I have been using this product for about a month and have truly enjoyed it. My hot water from the tap is quite hot so I find no need to boil water before use. I fill with hot water and soak my brush while I shower. I then put fresh hot water in and use the top as a brush rest between passes. It does keep my brush warm between passes for the duration of my shave and as the father of small children I don't have to worry about it getting broken. I am also confident it will last a very long time and make a nice heirloom bit of shaving kit for my own son one day as is is sturdily built and has a nice heavy bottom. BTW I used it for a while with a puck of soap on top as it was designed and it worked admirably however I prefer to use it as I have previously described.