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Choosing an electric kettle that’s easy to use (view report contents)

Test Results

Filling the kettle

You can fill most kettles through the spout or the lid. Some manufacturers recommend only one of these options - but do what you find easier.

Balance

All jug kettles are difficult to balance when filling them because the handle is on the side. Generally traditional kettles are easier because the handle is on the top. Because they curve outwards some traditional kettles may be difficult to fill if your taps are close to the edge of the sink, so check this before you buy. Also jug kettles tend to be taller, which may cause problems if you have a shallow sink.

Spouts

You may find it easier to fill the kettle through the spout, as you don't have to take the lid off. Most of the spouts on jug kettles were large and at an angle which made them reasonably easy to fill. Most of the traditional kettles had small or awkwardly angled spouts - if you want a traditional kettle and want to fill it through the spout check how difficult this will be before you buy.

Lids

Some people find it easier to fill a kettle by opening the lid. Lid handles varied a lot in type and size as the photographs in the summaries show. Protruding handles are generally easier to grip than recessed ones. The lids also varied in the strength needed to lift and replace them - see the ratings in the summaries.

Most of the jug kettles had lids with hinges and all the traditional kettles had lids that you had to take right off. Generally the hinged lids were easier to use and were much easier for unsteady hands. All the lids could be opened and closed with one hand except those on the Russell Hobbs Millennium 3161, Swan Gold Filter L16F1 and Swan Mellow Yellow AZ1MY. Most of the lids on the jug kettles had sharp edges, usually underneath. Check for this if you have sensitive hands. This was not really a problem with the traditional kettles.

If you have poor sight avoid dark coloured lids, as the water in a full kettle can easily be mistaken for a lid. Among those we tested the Russell Hobbs Classic was the only one with a dark lid. Some of the kettles had lockable lids as a safety feature, most of these were easy to use.

Pouring

Each kettle was rated for how well balanced it was, taking into account its weight and the comfort of the handle. All poured accurately and the flow could be controlled reasonable easily even if you were pouring out a single cupful or filling a hot water bottle.

Balance

In general jug kettles were better balanced for pouring because the handles were at the side. The balance of the traditional kettles was not as good, although most could be held with two hands.

Comfort of handle

Ratings for the comfort of the handle take into account its shape and size. If you have swollen hands ensure that they won't touch the body of the kettle when you're lifting it.

Weight

The more water you put in the heavier the kettle. Unlike most traditional kettles, all jug kettles can boil small amounts of water. Some traditional kettles now have a concealed element, which also allows small amounts to be boiled, rather than having to cover the element. We measured the minimum capacity of each kettle and found they varied a lot. The maximum capacity for most of the kettles was around 1.5 litres. See the summaries for individual results

Controls and indicators

The switch

Kettles only have one control - the on/off switch. All the kettles we tested switched themselves off automatically when the water boiled. The switch should be in a position which suits you, be light to use and you should be able to tell by touch when it has been turned on.

The switch on many of the jug kettles was above the handle - very easy to reach. On most of the traditional kettles and a few jugs the switch was below the handle. Almost all switches stuck out and so they could be pressed with the side of a hand or knuckle if precise finger movements are difficult. All switches could be found easily by touch and with all of them you could feel that the kettle was on. The ratings given to the kettles we tested take into account how easy each switch was to press.

Lights and sounds

Some of the kettles have a light to show when the kettle is on. All the kettles tested clicked when they turned themselves off when the water had boiled - useful if you have poor sight.

Water level indicators

Most jug kettles had a water level indicator on the outside of the kettle. Only 3 of the traditional kettles had one. Labelling of the indicators tended to be fairly small and the colour contrast varied between models. Many had a brightly oloured float to show the level of the water. This is important, as it can be difficult to see the level of the water. The following kettles had floats which were large and brightly coloured.

Bodium Ibis 5500

Morphy Richards Filter Plus 43440

Morphy Richards Filtermaster 43231

Swan Gold Filter L16F1

Tefal Gold 78703

If you are left-handed, a water indicator on both sides or in the centre of the kettle is useful. The Morphy Richards Filtermaster 43231, Russell Hobbs Millennium and Classic and the Swan Mellow Yellow had this.

All traditional and some jug kettles had raised markings on the inside to show how far you could fill them. Very few had markings to show the minimum amount of water you could use. These markings were usually difficult to see because they were the same colour as the body of the kettle and few were pronounced enough to be felt.

Flex and the powerbase

With a corded kettle, the cord has to be unplugged when you want to fill or move it. With cordless kettles, you simply lift them off the base, which can be left plugged in. None of the of the cordless kettles needed much strength to lift or replace. Some could be replaced only in one position. With others, the kettle could fit on the base facing in any direction.

The ratings in the summaries take into account the strength needed to attach and detach the kettles from their power source and how fiddly this is.

Safety concerns

All of the kettles got hot on the outside when heating large amounts of water. We found some metal kettles were more worrying - your fingers could touch very hot areas which were close to the on/off switch or lid handle. This was more easy to do on metal kettles because the reflections of the switches in the metal made them appear larger than they were.

Be extra careful when refilling a hot kettle. With all the traditional kettles, steam could escape onto the handle when the lid was off.

With nearly all the jug kettles, water could spill from around the lid when a large amount was poured very fast, with a few the lids fell off.

 

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Report contents

Introduction
Guide to types of kettles
Buying Guide
Test Results
Quick checklist for kettles

Kettles - Grip
Kettles - Sight
Manufacturers Addresses