Swan SK18020BLK

I've had this kettle for about 2 years now and I feel I've had it long enough to review it now. It takes 1.7L of water and I'm yet to have a bad cup of tea out of it (unless it's just been cleaned and I haven't rinsed it properly....yuck!) which I think is pretty good going.

Performance

It is pretty efficient; it doesn't take long to boil the water and it clicks when it's done so you know that it has finished boiling. As it's still working 2 years later, I'd say the performance is satisfactory, however there have been a couple of issues which I will go into further down.

Ease of use

It's very easy to use, just open the lid, put the water and click the switch and you're away (obviously make sure it's plugged in first ;)). However in the past few months we have had an issue the cable underneath can sometimes stop it heating up and it gets a bit 'jumpy' when heating up, so we now have to keep an eye on it and occasionally hold it down.

Durability

It hasn't broken yet so I think that would count as durable? Again the only issue we've had is the cable underneath the base.

User's Manual

The manual is pretty short, but as it doesn't have any special functions this is to be expected. It came with a 2 year warranty; unfortunately we started having problems after the warranty was up! The instructions are easy to follow but there's nothing special about it, it read almost exactly the same as my first kettle which was an Argos cheapie.

Cleaning and maintenance

It's easy to keep clean. The only downside for me is that I live in a hard water area, so I have to de-scale it regularly and the filter it has doesn't always stop it going in my tea! I'm guessing if lime scale isn't a problem for you then it will be even easier to keep clean.

Safety

It is fairly safe to use, however it's not the safest one out there given the problem concerning the wire. I forgot to warn my partner about it being temperamental and he managed to burn his finger while checking it over to try and find the problem and it suddenly started heating up again. He's now wary of making me a cuppa! I wouldn't say it is unsafe but as with all electrical appliances you do need to be careful, especially if it starts being temperamental.

Value for money

I bought this firstly because it matched my kitchen and secondly because it's a well-known brand that has a good reputation. I'm not disappointed in it, but I did expect better. As I mentioned before this kettle I had an Argos value one, and to be honest it doesn't offer anything that the other kettle didn't offer, and it cost a heck of a lot more money. (The Value one cost me under £10). The only thing is does differently is that I can take the scale filter out to clean and this helps it to last a bit longer. Considering it cost over £30 more I don't consider this to be good value for money, and when this kettle breaks down fully I may get another swan kettle but it won't be the same one.

Would I recommend? No, purely because it is expensive for what it is and I don't think it is worth that.