'Top Scrum!' (Rowenta Cosmos Cordless Kettle KE 400)

Name: macutmore

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Product:	Rowenta Cosmos Cordless Kettle KE 400
Date:	14/02/02 (1191 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent design, Robust, neat, powerful, Never needs descaling.

Disadvantages: This model only in white, (Similar model available in black)

Features:

First Kettle, which never needs descaling
Highly polished stainless steel concealed element never needs to be descaled, gives maximum resistance to corrosion and guarantees a longer life
Striking new concept shape
Cordless operation with 360-degree central location for easy connection
Purpose designed large round spout for easy tap filling and easy pouring
Removable washable scale filter prevents scale particles being poured into your coffee/tea etc.
2 highly visible water gauges
Twin pilot lights
2.2 kW operation
On/Off switch at the top of the handle for easy operation
3 levels of boil dry safety cut out
1.5 litre capacity
Automatic switch off when boiled
Hinged lockable lid - prevents water leakage
Easy to clean
Colour: white

This is a white cordless kettle with a futuristic jug-style shape and a large spout for easy filling; twin pilot lights and a 360° base make it good for left- and right-handers, a polished concealed element means the kettle should never need descaling. It has a removable water filter and two visible water gauges. It is easy to fill and the two large gauges make it easy to see exactly how much water you're using. The flat element means that you can boil as little as a cup of water but there are automatic switch off and boil-dry, safety cut out features too.

Now there are kettles and kettles. Come to think of it, I didn?t even need a new one. Except for the fact that my existing kettles lid had become detached, and it's colourful exterior tarnished, it was still perfectly serviceable and supposedly one of the best on the market, one of the few, in fact that had a two-year warranty. But I hated it. The thing is still on the market today, and although one of the most expensive, and available in many colours. I'd had to live with it's clumsy design for nearly two years, and no way was I that much of a glutton for punish
ment.

This Rowenta seemed different; it looked like it had been extremely thoughtfully designed. I have now learned that even something as straightforward as a kettle is (being a very important daily use item), worthy of very careful consideration before purchase. To live with something that in real use (especially first thing in the morning), is clumsy, heavy, chunky, slow to boil and ugly to boot is not a pleasurable experience for the sake of thirty quid.

The big claim made for this Rowenta Kettle is that it is the first kettle that 'Never needs descaling'. I hasten to admit that the descaling of a kettle is not something that is a relished experience. Many hard water area users are well aware of this as a bind. It?s surprising how often this little task comes around, being as most kettles are probably used twice a day, every day. The Minimising of this kind of maintenance, then, seemed like a very attractive feature to myself.

Another aspect to the Kettles design is the very large spout. This means easy fill, and easy pour. Seriously, the spout on this beast is very large indeed. It has a circumference (yes it round), large enough to fit directly under any tap and to accept a large fast flow of water enabling fast fill, with no necessity of lid removal or opening for that matter. A look at most other kettles on the market reveals that a triangular spout is the norm. This makes them great for pouring, but appalling for filling, making tilting during filling, or complete or partial fiddly lid removal a requirement for many. Not the case here!

The very cleverly designed spout even has a built in overflow slot on its inner lower edge, meaning that if filled too fast, water does not spill out over its upper edge, or splash back or over the sink, taps or user. On pouring too, a round spout means that the Kettle can be tilted to virtually any angle, and the boiling water comes out always with accurate aim. The spout looks ve
ry unusual. I think it is a very inspiring, unique, functional and attractive feature to this Kettle. (Ladies take note)!

The latest generation of Kettle such as this, will of course, have been designed for right and left handed use. I'm sure that this is not an easy thing to implement into design from drawing board stage. The reality comes in its practical ease of use. I?m not ambidextrous, but I am very impressed by the thought that has gone into this product's design. During power up on the rotational base stand the product can be comfortably seated very quickly in any position of its 360-degree circumference. This not only means that left or right-handed people can comfortably use it, but it also means that the spout can be directionally seated to steam off at any angle (direction). Not just towards your wall or cooker hood!

A large, stylish, oval-angular red neon power indicator, built into the lower curve of the large hand grip is visual from almost any angle of use, showing beyond doubt that the kettle is activated to boil contents. Rated at 2750-3000 watts, this is also one of the most powerful Kettles currently available today. Boiling seems instantaneous. One pint of water takes about 1 minute, 40 seconds. So you can literally have that cup of tea very quickly, depending on capacity demand.

An egg shaped clear window on both sides of its bulbous body, is clearly calibrated in 0.25 litre bold increments. Up to a maximum fill level of 1.5 litres (slightly under the standard 1.7 litre capacity of most kettles on the market). There are no spirit level style ball contraptions in use here. I hate those things that sound (and look), like a babies rattle. The oval shaped design also means that it has a much more compact and pleasing shape than other clumsy kettles I've had or used in the past. It will actually fit within the clearance under my tap, without tilting, even with a full sink of dirty dishes piled up high underneat
h!

The stylish two-tier base plate is like a slim, wide round wedding cake. Although large it sits unobtrusively in position on its two rubber feet. Yes it only needs two bits of rubber (that don't come off either), with no wobble, since the thick safety power cord acts as a kind of third leg in its rest. This can be wound tidily and securely, completely out of sight and mind into the internal circular insert of the base, giving as much or as little power cord length as is necessary for organised use.

Even the design of the moulded-on plug at the end of the power cord seems to have been cleverly thought out. In this case it has a stubby feel with built in side grips, meaning that it's removal or insertion with the wall socket is easier than most other power plugs I?m used to wrestling with. Not that that?s a necessity here. This is of course a cordless machine (as they are so called). There is no wrestling during placement on the power base plate either. It?s circular and central, very positive.

The descaling of any Kettle is something that becomes a bind once a month and more frequently if your water is very hard. To descale most Kettles (or internal filter), white vinegar can be used (about half a litre or so), which can be left to stand for about an hour (without heating). Other methods are about 25g of Citric acid, added to a previously boiled kettle and left for say, fifteen minutes, or by the use of a specific descaling agent for plastic Kettles (most seem to be nowadays). As we all know emptying and rinsing about five or six times is usually necessary after such a routine.

The no descaling aspect to this piece of kit amounts to the fact that it really has a concealed element disc located inside the lower section of the platform of the internal body. Unlike a conventional power element, by design this takes up about five centimetres of the bottom of the jug, but gives an inside appearance which is in fact a highly po
lished flat stainless steel bottom surface, where the water is heated to boil. Because there is seemingly no individual element, localised scale deposits, although not eliminated become limited to the whole general area (the whole stainless steel plate). The need to descale, therefore, effectively becomes minimised but not necessarily ruled out.

Most kettles nowadays contain some sort of built in filter. These range from small mesh discs, to large semicircular mesh platforms. They are normally made up of fabric, which retain any particles of scale and stop them from falling into your cup when you pour. The filters do not treat the water or remove the scale from it, therefore preserving all the qualities of the water. With very hard water, though, the filter normally becomes clogged with scale very quickly (10 to 15 uses) and it is therefore important to keep it clean.

The filter in this Rowenta is small, contoured and completely integral to the neck of the spout. It is locked in its place by a small plastic lug finned off at its edge. It is easily removed without even opening the lid of the Kettle! Being situated extremely high in the actual spout, when the Kettle is filled the self-cleaning action of the fast water flow stimulates the meshing to clear any obstruction created by any scale deposits, keeping the filter clear, in good condition and effectively minimising maintenance.

The aesthetics of this machine are pleasant and the Kettle is a joy to use. It is lightweight (less than 750g empty, about 2.2 kg full), and because of it's bulbous, oval shape, seems incredibly compact and unobtrusive. It reminds me of a school Rugby ball due to its shape, and almost seems built well enough to bounce if dropped!

The unit is made in France and is constructed in gloss white Polypropylene plastic that seems very shiny and resistant to exterior staining by hard water deposits. The oval shaped handle enables a sturdy safe grip and seem
s contoured to the shape of ones hand. It has a large grey push button power switch on the top edge, which when pressed on, protrudes an extension button inside the arc of the handle, ideally placed for cancellation or abortion (or reactivation) of a boiling cycle.

The small circular lid of the Kettle is not removable; it has been designed as an inspection hatch and is hinged with a very large, chunky, grey integral opening knob on its centre (top). I doubt this lid will suffer the fate of my previous Kettle, since it is rarely opened at all (only really for internal examination, or cleaning).

This model is in white, with its grey logos and buttons (don't forget that red neon) and is a very fashionable item due to its unconventional cutting edge appearance. I would say that it would blend in quite comfortably into any modern or traditional Kitchen décor. I was surprised how it set my Kitchen off much more stylishly than my old state of the art, colour co-ordinated Kettle (now in the scrap yard in the sky- and it wasn?t even out of warranty either!).

Sadly only a one-year warranty applies to my new Kettle (for what its worth). Rowenta do include a back-up sheet though, with service contact numbers, a helpline and an after sales service advice sheet. The instruction manual is a basic universal model, multi-lingual translated booklet (not much use), complete with obligatory safety instructions and not much else. A quick browse at the Rowenta website (www.rowenta.co.uk), reveals that a KE410 model which appears similar but slightly larger is available. Not only that a KE 413 (virtually identical) is available in BLACK. WoW!

My overall experience though, has given me cause to be extremely impressed with the design of Rowenta products. I understand that a matching toaster is available in their range, with similar extraordinary features. Come to think of it I don't like my existing toaster that much, either? Watch this space!
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Country of Origin: France
Product Dimensions; Height: 250mm Length: 175mm Width: 250mm
Weight (unpacked): 1kg
Voltage: 240v
Wattage: 2200w
Fuse Rating: 13amp
Cord Length:0. 8m
Materials: Polypropylene
Tank Capacity: 1.5litre
Barcode: 3168439150042

Summary: