Breville VKJ187

I was perfectly happy with my Philip's kettle until it developed an erratic tendency to not switch off after boiling. Not quite getting into the habit of always staying near the kettle, every so often I would walk back into the kitchen to find the room filled with steam and the kettle still boiling away in a hectic fashion. So I decided to look for a new kettle and searched quite extensively on the internet and then visited local electrical stores because I think a kettle is something you want to get your hands on to see how it feels and operates. I arrived at the Breville VKJ187 Jug kettle and ordered it from Amazon. It cost a little more than I had initially planned to spend but it covered all the requirements I was after.

This Breville kettle is stainless steel and painted a deep cream colour. For when the kettle becomes hot the areas you need to touch, the main handle and the top of the lid, are a matt black plastic. I'm pleased with how it looks, the retro style works well in my kitchen. It has a robust feel to it, yet it is light to carry and it stands on a circular non slip base. The cable is very flexible so arranging the length I needed to reach the socket and then storing the excess cable into the base was quite easy to do.

It has a removable lid which I prefer as I fill with water from the tap rather than a filter jug. The lid pulls off easily and re-locates securely. Inside the kettle directly behind the spout is a removable particle filter which is straightforward to slide out and rinse through. The fine mesh is really quite strong so I feel confident this will last well without tearing or bending.

The pouring spout is excellent, you can be quite precise and there are no drips. My hands are quite small so sometimes I find kettles awkward to hold when filled to full capacity but I'm very pleased with the whole balance of this kettle, it is easy to control and comfortable to hold when refilling with water, carrying when full and pouring.

It is high wattage at 3kW and so boils quickly. This leads to my only criticism, the loudness of the heating up and boiling process. I've mainly owned stainless steel kettles and know they can be noisy but this kettle is particularly loud, once it is switched on the gurglings and rumblings do rather dominate the kitchen. Actually I can go upstairs whilst the kettle is working and know the exact stage it is at.

It has a 1.5 litre capacity and a clear plastic water gauge behind the handle. A blue light illuminates the water level whilst the kettle is operating. Initially I wasn't sure whether this was necessary, thinking you only need to see the water level when filling the kettle but it is quite handy to be able to double check the water level at a glance as the kettle begins to heat up. The on/off switch at the very top of the handle gives a satisfying deep click sound when you turn it on or off and this kettle reliably turns off after boiling point is reached.

I can say after a year the kettle works as well as it did when I first bought it and has also remained in good condition in terms of looks. Easy to clean inside and a durable exterior. I don't think I will be needing to look for a new kettle for a very long time. I'm impressed and very satisfied with this well designed quality kettle.

Currently on sale for £44.99 at Amazon and despite the loudness whilst boiling I would highly recommend this kettle.

Thank you for reading this review!
© Lunaria 2012
This review is also posted on dooyoo, same username.