The glass kettle (Prima PGK100)

Member Name: Caradawn

Product:	Prima PGK100
Date:	19/08/02 (496 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Looks great, does the job it's supposed to

Disadvantages: Needs regular descaling to stay looking good

When we first bought our house, the kettle we had was a rather cheap ugly looking jug kettle bought for us by my Mother-in-law. It was perfectly functional otherwise. A kettle in our house however does not get an awful lot of use. I guess you could say that for us a kettle is a functional ornament. Our jug kettle certainly wasn't ornament, though it was occasionally of use! I had therefore been on the look out for a kettle that looked a bit prettier sitting in our kitchen. I had about given up hope of finding one that I liked when I saw the Prima Clear Boil kettle in a catalogue. Now this was a couple of years ago and I've been racking my brains trying to remember how much it cost us, but to no avail. From what I can tell though they can cost between £25 and £35 and Argos are currently selling it with a toaster as a set for £59.99 (sixty quid to you and me). When I bought the kettle I think they only did it in white, but they now do it in chrome which looks even snazzier.

The Prima Clear Boil kettle is very smart looking, almost sexy with it's curves. It's oval in shape and the main body of the kettle is clear (as the name suggests...). Even the handle is comfortable and snug to hold. There isn't an element such as you would get in a normal kettle, instead there is a metal plate at the bottom which is itself the element, either that or the element is underneath it (I draw the line at taking it apart to find out). It is cordless kettle and connects to the circular base in such a way that it goes straight on whichever way you happen to be holding it in (unless of course you insist on holding it upside down!).

I live in a hard water area and to keep it looking smart I do have to de-scale it sooner than I would if it were opaque. The metal plate scales over first, then if left long enough the glass will cloud up. This is obviously a downside for someone who uses a kettle several time a day.

You can't switch the kettle o
n when it is not on the base, similarly when you remove it from the base it switches off automatically. The manufacturers warn you not to refill the kettle for a few minutes after it has been boiled to avoid you cracking the hot glass with cold water. For safety reasons they also suggest that if you drop the kettle or knock it badly then you should have it properly checked for cracks and fractures. On saying this, I don't necessarily believe that the kettle is fragile. I quite regularly knock it on the tap whilst filling it and no damage has yet been done. In our house that is nothing short of a miracle. Anything breakable is usually broken within a few months of purchasing!

At this point I should also warn you that the kettle gets pretty hot to the touch. So it should definately be kept out of reach of little hands (as should any kettle).


In summary I guess you could say is it's practical and pretty.

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