Best way to go about making and using HLT

I've gotten comfortable doing the AG in the past 5-6 months. I have the process down comfortably and have made some great beers.

However, I don't like scooping the water out to poor into the Mash tun.

I'm planning to set up a 3 tier system but not sure how I want to go about the hot liqour tank. For those with electric elements, tell me your likes and dislikes. For those with fired HLT's, what do you like/dislike? Folks using coolers as HLT's, do you pump in the hot water or pour it in from a seperate heating pot?

Once you have your hot liqour to the temp you want, what methods do you use to measure how much water goes into the mash? Right now I have a 4 qt Lexan pitcher, but it gets old moving water that way, and I lose more heat that way.

So, I'm looking for info about how you set up and how you use your HLT.

I have a keggle with a cheap sight gauge. I fire it with propane, which is nice cause I can simply place the keg over the heat and i'm off and running. I've seen electrical setups and they seem a little tricky to setup. I am not at all technologically advanced enough for all that wiring and schematical gobledygook.
I used to use a cooler for a mash tun and i simply pre heated the tun, added grains and then dough in from the HLT. Gravity style with a ball valve. Easy.
The one thing I DONT like about propane is the excess heat coming up the outside when I have to lean over the thing. But I figured out (like a *******) that if I shut the heat off.... and then leaned over.... that it was fine.