One of the best things Ive bought. It turns blue in the heating phase and the blue light goes out when done. It heats up fairly quickly and I like that its stainless steel and not plastic. (Only the base has a plastic heatinglock mechanism.) The only thing is water is exposed in the tip so I keep plastic wrap on it to keep out bugs when not in use. Great for tea and I use it to heat water for my espresso press. There is an on button and when its not working, dont panic, its just not plugged in.