Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Update March 2015 at bottom ------------------------------- I'm very pleased with this recent replacement kettle. For decades (both in the UK and USA) I have always had a plastic kettle, as I don't especially like the look of stainless steel appliances. I was never bothered by taste or other effects from using a plastic kettle until my last one started to malfunction. More specifically it would overheat/not shut off - and when this happened there was an extreme taste of plastic in the water, which really made me think about leaching from plastic, so I decided to switch to a stainless kettle and I am glad I did. It's much harder to find nice electric kettles these days than it used to be. Most of the new ones are complete junk OR extremely expensive gadgets with unnecessary features. This kettle is solidly made, straighforward and nicely designed. It's not too heavy when full and pours nicely; it's not terribly loud when it boils like many kettles are; the lid has a nice smooth opening mechanism; it's quick; the on/off switch is easy to use and had a nice indicator light. The only feature that could be better is the level indicator - it's hard to see and I don't think mine works, so I just judge volume by looking inside. It does require a thorough cleaning before use to get rid of any lingering manufacturing residues. I scrubbed the interior with a paste of baking soda and water, rinsed it out then boiled a pot of white vinegar. After that I boiled (and discarded) about 5 or 6 kettlesfull of water before using and there is no taste or odor in the pot. I only gave it 4 stars because the volume indicator could be better and the steel surface does show some smudge marks, but otherwise I think it's a good choice. I did not buy mine through Amazon because I was able to get it cheaper elsewhere with a coupon. ------------------------------------------ UPDATE: March 2015 I bought the kettle in August 2012 and now, 2 1/2 years later, it needs to be replaced. It's getting very slow to boil and very loud, the interior is rusting and just yesterday I noticed something wrong (wear) with the plug. Other kettles we have owned have lasted much, much longer - BUT I am not sure you can anything better in the USA these days. The selection and quality used to be much better.