If none of the top 10 best kettles that we reviewed suit you then read our Kettle Buying Guide for choosing the best for you.
Choosing the wrong kettle can waste water and energy, make you wait longer and be noisier than they should.
How can I buy the best kettle?
There are three things that you should think about when buying an electric kettle:
1. Budget
We saw that the amount you pay doesn’t actually influence quality. So you can buy a cheap and good one or an expensive and bad one. The pricier models can come with more features and better design. We found really cheap kettles that are easy to use, quiet and quick.
2.Design
A more traditional look is taken by the dome kettles. That comes with a bit of inconvenience when filling them up because the handle is on top. Jug models on the other side can come with bigger windows that show the water levels. They usually can boil less water than the dome models. Some kettles may need at least four cups of water to boil at one time. This is wasting electricity and time, while others can boil just one cup.
3.Water hardness
If you live in an area that has hard water you should make sure to get a kettle with a good limescale filter. Also, make sure that it has one because some of them don’t have. Some kettles have a water filter as well but they’re harder to fill and need changing regularly.
Kettle features and types?
You can find two main types of kettles in the market: stovetop and electric models.
Because the electric models are the most popular ones, that’s what we’ll be focusing on.
While electric kettles come in different sizes, shapes and range they fall in two categories:
– Dome/pyramid kettle – like a stovetop kettle, traditional dome-shaped having the handle on top
– Jug kettle – Jug shaped with the handle on the side (taller than usual jugs)
Features you should consider on a kettle
The key features that you should consider when buying a kettle are as follows:
Minimum fill/one-cup boil
Some kettles will require you to boil four cups worth of water at once wasting water, energy and your time. If you usually make just a cup of tea or you want to save energy look for a kettle that can boil from as low as one cup which is less than 300ml.
Kettles that boil quietly
Sometimes kettles that are marketed as being silent are louder than they should. You might find a loud whistling kettle really annoying, more so if your kitchen/living area is open-plan.
Water level gauge
If you want to see how much water is inside at a glance look for clear and large windows on a kettle. Some kettles have the level indicator behind the handle which makes it hard to see.
Multi-temperature kettles
With this type of kettle, you can choose from a different range of temperatures to heat your water. This will help you the most if you’re a green tea or coffee drinker as these taste better with water at cooler temperatures.
Matching toaster kettles
There’s plenty of choices if you’re looking for a matching set to make your kitchen more stylish. You can almost always find a toaster to match, whatever your design preference.
Smart kettles
A smart kettle will allow you to check the water inside, boil it remotely and see how hot the water is all from an app on your smartphone or tablet.
Nonetheless, it is pricier than the other kettles and you also still have to fill it up. There’s not too many of them but there is one in particular that stands out and that is Smarter Ikettle 3.
Other important things to consider when buying a kettle
- Speed – If it has a 3kW element than that is a good indicator that it might be fast, but our reviews prove that you have no guarantee. Some of the worst kettles will take more than twice the time to boil compared to the best ones.
- Efficiency – Some kettles don’t stop when they reach the boiling point and also make you boil more water than you need wasting energy and water.
- Ease of use – Even though kettles may seem simple some manufacturers make the design pretty without thinking about functionality and you don’t want that on something that you use every day.
- Weight and size – Kettles can way a bit when you fill them with water. Less than 1kg is what you should go for because it’s light and comfortable to handle. You should also have in mind that plastic kettles are lighter than glass or stainless steel ones.
Should you buy a cheap kettle?
There are good and bad models at both ends of the price range( 5£ to more than 100£). You can buy a kettle for less than a tenner but if you are willing to pay more, then you get a premium style, materials and finish and also more extra features.
Usually, cheap kettles stick more to basic design and materials. They also just do the basic job of boiling, without extra features. There’s also a less likeliness that you’ll have a one-cup boil feature on a budget kettle.
Do kettles last a long time?
One of the most unreliable household gadget is a kettle. In the first two years, at least one out of five kettles will let you down, but that doesn’t hold true with all the brands. If you live in a hard-water area, descaling the kettle will prolong its life.
Should I get a hot water tap instead of a kettle?
A quite popular and expensive alternative is to install a hot water tap and forget about a kettle.
With the hot water taps, you can have near-boiling water just with the touch of a button. They’re a good way to save some space in your kitchen and you might even argue that you save energy because you don’t heat more water than you need.
We hate to disappoint you but you don’t get just savings with this setup. Even though a water tap is convenient and saves you space, it is expensive and also has ongoing maintenance costs that go beyond any savings you can get.
If you don’t want to go through the process of choosing a good kettle with this kettle buying guide we already reviewed the Top 10 Best Kettles of this year so you can quickly find the best for you.
