electric kettle recommendation

[mint]

You could be forgiven for thinking this would be simplicity itself.  NOT so.....[+o(]

What is it with all these choices and yet finding a needle in a haystack would be less time-consuming?

So....all I want is an electric kettle in stainless steel, preferably  without plastic parts and not made in China or anywhere in the Far East or anywhere in Eastern Europe or Turkey.

So then....which brands?  Do I really have to search ALL brands to find out where the kettles are made?  What, ALL models as well?

Back to personal recommendation after all, so please help.

BTW, I did have some nostalgic moments looking up all the old brands from my youth like Krups, Russell Hobbs, Rowenta, Magimix, Moulinex, etc.

Wasn't life simpler when you only had limited choices?[:)]

[idun]

The kettle that we had the longest was a Tefal bought in France and hopefully made in France.

Since the demise of that one, we seem to get through kettles rather quickly, every couple of years and I frankly expect them to last longer than that, especially as I have never lived in a hard water area or had calcaire at all on any of the kettles I have owned.

[woolybanana]

Bosch, but, remember that now that your joints are getting knackered, arthritis and rheumatics creeping in and anno dominae is marching inexorably on, you need something relatively light to lift and carry as boiling water spilled about the place is not ideal for OH, doggy or Mint herself!!

[mint]

Thanks, guys.

Hey, talking about brands from long ago, I suddenly remembered Swan!  We did always have Swan in our household.

Some nice looking Swan kettles at very reasonable prices but the internet reviews on Amazon weren't exactly glowing[:(]

Yes, I too seem to be getting through kettles like there is no tomorrow.  All the fiddly little nylon filters get torn and the leaks soon start.  I know I live in a hard water area but I do expect them to last a bit more than a year[+o(]

Now I'm wondering if I do want a jug one but I have forgotten whether you are in danger of scalding your wrist with the "traditional" shape?

[suein56]

[quote user="idun"]The kettle that we had the longest was a Tefal bought in France and hopefully made in France.

[/quote]

Our Tefal kettle has been in daily use for years and years and years and, yes, it does say 'fabriqué en france' on the bottom - though I am not sure that the latest ones would.

We bought it from a LeClerc branch when on holiday in France as we were fed-up of not having access to a cup of tea/coffee on waking. French hotels didn't have tea/coffee making facilities in the rooms then. I seem to remember keeping it in the wardrobe so as not to give the game away.

When we moved to France in 2005 we bought a series of 'designer'ish kettles, none of which last long, so we reverted to our Tefal. We said we would buy a decent one when it expired ... but it hasn't yet.

Sue

[Gardengirl]

Our 2 are both jug models by Krups, Mint. (I still have problems thinking of you by that name, by the way!) one is stainless steel, the other is black plastic.

The one here in England must be about 10 or 12 years old, the one in France is 7. I think jug kettles are safer to use, just lifting off the base for filling from the Brita jug or tap. We are in hard water areas in both France and England, which doesn't seem to have affected them, but we do use Brita jugs, which make a difference. The little strainers do break from time to time, but we order them via the Internet, no problem.

I did love my chrome Russell Hobbs kettle, which we had for about 20 years, but it sprang a leak and went to kettle graveyard.

Good luck in your search.

[Jonzjob]

We have one of these and it's a cracker!! You can set it to different temps and even get it to hold a temp for you!!

http://www.amazon.fr/Riviera-Bar-QD658A-Bouilloire-Inox/dp/B004AKRA4K/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439239434&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=rivera+and+bar++bouilloire+%C3%A9lectrique

Don't worry about the long link, just clique on it and see. Darty sell it too [8-|] It even tels you what the water temp is [:-))]

[WJT]

Bought a fairly inexpensive Bosch stainless steel kettle in Leclerc and still going strong over 10 years of use.

[mint]

Many thanks to everybody who has replied.

Will go and look at Leclerc in the first instance.  We have been keeping 2 kettles because it's useful to be able to soak the one in vinegar overnight and you still have the other one to use!

That's what's made me a bit vexed about our kettles conking out so quickly.  After all, they more or less take turns to be used and in the course of a day, we might need to boil the kettle maybe 4 times in total unless we have visitors.

And, no, I'm not looking for designer, just good old quality[:D]

[Chancer]

If you dont want/need a big kettle, if you dont want your electrics cutting out with a 2.4kw model, if you want European design and quality and dont mind something that looks like it belongs in a Hôtel room then I recommend the ones I buy from my (virtual) pal Baz in Holland at Btrayding.

He's a jolly nice chap and impressed me by replying to an e-mail in 30 minutes on a Sunday afternoon, for that alone he got my business.

The kettles are great because despite being low powered the smaller volume means they boil just as quick if not quicker, dont waste energy and have a really sophisticated protection system, none of my numpty guests have managed to break one yet.

 

0.5 litre kettle: http://www.btray.com/en/index.cfm?/configurator_eng

 

1 litre kettle http://www.btray.com/en/index.cfm?/configurator_eng

 

Sorry but the links didnt show what I wanted, you need to select the tray type and the kettle volume from the configure box on the top left side, I have sense tray and .5 litre kettles but the 1 litre ones look nicer.

 

I pay around €45 per unit.

[Théière]

The problem with the good recommendations of kettles still working 10-15 years old is that isn't the current model you'll be buying now. They hail from a time when things did last. Modern ones are built around an idea of just about exactly how long they will last. That's just outside of the guarantee period

[Gardengirl]

I thought I might have a good one for you, Mint, Russell Hobbs, stainless steel, both matt and polished stainless steel, £16 or £19.95 and guaranteed for 2 years at John Lewis. 4* reviews.

The problem is that they don't deliver it outside UK. But if you know anyone who's travelling out to somewhere near you shortly, it could work. UK plugs of course, but ours in France has too, just permanently use an adaptor.

Amazon UK has the matt version at JLP, but only with a 1 year guarantee and Amazon France has them both at over €40+!

[Jonzjob]

I had forgotten to say that Rivera and Bar are a group of small-ish French companies and as far as I know their kit is actually made here in France..

[Pierre ZFP]

[quote user="mint"]

Now I'm wondering if I do want a jug one but I have forgotten whether you are in danger of scalding your wrist with the "traditional" shape?

[/quote]

Please get a jug shape and not traditional.

Years ago, my aunt insisted on getting us a Russel Hobb stainless steel electric kettle.  Well made but useless design.

One time, after boiling and emptying the kettle, I took the lid off to refill it.  The steam left inside badly scalded my wrist and fingers. When I pointed out this design flaw, my aunt said 'Oh you just have to wave it about a bit!'

Yeah right, never used it again.

[Jonzjob]

I remember a long while back  that I had a Swan electric whistling  kettle. A trad shape, but it was filled by the spout so no chance of accidents filling it. It had a loud whistle and it didn't switch off. It never stayed whistling for long for fear of waking the dead [:-))][:-))]

[pomme]

The only way is to go and look at a kettles you are thinking of buying (and then check the one in the box as the display items could be old). There is no point in just going by the name on it.

I recently bought a Bosch washer-drier from John Lewis. When it was unboxed, I was surprised to see it was made in China.

[mint]

Thank you once more to all for the useful advice and suggestions.

In no particular order, here are a few replies to specific individuals:

Jonz, yes, the make you have recommended looks very good.

Chance, I liked your link but I wanted slightly bigger than 1 litre.

GG, Russell Hobbs do feature as "import Allemage" which I took to mean a German import or do they mean imported INTO Germany[:-))][:D]

Wooly, your thoughtful remark was certainly noted and so I have made sure of getting only 1.2 l capacity so it wouldn't be too heavy or unweildy[kiss]

Pomme, I like your suggestion but shopping choice is very limited where I live and I don't fancy driving into busy big towns in this heat and children's holiday season.

Teapot, I am wary about traditional shapes too and so jug it is.  OH also said not too tall a jug as he reckons the steam will not do the bottom of wall hung units any good.

BUT....taking all of your advice into account, I have bought a kettle from Amazon Germany, after looking up the word "kettle" in the English-German dictionary without any joy, and then  striking gold in the French-German dictionary with "wasserkessel"!

I then googled the make and it said engineered in Germany amongst all the bumpf and so, when it arrives next week, I'll come back to report[:D]