I'm sure this has been discussed plenty before and the general consensus seems to be that prestidigitation is one of the best cantrips in the game.

I've played a few casters now with the ability to take it and I still haven't. I just keep looking at it and what it can actually do and it continues to strike me as underwhelming. Being able to clean up blood seems about the best use I can see. Others I can imagine is some social benefit to flavoring and warming/cooling food, mending and shape water can do that. Minor illusion seems vastly superior to the illusion aspect. 

Is it that prestidigitation covers several categories? Or is it that in actual play it gets abused and treated as if it can do more than it says it can? Even the recent article on DDB mentioned using it to reproduce a gem or bag of gold to deceive a merchant. But the spell says the object only lasts until your next turn, that's 6 seconds. 

Should I stop whinging, take the spell, try to abuse it and make my GM say no?

Please someone convince me I'm wrong, so I can stop feeling I'm supposed to take this spell, looking at my options and deciding there are better choices.

Prestidigitation does almost everything that every wizard in pre-D&D fiction actually does with their magic.

It's one of those super handy RP use spells mostly.  Sure, it will be a help in some puzzle or challenge situations, but primarily it's for RP/flavor reasons.  If you see better options for your build, jump on them.  This is by FAR not a "required" cantrip for anyone.

It is a pure RP cantrip that allows a player to be creative in many ways. Its direct affect on your game world is based on how much flexibility and creative utility a GM allows in their game. If you are running a dungeon crawl style game, it may feel useless except to clean your soiled clothes and armor. Flashing that bag of gold for 6 seconds then returning it under your cloak might be enough to trick someone when coupled with a social skill check. There are SO MANY sites describing creative ways to use it, I would suggest starting there to see how versatile it is. The worst part of the spell is the 10 foot range. You have to be close to use some of its detracting effects versus the other two that have a 30 foot range but are less versatile.

It’s fine. It isn’t breaking things.

Prestidigitation is pretty interesting/ It's as powerful as your imagination, and its uses are as limited or restricted as your DM says they are. It's a fun utility cantrip, but it shouldn't absorb other cantrips. For example, it can only create an illusion for a round - any more would step on Minor Illusion's turf. Similarly, it can't control air quite as well as gust can, or create effects very similar to those listed by Druidcraft or Thaumaturgy unless the spells' example uses overlap. 

Does Prestidigitation have a place in your spellbook? Yes. Is it the single most useful non-damaging cantrip in the game? Unless your DM allows it to be, no.

I agree with TheHumanChris, Prestidigitation shines in RP and social situations. Also its versatility is especially useful at low levels when you know fewer cantrips.

For exploration and dungeon delving Mage Hand is my go to cantrip for its ability to remotely manipulate the environment. Why throw a rope and grappling hook when you can Mage Hand it into place?

For combat I think it is hard to do better than Eldritch Blast. Even without invocations I think it is the best damaging cantrip because it has great range, deals force damage, and involves multiple attacks at higher levels so it is better at breaking concentration. Toll the Dead is also really good.

I love Prestidigitation and it's counterparts of Druidcraft and Thaumaturgy. (Probably love the last one most.) But they are for RP stuff. And they're so much fun for that and you can do lots of fun things with them. I don't think of them as powerful, so much as flavorful and they cover so many things that the other spells just don't.

I find prestidigitation better and a bit more useful/flexible than Druidcraft or Thaumaturgy but they can all be good in the right circumstances. Prestidigitation is an effect which is mostly limited by your imagination.

- it could provide heated long underwear since it can warm (and keep warm for an hour) a cubic foot of material and doesn't specify what shape that cubic foot comes in

- it makes your food and drink taste good no matter where you are eating - it may not be high quality ale but it doesn't matter to a wizard with prestidigitation (or to a wizard apprentice who runs a restaurant as a side hustle).

- you can easily light and extinguish fires - great on the road, useful in dungeons for lighting torchs/lanterns, especially when your gear happened to get wet.

It is a utility cantrip. If your campaign is only fighting it may not do that much, but for any other campaign it is an amazingly useful cantrip.

It's not THAT strong, but the Druid and Cleric equivalents are useless.

Edit: Most commonly I see it used to quickly clean off monster blood, swamp water, and so on. Logically you'd expect such things to affect social interactions, though there's no particular rule for it.

Quote from ChoirOfFire >>

It's not THAT strong, but the Druid and Cleric equivalents are useless.

Edit: Most commonly I see it used to quickly clean off monster blood, swamp water, and so on. Logically you'd expect such things to affect social interactions, though there's no particular rule for it.

 Not at all. For example, we have a camp set up with small fires built but not set so that we can light up at night in case of attack. It burns an action, but getting the half of our party are are human able to see well quickly (and avoiding disadvantage from dim light) is a huge advantage. For Thaumaturgy, having the booming voice when setting up a distraction or hollering orders across the field is useful. And for roleplay amusement, I had a vain cleric who always cast it before opening a door to make the nearby torches flare when he entered the room.

They're not always combat useful, but there's plenty of useful stuff you can do with a modicum of imagination.

Quote from ChoirOfFire >>

It's not THAT strong, but the Druid and Cleric equivalents are useless.

Edit: Most commonly I see it used to quickly clean off monster blood, swamp water, and so on. Logically you'd expect such things to affect social interactions, though there's no particular rule for it.

They’re all really useful, admittedly druidcraft less so, but all useful. I’ve even found a use for thaumaturgy in combat to slam doors closed in order to hinder an enemy’s escape.

Prestidigitation does exactly what it does in the description.  Many GM's allow it a little extra oomph, but only a little.  Its a cantrip and should not be on the same level as 1) a leveled spell, or 2) other cantrips.  People love it for its versatility.  Lots of effects, unlimited amount of castings (though only 3 effects at a time, 1h duration).  Its pure RP value is immeasurable, but one must be imaginative and clever to use it... and have a GM who loves that kind of thing.  Correct use will often lead to advantage on some ability skill checks...

• You claim you are a talented chef, who can make the most bland meal into a masterpiece.  You use Prestidigitation to give an amazing aroma and taste to otherwise bland porridge that you've also warmed with the cantrip.  Advantage on your Deception check.
• You want to distract a pair of guards.  You use Prestidigitation to make a noise like a fart, then a nasty nasty odor (yes you must be 10ft close).  Possible distraction for a stealth check?  Sure!
• Turn off candles, torches, and small campfires (think hanging lantern in a city) for a momentary distraction?  Absolutely!  (Think Dumbledore snuffing out lights in Harry Potter).
• Flash a badge that is exactly what you need ala Dr Who's psychic paper, check!
• Prove you are a powerful wizard with an array of sparkles and ethereal sounds?  Yes!
• Hold out a platinum coin, or a ruby as a bribe (that you don't really have).  Sure!

So many uses, but all small... because its a cantrip.  Its limited only by your imagination, and its status as an unleveled spell.

I don"T have a problem with it and one day I will be in a campaign in which I get to use it =)

Quote from _Amunsol_ >>

I'm sure this has been discussed plenty before and the general consensus seems to be that prestidigitation is one of the best cantrips in the game.

 "Best" is a relative term in this case. People who love presto love it because it does stuff they want to do.

There's no secret, hidden, super-effective uses you're missing. You're looking for mechanical benefit, and while there is some there, there's not appreciably more of it than what you can squeeze out of other cantrips. That's not what people are talking about when they say it's the best.

You're just not a presto fan. That's okay, you don't need to be. If the description doesn't excite you then it's just not for you. It gives you a lot of hooks for roleplay, but you can roleplay perfectly fine without it too.

Quote from IamSposta >>

They’re all really useful, admittedly druidcraft less so, but all useful. I’ve even found a use for thaumaturgy in combat to slam doors closed in order to hinder an enemy’s escape.

My main problem with druidcraft is that you have to pick it; why don't druids just get it as standard? Two picks initially makes it a tough one to choose, especially if you want melee and ranged options. Same is true of prestidigitation when you're looking at combat potential, but it's more easily used enough that it's not quite as tough as a choice. I suppose with the way One D&D is shaping up it will be less of a problem if everyone gets a free 1st-level feat, as you can always just take magic initiate in your class/spell list I guess, and that's what I usually do anyone for a caster with my groups (since we favour 3rd-level + free feat starts).

As for prestidigitation, it's easily one of my favourite spells in the game because it just has so much RP potential; it's not powerful, though it can occasionally be very handy. The main thing is that it's so versatile, and while everyone else is dripping with sewer water, your character can be clean, dry and fresh as a summer breeze. When you want to mess with an NPC you don't like, or get back at a player for something they said, you can reflavour all of their drinks and food. You can use it give accurate likenesses of someone or something you're looking for, you can create minor distractions etc.

I'm also a big fan of thaumaturgy, it's definitely more distraction focused but I find it easy to argue as an aid for social checks; nothing sells an apocalyptic Deception like shaking ground and flickering lights, or you can go for that classic "Do not take me for some conjurer of cheap tricks!" moment in an an Intimidation. I also just enjoy it for opening doors; why use your hands (and risk getting an infection from an unwashed door handle) when every door can simply fly open as you approach it? Great way to make an entrance.

I love these cantrips, alongside minor illusion; in fact my current Bard, Habard Ashery, has all of these plus mage hand and mending for maximum utility and opportunity to mess with people. He didn't have a single combat cantrip until he got some from warlock (originally via Magical Secrets (Warlock) but I later re-specced into a proper Warlock multi-class).

It is overrated, but that won't stop me from taking it in every caster that I make

Most effects i've seen people saying or anecdotes on what happened at their table ignores two very important things for Prestidigitation: range of 10ft and Somatic and Verbal components. 
You need to squeeze it really hard to get something out of it, otherwise it's mostly just flavor without any benefit or is just a very niche benefit, to which i'd rather have a more useful cantrip (ignoring damage cantrips here).
Thaumaturgy is more dramatic and impressive and Druidcraft can predict the weather. Presitidigitation seems good only if you're out of options for cantrips.

Well, you can keep wearing your dirty clothes and eating your bland food.