Breville JK82 Lightning

.../> So I bought the Breville JK82 Keep Warm Lightning Jug Kettle. To me in the shop it looked like what I wanted, inexpensive (not cheap), a decent brand name, it was a kettle (which was of course crucial), it looked half decent (actually its' quite snazzy really, its' cordless in white plastic - which actually looks OK with a big see through panel on both sides) it looked as if it held enough (in this case 1.7 litres - so it was more than enough). ...
...the deed was done. Result

I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived home and started to unpack it to find a really helpful and well written instruction book, although my immediate reaction was why do I need an instruction book - its' only a kettle. All you do is fill it with water and boil it, empty and repeat a couple of times and then you have a fully functioning kettle. Even I could work out how that to switch it on you just flick ... more

All I wanted was a new Kettle; the old one was looking a tad worn after God knows how many years of use. Why do they have to make so many different types, there must be hundreds of them (I'd much sooner Review Whisky any day - at least you get to taste it…). All I wanted was a kettle that boiled water, it didn't have to be as high tech as the space shuttle - just a kettle. So I thought go to Sainsbury's have a choice of a couple get one that looked half decent (I suspect this may be a familiar story to some), I didn't particularly care how long it takes to boil or how much it holds (it's just had got to hold enough), I didn't even think about how heavy it got when full or whether it dripped from the spout when you poured it.

Anyway I arrived at Sainsbury's and was shocked to see that even they sell about a dozen different sorts. So move to plan B (what's plan B I her you all gasp - what's cheap - or should I say inexpensive). Whereupon my eyes were drawn to a prime example of inexpensiveness, half price in the sale no less - it must have been divine intervention. The massive sum of £19.99 (yes I know I could have bought a bottle of that rather nice malt from Waitrose for the same price, and had three pounds left over -but I wanted a kettle).

So I bought the Breville JK82 Keep Warm Lightning Jug Kettle. To me in the shop it looked like what I wanted, inexpensive (not cheap), a decent brand name, it was a kettle (which was of course crucial), it looked half decent (actually its' quite snazzy really, its' cordless in white plastic - which actually looks OK with a big see through panel on both sides) it looked as if it held enough (in this case 1.7 litres - so it was more than enough). I paid, claimed my nectar points (as you do) and the deed was done. Result

I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived home and started to unpack it to find a really helpful and well written instruction book, although my immediate reaction was why do I need an instruction book - its' only a kettle. All you do is fill it with water and boil it, empty and repeat a couple of times and then you have a fully functioning kettle. Even I could work out how that to switch it on you just flick the switch down on the top of the kettle and hey presto it works. So why the instruction book, did they think I was stupid (don't answer that…). I subsequently discovered that it has a built in filter, to deal with calcium, and that this had to be cleaned after first use as well (good job I read the instructions). It also has a 12 month Manufacturers guarantee (tho' you need to keep the receipt).

This kettle has extra features. When its' plugged in there are LED's in the base of the kettle which lights the whole thing up red or blue, at night it lights the whole kitchen up - its' unusual, kids stand and look at it in awe (OK minor exaggeration) but they do find it interesting. I discovered why it needed an instruction book. The colours are intriguing. If there is no power (the plug is switched off) there is no colour, if the plug is on but the kettle is off then it's lit up blue. If its' boiling normally then the inside is lit up red. If its' on keep warm and boil the inside is red (I suspect to remind you that you've switched the keep warm function as well as the boil). If its' on keep warm on its' own it is red or blue depending whether its' heating the water up or not, It sounds confusing but it actually isn't. It's quite gimmicky but I'm actually not sure whether it really serves any useful purpose.

There is a little button on the top, the keep warm button, which can be pressed either during or after boiling it then keeps the water at a fixed temperature (77 degrees Celsius - why 77 degrees I have no idea) whenever the temperature drops the kettle heats it up again automatically, that fascinates the grown ups - we have a result a kettle that amuses children and adults alike, and you thought it was only a kettle…. On a more serious note this keep warm function worries me a little. The button is quite easy to catch, if it got left on with a small amount of water in it, it would potentially boil dry, (not to mention waste loads of electricity). The instruction manual very helpfully notes Never allow the kettle to boil dry or drop below the minimum mark. With the kettle filled to the maximum level (1.7 litres) the kettle can be left with the keep warm function for up to 12 hours. Although to be fair there is an automatic cut off in the event that the kettle does boil dry (No I haven't tested that bit - well not yet anyway)

I discovered that the Kettle boils quite quickly, its' got a 3000 watt fast boil element. It's easy to fill, either down the fairly wide spout or by lifting the lid. The only real maintenance that it needs is a very infrequent cleaning of the filter, I've haven't had it long I've only done it once when I first bought it, which is dead easy, the manual explains how to do it.

The kettle also, very helpfully, has measurements on the outside to show how much water is inside it.

The only real problem that I have experienced with the kettle is that the spout shape is not perfect, if you're not careful pouring it there can be a tendency for hot water to spill over it. I gather this can be a problem with a number of kettles. Whilst the kettle is a jug kettle its' got a fat bottom and narrower top, makes it harder to knock over. It lives on a stand with a raised plug thing (very technical I know) in the middle, once you've put the kettle on its' base you can swivel it around for ease of access to the handle. The electric cable wraps away under the base so you can adjust the length depending on where the kettle is in relation to the plug socket. The handle itself is firm and chunky, with a nonslip grip on it. It's clear that some thought has been given to the safety features

When I decided to write this Review I thought that I'd collect some data and do some field tests :-

Weight (I had to find some scales to do this (in my house not easy - but I managed)
Empty: 1kg (about 2.2 pounds)
Containing 500ml (just under a pint of water) 1.5 kg (about 3.3 pounds)
Full containing 1.7l (about 3 pints) 2.6 kg (about 5 and a half pounds)

How long to boil (Fast enough for me) - using ice cold water
Containing 500ml 1 min 20 seconds (I even got to play with a stopwatch)
Full containing ice cold water 1.7 l 3 minutes 10 seconds

The Kettle does what I want it to, its' got a few novelties (lights etc). It is fairly lightweight and easy to use, is easy to grip and handle (and was a bargain), it also holds enough fluid and is fairly easy to fill, the only negative is that you need to exercise care when pouring (but shouldn't you always when handling boiling water…). So would I recommend it. Yes its' a good, well made, solid product.. It currently retails from £29.50 to £38.99
 

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