ISO a durable electric tea kettle

Some co-workers of mine have formed a Tea Club. They get together every once in a while to drink exotic teas, nibble on homemade baked goods, and discuss tea, I guess. I am not a member of this club or the workplace Quarter Club, but that's another topic.

Anyway, the Club uses an electric kettle to heat the water for tea. Apparently, the kettles are not very durable and have to replaced about every 8 months or so. Does anyone out there have a recommendation for a durable, reliable kettle? Someone also inquired if there is a commercial-grade electric kettle.

I've got one of the 1.75qt Chef's Choice electric kettles.

Cordless, auto-shutoff, good capacity. We've had it for only 18 months, though, but it gets used a few times a week and we've never had a problem with it, even when we've accidentally started it with a dangerously low amount of water inside.

I like the Krups electric kettle, because it also has a built-in water filter. In my experience, once the heating coil starts to get coated with mineral deposits, the end is near for your kettle. And besides, I hate finding little flakes of who-knows-what in my tea.

We have had a Krups cordless electric kettle for more than three years, never had a single problem with it. Also have never had a problem with mineral buildup, but then, we have a water softener. And I only fill the tea kettle with filtered water from a Pur filter.

I used to work at a retail houseware store and we sold a lot of the Chef's Choice electric kettle. No one ever wanted to return them and they seemed to last a long time. Customers always said they really liked them.

I thought I would weigh in against the Chef's Choice kettle. I bought it a few months ago for tea, french press coffee, etc. It looked nice and got good reviews online. However, all of the water I made in it had a plasticky odor which overpowered everything I made in it. I thought this would go away with time but it did not. Unfortunately, by the time I figured this out, enough time had elapsed that any reasonable store clerk would have laughed in my face had I tried to return it. So, I pitched it in the trash.

My parents have the Hamilton Beach electric kettle. It gets alot of use (my mom makes several cups of tea daily). It hasn't given them any problems as yet (6 months).

c-dub

I've got a Bodum 1.75 L -- it seems to last forever, since I've had this one for about 18 months and the one 1L prior for a good 6 years ...

as for the chemical deposits -- what's the argument against CLR?

We received a Cuisinart electric tea kettle for Christmas of 2005 and have used it two to four times per day ever since. Still works like a charm. Worth the money.

My (tired) wife recently killed our electric kettle by placing it on the stove to boil (it boiled, alright - into a mound of melted plastic). The kettle was a gift and had served us well, but searching for a replacement I've been struck by the paralysis of choice. Not only are there so many models, but every time we find one that looks right (the Chef's Choice or Capresso glass kettles, for example), we read of rampant complaints of smelly components or shoddy manufacturing, and we freeze and/or start our search over again. Does anyone have a recommendation for a reasonably priced ($40-$60) electric kettle, one that won't impart a plastic taste or fall apart in six months?

America's Test Kitchen reviewed electric kettles last season. They liked the Capresso Silver H20 electric kettle. The full review is available to registered users.

http://www.americastestkitchentv.com/te ... ?iseason=9

I saw that review and was considering that kettle until I read all the various reviews and discussion threads which seemed to single that model out for emitting bad smells and otherwise stinking up the place. Usually I only trust online reviews so far, but the issue with the Capresso and its apparent bad smell and poor quality manifested itself in numerous forums/blogs/sites (the Test Kitchen review aside; it's also the kettle of choice sold via Intelligentsia). I'd feel really silly shelling out for a kettle with so many red flags only to fall victim to the very problem those red flags announced. Which is a bummer, because it's cheaper than the (mostly) well regarded Chef' Choice glass kettle. Has anyone had any actual hands-on experience with the Capresso?

My parents have had one for a couple years, iirc, and haven't complained about it. We spent some time visiting them over the holidays and my husband and I loved using it! I didn't notice any funny smells, just that it was very convenient. My husband commented that there are never a shortage of warm beverages in my parents' house, but we figured that if we had a capresso kettle, we would probably be the same way!

Despite the mixed reviews, I've had this one for 2 years now. It works perfectly fine.

I've had a Breville Ikon for a couple of years and I really like it:
amazon link

heats up fast, looks kind of nice, not breakable like the Capresso. I wish it made a louder sound when it comes to a boil, but that's my only criticism.

We've had the Capresso model for about a year, and we're generally happy with it. I have never noticed any bad smells, and the water tastes perfectly fine. One thing we have noticed, however, is that it does sometimes turn itself back on after the water has boiled (particularly when we've poured out most of the water). We just remember to unplug it after the water has boiled.

I've had the Braun Wk200 Aqua Express for a few years and couldn't be happier with it. I bought it at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for something like $40 (and used a 20 percent off coupon). They don't list it on their website now and Amazon doesn't have it in stock, so perhaps this unit is not on the market now.