| Product: |
Hinari Kettle |
| Date: |
10/08/02 (203 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Cheap, colourful, does its job.
Disadvantages: Not very sturdy, probably won't last long
Household appliances - can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em!! (Haven't I used that line somewhere else recently?!)
I used to have a white plastic Haden jug kettle - it was cheap, it was sturdy, it lasted me about 12 years before it finally became just a little bit too unreliable and dodgy to use. Once the stage had come when it wouldn't switch off automatically until it had filled my flat with steam making me feel like an extra in "Wuthering Heights" and had taken to giving out vicious little sparks whenever I switched it on or off I reluctantly binned it. 12 years, one of the longest relationships I've ever had!
So my search began (actually I didn't bin the old one until I had a new one, obviously) for a new soulmate in the kitchen. After searching all the usual outlets such as Robert Dyas, Argos and Index I found my new kettle in Woolworths. The princely sum of £9.99 saw me coming home with a Hinari Lifestyle kettle. Apart from the price I was attracted to the fact it was a yummy banana yellow colour and cordless too. Of course, "cordless" just refers to the fact that the actual jug kettle has no wires attaching it to sockets so you can carry it across the kitchen if necessary and not get tangled up. To boil it stands on the corded bit!
This cheeky looking little appliance has a 1.5 litre capacity with a flip open lid for easy refilling. It has a visible water gauge so you can see how much is in there and an indicator light so you know when it is switched on. It boils quickly and efficiently, taking about 2-3 minutes to boil at full capacity and switches off automatically.
Unfortunately there are bad points - I find mine is not very sturdy on the base when boiling and it tends to shake and rock and spurt water when boiling. The connection also seems a bit dodgy sometimes so you need to make sure it is firmly on the base and in position otherwise it tends to just cut out
half way through boiling. This is only a recent development and I have had my kettle for less than a year so I hope it is not signifying a short lifespan.
As with all kettles you can prolong it's lifespan and keep it in good condition by using filtered water to prevent limescale build-up and/or using a descaler regularly to keep the boiling elements clean and stop it from working extra hard to do its job.
So, that basically sums up my new banana coloured friend - it's been good so far, but I have a sinking feeling that we won't last 12 years together.
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