Best Deals hamilton beach electric kettle

Works great for many different kinds of tea., February 14, 2009

By 

B. Werth (Hawaii, USA) – See all my reviews

  

So far, I am very pleased with my SmartKettle. It heats fast, it is pretty accurate, and it doesn’t leave a funny taste in the water. With the fully adjustable temperature it works great for any kind of tea. It pours easily without spillage, and the top opens wide for easy cleaning.

There are a few things that keep me from giving it a perfect score though:

- There is no physical power off switch. There is a button to start/stop heating, but no physical switch to turn off the unit. You have to unplug it if you don’t want to keep the BRIGHT display on 24/7. Not a big deal, but a power switch on the unit wouldn’t have cost much and would have made it a bit more convenient.

- There is no way to adjust the volume of the alarm beeps. It can be a bit loud when brewing a cup at 5am.

- The minimum water level for safe brewing is supposed to be 16oz, I’ve found that you need to fill it closer to 32oz or the unit gives a low water level error and won’t turn on. Again, not a big deal, just something to note.

Even with these minor quirks, it is still the best adjustable-temperature electric kettle that I have used.

****UPDATE****

After owning this kettle for 4 months, it began acting strangely. The thermometer would never reach 212 degrees, even though the water inside was clearly boiling. The temp reading would stop at 208, but the kettle was set for 212, so the water would just keep boiling. Eventually it would shut off with an error. I used it sparingly after this as it seemed like a potential hazard. After 3 more months it randomly caught on fire one day. It wasn’t even in use at the time. Had I not been in the kitchen to hear the sparking and smell the smoke, I might not have a house right now. I will not be buying another.

****UPDATE 2****

I was contacted by a representative of Chef’s Choice who assured me that this was a unique occurrence and not an accurate representation of the quality of their product. In fact, they asked that I send my unit back so they could investigate. They replaced my SmartKettle and the new unit is working perfectly so far. I feel a lot better about using the product now that I know the company stands behind the quality of their products, and will go out of their way to make things right for those who have had problems.

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 Comments (3)

Too Smart to just boil the water?, July 6, 2009

I’ve been using electric kettles for most of my life. And most of them did the job just fine, though many only survived 2 years (like irons and toasters, they seem to have a limited life). I had 2 cordless Braun stainless kettles before this one, both worked really well but both ended up leaking – likely the reason they were eventually taken off the market.

So when I set out on my quest for another full-auto stainless steel kettle, the chefs choice sounded like the one to beat, and a good match for the rest of the kitchen.

The Smarts…

The SmartKettle 688 LOOKS great, with the red LCD temperature display on the side and all. It’s a wonderful feature to actually SELECT a boil point and SEE the temperature as it progresses – if you care.

If you inadvertently boil it empty, it will beep, stop and alert you (H2O) that you need to fill her up.

It beeps when it’s done, so you can hear it from the next room whilst you’re multi-tasking.

The 10-page instruction manual (read it) has a nice guide for beverage temp ranges.

The Not So Smart (where to start…)

The water measure – This single window is hidden below the handle, so a little difficult to see as my handle usually faces to the right, and it only shows ounces/liters, no cups. I’ve not had the low water errors some reviewers complained about.

Boil time – the problem with watching the temperature rising is that it seems painfully slow – that, on top of the fact that it really IS slower than my old Braun (something about a watched pot…).

Inlet – The spring-loaded lid (top) doesn’t open far enough, so you have to prop it open with the faucet to get the water in. Also, the top sometimes gets real hot – don’t touch it.

Beeping – This kettle beeps A LOT – 1 beep when placing it on the base (you have to give it 2 seconds to sense the temp before pressing the ON switch), another beep when you press the ON switch, 3 beeps when boiling at your chosen temp, and of course again if you choose to switch it off manually.

Boiling – Now, this is the part that should be simple and straightforward, right? First you select your temp you want to boil the water – I like my black tea and French press hot, so I select 210F. You only need to do this once really, it’s smart enough to remember that. When starting from cold (around 65F), it seems uncomplicated and boils in about 7 mins, a full minute longer than my old kettle. Now for the anomalies – when it gets to around 200, it starts switching off and on all by itself so as to not “overheat” or something, even if you select the hottest “Rolling Boil” temp. Once boiled, if you don’t remove it from the base, it attempts to keep it at boiling point for a few minutes, then cools real slowly. But if you leave it and just switch it back on a little later to get it to boil again, it goes into a painfully slow reheat stop-start process that can take 5 minutes for just the last 20-30 degrees.

Bottom line – If you just want to boil a kettle of water, look for something a lot simpler. If you’re a green tea aficionado who needs an exact temp for your beverage, this may be just the one!

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A great one!, April 4, 2009

Have used this a fair amount at this time. A great kettle! It works just fine and I really like the ability to set the temperature. Contrary to the instructions, the English (don’t know about the Japanese or Chinese), insist you NEVER boil water for tea, of any kind. It ruins the flavor, by de-oxygenating the water. I have visited with several Englishmen in recent years, about their tea drinking. You bring the water just short of boiling. This kettle is perfect for that!

The only con is relatively minor. It is quite touchy how much water is initially put in. I recommend a good 4 cups. If you don’t put enough in, when it goes into the heating cycle, it will tell you there is not enough water. You add more and it goes into warming mode, and takes FOREVER to reach temperature. I just turn it off and start over, usually, if I do this. Two or three cups of water is not enough, even if you only want one cup of tea.

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