Zojirushi CV-DSC40 VE Hybrid Water Boiler and Warmer, Stainless Steel

I wish I can give this product negative 5 stars.After a few years of use, I recently found the water from my Zojirushi water pot has a bitter taste. It is coming stronger and stronger. Before I was thinking it comes from the scale because I am kind of lazy and didn't wash it every month. But since the bitter taste keep increasing and finally I cannot stand with it, so I took out the instruction manual and read. I was surprisingly find that there is a rubber ring on the top cover which need to replace EACH YEAR! I don't understand for such kind of important information why they didn't highlight it or even put it in RED. Not all the consumer will read the manual because it is normally tedious and has very little useful information. I am not sure if this is the reason that cause the bitter taste. But I can see partial of the rubber ring was calcified and crumbled (see picture). Also I can see some rust and scale inside the stainless steel plate cover. I took like more than 20 minutes to clean it and decide to order the replacement part. Then, suddenly, I found on the plastic cover, partial of the plastic is crumbled too (see picture). I was totally shocked!! Oh my god, I cannot believe my eye. What if I didn't find this and keep using the water for another five years? I have no idea how these plastic will melt. It might because of the bad quality, or the use of citric acid cleaner, or the conmbination of both. But since the citric acid cleaner is so popular, they should not use the plastic which could have chemical reaction with citric acid. Anyway, I just know, I already took a lot of poisonous chemicals when I drinking the water in the past few months, together with all my family members. Cancer? Maybe that's a question too far away to think of. But how could they make such kind of parts disregarding other people's health? If I can sue these SOBs at no cost, I will do it right away.

I have now had my CV-DSC40 for five years, and have mostly been very happy with it. I've looked at lots of other models on the market, but always come back to this one as the most desirable.HOWEVER, the foam insulation in the lid eventually breaks down and releases a chemical that dissolves(!!!) the plastic lid where they are in contact, eventually dropping scary bits of debris into the water. This is a terrible flaw, and the reason for my two-star rating for an otherwise good product. I've thought about replacing my pot with the newer model (B00R4HKIV8 on Amazon), but the reviews say it has the same issue. So, I'm going to keep this one and, I suppose, just replace the lid every couple of years as it starts to fall apart. The replacement part number is 8-CVD-P010, and it is available direct from Zojirushi (easy to find by searching online for the part number). As of this writing, the price is $31.80 postpaid—not cheap, but better than buying a new pot. That includes the gasket ("inner lid packing"), which is the first part to fail. That gasket (8-CVD-P140) is available separately for $8.50, in case you need to replace it before the entire lid. For better or worse, having that gasket in good shape will help prevent the disintegrating insulation from falling into the water, but it also masks the problem (and who knows if that breakdown chemical is leaking around the gasket). You can check the condition of the insulation by removing the inside metal cover (three screws).If you are willing to sacrifice some of the insulating quality of the pot, I suppose you could also proactively remove the insulation from the lid when it's new, before it starts to destroy the plastic. Perhaps it could be replaced with something that won't break down (fiberglass, for example).Another option: While waiting for a replacement lid from Zojirushi, I found that a 6-1/2" glass lid from one of my cooking pots fits almost perfectly as a replacement for the entire plastic lid. it looks funky and has no insulation, but on the other hand it would last forever.In summary, for the most part I really like this product, but I think it's stunning that after all these years (and probably lots of consumer complaints) Zojirushi hasn't bothered to find a safer, more stable insulating material for the lid.By the way, I have always used filtered water in my pot, so the insulation breakdown isn't caused by some contaminant in my water. Also, using filtered water means that I never have to use Zojirushi's citric acid descaler, so that also is not the cause of the problem. That insulation just can't take the heat, so to speak.

I have been using this for a couple of years now. It works very well. The only feature it is missing is the ability to warm without boiling, which is available in the newer version. You can unplug it for a moment after it reaches your set temperature as it is warming up and then plug it back in and it will simply maintain the set temperature without boiling.

It is very convenient appliance.However, thermal insulation is not really much of help. In my case it cools down to 175F after boiling in matter of minutes. So, it consumes energy like crazy if you forget to put a time delay when you go to work and before you go to the bad. So, it is not a perfect appliance for home if you do not need hot water 24/7.If it had a timer and possibility to program schedule in it would be a perfect tool for us because we consume quite a volume of boiled water and a standard 1.5L kettle is sometimes insufficient.

The water boiler is performing as expected. Capacity is plenty and it still fits under my cabinet on my counter. It does take awhile to boil a full pot but that's expected with these type of water boiler. The vacuum insulation mode is definitely worth the extra cost. I use it all the time to save energy on a daily basis. I find it hot enough in the morning if I boil water before bed and set it to vacuum insulation mode. If I need it hotter, it only takes minutes to bring it back to boiling. The current temperature display is handy to see what temperature the water dipped to. I'm not too picky about the water temperature accuracy so I didn't confirm the temperature reading; it's simply a good relative scale to me. I haven't find the cafe drip mode too useful yet for my applications cause I usually can manage the normal flow anyways. The pivot base does wobble a bit but it's better with water weighing it down. The only thing I wish it have is a light right beside the spout (there used to be models with the light) so I can see inside my cup when I'm dispensing water.So far, the only slightly negative feeling is the shipping through canada post. They delivered right to my front door but they just left it sitting outside out in the open. $200 might not be a lot to them but I wouldn't want it stolen that easily.

Worked like a charm out of the box, brought the water to a boil much faster than expected. Also, instruction booklet clearly states that there MAY be a smell the first few times the unit is used but that it will fade over time - no smell at all for me. I can confirm that the spout is out far enough that teapots will fit under it. 4 litres is just right even for 2 people, I wouldn't go smaller than this.

3 yrs later, still most used small appliance in our kitchen.It really made the whole family to drink a lot more.Also great for warming up the kids lunch container in the morning and for the instant oatmeals.The somewhat annoying alarm when the water has boiled can be turned off.Love it, highly recommended.