Philips Energy Efficient Kettle: Energy efficient if you choose to be (Philips HD4644)

Member Name: Clayeree

Product:	Philips HD4644
Date:	01/09/09 (85 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quiet and efficient

Disadvantages: A few glitches in the design

This kettle is marketed as being energy efficient however as far as I can tell the only energy efficient feature it has are the cup markings on the water gauge, the idea being that you only need to boil as much water as you need to make the required number of cups and therefore save energy. This is a useful feature however I'm not sure it justifies the 'Energy Efficient' label. The flaw in this is that not everybody has a standard size cup and it took me a while to establish how much water I needed for the various size combinations of mugs we have in our house.

On the plus side, the kettle boils quickly and quietly however I do have a few major gripes with it. I frequently find that I place the kettle on the base and switch it on then go back a few minutes later to find that it hasn't actually boiled because for some reason it is not properly connected to the base although it appears to be placed on it properly. This is not a problem I have experienced with past kettles and is a big annoyance.

Also, after only one weeks use the inside of the kettle was encrusted with limescale. I do live in a very hard water area however I have found that this kettle tends to scale up much quicker than other kettles. Finally, the scale filter in the spout is easy to remove and clean but not so easy to put back in place - I frequently end up with it falling out when I tip the kettle to fill it at the sink.

However for the price this is a fairly good buy - it is reasonably attractive and is efficient at boiling water.

Summary: An OK kettle for the money but nothing special

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