Capresso 255.01 H2O Cordless Water Kettle (stainless steel in black) - I have this for home and I absolutely love it.

Capresso 256.01 H2O Glass Cordless Water Kettle - I got this in the mail today for workplace at my cubicle.

This review is on the 256.01 model - like anyone with a new toy, I immediately tried my new water kettle at work. The results were extremely disappointing after having boiled only two pots. The first pot was waste water to clean the pot. The second pot was for my tea...

The 256.01 (glass) is way sub-par compared to the 255.01 (stainless steel). Everything negative about the 256.01 is a positive on the 255.01. I am returning the 256.01 (glass unit) I got today. Chief complaint, not a nit, is that it pours messy -- even if you don't have the two units to compare like I do, you would be highly disappointed with the 256.01 model as when you pour water, it spills and drips water all over your stuff...

Here are my observations...

CONs:

* Pours messy: doesn't pour in a clean stream. Because of the design of the glass unit, you would have to really tip the unit to pour and when you do that the water starts to leak out from the sides. The rubber stopper under the lid does not prevent spills as you pour -- very messy, this is my biggest complaint.

* Condensed water under the lids, leaks onto the exterior of the unit: Within less than a minute after the unit shuts off, the water condenses rapidly and streaks of water droplets run down the exterior of the glass unit onto the base - could potentially damage the unit.

* "On" indicator light is not bright enough. After pushing the button up to turn on the unit I had to look hard again to make sure that it is working or is on. I had to literally pull my face close to the kettle and look at the light from directly above it to see or notice that it's a nice muted blue when lit.

* Handle not ergonomic: not only does the handle not feel nice, it is not ergonomic when heavy, filled with water. Especially given that the design of the handle thins downward. This unit is base heavy so the thin handle doesn't allow a good grip or balance.

* Cord gets very warm: the instructions indicated that the unit should be unplugged if not in use so I reached for the cord after having made my tea -- to my surprise it was really warm, so I was a bit taken aback...

* Manual lift for lid: There is no push button to open the lid, I had to manually lift the lid -- my concern is the hot steam rising.

* Does not shut off immediately after lifting from base: I hear the button unclick (shut-off) 15 to 20 seconds after having lifted it off the base, it just doesn't go off immediately.

* Not quiet enough for workplace: pretty loud as it is picks up near boiling point and the sound tones down once it boils, then you hear the bubbling of water.

PROs:

* Clear glass unit allows one to watch the bubbles as the water is brought to a boil - this is the only feature I like about this model. I enjoy making tea and I can't let the water boil to blubbering boils, it needs to be fish-eye water to make good tea so clear glass would allow me to watch the bubbles and shut off the unit before it boils like crazy...

* Quieter than the Capresso 255.01. Although the 256.01 is not quiet enough for my use at work, I must admit it is quieter than most models. However, for home use I do need the loud boiling sound since it doesn't have an alarm - that way I know my water has boiled.

I'd highly recommend the Capresso 255.01 over the 256.01.

With that being said, I hope you found this review informative...