Was looking around for a replacement for the tilted gravity feed spout and rack system that started to drip. Comparing price to that and this item is a big difference with a lot less lifting, and a lot less room for spillage error. Works more like an on-demand extraction pump. The flow is medium speed and smooth. When filling a glass, etc, wherever you stop the motor, that is where the water stops in your glass. No gravity drip runs, but the stopper is a just in case.All the light blue and stem plastic are ABS. If you're concerned about battery usage and leakage; get a set of battery size adapters and rechargeable Ni-Mh. "Vertical issue" persons can reach the switch when placed on a standard height kitchen counter. The only minor issues are:1) It doesn't completely drain the bottle2) you have to extract some of the water from a fresh bottle before installingSecond is solved by having the stem partially submerged with one hand on the switch and one hand holding a big cup or small jug. This is much easier than gravity feed and manual pumps.