A few nights before Christmas 2005, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse! There wasn't a sound from the kettle either , strange I thought I must have forgotten to switch it on. Senior moment! I checked the switch , it was on, I unplugged and replugged, I got out a screwdriver and checked the plug and tried again. No joy. Out came a saucepan and I boiled the water, but for some reason tea and coffee never taste the same bolied in a pan!
Plan A I was busy, hubby still had my Christmas present to buy so I gave him instructions to go to Argos and buy a kettle. It could be any colour but must hold at least 1½ litres.
Simple? Yes. And was it? No! Argos was busy, OK I should have thought of that! So what did he do? He went to the local Electrical store in the small village/town where I live and bought a white kettle for a very reasonable £14.95!
Am I happy? I'm a woman why should I be happy? Well at least he didn't wrap it in Christmas paper and give it to me as a present! I got something much better!
The kettle. It stands 26cm high and at its widest point from the spout to handle is 25cm. The round base is 16cm and the flex is about 70cm in length. It swivels 360 degrees so is suitable for left or right handed people. The hinged cool touch lid has a safety catch which has to pushed down to open, I admit I only ever fill through the spout though, which avoids steam burning you if you refill when just boiled as we do at work. There is an on/off switch on the handle at the top. There is a limescale filter which is removable, but as we live in a soft water area I don't know how good this feature is, but it is quite fine mesh. There is a blue modern shaped area on both sides displaying the level of water, which in my mind is a lot better than the little tube with float that I had in my last kettle. The markings are for Minimum, 1L and 1.5 L. The box told me it was had 3.1kw rapid boil element, I can't comment as I can't see it, but I know it boils quickly. Just out of interest I have just filled it to the minimum level with freshly drawn cold water, and as it is cold outside the water is really COLD! It boiled and switched itself off in 85 seconds. I rinsed it out and refilled again with cold water to the maximum level of 1.5L and it boiled in 3½ minutes.
It weighs 2lbs. when empty and a heavy 5lb 4oz when full, so not advised for people with weak wrists, a smaller kettle or less water would be necessary to avoid the risk of accidents.
Do I like it? Yes it boils quickly. It does seem to rattle about as it reaches boiling when full, but has never moved. It doesn't have nasty nooks and crannies to get dirty, BUT and a very big but, it doesn't pour well. I don't think I have ever managed to make a cup of coffee or pour water into a pot without it running down the side. Remembering this water has boiled, it can drip on your feet and burn. Invariably there is a puddle near the kettle after making drinks. But a year on it is still going well, it is used several times everyday and is much better than boiling a pan on the cooker (that's it now, my guarantee is up, so it won't work when I go to put it on later!).
More details
User's Manual
Poor
Cleaning & Maintenance
Very easy
How much did you pay?
£14.95
Any repairs?
No
Special features?
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