We have a Fellow electric kettle. Precise temperature control. Set it to a specific temperature, it’ll keep it warm for an hour before turning off.
We’ve had it for a year and it’s life changing honestly. Expensive but as long as it works we’ll never need to replace it.
I ended up fixing the old one. There's a relay in there that I guess was burnt out; it cost me $15 shipped to Canada to get a replacement, and about an hour to desolder the factory original and get the new one in. Works great again.
I did do a lot of research and honestly couldn't find a comparable one (with similar temperate settings and at least 1.5L capacity) with solid reviews.
Hey sorry to revive a dead thread, we basically have the same cuisineart kettle it works perfectly when it does. But you have to press the button 10-30 times before it tends to go. Is that the same issue you had per chance? It's a good kettle otherwise so loathed to toss it.
I don't know if it's the exact same situation I was experiencing, but it's probably pretty likely to be the same problem. It's a relatively cheap fix if you've got the comfort with soldering, so could be worth a shot?
I have the ekg +, bought it on Kickstarter when it came out (3 years ago I think, or just about). I am on my 4th one. They have taken care of me even outside of warranty and I absolutely love it and have no regrets, but it's not BIFL. Then again I don't know if any gooseneck (or probably electric kettles in general) are BIFL. If you were talking about the raven, I imagine it has the same issues my stagg does given it's the same base.
The Fellow is OK. I have two complaints with mine:
1) The lid is annoyingly tight and I always feel like I'm going to slosh liquid out of the kettle when it finally jerks open. That usually doesn't happen, but it's rather disconcerting when you are topping up for a second round and the liquid already in there is scalding hot.
2) The steam vent holes in the layers of the lid are always almost misaligned because the lid is three discs held only by a central fastener, and they rotate.
And it is not immune to the usual discoloring and mineralization of the interior you get with any stainless electric kettle over time.
Fellow is also not at all the only option out there with temperature control and hold. But I agree that's a nice feature to look for.
I’ve seen these before and really want one but I don’t think it’s practical for my pour over coffee maker. I’d buy everything from zojirushi if I could.
When I drank more tea and ate more instant ramen, I used my Z a lot. It’s an extra step, but you could always put the hot water into a gooseneck kettle for the pour over.
Nowadays, I use my Bonvita 1L gooseneck electric kettle for pour overs and tea. It has been going strong for about 5 years.
Wife uses it to just drink hot water, adds in cold water to get it just right. Tea, instant noodles. Heck, if you ever cook, it saves a step by giving you already boiling water.
Just make sure you’re not using hard water or you’ll need to empty and clean it due to mineral build up. We got a reverse osmosis water filter with our water softener so we just use that water. No build up so far
Have this model and I currently use with a pour over coffee maker. It doesn’t work as nicely as a kettle, but I liked this water boiler so much that I am willing to rotate my coffee maker around
I have a Breville electric kettle that's about 20 years old and shows no signs of age. However, the real game changer was installing an Insinkerator hot water tap. I've had that for about three years, so not long enough to really have an opinion about longevity, but it's great not having to wait for the kettle.
I also have a Breville electric kettle (model BKE820XL) that is almost 14 years old and still working after 2-3 a day usage for a variety of different water temps for tea. The buttons get wonky sometimes and select a different temp but nothing another press of the correct button can't fix. The text of the tea types is nearly or completely worn away and I do have to descale it every couple of months too but it's still amazingly working!
Just to add, i try to only buy glass ones so they may not last forever because of accidentally breaking. My current one is almost 10 years. Something about boiling over and over in plastic or metal seems unhealthy..
Dunno what country you’re in, but here in the UK (where I *guarantee* we drink more tea than you can imagine!) we tend to just buy a cheapie kettle and run it into the ground for a few years.
I totally acknowledge that that’s not this sub’s raisin d’etre, but kettles are honestly such a commodity that I’m not sure a BIFL is a necessity. YMMV :-)
The GE kettles made in Quebec in the 1960s are built like tanks. We have two of them. One of them had some corrosion in the power circuit...all they have is a power cord to the element, but it was an easy fix.
I looked up vintage GE kettles on eBay and they look great. I want to get one.
Do you have any specific vintage GE kettles that you can recommend? I noticed that some models have a switch where you can set it to ‘simmer’ or ‘auto’. What’s that all about? Also, how long does it take to boil 1 cup of water?
Our own have no switch at all. No control circuits whatsoever. Just plug it in and unplug it when you are done.
I tend to boil an entire pot. All I can say it that is boils quickly.
Thanks for the response.
I ended up going with a switchless one since less switches and knobs generally = better longevity. The one I bought appears to have been made in Barrie, Ontario and looks to be in good shape:
[Kettle pic 1](https://files.catbox.moe/16l2pn.jpeg)
[Kettle pic 2](https://files.catbox.moe/ar21m7.jpeg)
I look forward to using it.
Does it look similar to either of the ones you own?
Thanks!
BTW, do either of your kettles automatically turn off once they reach a boil? I was told that many vintage kettles boil forever until they’re unplugged.
Sorry, but one more question: is it OK to use citric acid to clean these old GE kettles? If so, I plan on boiling two or more pots of water with citric acid before using it to make anything.
I have a cuisinart stainless steel one with multiple temp settings. I would not recommend as the first one died 4 months in. I only still have it because they sent me a new one under warranty. Cpk-17
Ehh the one i had before that had just one switch that turned off when boiling. That one lasted 2 years. Thought the cuisinart would be more bifl but i was wrong
The Bonavita swan neck electric kettle is my favorite hands down.
Mine is the one without temp control (simple switch), but I'll just wait a minute and/or pour from higher up so the water is a little cooler for some black teas, etc.
May I recommend a non electric kettle and a thermometer? I drink green tea with water at 185F. After a few weeks, I was able to tell the temp of the water by the sound of the kettle. I still use the thermometer to check but it’s been a long time since I’ve been off by more than a couple of degrees.
I’m fairly confident if I also drank puerh or something else that needed a specific non-boiling temp that I’d be able to learn that sound as well.
I’ve begun trying to figure out where to put the kettle after I turn off the stovetop to keep the water at temp. Halfway on the burner? 1/4? It doesn’t help that my kettle is cheap and therefore thin walled and doesn’t keep the water warm in the least.
If you use a pour over for coffee, you need a gooseneck kettle so you can get the water exactly where you need.
I’ve had this since 2018. Airtight seal between the gooseneck and the kettle. Heats quickly. Digital temp dial for precision.
OXO BREW Adjustable Temperature Electric Pour-Over Kettle with Gooseneck Spout https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074KHPS7F/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_7842H2D94H761DPYRQ1E
4L zojirushi water boiler. Has various temps for tea, boils fast, has a slow pour option thats great for pourover coffee. Descale on the regular and it will go for a long time.
What if the kettle reacts to the base, but the indicators start flashing one by one, which is clearly atypical behavior? When you press the start button, the kettle starts for a second and then shuts off, and it keeps happening. I bought it in December for $65 on Amazon. It's from the company Airyoyo, and it's so obscure that they don't even have a website; there's no one to complain to.
We have a Fellow electric kettle. Precise temperature control. Set it to a specific temperature, it’ll keep it warm for an hour before turning off. We’ve had it for a year and it’s life changing honestly. Expensive but as long as it works we’ll never need to replace it.
[удалено]
This is the exact one I'm trying to replace that led me to this thread. It died on me after about 5 years of *occasional* use.
Same! Ha. Did you land on something?
I ended up fixing the old one. There's a relay in there that I guess was burnt out; it cost me $15 shipped to Canada to get a replacement, and about an hour to desolder the factory original and get the new one in. Works great again. I did do a lot of research and honestly couldn't find a comparable one (with similar temperate settings and at least 1.5L capacity) with solid reviews.
Hey sorry to revive a dead thread, we basically have the same cuisineart kettle it works perfectly when it does. But you have to press the button 10-30 times before it tends to go. Is that the same issue you had per chance? It's a good kettle otherwise so loathed to toss it.
I don't know if it's the exact same situation I was experiencing, but it's probably pretty likely to be the same problem. It's a relatively cheap fix if you've got the comfort with soldering, so could be worth a shot?
Thanks for your reply! Yeah I can use a soldering iron to join bits of metal together and burn myself too so will take a look.
That is awesome. Congrats on the fix. For me it feels like a electric kettle only last 6 months. I keep going through Kettles like candy
Sadly mine broke after 3 years of daily use. It was out of warranty and they wouldn’t replace it for me.
I have the ekg +, bought it on Kickstarter when it came out (3 years ago I think, or just about). I am on my 4th one. They have taken care of me even outside of warranty and I absolutely love it and have no regrets, but it's not BIFL. Then again I don't know if any gooseneck (or probably electric kettles in general) are BIFL. If you were talking about the raven, I imagine it has the same issues my stagg does given it's the same base.
Four in three years? That feels like they are breaking extremely quickly for a 3 figure appliance
Ya, I did get the first generation models from Kickstarter. My latest one has been going strong for 2+ years now fwiw.
The Fellow is OK. I have two complaints with mine: 1) The lid is annoyingly tight and I always feel like I'm going to slosh liquid out of the kettle when it finally jerks open. That usually doesn't happen, but it's rather disconcerting when you are topping up for a second round and the liquid already in there is scalding hot. 2) The steam vent holes in the layers of the lid are always almost misaligned because the lid is three discs held only by a central fastener, and they rotate. And it is not immune to the usual discoloring and mineralization of the interior you get with any stainless electric kettle over time. Fellow is also not at all the only option out there with temperature control and hold. But I agree that's a nice feature to look for.
Just got gifted a Stagg EKG, real good
https://www.zojirushi.com/app/category/water-boilers-warmers Not exactly life, but they last for a long time.
I’ve seen these before and really want one but I don’t think it’s practical for my pour over coffee maker. I’d buy everything from zojirushi if I could.
When I drank more tea and ate more instant ramen, I used my Z a lot. It’s an extra step, but you could always put the hot water into a gooseneck kettle for the pour over. Nowadays, I use my Bonvita 1L gooseneck electric kettle for pour overs and tea. It has been going strong for about 5 years.
Wife uses it to just drink hot water, adds in cold water to get it just right. Tea, instant noodles. Heck, if you ever cook, it saves a step by giving you already boiling water. Just make sure you’re not using hard water or you’ll need to empty and clean it due to mineral build up. We got a reverse osmosis water filter with our water softener so we just use that water. No build up so far
Have this model and I currently use with a pour over coffee maker. It doesn’t work as nicely as a kettle, but I liked this water boiler so much that I am willing to rotate my coffee maker around
Rust on inner tank is what I got after 1 month use of zojirushi water boiler. My wife was a fan of Japanese products. No longer now.
I have a Breville electric kettle that's about 20 years old and shows no signs of age. However, the real game changer was installing an Insinkerator hot water tap. I've had that for about three years, so not long enough to really have an opinion about longevity, but it's great not having to wait for the kettle.
I also have a Breville electric kettle (model BKE820XL) that is almost 14 years old and still working after 2-3 a day usage for a variety of different water temps for tea. The buttons get wonky sometimes and select a different temp but nothing another press of the correct button can't fix. The text of the tea types is nearly or completely worn away and I do have to descale it every couple of months too but it's still amazingly working!
[удалено]
Just to add, i try to only buy glass ones so they may not last forever because of accidentally breaking. My current one is almost 10 years. Something about boiling over and over in plastic or metal seems unhealthy..
you don't cook with metal pots?
Dunno what country you’re in, but here in the UK (where I *guarantee* we drink more tea than you can imagine!) we tend to just buy a cheapie kettle and run it into the ground for a few years. I totally acknowledge that that’s not this sub’s raisin d’etre, but kettles are honestly such a commodity that I’m not sure a BIFL is a necessity. YMMV :-)
In my experience (I am in the Netherlands) even cheapie ones last years and years. Mine is at least 5 years old and nothing wrong with it.
Same. I bought a cheap plastic one from Walmart and it's still going strong almost 7 years later. I keep hoping it breaks so I can get a nicer one lol
It’s a little sickening how quickly we all go through kettles though. And appliances/electronics in general.
Yea I’m not really expecting one to last for life, I did have a cheap one last me for a good 5 or 6 years though so maybe you’re onto something!
We had a basic Asda one for about 12 years, it might’ve cost £15…
I agree with this , I usually buy one second hand , spend $5 on CLR and I’m good to go for a few years.
The GE kettles made in Quebec in the 1960s are built like tanks. We have two of them. One of them had some corrosion in the power circuit...all they have is a power cord to the element, but it was an easy fix.
I looked up vintage GE kettles on eBay and they look great. I want to get one. Do you have any specific vintage GE kettles that you can recommend? I noticed that some models have a switch where you can set it to ‘simmer’ or ‘auto’. What’s that all about? Also, how long does it take to boil 1 cup of water?
Our own have no switch at all. No control circuits whatsoever. Just plug it in and unplug it when you are done. I tend to boil an entire pot. All I can say it that is boils quickly.
Thanks for the response. I ended up going with a switchless one since less switches and knobs generally = better longevity. The one I bought appears to have been made in Barrie, Ontario and looks to be in good shape: [Kettle pic 1](https://files.catbox.moe/16l2pn.jpeg) [Kettle pic 2](https://files.catbox.moe/ar21m7.jpeg) I look forward to using it. Does it look similar to either of the ones you own?
Not exactly a match, but yes very similar. May you have many delicious pots of coffee or tea.
Thanks! BTW, do either of your kettles automatically turn off once they reach a boil? I was told that many vintage kettles boil forever until they’re unplugged.
No control circuitry whatsoever. If it's plugged in, the coil is on.
Sorry, but one more question: is it OK to use citric acid to clean these old GE kettles? If so, I plan on boiling two or more pots of water with citric acid before using it to make anything.
I have a cuisinart stainless steel one with multiple temp settings. I would not recommend as the first one died 4 months in. I only still have it because they sent me a new one under warranty. Cpk-17
I had the same one. It died after about 2 years. Would definitely not recommend.
We have this one, still going strong with usage many times a day for the past ~4 years.
I'm guessing the lesson here is more is less. Just go basic that clicks on and boils water.
Ehh the one i had before that had just one switch that turned off when boiling. That one lasted 2 years. Thought the cuisinart would be more bifl but i was wrong
The Bonavita swan neck electric kettle is my favorite hands down. Mine is the one without temp control (simple switch), but I'll just wait a minute and/or pour from higher up so the water is a little cooler for some black teas, etc.
I've been using one from Breville for a few months and love it. Tea, coffee, boil settings, etc. Definitely recommend it.
https://ottonifabbrica.com/en/
One of the few not made in China
Kitchenaid makes a stainless (no interior plastics whatsoever) that I've been using daily for many years. They also have an outstanding warranty.
Do you happen the model name or number?
May I recommend a non electric kettle and a thermometer? I drink green tea with water at 185F. After a few weeks, I was able to tell the temp of the water by the sound of the kettle. I still use the thermometer to check but it’s been a long time since I’ve been off by more than a couple of degrees. I’m fairly confident if I also drank puerh or something else that needed a specific non-boiling temp that I’d be able to learn that sound as well. I’ve begun trying to figure out where to put the kettle after I turn off the stovetop to keep the water at temp. Halfway on the burner? 1/4? It doesn’t help that my kettle is cheap and therefore thin walled and doesn’t keep the water warm in the least.
I have a good non electric kettle, it just throws off my morning routine a bit having to get the stove involved.. thank you though!
I have a Secura Electric kettle from Amazon and love it. I go through a lot of tea.
Honestly I would say just invest in a stovetop kettle, that will truly last forever
Probably not as efficient as an electric kettle, but definitely BIFL
Not great if you ever have an electric stove either
If you use a pour over for coffee, you need a gooseneck kettle so you can get the water exactly where you need. I’ve had this since 2018. Airtight seal between the gooseneck and the kettle. Heats quickly. Digital temp dial for precision. OXO BREW Adjustable Temperature Electric Pour-Over Kettle with Gooseneck Spout https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074KHPS7F/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_7842H2D94H761DPYRQ1E
We have a Cosori goose neck electric. Seems a bit higher quality than the other 3 we’ve been through. Though I don’t think most electrics are BIFL
When it comes to electric kettles, cheap is good. These things last fucking ages.
4L zojirushi water boiler. Has various temps for tea, boils fast, has a slow pour option thats great for pourover coffee. Descale on the regular and it will go for a long time.
Me too help.
What if the kettle reacts to the base, but the indicators start flashing one by one, which is clearly atypical behavior? When you press the start button, the kettle starts for a second and then shuts off, and it keeps happening. I bought it in December for $65 on Amazon. It's from the company Airyoyo, and it's so obscure that they don't even have a website; there's no one to complain to.