Russell Hobbs 20462 Quiet Boil Kettle, Black
About The Brand
Russell Hobbs was founded in the UK in 1952 by Bill Russell and Peter Hobbs, whose combined design and engineering flair allowed them to launch a company that remains a leading brand to this day.
Over the years, Russell Hobbs has built up a legacy of design and innovation that placed the brand at the heart of the consumer’s home. The first automatic switch off kettle, the first automatic coffee maker and even the first plastic kettle were all Russell Hobbs innovation.
Russell Hobbs Black Quiet Boil Kettle 20462
A Quieter Way to Make Hot Drinks
The Russell Hobbs 20462 Quiet Boil Kettle with quiet boil technology is so quiet, once you’ve used it you’ll want to shout about it.
*When tested against other Russell Hobbs Kettles without quiet boil technology
**Based on boiling 235ml
- Quiet Boil Technology – 75% Quieter*
- Rapid Boil Zone Feature
- Boil One Cup of Water in 45 Seconds**
- Illuminated Light Ring – Illuminates Blue on Boil
Key Features
| | | | |
|---|---|---|---|
Quiet BoilA special coating on the base plate works with a diffuser ring to break up the bubbles making them smaller. Smaller bubbles mean 75% less noise so you can enjoy a quieter cuppa, ideal if you are making drinks while people are sleeping or you don’t want to disturb the baby! | Dual Water WindowsThe Quiet Boil Kettle has a water window on both sides of the Kettle so you can check the water level quickly without having to open the lid and see how much is going in as you fill. | Perfect PourThe Quiet Boil Kettle has a specially designed pour spout to ensure all of the water goes into the cup with fewer splashes and spills on your worktop. | A Delicious Hot Drink in 45 Seconds**In addition to its quiet boil technology, it has a rapid boil feature that lets you boil a cup of water in just 45 seconds. It’s ideal if you need a hot drink fast or you’re just making one cup. The kettle has a perfect pour spout so all of the water goes into the cup with fewer splashes and spills. |
Product Specifications
- Cream stainless steel kettle with Russell Hobbs embossed logo
- Rapid boil zone feature
- Push to open metal lid
- Illuminated light ring – illuminates blue on boil
- 1.7 litre capacity
- 360° base with cord storage
- Removable, washable filter
- 3000kW
| Weight: | 1.13 kg |
| Dimensions: | 23.8 x 16.2 x 23.7 cm; 1.13 Kilograms |
| Brand: | Russell Hobbs |
| Model: | 20462 |
| Colour: | Black |
| Colour: | Black |
Great Kettle, quick to boil and so much quieter than previous kettles.
We have used this kettle like hell, constantly on the go, he’s a good one.
This is the best kettle I’ve ever bought. Quietest one so far. Value for money. 10 out of 10
I liked the plain modern look and the base lights up when on, so you dont forget, and the spout pours well, no dribbles.
The price was also very good for such a well known company which I have bought over the years.
This was bought as a direct replacement kettle – only needed a new one as the spring which opened the lid on our existing kettle had broken and unable to replace just the spring! Noticeably more quiet boil on the new kettle. Very pleased.
Boils fast and really quite can almost forget you put the kettle o
Very good at boiling just enough for one or two cups. Under a minute!
We didn’t look for long, saw tis and was very happy with purchase, quiet boile
Very Pleased with this Kettle,great price and good design/choice of colours.So far it has been superb to use and is quiet compared to most other brands.Looks great in our kitchen.Recommend this one to anyone.
Is what it is. Boils one or two cups very fast but it is quite loud.
Overall I’m pleased with it.
It does what it says on the tin, the noise of the kettle boiling water is indeed lower than my previous model, and it boils water very fast.
I like this kettle. Easy to use, pours well, boils quickly & quiet.
Great kettle looks good great value and price boils well no issues it’s a good all round kettle
I like the stainless steel finish and the switch is very positive
I bought this to replace a cheap kettle that didn’t pour very well, resulting in water spilling down to the base, resulting in it’s failure. The spout on this kettle is a much better design so the water doesn’t spill. It’s also very fast, and quiet. What more could you want?
Absolutely love this kettle stylish, fast extremely quiet boil and love one cup or t wo cup boil feature definately recommend if you’re looking for a good kettle
Replaced similar one for one, but this one promised quiet boil, mmm.
Don’t know their version of quiet but, this isn’t it.
But a kettle is a kettle and if it lasts as long as my old kettle I’ll be more than pleased.
Had to replace a previous Russell Hobbs, this was the latest (and only) version available of similar capacity. Lights up in a cool blue hue when turned on, boils quietly and quickly. Just remember to let it do it’s thing and not watch it too closely, as a watched pot never boils..
Very quick to boil,very efficient,no nasty taste as the body is metal and stays clean.
Love this kettle, fast boil easy to open and fill, looks great too
Bought this for my mum she knows she needs to fill it to just after the 3rd red block on the inside.
Don’t think it shows you in the pictures but it has 3 feet that stick out internally with 1 cup 2 cup 3 cup
Now the only downside is her wandering off and forgetting to drink her tea
This is far the best kettle on the market. its ultra quite if you are listing or watching something on tv in kitchen, boils really fast and looks good.
I had the other kettle like this but without the blue light . I had it for years and it never let me down it’s getting old so I decided to upgrade this kettle is lovely and I love the blue light when you turn it on a good buy for the price you won’t b dissapointed
We have a big open plan kitchen / living room with hard floors and the noise of the kettle used to be very intrusive. As soon as it broke I looked for something quieter and this makes a very significant difference.
The only problem now is we don’t notice when the kettle has boiled and don’t remember make tea!
I’ve just bought my second of these kettles having utterly neglected to de-limescale the last one, so of course it began to leak at the bottom of the plastic level indicator (wish it didn’t have this!). Even with this amount of neglect it lasted a few years and it’s a great kettle. I feel guilty for neglecting the last one so I intend to descale this one regularly….it is really quiet, really fast, and the light is very handy as a reminder. If it screamed ‘de-scale me’ once a month it would be even better, but i s’pose you can’t expect everything for thirty quid!
This kettle replaced our previous non-quiet version if this kettle. The old one popped and banged as it heated up, even when descaled. This one doesn’t suffer from that at all and is much quieter overall. Not silent, but just noisy enough to know it’s on.
Plus it boils nice and quickly.
I was a little dubious about the claim that this kettle was very quiet, but it is!! I am so pleased with it and have since bought two great friends the exact same model. The last 10 seconds are quite noisy but the rest of the boiling cycle is at a noise level that you can have a conversation close to the boil. I was personally delighted and my two friends are equally taken with the quiet boiling.
The design is good, I like the blue LED lights at the bottom. The selling point is QUITE ; however it isn’t.
Good quality and very quiet. Does seem to take longer than expected to boil.Could be me, as always fill it after use.
I read the reviews and some made me nervous with leaks and broken switches but I’ve been using it for about 7 weeks now and no leakages, no breakages and it boils quickly, quietly and efficiently. I think the design on the on/off switch is poor and can see how a heavy handed person would break it with too much pressure – a design that could easily be rectified, but there’s no need for heavy hands. It’s great with a blingy blue light on the bottom when switched on. A minor criticism would be a slightly longer cable and a sturdier on/off switch, otherwise 4/5.
I liked the kettle but after two months the lid does not close easily and it pops open when boiling the water sometimes which of course is very dangerous , so I cannot give it a good report .
Good kettle boils the water but not as quiet as you would think
Same as any other kettle in that the noise it makes is not quiet but the same as any other kettle
Although a kettle seems an easy thing to order I considered a lot of points. They don’t all say a Boil Dry Protection so you can’t assume . I wanted to be sure I could fill easily by the lid lifting because again they don’t all say it or show it – Some only fill by the spout !
I did not want one that was too heavy .
I always like a name I know and liked this being cream and black so looks smart and fulfills the above points I looked at when ordering.
The leaflet enclosed with the kettle is good because it’s easy to understand and in fact has a diagram showing points and especially how to remove the filter inside the spout . I have experienced GREAT difficulty trying to do this in the past.
I have had the kettle for 11 months it was sold has a quiet kettle now it is noisy how do I get a replaceme
I’ve never been one to spend too much on a kettle so I’m not sure what more expensive ones get you by way or a quieter or faster boil. However, I feel this is perfect – I can get my water boiled in about 45 seconds, without it sounding like a rocket taking off and no weird taste. Marvellous and good value.
My parents have had this for about 4 years now with no real change to speed and quietness, which is exactly why I chose this as my next kettle.
A very good kettle overall for three key reasons: one is that it boils the water very quickly; two is that is is relatively quiet in doing so; three is that it has a transparent strip on both sides that allow you to see the water level easily.
Additional positives are: that it looks good (a nice brushed steel effect going on), has a short lead from the base to the plug (so very difficult for young children to grab hold of it), and the body of the kettle comes away easily from the base for pouring but sits firmly enough on it when you want it to boil.
The one negative (although nothing lasts forever) is that, in my personal experience, these kettles last around 4-5 years before something goes wrong (this last time the lid became partly unhinged, making it very difficult to open and close).
Does exactly what it says on the Box. Na has a nice blue light to boot.
Well made as you would expect from Russell Hobbs. I was delighted with how quiet this kettle was at first after the roaring sound of our old kettle! We used to have to turn up the radio when boiling water. (We keep the old kettle in the cupboard, we didn’t discard it) But now I find that it’s not as quiet as it seemed in the beginning. Nothing wrong with the kettle – it’s just our hearing has adjusted to the lower noise levels
Really like it and it’s so quiet you sometimes check it’s actually on. Just one star off because it’s a bit heavy, although I’m getting used to that.
Sturdy and goes the job kettle but nosier than expected per claims on product descriptio
It’s fine, it’s an electric kettle. Does what it’s meant to do and looks smart.
Not too heavy, and have decided that glass kettles show the limescale too soon, Not sure that it is as quiet as claimed, but not a problem for us as we only use it in the kitche
I do like this kettle. Let’s get that settled. However I just wanted to register the fact that this kettle, while slightly quieter than my previous kettle (especially in the clicking off), is not what I would genuinely and objectively call ‘quiet’. Certainly not enough to be called quiet by members of the autism community and those with sensory difficulties. And I certainly don’t think the word quiet should be there upfront in the title. I’d also like to comment that perhaps Russell Hobbs manufacturing team should try asking members of the autism community what we would place as top priority and also gauge our level of tolerance for clicks, beeps, and general noise interference and pollution from devices. One suggestion might be to extend the boiling time if this means a much quieter boil over all. Also, blue might be a better choice of colour for the plastic indicators inside the kettle as red is quite a triggering colour for some (me). I know it’s a small thing but there are so many small, annoying things in modern society that pile up and eventually call a car crash or sensory meltdown in myself and others.
You may disregard my comments of course but I believe that RH have got a way to go to produce a truly quiet kettle. At the moment the waterfall has been turned into a bubbling brook maybe; when what is really needed is a murmuring stream (gentle and in the distance). Perhaps then you could call it a ‘tranquillity kettle’ (with buy-in from those who find modern life far too noisy!
After 10 months of use the kettle switch broke.
However, after contacting Russell Hobbs through Amazon, they provided a replacement without question and even without returning the broken kettle.
Very impressed with this kettle. I particularly like the rapid boil feature when only putting in either 1, 2 or 3 cups of water, complete with convenient markers inside. Its also pretty quiet.
All good – quieter than last Tesco branded stainless steel kettle we had recently (which we returned as sounded like a jet plane taking off in the kitchen), though this Russell Hobbs kettle could still be improved upon I think. So not quiet as such, but makes a quieter and ‘softer’ sounding noise when boiling than last one we had. I guess there is a limit to the sound reductions that can be made in electric kettles, and especially ones made of stainless steel. Heavy plastic bodied kettles possibly have the best potential for sound absorption and being quieter than metal bodied kettles.
Boiling water!
Good looking and well made with practical features although the noise level is not ‘good’ as advertised.
Take issue with the noise level which is not a lot quieter than the one we threw out!
So finding a quiet kettle seems to be impossible.
But as kettles go, and we studied the products and read the reviews, this is pretty good overall.
This kettle does everything it states in the advert by the seller. Arrived on time and was well protected with appropriate packaging. The design is also pleasing, especially the side water level viewing panels. Spare spout filters are a bit pricy but this is the same for most kettle versions.
I would certainly recommend this item as a suitable cordless kettle to replace older versions which are no longer functioning. (Even consider as a new buy to get rid of the trailing wire problem.)
A kettle is a kettle !..it heats the water to boiling point.
4 stars for doing the basic thing of boiling water ……. less 1 star for having an unstable base. Even with 3 feet it still manages to wobble when the kettle is placed on top…it makes the whole assembly feel cheap.
This would be the best kettle I have ever bought EXCEPT that the electrical connector in the base is easily dislodged so that the kettle does not make contact when placed on the base. I can reset the connector by fiddling about with a wooden skewer (with the base unplugged!) but I was concerned that one day this trick might not work and the kettle would be useless.
Fortunately I had kept the base from my last R&H kettle and this is proving to be more robust.
The kettle has two brilliant level indicator windows opposite each other. These windows can easily be cleared of limescale using the above wooden skewer. Chemicals are not needed. The design of the base plate appears to eliminate limescale deposition. It is still formed but as a sludge which can be washed out of the kettle. Again no chemicals are required. Pity about the base.
This is a good kettle and I bought it because it was the most similar to the kettle I had, which conked out after a few years. I don’t have any complaints. It’s fairly quiet and does the job. It seems a little slow to boil, but I’m not a patient person, so it may be me that can’t wait!
Seems reasonably well made, boils water pretty quickly and not too noisily. The minimum water level is reasonable enough and the ergonomics seem pretty good.
Originally I ordered one for a relative who needed one quickly. But after testing and using it a little I have now ordered another to replace an old kettle we have that has been fixed a couple of times and is really on it’s last legs.
I had this brand of kettle for many years and was totally satisfied with it. However nothing lasts forever especially a kettle that’s used many times a day every day and when the one I had needed replacement after many years I bought the same model again. However within a couple of weeks it developed a slight leak from the plastic indicator and was returned which having purchased from Amazon was seamless and in any event if you register the purchase online you get a 2 year guarantee from Russell Hobbs. I now have the same one that just does what it says on the tin. It’s quiet, quick and ergonomic in handling.
I love this kettle, it’s quiet and fast boil is wonderful. It’s size doesn’t dominate the worktop. Downside like other reviewers mine began to leak from the water level window after 6 mths. I contacted Russell Hobbs direct and a replacement was sent out. This item does have a warranty. No acknowledgment of production fault so I hope the replacement lasts. Despite this I still recommend
I bought this kettle as I have used it when working. I think that it is a great design. I find the flip lid good to use and the easy to read gauge on the side enables you to see the level of water in the kettle, you can fill it with literally one cup if you want, making it energy efficient. The only downside to this kettle, and this is personal to myself, is that I have a shoulder injury and when I have filled it right up I find it quite heavy. However, saying that I would still recommend it to my friends.
Oddly, the replacement, though initially seeming identical, feels much better. Looking closely, the handle has been tweaked so it is better balanced, the lid hinge has been re-engineered, even the spout seems subtly better.
It is definitely a quiet kettle, and doesn’t get noisy with age (we have a West Midlands medium to low hardness Severn Trent supply), well balanced so easy to hold. The internal cup markings are a waste of time, but the scale on the outside works fine and it boils quickly.
A premium kettle without gadgetry at a reasonable price.
Like the title says best kettle I think I’ve owned. I spent 80 once I think on a Bosch. Not as good. Cheaper asda and other such offerings also bad.
Could be the fact the water is softened and also Brita filtered after, but 0 limescale and the taste has not been plastic flavored. If it goes funny I know its the Brita filter thing. (Not actually Brita).
Can’t fault this kettle for the price.
This is basically a good kettle. No horrible plastic insides leading to horrible taste and binning the kettle. But..it has a weak top lid catch….I used it for many years filling from the spout, no problem. but my girlfriend arrived and with increased volume requirement sensibly started filling it through the top flap. Disaster ! Within 3 months the top catch stopped working, making it effectively unusable as the automatic boiling shut off did not work. My advice is not to buy until they fix this simple problem, but the truth is all other kettles have faults as well unless you pay stupid money. Russell Hobbs, come on, you are a great brand, fix this and clean up !!!!!
This kettle is used for boiling water for making tea. As in all of this type of kettle it will require three boilings at least, to get rid of the metallic taste, which is left after initial manufacture. The silencing effect is very good and boiling time acceptable. Looks good with the blue effect at the bottom in use! It surprises me that manufacturers have not found a method of eliminating the foul metallic taste after first use which has been going on for years, with the waste of water and electricity which ensues as a consequence
Wanted a quieter kettle, since our previous one was so loud. Pleasantly surprised how quiet this is, but I live in a hard water area and noticed the ring at the bottom of the jug started to fur up after a month and the kettle was noticeably louder, to the point it was like my previous one. Tbf, RH’s does say to keep the ring free of lime scale as this is what makes the kettle quiet. So I bought loads of Oust and use it every month (boil kettle then pour in).
Some have said about the funny taste, I noticed it too, but it soon goes.
Already had this kettle, purchased some time ago with matching toaster. Pleased with it’s performance, stability & look. Unfortunately I live in a very hard water area & despite cleaning regularly & using one of those little gadgets that look like wire wool in the kettle to collect the scale, I realised it was time to get a new kettle. Recommend this model to anyone including those who might have problems with lifting such appliances.
This was an emergency purchase after my Brita filter kettle burnt out and created really bad odours before failing. I was attracted by it’s price point and style, and quiet boil function, plus the fact I no longer needed to buy filters. With regards to it’s features, I wouldn’t consider it to be much quieter to previous kettles I’ve purchased, and they have tried to achieve the function by using a baffle plate at the base of the kettle, not sure that function is working, but I can’t do a side by side comparison with another kettle. However the easy pour function from the spout is very good. On the down side, and the reason I have removed one star, is an issue with the handle and the lid. My first use of the kettle found the ergonomics of the handle quite slippery, with the actual shape and thickness not really helping to pickup a full and weighted kettle. I also burnt my finger on first use, because the thin plastic strip in front of the handle was too thin to offer any protection. The final issue I’ve noticed is , when opening the lid, any condensation or moisture on the underside of the lid, runs down the handle towards the switch area. So would I buy this again, NO. But hindsight is a wonderful thing and lesson learnt.
This is now my 3rd kettle of this particular model and they seem to be lasting 4 years each !
Firstly they are a good kettle, and virtually noiseless for about 8-9 months, then the noise increases, so like a good customer I bought their official ‘Multi Purpose Descaler’ which isn’t cheap, and that cures the problem for 2 months if you are lucky, then you need to repeat the process and you only get 5 doses in each bottle, I bought 3 bottles – so basically one it starts getting noisy there is no cure, so don’t waste your money on the descaler,
I suppose how long the noiseless last depends on your water hardness softness too, out water is very, very slightly limey, you really don’t get any limescale build up inside the kettle though as such.
Regarding the lid sticking by other reviewers. this has personally never happened to us.
Also the ‘plastic’ taste in the water, once gain we have never found that, and my only thought is that are people filling the kettle to max, boiling it, throwing the water out and repeating the operation – as stated in the instructions ?
Wouldn’t be the first time people haven’t read the instructions, and that includes me sometimes by the way.
Now for my BIG grumble and one that Russell Hobbs SHOULD address that is the on/off switch.
It seems these are designed to fail, every 4 years in our case, as that has happened to both out last 2 kettles, and I feel sure it will happen to this new one too. in 4 years time
I might add that the traditional Russell Hobbs kettles lasted at least 15 years, and IF you were unlucky you might need to replace the element, I and I have replaced at least 500 on the old style ones (Saturday Job), but that that was it, people loved those kettles.
Right, back to my point, the on/off tab that you press down eventually fails and snaps off… why ? because it is just plastic and I suspect the heat from the bottom of the kettle also makes it fail and snap.
It is absolutely impossible to repair, because it snaps of at the furthermost point, you just can’t get into it and repair it safely,
I have worked in electrical/electronics virtually all my life, along with a period in design so I have a lot more insight/experience into these sort of problems.
This design or material choice (why not make the stem out of metal, then attach the plastic bit on the end of the stem ?) is making people throw away a perfectly usable kettle, everting else was perfectly fine on the two I binned.
We are supposed to making everything sustainable and NOT throw away perfectly good electrical goods for a simple fix… Russell Hobbs please listen !
I nearly gave this 3 stars, but when it is working it is fine, the noise is a problem after a while but I can live with that, but the switch snapping off is just criminal really though, look how many customers have reported this.
The big question is when (… not if) this switch fails again, will I buy another Russell Hobbs question, well no unless they address the issue.
I personally have supported Russel Hobbs for 50 years now, and as I say my parents did too, but is it now time to call it a day ?
We shall see in 4 years time… over to you Russell Hobbs.
We bought this kettle because we had good experiences of previous Russell Hobbs models. But this model has considerable design improvements. Most noticeable is how quiet it is, confirming the claim that it is up to 70% quieter than earlier similar models. It is very fast to boil and there are two see-through panels on the sides rather than one in line with the handle: this used to be difficult to see and got very hot. The attractive blue base-light also makes it obvious when the kettle is on. Congratulations to the R&D team!
I never had a kettle because I was used to boiling a water on a gas for tea or coffee. During winter months I realised that boiling water was casing condensation in my flat so I decided to buy kettle. So far it boils water quickly and does not make lot of noise. To make one cup of coffee it takes less then a minute which is really great. I’ve now learned that best way to use it to boil water you need rather then filling if full all the time. I like it how it glows blue when turned on and light stops when it boils the water. Happy with my purchase.
This has a smaller footprint than its predecessor and doesn’t sound like a steam engine starting up every time you use it. It has a pleasing blue circular ring of light at the base when switched on. It has two sights, one either side so you know how much water is in no matter which way round it sits.
It boils quickly and fairly quietly. With lockdown it’s getting some hammer but to date it performs beautifully.
One tip though – when new and before use fill right up, boil and pour away a few times to ensure the manufacturing residue is properly flushed away.
All in all a good buy.
This kettle is completely standard. It’s 3000W, which is standard. All 3000W kettles will heat water at the same rate and boil in the same length of time. It’s not especially quiet; it’s certainly louder than my (standard) previous kettle, (not that I consider kettle volume to be an issue in general). Perhaps loudness is a feature of metal kettles generally? The walls of the kettle do get hotter than I expected, which means there’s no insulation. This means I occasionally get a bit of an “ouch” when I touch the sides instead of the handle but it’s not really a huge burn hazard for adults. Hot sides also means it’s losing heat so a plastic kettle would be more efficient. Again though, kettle efficiency isn’t a big deal because all will have an efficiency of 90% or more. It looked nice out of the box but I live in a hard water area and after a couple of days it had limescale streaks running down the sides, which wouldn’t have been visible on a white plastic one.
So, it’s fine but there are no features which are better than standard. With this in mind I think it’s overpriced.
Usually buy another brand of kettle when need to but sick of that brand developing leaks just after guarantee expires! So went for this Russell Hobbs Quiet Boil kettle. Got it for a good price with an Amazon discount voucher (23.99). The kettle is smaller than what I expected but does the job. Yes it is quiet boil at the moment but have read reviews which state this does not last long. We will see. Not sure what others mean about the taste, we followed the instructions re boiling a couple of times and taste is fine. So far so good. Pleased with product for price paid.
This a very quiet kettle and boils pretty quickly. I did however fine a very unpleasant plastic odour and taste with it, until I remove the red plastic cup gauge in the bottom of the kettle. This fixed the issue instantaneously, after one clean out boil of the kettle. So only 4 stars, don’t see why it was there when you have a scale on the side of the kettle which is easily read.
Kettle failed, we bought another one, big mistake, it was noisy, even the dog left the room
We bought one of these and threw the other one away.
This is as quick as you would expect, as quiet as they claim, there is no lime scale deposits in it after a lot of use, the side window gives a good indication of the water level, it shows the actual water rather than pushing a coloured ball up a tube, and the lid opens easily. 10 out of 10.
Reading the reviews, I knew there would probably be a bad smell.
One review said it took a year to lose the smell, and so I cautiously ordered with the thought that I could send it back if unacceptable.
When I removed it from the box, I thought it was very light, which makes me wonder how durable it is.
The first boil resulted in an awful smell, to the point it smelt organic rather than chemical/synthetic …really, not nice.
I overfilled the kettle and boiled a couple of times. Still a bad smell, but more so synthetic. I decided to give it more time.
To my taste, a cuppa wasn’t that great for a period, but smell (and even apprehension) can have a huge influence on taste. My wife did not complain, however, she was not aware of my concerns.
After a few weeks, I do not notice any smell and my cuppa is fine. Without a meter, noise is hard to determine, but I consider it quieter than my old kettle, and it is relatively quick. All in all, I am pleased with it.
It is easy to fill, and to locate on the base. Having the water indicator on both sides make it easy to fill to lesser amounts. It would be nice if this is calibrated in mugs, as all makes are in cups. The water level indicator inside is not very useful. Other models have water levels behind the handles – not easy to see. Very good price for this kettle. It has a strange property that when not filled to max it is louder. Much louder than previous kettle – and it claims to be quiet boil!! hence it lost a star.
I bought this to replace a 25 year old similar Russell Hobbs. Although disappointed to see that all Russell Hobbs products are now made in China, the quality appears to be of a high standard. It boils quicker and is certainly one of the quietest kettles I have come across. Also, unlike the plastic kettles, it didn’t need to be boiled countless times to get rid of the foul taste. I live in an extremely hard water area so only time will tell if it lasts as well as our old one. Love the neon blue light round the base when the kettle is switched on – totally useless but looks very space-age!
We’re really happy with our new kettle. It looks good; the water volume scale on the side is clear and is on both sides so good for ‘leftie’s’. It says ‘quiet boil’ and it really is. Much quieter and quicker than our old kettle. The family all like the blue light around the base of the kettle to show it’s on. Highly recommended.
Update 18 months later: Still really like the kettle, but like a lot of other reviewers have highlighted, the lid broke with us too. I contacted customer service and they were excellent. I just needed to provide a few details and, within a few days, a brand new replacement arrived. Great customer service from Spectrum Brands!
Had one of these before which lasted many years so bought another. Same issue as previous kettle – a plastic taste even after boiling and rinsing several times. In both cases the taste went away after I removed the internal red plastic level gauge.
Boils quickly but a bit noisy, however, we are very happy with the boil speed. Hopefully it will last as long as the previous one did.
This is a 3kW kettle so be sure NOT to connect it to an extension lead – it needs its own 13A socket.
Compared to others, it is surprisingly quiet and quick to boil.
It has windows so you can see the water level, which will save energy if you only boil what you need immediately.
Initially I though the blue light around the base was a bit of a gimmick – but it’s really very convenient. The kettle is so quiet that you may not otherwise notice when it has boiled and switched itself off.
They are also quite durable – I’ve had mine for over 5 years and it’s still going strong. I live in a soft water area but I still need to use de-scaler to remove the sediment from the base which will ultimately cause the kettle to switch off prematurely. If yours is switching off before it has properly boiled try boiling some de-scaling solution and give the base a scrub. You might be surprised.
I read several rather negative reviews when choosing this kettle, but I have no complaints. It is just what I was looking for, made from stainless steel, robust and reliable. It has no unnecessary “clever” features but does its job well. I would agree that there is a “new” smell when it is first used and you do need to boil it several times more than the makers suggest. In fact I half- filled it with water and boiled it with a little vinegar, then drained it and left it open over night. I have not yet cleaned the filter so cannot report on that.
I was amused that as I was compiling this review the program asked what did i like or dislike, and what did I use it for !! Clearly I must have used it for boiling water and pretty much always for making a cup of tea or coffee. It’s actually very good at that.
I think where Russell Hobbs have let themselves down in their description of the kettle is that they don’t really make it clear that the see through window that shows the cups required and maximum level is actually on BOTH sides of the kettle. This makes it so much easier to use for households that have both right and left handed users as we do. Our previous kettle (different make) only had a window on one side so consequently I always over filled it and the amount of excess energy used and time taken to boil must have added up.
In essence the Russell Hobbs kettle is quiet, it boils quickly and is really everything you need from a kettle.
For what it’s worth I highly recommend it.
If your looking for a kettle that boils pretty fast…quieter when I compare to my old 6 year old kettle and is 25 then this is a good kettle.
Ok..only had it 48 hours…but so far build quality is good…can see if you slap hard on the switch ok knock it hard when moving it then yes it would break…but so will many others….
I did take out the red plastic level insert inside the kettle as some reviews mentioned this can leave a taste (so cannot comment further on this aspect) – however it would be useless anyway unless you have good light and good eye sight to see it when your filling the kettle….
The lid catch seems good so far….again…if abused will break.
Did as recommended – two full boils to clean the kettle and have not experienced any bad taste at all.
So in conclusion – it’s a good kettle.
Our old kettle had stopped working, so ordered this one without reading any reviews. When it arrived we immediately set out to make a cup of tea. Ugh, it tasted horrible. so we went online and found that others had been having a similar problem, and to use bicarb to get rid of the taste. This we did and the first boil was ok, the 2nd was back to the original revolting taste. So, another overnight soaking with bicarb and a couple of boils (thrown away) and we were good to go. Yes, all fine until the 3rd boil for tea. The taste was back again, another solution was to boil vinegar and scour out afterwards, so we did this, yeah, it worked 5 times then made another cup of undrinkable tea. We were loathed to remove the red plastic markers as it was seeming as though we might have to send the kettle back due to it being unfit for purpose, however, we looked at them and they just pop out so did this and fingers crossed the water is fine. So for anyone reading this if you decide to buy this kettle remove the red markers inside and save yourselves a few days of annoyance. We would recommend doing the bicarb/vinegar bit too. (Kettle doesn’t make any more noise with these markers removed and doesn’t seem to take any longer to boil either). UPDATE- have used the kettle for one day boiling 5 times and this mornig nasty taste is back.
Very quiet when boiling, but more importantly with a kettle for me is that it’s super easy to use with one hand. From picking it up and popping the lid to fill it, to putting it down again in any direction on its 360deg base.
I used a version of this kettle at Center Parcs. Straight after we got home our existing kettle started leaking badly. So I looked up the one from Center Parcs but then found this quiet version and gave it a punt.
Ironically I don’t even drink brews at home but the Mrs is a tea addict !
This is the best kettle we have ever had! It is quiet, fast and the ‘on’ indicator around the bottom exterior rim of the kettle is bright and eye-catching (our previous kettle had the power indicator inside the kettle and dimmed as the kettle scaled up).
Our tap water tastes disgusting when boiled so we use bottled water but even so, after two months of use, there is no limescale in the kettle at all, when in the past there has been a gradual build-up (how do you do that Russell Hobbs?). It is almost as though the kettle de-ionises the water somehow. Amazing! The spout filter pops out easily for cleaning (though this hasn’t been necessary yet) and is easy to refit. And as a bonus, the kettle pours beautifully without dribbles. This is a top-notch kettle all round. My only slight reservation is that the filter is a nylon mesh – stainless steel would have been a nice touch especially for customers in hard water areas where frequent descaling is required.
This kettle boils water, which may come as a surprise. When first received the noise it made starting up was like a jet engine but after a week or so it started to actually live up to it’s quiet boil reputation, or maybe we’ve gone a bit deaf. After the first day the lid lifting mechanism wouldn’t work but after some prodding we got the lid open. It hasn’t ‘not worked’ since so again it may have been a one off newbie bug. All in all this is a good device that boils quickly and quietly and has a nice blue light at the base. Definitely a kettle
I got my mum this Kettle over 2 years ago for a mother’s day gift – she drinks tea like it’s gone out of fashion and her kettle was on it’s last legs. Usually she replaces her kettles once a year. This one has only just broken and so it’s really done well. The switch you tap on to make it boil ended up snapping. Perhaps it had got brittle/weak over time, (or perhaps my stepdad was just too heavy handed with it!?). So we decided to get another one to replace it 🙂 Never had any leaking or spout pouring issues with the old one. We live in a very hard water area so we always suffer with limescale occurring very quickly, but if you keep on top of it and try to give it a clean once a month it’s not too bad. Limescale around the lid mechanism can make it not open as easily when you press the button. Our new one opens perfectly – at the mo!
Bought this kettle to replace yellow( wrong yellow – ‘egg-yolk” according to my wife ) which we used for a few days. Had another silent and very similar Russell Hobbs kettle which I bought a number of years ago in Shop for 35. We were both delighted with it. My wife likes :
Lid pops up at touch of a button.
Shape of Kettle – easy to lift and good pourer
Blue light when it operates.
I like it’s silent operation which allows me to listen to ‘Thought for the Day’ while making the breakfast.
She was not happy to live with the yellow kettle so it has been passed on.
( Russell Hobbs – Please make filter easier to remove – it took this semi-retired engineer about 10 minutes – OK – I didn’t read the instructions, but only do this when all else fails.)
New version appears quieter than original and looks very well. Delivery service Excellent. Wife happy – Nuff said!
Wow! I’ve never got excited by a kettle before!! This is a gem! Firstly it is very quiet, just as advertised. Fantastic shaped pouring spout that won’t spill with filter in the spout.
East button pop to open lid for filling. A top feature is the 1, 2 or 3 cup markers inside. So if you only want to boil for one cuppa inside you have 3 little stick out markers, so you fill just over the one you want!
I timed the one cup boil and it’s bang on 45 seconds! Even more water boils soooooo much faster than other kettles. It looks snazzy, the brushed chrome looks nice. The handle easy to grab and a simple push down lever to get your cuppa going.
My partner used to moan about boiling too much water for one or two cuppas, wasting electricity. He loves this as he can do just enough.
This is one sexy, practical kettle. I can not recommend highly enough. Value for money and you’ll love those little features. I love my kettle!
Had many Russell Hobbs kettles over the years as they have generally been very reliable, apart from plastic knob breaking on the lid. This model has a push button lid opener. Quite natty as long as it keeps working. I bought this kettle on the strength of the sales blurb which says it is a quiet boil kettle. I can’t honestly say that I noticed a difference between this one and the old model. However, it is very fast to boil and therefore the time the noise is being made is greatly reduced. Reliability will only be known in time. It has to last about 6 years to beat the last one.
1) It is very light but not flimsy.
2) The handle is smoothly curved and very comfortable allowing ease of grip.
3) The lid opens automatically when the perfectly positioned button on top of the handle is pressed. With just a light touch, the top flips over smoothly and quickly to leave a nice open size hole for filling. It shuts so easily too with a very light but positive click, everything lines up to perfection.
4) The kettle is easy to fill and the front facing water level window (OK ..yes it is for right hand usage) is easily seen and precise amounts of water can be gauged. It also has the addition of the red internal 1-2 or 3 cup markers should one one to use is method instead of the side window.
5) Replacing the kettle on it its power stand is without any fuss or fiddling.
6) The power on-off switch is a delight to operate. Light but reassuringly positive and the power on state is indicated by a very impressive ring of bright blue light that surrounds the base of the kettle.
7) Now within a few seconds one can hear the water being heated but the sound is just a very smooth and very quiet rustle so much quieter than any other kettle I have used. Reports that it is not that quiet are nonsense, this powerful kettle IS QUIET.
8) In a very short time the water is heated to boiling and the kettle allows it to boil for a few seconds which is perfect and then reliably it turns off with a very quiet click. This is completely reliable.
9) Now another superb design aspect is that after leaving the kettle for a few seconds the kettle can be switched back on just as easy as if cold water was inside. This allows an instant re-heat for the perfect boiling water pour into the tea-pot. This has been the only electric kettle that I have been able to do this as most kettles when boiled have to be forced to reboil hot water by forceably holding down the on-off button. Not so with this design, it switches back on as easy as the first time. Wonderful..
9A) Oh yes it pours perfectly too. The spout is just the right size and shape to produce a fast flowing tight stream of water without any drips occurring during the process and when stopping after the pour…amazing.
10) So the perfect kettle?. Yes it really is. As said earlier I am a mechanically minded perfectionist and I just cannot find a fault leaving me full of admiration for this kettle.
11) OK appearance. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and to be honest maybe it does look just a little cheap with it’s brushed finish stainless steel body and somehow it reminds me a Jules Verne style space rocket. But as it works so perfectly and it is cheap I can forgive that and I love it because I admire the way it works faultlessly I would not want any other kettle as I don’t think it matters that you can get designer kettles not one will work better than this one does.
12) I cannot provide a long term report but I see no reason it will go faulty as it works so well. My experience is that many kettles fail because they are used with hard lime ridden water and not descaled regularly. The limescale build-up then bends and damages lids and other parts.
Bottom Line: I recommend this kettle whole-heatedly; it really is a joy to use.
Updated 27/8/18. Now 4 stars! The loud moaning noise as it started to heat stopped some time ago and this kettle is now very good. I’m in a very soft water area so limescale build-up is not responsible for stopping the moaning noise problem. Only minor gripe now is that if you refill it immediately after boiling you have to wait for about 20 seconds before the thermal cutout will allow you to switch it on again.
It’s early days yet but, so far so good. I have had many kettles over the years across all price ranges from the cheapest of cheap to upmarket expensive and, apart from the cheap budget buy (5) which lasted so long that I eventually discarded it purely for a change, this kettle has so far met and exceeded all my expectations. It is certainly the quietest kettle I have ever owned being quieter even than the motor on my microwave which in itself is exceptionally quiet.
It boils extremely quickly, is bottom lit (subtle blue light around the bottom) and has precise sturdy controls, as in not flimsy, and the lid opens smoothly and effortlessly to an almost 90 degree angle making filling easy and accessible.
Very clear volume viewing window and the internal small volume indicators are very useful and, of course, energy saving. A brilliant idea!
Overall this is a very good looking machine and I am very pleased with its performance so far.
I acknowledge that different people might have different expectations but, personally, I can find no fault with it whatsoever.
I will return in 3 months time to give an update.
Update …
Well it’s June 2018 so a little more than the 3 month update I intended!
So, 9 months on and I stand by all I said in my previous review. The kettle is still performing well and I anticipate many more years of faultless service. Nothing has broken, no issues with internal volume indicators breaking or any deterioration in performance . It is still looking good! Personally, I prefer to buy appliances for performance rather than for what they look like, as in colours that match the kitchen, ( which I’ve had in the past and haven’t lasted long). Brushed stainless steel is ideal in any kitchen.
Other people may have had issues with this kettle but I haven’t. It’s a good kettle. Does what it claims to do, looks good, boils quickly and quietly and is economical in that it can boil small amounts of water as required.
Nothing not to like really!
Original review: This is a fantastic kettle, primarily because it is so quiet. You do need to keep the element clean which can take some time if you live in a hard water area. As limescale builds up it gets more noisy. Don’t buy kettle cleaning stuff just bough a litre of supermarket vinegar and empty it in. Use the kettle to temporarily heat up the vinegar to speed up the process the whole thing is clean within 20 minutes and the vinegar can be used over and over again. We do not regret buying this kettle
I’ve bought 4 for myself & friends, and all Buckinghams exhibit the same 2 design faults –
1. The lid stops opening fully using the button after just a couple of uses.
So you either have to press the button to release the lid and then physically pull it back
OR hold the kettle with the spout upwards so the lid needs less force to open it fully.
Expect the release button is a Health & Safety feature, but its fairly pointless if you then have to grasp the lid to gain access.
2. Many users complain of the foul taste of the water which stems from the red clip-on soft plastic measure inside the kettle.
Strongly recommend you simply clip it off before ever using the kettle.
I’ve found getting the tip of a bladed screwdriver between the measure and its mount, and giving it a gentle twist, is easiest.
Update 31.10.15: Having used the kettle now for a little while, I can certainly say that this kettle is not quiet (maybe mine has a fault but all appears well).
Having seen this kettle on display in a well known DIY store priced at 49.99, I thought I’d check it out on Amazon. I was pleasantly surprised to see it at 20 cheaper. Having read past reviews of the product, I decided to make the purchase and it arrived quickly. Some past reviews had made mention of a strange taste but I wasn’t sure if I was experiencing this or not, i.e. was any doubt I had psychological based on knowing some people had said they had experienced a strange taste? Anyway, if there was a strange taste it was marginal. I did, however, after a couple of days remove the red plastic gauge that is inside the kettle. I think this has made a difference, but as I say I’m not sure if I’m just imagining it all. I had wondered if having to fill through the top would be an issue (past kettles I could always fill through the spout), but this has proved not to be an issue. A good looking kettle, the blue ‘neon’ light is attractive, but I wouldn’t say it’s any quieter than my previous kettle. For 30, a good buy.