Get into hot water with style (Russell Hobbs 14590 Stylis)

Member Name: bigdoug

Product:	Russell Hobbs 14590 Stylis
Date:	13/03/09 (156 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hot water both safe and fast!

Disadvantages: Measly power cord 0.75 m length

The Russell Hobbs 14590 Stylis kettle is cordless and takes its power from a circular base that allows the kettle to face in any position in a 360 plain allowing it to be arranged on even a flat and level work surface suitably-oriented for either left, right or even mixed-handed households. The base comes with a 0.75 metre mains cable which restricts where you can place the kettle but satisfies the safety aspect of reducing the chance of catching trialling cables for electrically-operated appliances especially those that can contain up to 1.7 litres of boiling water.

The kettle has an open handle that gives the kettle quite a good balanced feel even when full of boiling water. The spout is both accurate for pouring measured amounts exactly where you want them and non-drip when you return to the base. The water is delivered through a filter inside the spout that can be removed for cleaning.

The power switch is located at the base of the kettle rather than the top, which turns out to be the lid release button. The power switch does feel quite light and weak and maybe could break with rough handling. The only niggle I had with this kettle was the lid release. A button on the top allows the lid to spring open but after a few weeks the spring seems not to lift the lid completely out of the way for filling - but it can be pushed back to the vertical where it will stay until you push it closed after refilling.

The three kilowatt means that a kettle full of water reaches boiling temperature in a remarkably short time, after which the power switch is returned to the "off" position. The heating element is a disc on the floor of the kettle allowing you to fill the kettle with only the amount of water you require saving you a little electricity possibly another advantage in these cost-sensitive times we find ourselves in at the moment. If you do only boil small amounts of water you may notice that the hot heating element could be uncovered and then recovered with only a small amount of water that may cause a noise and some steam to be produced and in turn expelled from the spout when you return the kettle to its base. So take care.

The base is the diameter of the largest part of the kettle itself and so if you can locate the base on your worktop then the kettle will surely also fit, although it is not advised to cram into just any nook or cranny so as to make it easier to remove for filling and use before replacing it as well as not directing a plume of steam at anything that might not like it, for example that large scented candle you admire!

The jug design has both an open handle and the jug itself is made of twin layers of black gloss over transparent plastic. There are parts where the transparent layer is exposed to show off the blue illumination while boiling. I must admit to boiling the kettle once at night with the kitchen light off so I could fully-appreciate the "blue-glow" emanating from the kettle during the boiling phase. The black gloss outer skin is remarkably "warm-but-not-hot" to the touch even when boiling. Obviously the transparent layer which is in direct contact with the kettle's contents of boiling water it noticeably warmer to the touch but not so hot as to burn you before you realise and you have plenty of time remove your hand without sustaining burns from the surface, which can be the case with these metal-clad kettles. I have, in the name of science you understand, completed the boiling process with my finger firmly-pressed against the translucent liner below the water line and near the power switch at the base of the kettle and suffered no "ill effects" or damage to my finger as a result.

I secured mine for half-price in at Tesco for £22.50, although currently (13th March 2009), you can get one from Amazon.co.uk for £24.75 delivered free to any address in the UK.

All in all this is a perfectly serviceable kettle from a major-manufacturer of quality smaller kitchen appliances especially kettles, sold a reasonable price and that I would recommend to any one needing a new one.

Summary: Great design, make and performance providing hot water both safe and fast!

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