Noticeable first is the glass top which allows a view of perking coffee. Also very noticeable is the better quality, heavier stainless steel of the inside elements. This is especially nice, after having used the Presto perculator which has very thin, tinny inside components. And, without fail, the coffee made in the Presto had tons of grounds floating in coffee, and sludge at the bottom of pot. This one does not. It also keeps the cofee hot for hours without it tasting burned. Oh yeah, and most importantly, it brews the most delicious coffee......it tastes like the coffee that we remember, and not like the tasteless dishwater that we get at the drive thru.

When our old coffee pot finally stopped working, we were at a loss. We don't want to be drinking plastic, we want to drink real, percolated coffee, and love a stainless pot. This West Bend makes a terrific pot of coffee. It cleans easily, you can see when it has completed percolating and the coffee always has a delicious flavor, since it is brewed, with no chemical aftertaste from plastic. There are a couple of things to watch for: first, the coffee must not be a fine grind. It will past through the stainless basket. Second, the shape of the pouring spout takes a bit of getting used to, it want to arc over a cup, thus requiring some caution when pouring. We feel both of these are minor issues. Great buy, would recommend it and we are considering purchasing a second one for "stand by" so we don't have to go through selecting one again.

Used it once a day for seven months and then the problems began. First problem I'll call stop and restart. It would go through the perk process and the light would come on indicating the coffee was ready. Then the light would go out and it would perk a second time. Then the second problem arose, the coffee wasn't hot. Finally the heating element quit heating completely. Gave it two stars because it worked great for three months. Would have had to work for an entire year to get three stars. Because I believe West Bend was aware of these problems and took no action to correct them, I will no longer purchase their products or recommend their products to others.

Time to eat a little crow with my coffee... I went on amazon to find a replacement and discovered that no one makes a good percolator anymore. Not a single 5 star in the bunch and they are all plagued with problems. So, I ordered one of these again but this time I paid an extra $3.00 to get a three year warranty by a third party so at least I won't lose my money this time.

I am 63, thus been around a few coffee pots in my life. After reading other reviews, I want to debunk some complaints. First, re: the plastic clear cap on the lid breaking seal. Percolators were invented before dishwashers and parts never intended to be placed in one. Secondly, common sense (and we who were raised with them were taught) dictates you do not use the clear cap to yank off the tight fitting lid. Grasp the lid itself, thus the seal will not break.

The cup indicator on the handle is great, it sounds like a noisy comforting percolator, takes little time at all to make a full pot and does not scorch coffee when left plugged in for hours.

I am very pleased with this purchase. I recommend it.

My wife and I really enjoy this coffee pot. Nothing like the aroma of fresh perked coffee in the AM. Works like a charm. Provides steaming hot coffee every time.

Well, we did enjoy the pot while it was in operating condition. The top (on top of the lid) is made of plastic and broke off when my wife was removing the lid to clean the pot. I have super glued and exoxy'd the top to no avail. it will not bond strong enough to hold.
Attempted to order a new lid or just the plastic perk top - again to no avail. West Bend only offers a replacement power cord or coffee basket. So, in order to "repair" the pot, I have to order a new one. Ain't gonna happen.