You're short, fat and ugly - but I love you! (Sainsbury's Stainless Steel Cordless Jug)

Member Name: dee778

Product:	Sainsbury's Stainless Steel Cordless Jug
Date:	18/08/09 (96 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap and reliable

Disadvantages: Noisy, invisible water level indicator

I have been through an exceptional number of kettles over the years, mainly because I live in a hard water area and feel unable to cope with the endless battle against limescale. Limescale clogs up the element, looks horrible and deposits nasty granules into your cup. If you really wanted to keep limescale at bay you would have use a chemical descaler every two weeks - something I am not prepared to do.

After calculating my overall kettle spend, I decided that the best plan was to buy cheap models so that I didn't feel too bad at getting rid of them after a year. As an aspiring green consumer, I am horrified to find myself writing this, but it is a fact of life that I have a huge limescale problem.

My latest search for the perfect cheap kettle took me to Sainsburys. I decided that their 'Basics' kettle at £4.79 was too much of a gamble, even for me - so I opted for the next level up - the £14.99 stainless steel cordless kettle. I initially bought the traditional version, but replaced it with the jug version folowing its premature demise after 3 months of use.

~~style and sophistication~~

Well - at £14.99 I didn't really expect innovative design! This jug kettle is good and plain, with no softly glowing lights or fancy gadgets. It looks fairly good on my work surface - certainly a lot better than some cheaper plastic models.

The casing pleasantly rounded and is made of brushed steel. Although this is not easily marked by fingerprints, it does show watermarks from my hard water: the sides have visible drip marks on them and the spout is often surrounded by a white deposit. The handle and the lid are made from black plastic. They both remain cool to the touch and are very ergonomically designed, fitting nicely and safely into the palm of my hand. In particular I think the lid is very well designed, having a lip which you put your fingers into to flip the lid backwards. I have never been burnt by steam when opening the lid of this kettle - a problem which I have had with other, more expensive kettles.

Inside the black handle is a water level indicator, showing water levels up to 1.7L. This indicator could possibly win awards for exceptionally poor design ! It has been carefully placed just behind the handle, ensuring that it is almost impossible to see it, which ever way you look. I peer to the right of the handle, I peer to the left, I look from above - I get a tantalising glimpse of the indicator, but still cannot read it. The only way to see how much water is in the kettle is to carefully place your face on the work surface, with your nose about 2 inches from the handle. Squint upwards without letting your face lose contact with the work surface... yes... squint a bit more... now you can see how much water you have put in!

Or you can just lift up the lid and look inside.

~~design of the important bits~~

The on / off switch is located underneath the handle. Although it is curved in a way that would automatically entice you to push down to switch it on - in fact you have to lift it to make the kettle work. I am not sure what the curve is for, as you should never have to push this switch down. When the kettle is on, a very dim red indicator light appears on one side of the kettle. This is difficult to see in daylight, and impossible to see if you happen to have faced the kettle the other way. The instructions say that this kettle is suitable for left or right hand use - but if you are left handed you cannot see the red light.

A good feature is the hidden heating element which makes the inside of the kettle very smooth. Limescale does obviously gather inside, but it is fairly easy to get your washing up brush down inside the kettle for a good scrub.

The spout has a removable filter for limescale which clicks in and out very easily. The instructions say that this is not a kettle that can be filled through the spout, and if you try to do this the shallow nature of the spout gives a lot of splashback. Luckily the smoothly operating flip-top lid makes it easy to fill from the top. The spout has a very good pour, which makes up for its lack of filling technique.

~~putting a brew on~~

When you switch this kettle on you should be braced! Loud and alarming cracking noises indicate that it is starting to heat up, followed by a rushing, roaring sound as the water starts to boil.

The kettle is 2400W and boils fairly quickly, although it is not a rapid boil kettle. The click as it turns off is loud enough to alert you (if the cessation of the roaring noise isn't enough).

The sides of the kettle stay fairly cool to the touch after boiling - I don't think you could be burnt by accidentally touching them.

The base unit is very stable, and has three rubber feet to stop it slipping around.

~~conclusion~~

I am extremely satisfied with my kettle. It works brilliantly, it is reliable, it is easy to clean. Yes, it is noisy and fairly unattractive, but this is a small price to pay. At the end of the day it cost under £15 - what a bargain!

Summary: A good reliable kettle

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