Not only does this kettle look great, but it is the best at pouring. No annoying drips! It boils really quickly, still quite loud but honestly this really is a great kettle. The only point I would make is we found that before proper use, you do need to boil water and discard about 6 or 7 times (not the 2 or 3 as in the instructions) in order to get rid of a metallic taste.