You are just so darn picky, Jamies! lol

This is a good topic. I use the micro also. It doesn't seem like the water stays hot for as long. I didn't think about it wearing the unit out. I could definitely see that with the door though. My old unit's door sensor broke. I don't know what to consider with teapots since I've never had one!

Get anl electric kettle instead...
or do what we did and install a hot water dispenser (best thing we ever did in the kitchen!).

I use an electric tea kettle and love it! My mom is from Ireland and all of her family who still live there have used electric ones for years and years. The lid doesn't fall off, it doesn't get splattered, b/c it's not on the stove, the handle stays cool, and best of all (for me, anyhow!) is that it clicks off when the water is boiled, so there's no risk of it melting to the ring! ...Which I'm guilty of doing, b/c I used to leave the spout open when I had a kid napping and then I'd go off to do laundry and forget all about the kettle boiling and come back to find the water gone and the kettle ruined. Hope this helps. I picked my current one up at Aldi's several years ago. Walmart/Target/etc sell them.

Yes, electric kettle. Here is a good looking one, although it gets mixed reviews. Personally, though, Krupps brand has always performed exceptionally well for me.

Here is a link that might be useful: kettle

I have an electric one, too, and would never go back. I had a lovely Chantal whistling kettle (which I would recommend if you insist on a stove top), but it finally gave up. I wanted something that I didn't have to remember to turn off, or that wouldn't summon me incessantly with a whistle, if I'd gone off to do a chore in another part of the house. The electric one turns off and keeps the water hot until I get to it, or reheats in just a short minute if I've taken too long.

I love my Breville because I didn't want to heat in plastic, it has a soft lift lid that stays open for filling and is cordless (the pot lifts off the heating element).

Here is a link that might be useful: Breville cordless kettle

Yep, electric kettle here too! We have used them for years and years. Some were expensive some were cheap, and some of the more costly heated fast but had a very short life expectancy. Our original one we had in the eighties lasted the longest, maybe ten years or so but that was before everything was truly made like crap. I now have a Hamilton Beach and have had it for several years; it works fine and is easy to clean. I wouldnâÂÂt buy the cheapest as they as they sometimes take forever to heat, I wouldnâÂÂt buy the most expensive because they are not made to last.

Love my electric kettle. It has an automatic shut off, boils water to perfection, and does it very, very quickly. No more ruined teapots when I wander off and forget about them!

We've had Chef's Choice electric kettles for years - we're on our third one - it is fast, lightweight, shuts off reliably, doesn't take up a lot of space, and is cordless. The base is compact and unobtrusive.

This is our current one - model # 681, about $50:

Here is a link that might be useful: Chef's Choice 681 on Amazon

cordless, thank you for a reliable brand! Not bad looking either.

We've always used an electric kettle -- now a cordless one of course!

Past ones include Russell Hobbs -- the current one is a white Aroma -- all bought from Amazon .... so that the water gets really good and steamy hot ....

I guess I am old fashioned, I still have the stove top tea kettle that whistles. I have a Chantal one that has held up well. Plus it is cute and it's red.
Now it looks like I need to step up into 2013 and get an electric!

Here is a link that might be useful: Chantal tea kettle.

It looks like you can get both cute/colorful and electric, but you have to do it in the UK.

Travelzoo sent me a tempting advert for Ireland yesterday.

We have an instant hot in PA (which I love!) but use the Breville one-touch tea maker in FL. It is specifically designed to make the perfect cup of tea at the perfect temp and it has a timer and keep warm function. I really like it.

http://www.brevilleusa.com/the-tea-maker-927.html

I also left my beloved instant hot in our last kitchen. I used it for cleaning as much as for anything else, I think. And I do the same with my electric kettle.

Almost every time I start to fix a meal, i put the kettle on - to deglaze a pan, to dilute a stock, to heat the plates or bowls, to warm the coffee pot and cups, to blast the butter off a knife, or just for a cup of hot water and lemon for the cook - all kinds of things.

Below is a link to the Breville kettle I have. I love it.

After reading a comparison of costs to heat water via stove top, microwave, electric kettle, I started using the kettle to boil water and, if necessary, poring that boiling water into a saucepan on the stove top to cook pasta and anything needing boiling water. It is so quick instead of standing at the stove waiting for the pot to boil

Here is a link that might be useful: Breville Kettle

I have a Le Creuset kettle which I love and which meets all your criteria. I have an electric one at school, though, and will probably get one for home at some point. I am going to check out the cordless ones in the links that oly and bronwynsmom posted!

Like Cyn, I kept an electric kettle in the office and had a tea kettle at home. I had to chuckle because I had a facebook post a few weeks ago asking WHY there were tea kettles with no whistle. I was most disappointed when I discovered that the one I'd had for years didnt whistle (I don't make tea often-- and I guess I just always pulled it before the whistle.. which never was lol).

I only make tea when I don't feel well. If I made it more frequently, I'd definitely go electric.

We have a cordless Cuisinart with variable temperature settings, depending on what you're brewing. I drink black tea (boiling), husband drinks green tea (175) or coffee (200). It also has settings for delicate, white, and oolong tea and a keep warm feature, as well as auto shut-off when the kettle is dry. Love it!

Wow, Beaglesdoitbetter, I would love to get the kettle you posted for my mother, but the price...ouch!

Fun2BHere, just wait for a clearance. There is a refurb currently on Amazon for $179.99. It periodically goes on sale, we only paid about $149 for the one I got for my MIL, it was a refurb. We got ours at William Sonoma w/ a coupon.

You may be able to get a deal on eBay too, there are some listed w/ low starting prices.

Tea is pretty much my only beverage b/c I try to stay away from soda and I don't like water, so I figured it wasn't a bad investment. It's really cool to watch it make tea and really convenient to have the keep warm feature so you can basically sip tea all day.

I love, love, LOVE my Simplex copper kettle that I've had for over 15 years.

They're made in the UK and I'd heard they'd gone out of business, but here they are on Amazon! Come in stainless too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Simplex kettle...

Yous guys really got me wanting a very nice kettle.
I've been wrestling with myself over the costly but beautiful second kettle below for a couple of months. I remember seeing a Michael Graves kettle in a museum long ago, and I'd love to have this one. It's made in Italy and has a copper bottom and, they say, a melodic two-tone whistle.

Yesterday a JCP flyer came in the mail, and in it was a photo of the new Graves Bells and Whistles kettle, the first image. It's made in China and has a steel bottom, so not as nice overall, and probably doesn't sound as sweet the second one, but it's way less expensive, too. A local JCP put one aside for me and I had a coupon so it seemed like it was meant to be and I
grabbed it up.

There is no resemblance at all to the evil dictator, of course. But it has become a novelty because of the hype. It boils water and pours just fine.

We use a hot shot all the time and love it. Pour the water in the top and press the button. A minute later, you dispense the hot water out the bottom into your cup.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sunbeam Hot Shot