Maybe not the best quality / price ratio, but did what we asked. The pole is really essential to avoid burns when using hot water. Although it is not recommended in the manual, for security reasons, I advise you anyway: your hot water bottle will remain until morning (around 10am). Since I bought it, I sleep much better, and stopped to have cold feet! I use the same water that remains in the water bottle all day, and I put in a kettle just before bed. For now, no smell, and no mildew. No leak either. I recommend this product.