This kettle was bought in conjunction with a Russell Hobbs toaster (see separate review). A matching kettle of a good price was the requirement and this was fulfilled, though for a kettle on its own I perhaps wouldn't choose this one.

To me, a kettle and a toaster are basic kitchen necessities, though I don't tend to use either a huge amount. For this reason it's more important that they look nice rather than have a huge range of features. This one matched the said toaster and the rest of the kitchen well - it was black, simple and clean looking. I must say however that it looked slightly on the tacky side to me. I don't necessarily believe in the saying 'you get what you pay for', but in this case I would value it at exactly what it cost, about £15 from a supermarket.

Its main function is to boil water, and this it did speedily and reasonably quietly so the kettle has to be praised for that. Its elements are located within the body of the kettle so it is a rapid boil. The kettle seems to almost go past boiling - it doesn't stop as soon as the water starts to bubble, it continues for up to 10 seconds after this, boiling so violently that the kettle almost shakes. I quite like this though as it means its job is well and truly done!

There is a switch on the back of the appliance which is flicked down in order to switch it on. This is the simplest of switches and lights up orange to be sure its on. The only other button is at the front of the lid, which is de-pressed in order to open the lid and fill with water. My slight bugbear with this is that the lid doesn't fully open and therefore requires a hand to hold it open. This is a bit awkward for me as I have a bad left arm/hand so not being able to fill a kettle one-handed is a a bit of a pain.

On the other hand the kettle sits on a base which is connected to the socket. The kettle itself is completely cordless so can be removed for filling and pouring, and can be spun 180 degrees during boiling to point the steam elsewhere (I turn mine round so steam doesn't rise under the cupboard above).

As with most kettles this one has a clear water fill indicator atr the front, so you can see exactly how much water is in the kettle without touching it. A nice touch to this is that this is measured in 'cups' rather than litres. This feels a bit more human, and actually means more!

In summary, it does its job well, but I wouldn't pay more than £15 for it.