Does your kettle make your blood boil?
Leaks, loud noises, sticky lids – these are just a few of the problems you can run into with your kettle. Our testing helps weed out models prone to these issues, but which kettle problems really get on your nerves?
Kettles are an everyday product that many of us take for granted, yet they certainly inspire strong opinions among Which? members.
In fact, we get more reviews posted about kettles than almost any other product we test. Those reviews give us a wealth of insight into what you do and don’t like about kettles, which we’ve then used to improve our lab testing.
Your top 5 kettle complaints
Unclear and hidden water gauges were your fifth most common complaint with kettles, while difficult lids you struggle to open came in fourth. As a result of your feedback, we’ve changed the way we assess the water gauges on kettles, so that kettles with big, clear windows on either side are rated more highly.
Kettles which stay on once the kettle’s boiled – wasting energy in the process – were your third most common bugbear. So every kettle we test now has an ‘overboil’ rating, which also feeds into our test scores.
Noisy kettles are the second most common source of irritation to many of you, so we made noise levels a more important factor in determining a kettle’s overall test score.
But by far the most common complaint we get is about kettles that leak. As this is almost always a fault that develops over time, we can’t always tell from testing alone which kettles are most likely to leak a year or two down the line. But what we can do is survey thousands of small appliance owners every year to find out how reliable the big kettle brands really are.
What’s your biggest bugbear?
Personally, what I find most annoying is not being able to see how much water is in the kettle or the kettle having a high minimum fill level. I’m a stickler for waste, so I only like to boil as much water as I need. I recently bought a Best Buy kettle that has a really clear water gauge and can boil as little as one cup at a time and it’s been worth every penny so far.
So which of the above kettle complaints annoy you the most? Are there any issues I haven’t mentioned that really get your goat?
What is your biggest kettle bugbear?
Noisy kettles (30%, 141 Votes)
Leaky kettles (20%, 92 Votes)
Kettles that continue to heat water after boiling point (16%, 75 Votes)
Difficult lids (15%, 71 Votes)
Poor or unclear water gauges (11%, 50 Votes)
Other - tell us in the comments (8%, 39 Votes)
Total Voters: 469
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dieseltaylor
With regard to boiling water and the correct temperature for the task I find putting some cold water from the tap ahead of adding the boiling water works wonders.
Just to return to the Quooker, which is expensive, however it does save energy, time and costs. For instance pasta cooking requires water to boil before being added for cooking. For me I walk to the Q. put in a litre or so of boiling water into the pan onto the hob and add the pasta.
I have saved time, I have saved the energy necessary to bring the water to boil, and reduced the amount of steam vented into the kitchen. When I say I have saved energy to boil the water it is in an enclosed system, the high efficiency thermal lining apparently keeps the water at boiling on the energy of a lightbulb. I never use more water than I need to fill cups for drinks and I am not limited much by the capacity as to the number of people I can make a drink for at the same time.
What does go against it is the capital cost and the installation. However for the elderly it would seem quite handy as no heavy lifting of boiling water or kettle filling is required. As for dripping spout or room on the worktop dictated by plugs you are freed from them.
Apparently Which? has looked at them though the linked page is no longer available – this from MumsNet
“Have a look at the which website. http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/kettles/page/faqs/
…………….. It is also immeasurably safer than using the kettle (did you know that 60 people a day are scalded by kettles in the UK, and thats just the ones reported to ROSPA!).
Matt Clear
Regarding boiling water taps like the Quooker – we haven’t tested these products, but I’m not convinced that they would be that helpful in reducing energy use.
Boiling a kettle uses very little energy anyway (according to our most recent calculations, boiling a litre of water twice a day would cost you an average of just £11.86 per year in electricity) so even if boiling water taps are more efficient, there’s not much room to save money there, and certainly not enough to offset the cost of the system.
If you’re interested in instant boiling water then it would be worth considering the much cheaper option of a hot water dispenser:
http://www.which.co.uk/home-and-garden/kitchen/reviews/hot-water-dispensers/
dieseltaylor
Thanks.
I agree that the electrical costs are not huge either way though the concept of a household that boils only a litre of water twice a day seems faintly unreal. However the time saving does not seem apparent from the ones I have viewed on YouTube following your review and of course most are severely constrained in what you can place under the spout.
I think most people would find a kettle more versatile even if slower.
Paul
I hate kettles that don’t pour neatly. Features I like are :- Easy to aim and control the flow. No dribbling.
R.Clark
We have the kettle that you have placed in the Headings. I can Judge now how much water I need for two cups of tea/coffee. The problem is when I need more than two cups. At 4 cups, the handle is so hot, one has to be careful to check how hot, before grasping it, to pour water.
Sheila
I have just returned a Prestige kettle after 6 months as it was leaking. I had an inkling that there would be a problem as when I bought the kettle the man in front of me was returning a different make and was refused a replacement as the manager said the kettles weren’t guaranteed unless descaled regularly. However, we don’t have a problem with lime scale as our water is very soft.
Took the kettle back and was told that it was my fault as kettle hadn’t been descaled. There was the finest layer of scale on the bottom of the heat plate. I asked how this made a kettle leak, as I genuinely don’t understand it.
The manager said on this occasion he would replace it- I asked if there were any better kettles and the answer was no and it doesn’t matter how much you pay.
The situation seems bizarre to me that all of these companies make the same type of kettles which are essentially not fit for purpose and potentially dangerous. You are right that this subject makes our blood boil!
wavechange
I would be interested to know if the instructions actually say that failure to descale the kettle will invalidate the warranty.
It is standard practice for retailers to deny any responsibility for goods that are over a year old and even say that the Sale of Goods Act does not apply, but I have never heard of anyone refusing to deal with a fault in a product that is less than a year old.
You have achieved more than the previous customer, so if you have further problems it would be good to be prepared to outwit the store manager and make it very clear that you know your rights.
My top tip for dealing with unhelpful store managers is to go back when someone else is on duty.
richard
I’m having difficulties with this – I’ve never had a “leaky kettle” in over 60 years – though have had kettle elements that have broken after say 10 years use and either i could not obtain a replacement element or they weren’t replaceable.
In addition I have never had a request for any product replacement refused provided it was within the warranty period.
As far as I’m concerned the length of the warranty is a contract for that length of time – no more – so even if it is just say a week over – the warranty is void.
wavechange
Leaks around water level indicators seems to be the main problem, Richard. Old kettles did not have plastic windows on their sides.
The Sale of Goods Act is intended to provide the consumer with protection after the manufacturer’s warranty has expired. See, for example, the advice from Which?
http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/sale-of-goods/understanding-the-sale-of-goods-act/your-rights/
richard
Wavechange – I know why they leak – I haven’t had one that HAD water level indicators that leaked.
Equally – as I said AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED the warranty is a contract for a specific period – no more – The cost of maintaining that “unlimited” warranty for ALL – explains why so many manufacturers go bust with a consequent increase in unemployment.
wavechange
If you want to waive your rights that’s fine, Richard.
You seem to get very good life out of appliances, judging from your past posts. So do I . I’m sure that being careful helps. Put yourself in the place of someone who has a washing machine (or some other expensive appliance) fail shortly after the manufacturer’s warranty has expired. You know as well as I do that build quality isn’t always as good as it should be. That’s why we have the Sale of Goods Act.
richard
I have put myself in such a place – The agreement I signed with the manufacturer gave me a 1 year warranty – the device broke down after 13 months – 1 MORE month than a year – So it wasn’t covered. I was taught to honour contracts.
Interesting about being careful – I wonder why you don’t extol posters to be far more careful – rather than forcing manufactures to increase their manufacturing costs.? I am really getting tired of the me me me culture of the Tories.
wavechange
Your contract is with the retailer unless you purchased the goods from the manufacturer. They have rights too, and faulty goods will not normally be repaired or replaced if there is evidence that an item has been misused. In the case of a kettle, that could include dropping it, wetting electrical connections, damaging the flex, or damage caused by switching it on when empty (though a kettle should be able to survive this on an occasional basis).
If the circumstances arise I will extol posters to be more careful, but do remember that we are frequently reminded not to criticise individuals.
dieseltaylor
Manufacturers, as a rule, are always trying to lower production cost by using cheaper components and out-sourcing. There is not much in the way of a countering factor other than legislation to ensure a degree of reasonable life and a knowledgeable customer base. Unfortunately advertising can persuade many to buy the less good article, particularly if there is no ready access to good information.
That is perhaps why repair, length of guarantee, and long term reputation need to be highlighted in reviews. Perhaps Which? should be default say whether an item is non-repairable or repairable. There are many here who are against the throw-away culture.
wavechange
I very much agree with your points, but recognise that there has been a big move towards replacement rather than repair.
I had a Breville kettle that died when it was a few months old. I took off the plastic base and established that the heater was open-circuit and it was not a trivial fault that I could have fixed easily. The heater was welded in place, so neither I or a professional could have repaired the kettle. In the past the ‘element’ could have been changed by a repairer or myself.
I took the kettle back to the shop and it was replaced without question. Hopefully the old one was recycled rather than put into landfill.
Though it would be good to be able to fix my own kettle or get a repair shop to do this, having the heater below the base is much better than old-fashioned kettles with an element that must be covered with water and need more frequent descaling.
There are not many kettle spares available beyond limescale filters, and elements and seals for obsolete models. Information about how easy it is to replace consumable parts (e.g. brushes and filters on vacuum cleaners) or limescale filters on kettles is useful, but I’m not sure how easy it would be to assess how repairable products might be.
You are right in saying that manufacturers use cheaper components to save money. In consumer electronics this is nothing new and I have repaired many items using more appropriate components.
I am concerned that it is very difficult for the consumer to make claims under the Sale of Goods Act and feel that Which? should be strongly promoting products that offer longer parts & labour warranties. If the manufacturer is responsible for repairing or replacing items that have failed, I think we could see much more durable products.
jolby
BREVILLE illuminating kettles when the lights go off after a short while and you’ve payed a high price for them!
I’ve owned 6 in as many years and the lights never last and they leak or fail to turn off!
Carolyn
Something currently driving me up the wall as I try to buy a new kettle is finding one that, when you open the lid, water does not immediately run off the underside of the lid and down the outside of the kettle. This run off is clearly due to condensation from the previous boiling of the kettle – but isn’t that what kettles are for??!!
wavechange
If you fill the kettle through the spout, you will not need to remove the lid except when descaling the kettle.
Dave D
I’m no expert on this as I have a good old fashioned kettle-shaped kettle with a (thankfully) easy-to-lift lid, but ……..
I’m given to understand that most modern kettles have some sort fo filter thingy in the spout, to catch bits of scale, etc, in the kettle and stop them pouring into your tea …. if you fill through the spout won’t that leave bits on the wrong side of the filter?
I understand Carolyn’s frustration though …. my ancient(1976) Swan Automatic kettle doesn’t do this, but at work there are several kettles, including a Russell Hobbs and a number of ultra-cheap supermarket hobbies, which all have this problem.
If it’s any help, there is one Breville one at work that has a hinged lid and doesn’t appear to have this issue.
Good luck!
wavechange
The scale is produced by boiling water, Dave. I have never seen any trapped on the outside of a filter. Many filters are too fine and make it slow to fill. My current Breville kettle has a stainless steel filter that is relatively coarse, but sufficient to trap scale. The filter also removable and can be brushed clean.
Simply holding the lid at an angle will allow the condensate to drain before lifting off the lid, which is another way of getting round the minor inconvenience of a dripping lid.
I’m glad to hear that your vintage kettle is still on the go.
Carolyn
Hi – I am filling the kettle from a water filter not a tap – very hard water that leaves a nasty scummy taste in the tea if I don’t use the filtered water! I have to open the lid to fill the kettle as otherwise the water goes everywhere. .
Our last kettle was a bullet shape and that lid didn’t drip. Unfortunately I am struggling to find one that is similarly well designed. Thanks for the tip on Breville, I will investigate..