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Kettles

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Kettles

Postby Mike G » 04 Jan 2022, 10:16

Anybody got a recommendation for a kettle that lasts longer than 5 minutes?

We've had increasingly expensive kettles over the years, and haven't had one last more than 3 or 4 years. Our latest one, about two years old, has just sprung a leak. It cost so much money that my wife would never tell me how much. We have exceptionally hard water here, and I guess that regular de-scaling takes its toll. We don't really want to stand one on the hob, which would be the bomb-proof approach.

We always have something which looks like a traditional kettle, not a plastic jug kettle. It's got to fit in with the look of the kitchen, you know.....

So, does anyone know of a kettle which looks OK, and won't leak or blow the electrics within a nanosecond?
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Re: Kettles

Postby AJB Temple » 04 Jan 2022, 10:29

We have hard water and had a similar problem. Then I bought a Cuisinart Kettle. All stainless steel and you can set the temperature to either 100 or 80 (the latter for coffee). Easy to clean and still like new after 3 years daily use.

Edit: I typed Kitchen aid originally, its actually Cuisinart. I have a few bits of their stuff. Well made.
Last edited by AJB Temple on 04 Jan 2022, 10:35, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Kettles

Postby Ayreon » 04 Jan 2022, 10:31

I know you said you didn't want a plastic one, but the the Brita filter type ones do work well for scale. I've had mine for several months now, and still haven't changed the filter yet as it's working just as well as day one.

The only downside is that they're a pain when you need to make a lot of drinks as you'll have to do it in batches.
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Re: Kettles

Postby Lurker » 04 Jan 2022, 10:31

If it’s metal bodied, de scaling will inevitably cause leaks, I guess.

Maybe you should just go the other way and buy the cheapest kettle and treat it as a semi consumable.
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Re: Kettles

Postby novocaine » 04 Jan 2022, 10:35

boiling water tap.
they have a water filter on to prevent the need for descaling.

or buy the cheapest you can, even a dualit will fail in short order in hard water.
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Re: Kettles

Postby AndyT » 04 Jan 2022, 10:36

I agree with Lurker. We're in a hard water area too, so regular descaling is essential.
We've had a £45 ish stainless steel kettle that didn't last as long as the £20 plastic jug that replaced it.
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Re: Kettles

Postby Woodbloke » 04 Jan 2022, 10:49

We have a stainless steel whistling kettle:

IMG_6372.jpeg
(333.48 KiB)


...from ProCook, as we got totally hacked off to the back teeth with 'lecky kettles that only lasted five minutes. This one doesn't leak and there's no scale inside 'cos we have a Kinetico water softener, which also means that all the pipe work, shower head/enclosure and hot water tank etc are also scale free - Rob
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Re: Kettles

Postby Dr.Al » 04 Jan 2022, 10:56

I've got two identical Russell Hobbs stainless steel ones (one at work and one at home). The work one I inherited from someone who retired (just a coincidence it was the same one we had at home!), so I don't know how old it is but at least 5 years. The home one is at a guess about 7 years old. Both still going strong; work one was used a few times a day pre-covid but hasn't been used much in the last couple of years. My OH is a tea addict, so the home one gets used many, many times a day! Very hard water here, so they get a splash of white vinegar in a full kettle of water boiled up every couple of months and that gets rid of the limescale very effectively (followed by a couple of kettlefuls of water to be sure the vinegar smell has gone). I think it's this one: https://amzn.to/3sQ69nA ; cheap enough that it's not the end of the world when it finally gives up the ghost: I'll just order another identical one.
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Re: Kettles

Postby Woodster » 04 Jan 2022, 11:30

Too early to tell but our current kettle is a Dualit that we bought as a package with a new toaster.
As with the toaster you can replace the element if needed.

https://www.dualit.com/products/classic-kettle
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Re: Kettles

Postby Woodbloke » 04 Jan 2022, 11:38

Woodster wrote:As with the toaster you can replace the element if needed.

https://www.dualit.com/products/classic-kettle

We were tempted by the kettle but we did buy the toaster; really excellent after having cheaper ones that again only lasted five minutes - Rob
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Re: Kettles

Postby Andyp » 04 Jan 2022, 11:44

russel hobbs classic SS kettle here too. Had it since before we moved her so +15 years. 3-4 boils a day before covid forced working from home (the missus) probably 6-8 now. Changed the element once. VERY hard water, descale with vinegar 2-3 times a year. I use the 10% clear for descaling.

about time for another de-scale.

20220104_114801_resized.jpg
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Re: Kettles

Postby Sheffield Tony » 04 Jan 2022, 11:46

We have a Dualit "Lite Jug" kettle. The water level window appears to have a crack (after several years of heavy use), but somehow doesn't leak. We have hard water, so I descale every few months when I do the coffee machine with DeLonghi descaler - which is lactic acid rather than vinegar or citric. It seems to work well without eating away the kettle.
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Re: Kettles

Postby AndyT » 04 Jan 2022, 11:51

Isn't the real problem with questions like this that by the time anyone knows that a particular model will last for decades, it's impossible to buy one?

You have to take a punt on something available now. I don't think you can win every time.
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Re: Kettles

Postby novocaine » 04 Jan 2022, 12:04

you've reminded me I need to run a deep clean on our qettle, so thanks for that. :lol:
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Re: Kettles

Postby Pete Maddex » 04 Jan 2022, 12:12

We have one of these

https://www.bosch-home.co.uk/product-li ... iesOthers/

Its worked fine for several years.

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Re: Kettles

Postby Mike G » 04 Jan 2022, 12:22

Blimey, you guys descaling every few months.......we have to de-scale at least once a fortnight.

Brilliant stuff so far. Many thanks. We'll look through all these suggestions closely this evening.
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Re: Kettles

Postby greeno » 04 Jan 2022, 12:36

We've an iKettle, voice or app controlled. Turn it on from my office and by the time I'm downstairs, it's boiled.

Wife quite often starts it when she's walking home from the school run.

But I fear that might be a step too far for you Mike.

(We installed a water softener a got frustrated with the hard water)
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Re: Kettles

Postby 9fingers » 04 Jan 2022, 12:43

We use the cheapest plain jug kettle from argos/asda etc at the time of need.
We put in a couple of those stainless steel "brillo" pad scale collectors in.
Our descaling cycle is driven by the coffee machine that stops working every couple of months due to scale and the kettle gets a decoke then with citric acid.
The kettle failure mode for us is when the plastic spout starts to craze and break down and it then dribbles possibly 10 years plus? then it gets replaced. We are on our 3rd kettle in the 40 years we have been in this house.
I don't see that any of the fancy ones offer useful advantage.

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Re: Kettles

Postby Dr.Al » 04 Jan 2022, 12:52

Mike G wrote:Blimey, you guys descaling every few months.......we have to de-scale at least once a fortnight.

Brilliant stuff so far. Many thanks. We'll look through all these suggestions closely this evening.


We probably should de-scale once a fortnight... :lol:
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Re: Kettles

Postby Ayreon » 04 Jan 2022, 13:26

Here is a link to the one I have btw, if you change your mind about not wanting plastic.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Russell-Hobbs- ... ref=sr_1_3
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Re: Kettles

Postby Sheffield Tony » 04 Jan 2022, 13:38

greeno wrote:We've an iKettle, voice or app controlled. Turn it on from my office and by the time I'm downstairs, it's boiled.


Can you tell it to fill itself up too ?

The IoT - "Internet of Things" leaves me completely cold. And I have been into electronics since I was 12, and a robot builder since 15. How many ways do we need to invent to make it easier to be fat, lazy and wasteful. (Not aimed at you greeno, but at the concept !)
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Re: Kettles

Postby RogerS » 04 Jan 2022, 13:54

Sheffield Tony wrote:
greeno wrote:We've an iKettle, voice or app controlled. Turn it on from my office and by the time I'm downstairs, it's boiled.


Can you tell it to fill itself up too ?

The IoT - "Internet of Things" leaves me completely cold. And I have been into electronics since I was 12, and a robot builder since 15. How many ways do we need to invent to make it easier to be fat, lazy and wasteful. (Not aimed at you greeno, but at the concept !)


:text-+1:

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Mike.... we have this kettle from Bosch.

https://www.bosch-home.co.uk/product-li ... x=manuals/

One of the nice things about it is that you can set the temperature to be cooler than 100 degrees and so ideal for Japanese green tea etc.

Descaling us a function of the hardness of the water IMO and can't see why Kettle A will scale up any quicker than Kettle B TBH. I descale ours with citric acid when I remember. Oh yes...that's the other nice thing about the Bosch. You have a 'Keep Hot' setting, so bring it up to boiling, bung in a spoonful of citric acid and then hot the "Keep Hot" button and set a timer to remind you after 15 minutes to switch it off !
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Re: Kettles

Postby Ayreon » 04 Jan 2022, 13:56

Sheffield Tony wrote:The IoT - "Internet of Things" leaves me completely cold. And I have been into electronics since I was 12, and a robot builder since 15. How many ways do we need to invent to make it easier to be fat, lazy and wasteful. (Not aimed at you greeno, but at the concept !)


Indeed!

Although I must admit, the whole routines thing could be very useful.

There is a fine line between efficiency and laziness :D
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Re: Kettles

Postby Cabinetman » 04 Jan 2022, 14:42

I know I’m going to get shot down in flames for this, I buy my water – spring water in gallons 2 or three a week and don’t have any problem with limescale. We are probably all past the age for having any more children but it still applies to all the other pharmaceuticals in drinking water which are not removed with most filters, it’s a shocking statistic that the male sperm count in this country has dropped over 40% since the 1960s due to chemicals from the contraceptive pill leaching into the drinking water, who knows what else you’re having with your tea. Ian
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Re: Kettles

Postby Lurker » 04 Jan 2022, 14:52

Not going to shoot you down, but unless you are using borosilicate bottles you are wasting your time.
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