of this pot less than 2 years ago, one as a gift, and they are both going in the garbage. In this short period of time the bottom of the plastic water tank is completely flaking off and going into my cup and teapots. I am so disappointed, and to be frank, very angry. These were not inexpensive items and should not have failed this quickly. They are fantastic units when new, but this is unacceptable and feels like built in obsolescence to me . Two different pots, failing in two different homes located in two different states convinces me it is a manufacturing material failure. This was my first purchase of hot water pots and it will be my last purchase of any appliance from Panasonic. I am replacing mine with a unit that has a stainless steel tank. I used mine only at 140° for the entire time and it was not abused in any way.

When I got my first water boiler, I was so pleased, gave it a 5-star review, and bought a second one for my other residence.When the first one was about a year old, I began noticing little black flecks in my cup. Nothing was visible inside, and I have run white vinegar through it. Months later, the flaking got worse, and this time I saw that the bottom of the pot was delaminating. Very disappointing because it means my second pot is likely to do the same.One recent reviewer wrote that she was told by the company when she complained, that owners are supposed to empty the pot when it is not in use. As with that reviewer, mine is in constant use, so it does not get emptied very often. I would definitely not buy another Panasonic, and can no longer recommend this product.

I have to say this item worked great for the first year or so. Two days ago, I found black pieces of what appeared to be paint in my mug as I dispensed some water for tea. I opened the pot and found many sheets of black coating substance that's fallen off the wall of the pot floating at the bottom. Needless to say, we stopped using it. Just hope we haven't ingested small quantities of this coating bit by bit over time...

After using this hot pot for six months, I found black debris floating in the hot water. I checked the inside of the pot and found the black coating on the bottom faded and the small filter turned black and rusted. I used a white tissue paper to dry the bottom. The tissue became black immediately. I realized the floating debris are from the bad coating, so I called Panasonic custom service. A guy named Anthony Bucci asked me to send the pot to them for checking. I did not receive any response two months after I sent the pot to Panasonic, so I called Anthony again. He told me that the coating was damaged because the pot was cleaned by hard brush. I have no idea why they jumped to the conclusion like that. We NEVER use anything to touch the inside of the pot. just one time with that tissue paper as I mentioned above. The only way we cleaned the pot was to rinse with water. I am disappointed with the bad products and bad custom service from Panasonic. I will never buy any Panasonic products any more. I told my friends and colleagues about this bad experience. They all think Panasonic loses valuable customers.

I should have paid attention to the reviews that mentioned about rust at the bottom of the pot. I found the rust at the bottom of the pot after using it for 4 months. I followed the instruction to empty the water after use but there is no help. Panasonic customer service suggested to repair it at their "local" authorized repair shop 6-hour drive from my home. I contact Amazon to let them know that they shouldn't carry this product to sell to other customers. Who would like to drink water with rust?

I bought this to make my baby's formula. I have had this product for about 5 months. I boil the water and place the water into a glass water pitcher and let cool to room temp. I then use the room temperature water to mix the formula. I noticed a couple of days ago that I have brown particles floating in the bottle. I open the machine and the whole bottom part of the pot and the filter is rusted at first I thought it was calcium deposits since I know these pots get that problem but and it's not calcium deposts. I called Panasonic, the specialist in the department named Anthony said this "Do you leave the water inside the machine?" I replied yes. He the said "You are not suppose to leave water inside the machine, on your manual it states VERY CLEARLY that once you are done with the machine you are to pour out the water". I replied, "If I need to pour out the water every 3 hours after I use it than wouldn't that defeat the purpose of having an electric water pot, I minus well boil my water on the stove". I asked " what should I do now, will this be under warranty" he replied, "no, because it's not a manufacturer's defect because you left wate inside the pot". I other words, chuck it and get a new one. I didn't argue with him since I did not have my manual on hand because I was at work. I return home and looked at the manual several times, I found in the manual that yes you are suppose to empty out the machine but only when NOT IN USE. I called them back the next day, spoke to someone else who elevated to a manager and they will replace the machine. .