Morphy Richards 43696

MORPHY RICHARDS 43696 KETTLE

HISTORY
Donal Morphy and Charles Richards worked together at an electric fire company. Morphy was an engineer and Richards was a salesman. In July 1936 they registered their new enterprises as a private company manufacturing and dealing in electrical, gas, radio and television equipment. They set out to produce affordable modern appliances for the mass market. The company is a household name that ...
...quite small on top. The Morphy Richards logo is on the front. There is also a light on the front of the kettle below the logo, this lights up red when the kettle is in use.
It is cordless and sits on a 360º connector.

Extras
It has the option of whether you want it to whistle when it reaches boiling point or not. I am so glad it is an option, because to be quite frank, the whistle is quite annoying. It sounds more like ... more

MORPHY RICHARDS 43696 KETTLE

HISTORY
Donal Morphy and Charles Richards worked together at an electric fire company. Morphy was an engineer and Richards was a salesman. In July 1936 they registered their new enterprises as a private company manufacturing and dealing in electrical, gas, radio and television equipment. They set out to produce affordable modern appliances for the mass market. The company is a household name that is still doing extremely well today.

I bought this kettle last year when we were building our extension for our new kitchen. I wanted a black theme so was always on the lookout for black appliances. Our old kettle had done us well, but it had started making a funny loud whistling sound when it was being boiled. The noise got louder and louder, I then decided we had to get my new kettle out before the kitchen was complete. I was gutted, I had planned to have everything new, put out into the new kitchen all at the same time. Oh well, I got to try out our new kettle.
The reason I chose this kettle was mainly because of the look of it. I liked the shape of it, it was traditional looking.

Design
Like I just stated, it is traditional looking but in a contemporary way (if that makes sense), with a handle on the top of the kettle. The handle is made of black plastic so therefore heatproof. It is almost triangular in shape. It is black in colour and has a water level indicator up the side. The on switch is just below this indicator. The pouring spout is near the top of the kettle and it has a lift off lid which is quite small on top. The Morphy Richards logo is on the front. There is also a light on the front of the kettle below the logo, this lights up red when the kettle is in use.
It is cordless and sits on a 360º connector.

Extras
It has the option of whether you want it to whistle when it reaches boiling point or not. I am so glad it is an option, because to be quite frank, the whistle is quite annoying. It sounds more like a siren. Sometimes when you for instance refill the kettle and the base moves by accident, it can trigger the switch and unbeknown to you, the siren has been activated. You then have a bit of a shock when the siren rings, especially if it is early morning.
It has a 3 kW element for rapid boiling and also something which is called 'quiet boil technology' which reduces noise levels.
The element is concealed for easy cleaning and descaling. Where I live we don't have hard water so we have no real need for the descaling.
The maximum capacity of the kettle is 1.5 litres.

Using the kettle
Now, I use my kettle quite a lot. Every morning without fail, usually when I get in from work and then when I'm cooking, the cuppa after having our evening meal and occasionally in winter for a hot chocolate and a hot water bottle.
To fill this kettle they state in the manual to fill via the spout, I find this quite odd as if the filter removes any impurities when it is being filled, surely those impurities are being poured back into your tea? Anyway, they are the instructions so that's what I do. I then place the kettle back onto it's connector, then proceed to switch it on. Not very exciting I know. Then you have to wait, even though it is a rapid boil kettle, I suggest you go and do something as a 'watched pot never boils', as my Nan used to say!
If full to maximum it takes 3 minutes 16 seconds to boil (yes, I timed it).
You then proceed to use your boiling water. In my case a lovely hot cuppa, nice and strong! (I couldn't boil the kettle and not use the hot water now could I?)
It is very easy to pour. The only problem I have come across is that you have to wait a couple of seconds after the water has finished boiling as it tends to come out in spurts because the water is still bubbling, you then end up missing the cup and getting hot water everywhere.

Cleaning the kettle
I find this painted kettle much easier to keep clean that my old stainless steel one. The outside just needs a wipe over with a damp cloth, it doesn't smudge like a stainless steel one. It is fitted with a concealed element and this also makes it easier to clean and to descale, like I said earlier we don't really have problems with limescale as our water is soft.

Safety
Apart from the water coming out in spurts if just boiled I can see no safety hazards with this kettle. Its just common sense that you don't let children near appliances which they can burn or scald themselves on.
The cord of the kettle can be wrapped around the base which the kettle sits on, this prevents overhanging cables which children or pets can pull.

Problems
I noticed just before writing this review that some of the paint is coming off where the lid fits onto the top of the kettle. I was a bit disappointed as I haven't had the kettle that long and it's in a place which isn't even touched.
Also, the water level indicator isn't very good. Sometimes it looks as though the kettle is say, half full, but when you lift it, it is virtually empty. Also as you fill the kettle, it takes time for the water indicator to show that you are filling it and then you tend to overfill it and have to empty some out. This can be a bit annoying.

Price
I bought this in Argos for £39.99. After Christmas it was reduced - just my luck.
After having a look online I've found it at:
£47.93 Amazon.co.uk
£39.99 Currys & Comet
and
£37.99 coopelectricalshop.co.uk was the cheapest I could find.

Overall, I like this kettle, mainly because of the design. It does the job but has a few flaws which could easily be sorted out by the manufacturer.
Will it last? I will just have to wait and see, only time will tell.
Would I recommend? A difficult one, it's a nice kettle and if I were to turn back time I would probably still get it.
But not as great as I thought it would be. 

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