My husband and I loved getting hot pot out, but for various reasons decided it would be more enjoyable as a treat at home. I agonized long over which product to get and chose this one for these reasons:1. Easy to clean. I make meals almost every day, sometimes from scratch. If this is for fun, then I want to work less! The pot and grill plate are removed from the heating element, so no potential exposure of electrical parts to moisture (those one pieces have a terrible design!). The plate is easy to clean. We'll see how the coating holds up, but it seems very good. The soup part is very easy to clean. I just soak for a bit, and even the cooked-on food comes off easily. Many pots have Teflon type coating, but this part doesn't--so I feel better about the longevity.2. No need for divided pot. While we like having different soups when out to sample the other's, we also don't have differing tastes. However, it would be good to have a divider if often sharing with guests. I kind of want to share now, so we'll see if I get a small pot later for people who don't like spice.3. Bigger area for soup than for grilling. Some hot pot/grill combos have the opposite. We like the soup part best, like the grill as an option. My husband eats only a little meat, and not many types. I might grill mushrooms. The grill plate is a little big for our use, but if we have guests, it will be just big enough.We have used it twice. Both soup and grill parts heat very fast. Admittedly, I did heat some water (as recommended in the directions, I believe?) first as I did food prep. It came back to boiling very soon. Keeping the boil is pretty loud, and makes the experience a little more exciting. Maybe a little intense! I had to add a little water as it cooked the soup down. As for the grill, I was surprised by how fast the steak strips cooked. Keep an eye on it!While this isn't the least expensive hot pot here, it was worth it. Our local hotpot place isn't exactly cheap, so this hotpot is actually fairly economical. The quality seems very good, and has a convenient design.We used this for a relaxed birthday and anniversary weekend and had a lot of fun. Thanks, Maple!