Russell Hobbs Travel Kettle > Reviews (9)

One of my travel must haves

Hotels and guesthouses are usually really good in Britain at having tea and coffee making facilities and usually even the most budget of places have a kettle and a few tea bags. However it is a different matter when going abroad and throughout my travels I have found that finding a hotel with tea and coffee making facilities can be difficult and being a Brit I need my cups of tea (and coffee). After travelling abroad a few times and never finding a kettle I decided it would be easier to just buy myself a travel kettle that I could take on holiday with me so that I could be guaranteed a decent cuppa when away from home.

I've gone through a few over the years but the one that I have been using for the past couple of years is the Russell Hobbs travel kettle. The model number is 14178 and I bought mine from Argos and it is currently selling for £14 in august 2011.
The kettle is made from white plastic and whilst it won't ever win any design awards it looks nice and modern. Being a travel kettle it is obviously smaller than an average kettle but it just looks like a normal kettle but in miniature and if it was enlarged it wouldn't look any different to any other kitchen kettle.

The kettle holds 850ml of water which is more than enough for a few cups of tea or coffee and I was surprised the first time I used it just how much it held as from looking at it I wasn't expecting it to hold as much water.
There are two windows on either side of the kettle so that you can check the level of water which you need. This is good because I am impatient and like to just fill the kettle with the right amount of water for the amount of cups that I am making.

I find that the kettle boils really quickly and it also switches itself off as soon as the water has reached its boiling point instead of continuing to boil and splashing water everywhere. Filling the kettle is easy and because the kettle is so lightweight even when the kettle is fully filled it doesn't get too heavy and is easy to carry.
The spout is too small for filling the kettle and the only time I tried I managed to get water everywhere so it does mean that you need to fill it by opening the lid. The lid has a nice and sturdy feeling and although it opens and closes easily it doesn't feel like it is going to snap off and even though I have used it countless times now the hinge is still smooth unlike some other travel kettles that I have owned where the hinge of the lid has broken after only using it a few times.

Keeping the kettle clean is really easy. The element is concealed and the inside of the kettle is smooth plastic so when I return back from holiday I just need to give it a quick wipe with a dry towel and it is ready for use again on my next holiday.
The outside is also smooth plastic so any stains that get on it are easily and quickly wiped off with a damp cloth.

The kettle has an international voltage meaning that you can use it all over the world. I have only used it in Europe but there has never been a problem with it working.

It does come with a UK plug so you do have to remember to take your own adaptor for it to work.
Talking of the plug the kettle is all in one and doesn't come with a separate charging base so you do need to be careful when taking the kettle to the tap to fill it to make sure that you don't get any water on the plug.

There is a removable filter in the spout that should stop any bits from getting in your cup of tea but as the kettle is so smooth inside I have never had a problem with limescale. I did find that the water had a bit of a funny taste the first few times that I used it but this went away after boiling it a few times.

Once nice little touch with this kettle is that it comes with two cups and spoons that you can store inside the kettle for easy packing. The cups and spoons are made from plastic and although not the nicest way to have a cup of tea they do save you from having to buy some separate hard wearing cups. The cups are practically indestructible and are a decent enough size and the even the handles on them are better than the usual travel mugs in that they are actually big enough for me to get my fingers through.

This little travel kettle is one of the first things that gets packed as I find it to be an indispensible item on my travel check list. Because it is so small and light it really doesn't take much space up in my case and as it is so sturdy I don't need to worry about it getting broken on the journey. It also comes with a 2 year guarantee but after using it for so long I am pretty confident that it is going to last me a very long time.
Yes it is pretty boring looking but who cares at the end of the day it is a small travel kettle not one that is going to have pride of place on your kitchen worktop. It boils water and is really well made and excellent quality especially for something that costs so little. I would highly recommend this travel kettle and wouldn't hesitate to buy another Russell Hobbs travel kettle again when this one finally gives oout on me.