We had a stainless kettle that we used for many years. We bought this one to replace it after it developed a leak in the spout. The new one has a polished instead of brushed finish. The polished finish is already starting to get stained and there is no good way to clean it without scratching the surface. A brushed finish is easier to maintain. In addition, the quilted handle cover is roughly half the thickness of the old one. With the old one you felt zero heat if you slipped it on and poured after heating the water. The new one allows enough heat through that you want to put down the pot quickly. The original teapot was a near-perfect classic. The new one much less so. I hope Chantal considers reverting the design back to the original design.