this post was submitted on 21 Dec 2023
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My current water kettle leaks more by the day. It is mostly stainless steel, but the few plastic parts are corroded and lead to leaking.

Do you have recommendations for fully stainless steel or similar kettles that are basically not able to break?

I was looking at this: https://www.digitec.ch/de/s1/product/xiaomi-wasserkocher-170-l-wasserkocher-23599517

But I don't really trust xiaomi to make quality consumer products

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago (3 children)

I have the https://fellowproducts.com/products/stagg-ekg-electric-pour-over-kettle and love it, works great and it's the best looking kettle I've seen.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)

169$ is pretty steep... Also it has too much electronics for a kettle imho

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I didn't get the one with Bluetooth or WiFi or whatever. Just turn it on and set temp. But yea it isn't the cheapest.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

I got one of these for free on a trashnothing Facebook group in my city. Someone was giving it away because it didn't heat anymore. I popped it open and replaced the thermal diode. I've had to do that twice now. Great kettle for all types of teas and pour over coffee, but they should really make them more robust if they're just expecting most people to toss it when a small inexpensive part goes bad.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Have a couple of these and the buttons are inconsistent. Can take multiple presses to turn on, apparently a common issue with no fix. I still like them since it’s a pretty minor fault, but worth knowing before buying

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago (3 children)

What about a Zojirushi electric hot water boiler? Hot water every day on demand!

This is the one we have had since 2020 and we love it. 2 more friends have bought it based on our recommendation.

https://shop.zojirushi.com/products/cvjac

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

These are great, definitely better than a plain kettle

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Better for what?

Moving parts and complexity makes it more prone to failure.

Also, how much energy do you need to keep this working? It's not said on the website.

Granted, both kettle and this zori trade energy and complexity/failure-potential for convenience. Much more so the zori. How much is unknown. On the simple, less-energy end, you'd use an electrical resistance in an insulated jar.

All electric kettles will fail at some point. They have moving parts and are designed for obsolescence.

In my place I use a kettle that allows me to boil 1 cup of water. The filter mesh has failed long ago but the water does not have hardness. Instead I use a small improvised cap to keep the flow of vapour to the cut off thermostat (usually at the bottom of the handle).

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

Kettle should only have one button.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Better for convenience, energy I'm not really sure. I could see it being better or worse for energy depending on how well it's insulated and how much hot water you drink

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

It’s insulated VERY well - that is one of the brand’s specialties.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

These are pretty much the go-to style of "kettle" in Japan and similar alternatives are much cheaper over there if anyone is planning a visit - just note the voltage difference because you may need a transformer

That said, my stainless steel Tefal (T-Fal for those in north america and Japan) kettle has not failed me yet after 6 years of use, if/when it does fail i'll probably be considering one of these!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Sounds nice, but looks really ugly xD

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Oh sorry I thought we were buying quality products for life in this community, how silly of me.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

Just looking for something that can do both ;)

Also it takes up too much space anyway

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 18 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Proper electricity or girly American electricity?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (2 children)
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[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Not OP, but if you've got a good recommendation for a 120v kettle I'd love it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (2 children)

not just a kettle but one you buy for life and that permanently keeps the water at 208 F while using only 10 Watts/h

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

10watts on stand-by? That's impressive. I didn't find that info on the website. Can you point me to where that is? plz

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

the power consumption is listed in the manual not on their website unfortunately. as for sturdiness these things are built for restaurant use and it’s where they are mostly found for the purpose of infrequent instant hot water where one usually boils a full kettle from scratch. I’ve burned through three standard electric kettle here in the US over the years and had enough.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

10w is impressively low. And totally justifies the convenience in a lot of cases.

Thanks for the info.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

I particularly like the Bonavita 1L Gooseneck. It has a variable temperature thermostat, helpful for teas or coffees that don’t want to be at 100° C.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

...plastic doesn't corrode?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I guess not technically, but it is the best way I can describe it xD

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Degrade is a good word for it. I think most folks understood what you meant tho.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Does your corroded kettle just have mineral buildup? Try scrubbing the nasty bits with vinegar and a toothbrush and see if it makes the leaking stop.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Vinegar smells a bit too much for my liking, so I use citric acid. A bit safer too.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I have a kitchenaid stainless steel one, the plastic on/off switch feels flimsy and is probably the first thing to break

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

I've had one for 5+ years with three kids (and my wife and me) using it all the time, still going strong and no issues at all

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

We've had a breville multi temp (glass) for 15 years, still looks as new after a descaling

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

I recently got the OXO Gooseneck and it seems quite solid. Everything in contact with the water is steel, and you can dial the temperature which is quite nice for better tea and coffee.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Hear me out: plain kettle on an induction stove. A far wider kettle selection plus your induction stove can be used to cook all sorts of things without poisoning you with CO.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Would you say it makes sense to buy a portable induction stove just for that? Since I alreaady have a built in ceramic cooking field

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

That's what I did. Plus you can cook outside with it too. It's quite practical. My only complaint is that the fan makes some noise and I'm rather sensitive to white noise. Still much less noise than an exhaust fan (which I need to run on my gas range).

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

Bare in mind that whatever you buy, stainless or plastic, the first thing to actually break if you take well care of it that is, is most likely the heat element itself. I don't know of any brand that sells kettles with replaceable heating element but would be nice. Second also remember ergonomics. Steel is heavy and can corrode while a simple sturdy plastic kettle is much lighter and won't corrode.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Mueller Ultra Kettle: Model No. M99S 1500W Electric Kettle with SpeedBoil Tech, 1.8 Liter Cordless with LED Light, Borosilicate Glass, Auto Shut-Off and Boil-Dry Protection

Works great and it’s only $35

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Interested in the replies here.

I've got a cheap black and decker one that I'd like to replace (eventually). It works fine, but I'd rather have something with a smaller physical footprint and better quality.