Kettle! should be easy to buy!

I want to buy a jug shaped kettle to replace what could only be described as a good candidate for re-cycling and even then only if there was anything worth salvaging!

My poor old kettle had become the butt of numerous jokes from friends and colleagues in the catering trade who drop in for cups of tea! All meant in good spirit with lots of advice offered from the quite rude to this is what you need! So I had to do something about it!

My old kettle had done good service over about 4 years so I cannot really complain when you think of the hard use and abuse they get in a busy kitchen on a daily basis.

I cook and experiment with different foods a lot of the time. A considerable amount of water is boiled in a kettle for food preparation because it’s cheaper than heating it in a saucepan and we also make umpteen cups of tea and coffee every day.

So I need a kettle that can fill both rolls, heat water for filling a saucepan to say cook pasta in and on the other hand be able to boil just enough water for a cup of coffee to save energy.

Two of my visiting tea drinkers said I needed a hot water dispenser and a kettle because they do different jobs. They made the point that you save a lot of expensive energy using a hot water dispenser and it was like having hot water on tap.

Saving on energy bills appealed straight away! My second thoughts were more clutter on kitchen worktops and more appliances to go wrong. But there was sense in what they said!

However, a hot water dispenser sounded like a good idea with teenagers around who seem to boil a kettle full of water for one cup of tea. If you have got them at home, I’m sure you will know what I mean! So that was an option to my list to review.

My ideal kettle

After a little thought, I had a good idea of what I wanted out of a kettle!

• - Easy to keep clean.
• - Jug style and generally fit in with the kitchen.
• - Have a large capacity because I need to heat water when cooking.
• - Easy to fill and pour properly.
• - Have an easily read water level indicator so I only boil what I need.
• - Cordless for ease of use.
• - The kettle should have a large easily accessible switch.
• - A light to tell me when the kettle was heating.
• - Good customer reviews!

So armed with a list of what my new kettle had to have and look like, I looked at Amazon to see what they had.

I tend to use Amazon for a lot of shopping nowadays because their prices are very competitive, they have no holds barred customer reviews amongst other good things like their no hassle customer service and its delivered to the door! Better than sitting in traffic queues.

Kettle reviews and customer feedback

I looked at many different kettle manufacturers to see what they had to offer and was amazed at the huge variety of kettle shapes, colours and features. Something for every kitchen but not all kettles are equal judging by the customer reviews!

Any kettles without at least one good customer review were discounted because there are some awful stories about kettles leaking, bits falling off and faulty switches where kettles kept heating after they were apparently switched off! There are many other tales of woe too!

Equally, I didn’t want to be a guinea pig for a new model which is probably not very objective but I’d rather just get a kettle that meets my needs and worked!

Some bad feedback I find acceptable because people’s perceptions of what’s good and bad is different. But it had to be counter balanced with considerable more good feedback or I discarded the kettle.

Below are the notes I made on the some of the kettles I considered. All of them meet my idea of what a kettle should be with the exception of one which has a smaller capacity. However, I thought should be mentioned because of its very light weight making it ideal for anyone who has difficulties lifting weight.

There is a summary table at the bottom of the page which lists all of the features and details.

De’Longhi

 

A nice design from De’Longhi.

Mixed reviews ranging from excellent and the not so good. It looks like the reviews cover quite a period of time and De’Longhi seem to have fixed any issues with the kettle over time!

It’s quite expensive as far as kettles go but it does have style and would meet almost most peoples needs.

The mixed reviews did concern me a bit, though there are many very happy customers.

Breville

Breville make a wide variety of kettles ranging from very traditional to ultra modern in all sorts of colours and materials. 

Breville VKJ111 White Compact Jug Kettle

This kettle definitely deserves a mention even though it only has a 1 litre water capacity. It is also the only one which is rated at 1.5 watts.

It would meet most people’s needs and takes little space on kitchen worktops. So ideal for the smaller kitchen and for people who have difficulty lifting especially older folks who seem to be the main buyers of this particular kettle because of its very light weight.

The comparison table at the bottom of the page has the full details.

Philips

Philips HD4671/20 Energy Efficient Kettle

This kettle by Philips has numerous excellent reviews and many useful features that really add value to kettle. It is one of the most popular kettles on the market and it is easy to see why.

Examples of how well this kettle is thought out are the none slip feet on the kettle base, the lockable safety lid and the fact that you can fill it both via the lid and the spout.

Another feature I particularly like is the removable and washable lime scale filter which filters water on both filling the kettle and pouring the boiling water out.

On some kettles this is a consumable item as opposed to re-usable!

The technical detail is worth reading though there is a summary at the bottom of this page. A kettle for the short list!

Russell Hobbs

The Russell Hobbs 14590 1.7 L from the Russell Hobbs range of kettles looks excellent and is a striking design.

It does what I am looking for and clearly there are a lot of them sold. It is one of the most frequently sold kettles on Amazon.

What is odd is that it has no five star reviews but many which are four star rated and all praise its virtues with no complaints. So why not 5 star?

Morphy Richards

Morphy Richards 43541 Plastic Brita Filter Jug Kettle (White).

If you want a Brita filtered water kettle then this is a good choice. Good reviews and a reasonable looking kettle that should look at home in most kitchens.

It has a slightly smaller capacity than the 1.7 litre kettles because of the filter but still respectable at 1.5 litres.

It does have a reminder facility of when the cartridge needs replacing which incidentally can be recycled.

It has a very good price too! £24.97 at the time of writing but you have to remember that there is a cost of ownership with the Brita filter cartridges.

Kenwood

I was surprised at the mixed bag of reviews that the Kenwood range of kettles got. I have always thought that the brand stood for quality. I have a Kenwood mixer and would definitely rate it and recommend it as a top product. 

The reviews just confirm my view that not everybody can make a good kettle!

Tefal

Tefal do not appear to make a large range of kettles and the reviews were not particularly good. On average they are around the 3 star range so I didn’t look at them in great detail. 

On the other hand, I do know that Tefal do make some very good products so was a bit disappointed!

Prestige

Prestige Dakota Cordless Jug Kettle, Red, 1.7 Litre

A kettle with excellent reviews and no bad ones!

It meets all the criteria and I hadn’t thought of a kettle being easy for both left and right handed people.

That matters to me because I am predominantly left handed! So that’s definitely a plus point!

I liked the soft grip handle to prevent it slipping. Important when you have a kettle full of boiling water.

It also has a cable storage facility built into the base which I think is important in keeping a tidy kitchen worktop.

My kettle short list.

Here are the kettles that made it to my short list with the summary table. Click on the photographs to read the detail and customer reviews on each individual kettle for yourself!

The short list! Please click on the pictures to read the kettle’s full details
	Philips HD4671/20	Breville VKJ111	Morphy Richards	Prestige Dakota	Russell Hobbs
Key features
Capacity (Litres)	1.71	1	1.5	1.7	1.7
Power rating	2.5-3w	1.5w	3w	3w	3w
Kettle weight	Unknown	750 g	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Filter	Yes	No	Brita	No	Yes
Min water level	1 Cup	1 Cup	2 Cups	2 Mugs	1 Mug
Large switch	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cordless	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Heating light	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ease of use
Easy to lift	Yes	Excellent	Yes	Unknown	Unknown
Easy fill and pour	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Usable switch	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Easily cleaned	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	?
Clear water level	Excellent	Excellent	Yes	Yes	Yes
Customer reviews
5 star reviews	138	31	10	22	22
4 Star reviews	84	12	7	12	13
3 Star reviews	24	2	2	5	5
2 Star reviews	14	2	1	1	4
1 Star reviews	18	3	2	0	5

The Kettle I bought and why

Some brands were really disappointing because I already have some of their products but it seems obvious that not everybody can make a good kettle.

Feedback and again people I spoke to were justifiably unkind about some manufacturer’s kettles. Maybe they received rogue product but nonetheless their customers were not happy people!

So which kettle did I buy. The Philips HD4671/20. The reason I bought it is because this kettle seems to be very well thought out and has numerous features that add to the kettle’s practicality and are not there just for show or add more to the manufacturer’s blurb.

I am going to use it mainly for the food preparation after having bought the Breville hot cup for hot water for drinks but also wanted it as a backup should the Hot Cup fail for any reason. But that doesn’t look as if its going to happen. I am happy to say that the Breville is performing faultlessly. For once I made an excellent choice!

The other reason I bought the Philips is because of the huge number sold and the fact that it generally has the best reviews.

Although its appearance may not be to everybody’s taste, it has a clean and functional look that I think is quite elegant and would fit in with most kitchen designs.

I have been using it for a while now and am very pleased. It boils quickly, reasonably quietly and is easy to use. It’s a well finished understated product that has an air of efficient quality which I like around a kitchen. I certainly recommend the Philips kettle and you can read the full details and customer reviews here.