~Why I bought it~

I'm not one for going out and buying things for the sake of it, something has to really need replacing before I'll buy new, it's not because I'm a miser, it's because I can't see the point in replacing something just because something new and better is on the market. That's probably why you'll notice some of my reviews are indeed about somewhat dated products. So to get to the product in hand here, I'm going to review the "Cook works Stainless Steel Kettle". The filter in my old kettle disintegrated plus the actual kettle was looking rather old and battered, I'd had it for a good number of years and was saddened to have to throw it out, I get very attached to things you see.

It's not very often I get a new appliance for the kitchen so when the time comes to choose something that will be replacing an appliance that I have used for some time and so therefore extremely familiar with, it's difficult for me to know if I'm making the right choice in purchasing it's replacement. I know it's only a kettle and they can be picked up pretty cheap, but I still need to be sure I'm making the right choice, it's just the way I am.

~A little tall maybe~

The Cook works stainless steel kettle is what I decided to go for. From the bottom of the actual base it stands on, to the highest point of the kettle itself, it stands about 11 inches high. I mention the height because there is no mention of it's actual height and where as to most people this may not be an issue, to me it was because where I stand my kettle, it is situated under a rather low to the worktop cupboard where I push the kettle under, when I'm not using it to make more space on the worktop, only pulling it out when I need to use it. As it happens it turned out to be to tall to fit under the cupboard and so I have to leave it pulled out.

~What it looks like~

It is quite a nice looking kettle though, a sort of metallic silver handle and lid with a stainless steel body and spout which is very shiny. Another thing I like about it is the fact there is a transparent plastic water level indicator each side which illuminates blue whilst the water inside is boiling, I can see inside the kettle through either side. The handle is quite chunky and shaped in a way that feels very secure when I lift the kettle off the base unit to pour. The switch to turn on the kettle is situated under the handle, it is quite easy to get to and to switch it downwards, the handle doesn't get in the way of the switch at all. The spout is quite small as is the filter, well I say they're small because my previous kettle was a lot bigger so therefore everything on this kettle seems small, it's probably in actual fact about normal size. Again I think the lid is small, this has to be opened in order to fill the kettle, but it opens very easily by pressing the safety catch, which allows the lid to spring open, the lid cannot be removed from the kettle completely as it is hinged, once I have filled the kettle with the required amount of water, I just have to click the lid shut which also locks it. Around the bottom of the kettle is a metallic cover that matches the rest of the kettle, this is the part that sits on the base unit.

~The base unit~

The base unit is round, metallic silver with an extremely short power cord. I was annoyed by this because the house in which I live in, is quite an old property and the plug sockets in the kitchen are situated quite high up the wall, not neatly placed around the worktop like newer properties. So the power cord did not reach from the base unit to my plug socket, my husband has had to make a very small extension cable so the plug will reach, this really annoyed me because when you buy a new kettle you don't want to have to sit around making extension cables for it, you just want to use it! The cable from the bottom of the plug which was already fixed to the appliance, measures about 26 inches, now I know that sounds plenty long enough and would most probably suffice for most people, but it was to short for me, so you can imagine just how high up my plug sockets are situated. However once sorted it was fine. The kettle sits very neat and snug on the base unit and does in actual fact look very nice sitting in my kitchen.

~Operating it, water capacity and the weight of it~

Switching the kettle on and off is simple, it's just a case of flicking down the switch to turn on, which also turns on the blue illumination inside the kettle, when the water has boiled the kettle will automatically switch itself off, turning out the blue illumination at the same time. If for some reason you wish to turn the kettle off before boiling, then the switch is just simply flicked back up again.

The water capacity for this kettle is 1.7L which brings me to one of the first things I noticed about it, the weight of it, the kettle is very light whilst empty, but even when filled to the maximum, it is very easy for me to lift and pour, I can notice a big difference from my old kettle, I really don't know how I coped for so long with the other kettle, with having arthritis which affects my hands and wrists, I struggled all that time with a really heavy kettle and didn't think anything of it. But since using this new kettle I can really appreciate the difference.

~Instructions, where I got it and overall~

Along with the kettle came an instruction booklet, pretty basic but then a kettle is a pretty basic appliance when alls said and done. The booklet gives information about caring for and cleaning the kettle, descaling etc. It also shows a very long list of safety warnings, what to do and what not to do with the kettle. It also explains that before the kettle is used for making drinks, it should be boiled a few times first, to take away any taste of plastic that could be experienced. I never experienced any plastic taste but when I first starting using the kettle it did smell a bit like burning plastic when it boiled, but this apparently is normal and it did wear off after a while, I guess it was just because the kettle was new. I've been using the kettle for a good few months now and overall I'm pleased with it's performance.

I purchased my Cook works stainless steel kettle from Argos for £19.49 it comes with a one year guarantee against manufacturing defects.

So now I've got over my little niggles about the power cord, I guess I am quite happy with my new kettle. I really do like the way it looks, it works well maybe a bit noisy as it reaches boiling point, but it is quite quick to boil which pleases me, I hate standing around waiting for the water in the kettle to boil and so in my opinion the water boiling quickly is a big plus for this kettle.

I'm giving this kettle 4 stars as I am pleased with it's overall performance and looks, I just wanted a longer power cord.

Thank you for reading my review which is also posted on other sites. I have marked both picture and sound quality down as average as these attributes don't really apply to a kettle.