Makes Making a Cuppa a Cinch! (Breville VKJ142)

Member Name: Deru

Product:	Breville VKJ142
Date:	04/06/09 (190 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Energy saving, Quick to boil, Stylish, Easy to use

Disadvantages: Amount poured is not adjustable, water drips, only good for filling cups, Only 4 cup capacity

INTRODUCTION

My dad chose and bought it to replace another Breville kettle. The previous one worked fine but hot water seemed to drip down the front when pouring, which isn't very good. This 'Hot Cup' kettle is very different though and looks not too dissimilar to a coffee machine and it pours the water for you without you having to lift it off the base (it's more of a dispenser really). It has a bright blue light where the button is and the transparent part of the body with the water level indicator also glows blue when you turn the kettle on. Overall, I think the kettle is very stylish looking kettle.

The kettle is an energy-saving kettle and also a very quick boiling kettle, which is just what we need as no one likes waiting for water to boil. We had previously bought a quick boiling kettle which is supposedly boiled water in a matter of seconds but the results were so disappointing that we returned it. This kettle on the other hand has been quite impressive but it's not without its flaws. It costs just under £60 from John Lewis but just under £50 from Dixons / Currys / Amazon.

EXPERIENCE OF THE KETTLE

To use the kettle, one simply has to fill the kettle with water between the minimum and maximum markers, place the kettle back on the base and then press the button. The kettle lifts off the base and isn't really heavy, even when water is filled to the maximum but that may be because it only has the capacity for four cups. The hole that forms the handle is inside the body of the kettle rather than sticking out as an extra component so this reduces the amount of water the thing holds, which is partly why it's so light. It does look nice though! I have found that the kettle finishes boiling and starts pouring after about 40-50 seconds regardless of how much water is in the kettle, which is very quick. It manages this by only boiling what it will pour and I have confirmed this by feeling the body of the kettle which isn't warm or hot at all. The water that it has boiled is indeed boiling. This obviously saves energy so would be a good choice for any eco-warrior. However, as it does automatically pour the water for you, you must remember to place a cup on the grill under the spout! I have managed to forget once or twice out of habit as I was used to having to manually pour water from a kettle but luckily, it catches spilt water in a removable tray under the grill. This is very easy to remove and clean, along with the grill. The cup or mug should be placed on the grill under the spout at the beginning of the boiling process, preferably before you press the button but shortly after is fine.

The kettle pours around 260ml on each use and unfortunately this is not adjustable. I have found that using small mugs fills the hot water right to the top, near overflowing and doesn't leave enough room for milk (if you're making tea / coffee), and using larger mugs only fills three quarters to the top. Attempting to add more water to the large mug will result in it overflowing (believe me, I've tried!) so I've found it best to use medium sized mugs.

The space underneath the spout is quite spacious and will fit a gigantic novelty mug (just), however, it will not fit a tall jug so if you routinely fill large jugs (or similar) with boiling water, this will not be the kettle for you. You would need to hold the jug diagonally under the spout and wait for the kettle to start pouring and you would probably need to do this about 10 times before the jug is full due to the small amount of water the kettle pours each time. You would also need to wait 30 - 40 seconds each time as pouring is not immediate and it is not possible to just lift the kettle up to just pour boiling water as most the water will not be boiled as it is only meant to boil just enough for one medium cup each time.

One thing I have found is that after the kettle has poured a medium cup's worth of boiling water, water can still drip from the spout (and usually does) for up to around 10 seconds after it has finished pouring. It usually stops dripping but starts again after a delay so it is easy to forget. This is a bit annoying for the impatient and for those who forget as this means you have to wipe the grill and spill tray if you don't leave the cup there long enough for all the water to finish dripping.

When it's pouring, it does splash a little but very little. Just keep your hand away when it's pouring and you're fine. Lastly, the flip open lid that opens for you to fill the kettle is quite small and although it's fine for filling the kettle up with water, it doesn't leave much room for accessing the inside of the kettle in case it needs cleaning. Not had to clean it yet though but maybe it's designed to not need much cleaning besides rinsing as the lid covers a rather small hole for filling it with water. Certainly cannot fit a grown person's hand in. Lastly, the button that flicks the lid open when pressed has stopped opening the lid so now my one requires that I pry it open each time I need to refill. Not difficult but certainly not as convenient.

SUMMARY

PROS

- Only boils what it pours (less energy)
- Quick (Less than a minute to boil)
- Don't need to lift to pour
- Stylish design

CONS

- Amount poured is not adjustable
- Only provides enough boiling water for single cups at a time
- Water drips from the spout after a delay
- Only 4 cup capacity
- Lid could be a bit more robust


VERDICT

The kettle looks terrific in the kitchen and is very convenient to use but has a number of flaws. However, I would still recommend this kettle as it's quick and saves energy, so long as you're only looking to use it for single cups each time, otherwise, it'd be a pain in the backside to use.

Thanks for reading!

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