Customer Reviews

Chantal Enamel-on-Steel 1.8-Quart Loop Teakettle, Cobalt Blue

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Like many other reviewers of this kettle (the other reviews can be found under the other color variations of this kettle) I have experienced the problem of the malfunctioning whistle. I read the negative reviews and decided to give this kettle a go because it had the best design. I wish I had listened to the other reviewers...

When we first got the kettle, the whistle worked fine. Provided you pressed down firmly on the central kettle cover, it would let out a VERY loud whistle. After 3 weeks of use, however, it suddenly stopped working. Turns out the whistle cap no longer sits flush on the spout. When I try to reseat it, it just springs up slightly, provided a gap that prevents the whistle from working.

Final conclusion: great looking kettle, but seriously flawed spout and whistle mechanisms. I wouldn't buy this kettle if given another chance.

The craftsmanship of this kettle is outstanding. Paint is thick and rich, will change its shade a bit with temperature. The whistle is different here, it sounds more like locomotive signal - loud and low frequency. I used it on a gas stove and whistling nose lid (made of plastic) burned at the bottom a bit jamming the whistling element, and now lid does not close tight, therefore - no whistling. Looks like this kettle was designed with electrical cooker in mind.
The main lid tends to get stuck half way when I close it, allowing steam to escape, which leads to no whistling.
The handle is ergonomically located slightly on a back for no-strain pouring and is always cool enough to touch.
Time to boil is slightly longer due the spherical shape of this kettle.

This is a beautiful kettle, but I bought it mainly for its loud whistle, which WAS truly loud when I tested it. For some reason, however, it doesn't always whistle--hence...DISASTER. I didn't hear it whistle so forgot about it, it overheated, and the black plastic melted. This is the second disappointment; the first was a Copco Virtu kettle, also beautiful, which didn't whistle at all because it was too loosely assembled. I will now have to spend almost $100 to get a kettle I can trust--one made of ALL stainless steel--no plastic.

I have to remember that it's JUST a teakettle. We bought it for the fun color and the happy sounding whistle. It heats water. The lid fastens securely so you don't have to worry about it falling off and letting hot water splash all over. The handle feels securely mounted and you can pour hot water with one hand and not get scalded.

I just wish there was a silicone gasket on the pour spout because condensate is able to drip from the whistle and does so until the water in the kettle completely cools. This is very annoying if you are a neat-freak, which, really, I am not. But still, it's annoying to have to wipe up, and since we have lots of minerals in our water, I can see that there will soon be a crust of mineral precipitate underneath the pour spout, just like on every other tea kettle I've ever owned.

Edited on May 20, 2011 to add: After two years, the condensate/dripping problem predicted above has not manifested itself. See the comments below.

I bought this 3 years ago for my mother, who uses it all the time. The finish still looks good and it serves it purpose.

I bought this Kettle (Stainless version) as a gift for my girlfriend. We love the looks of this model. The handle is and spout action is comfortable. The problem is the whistle; it usually doesn't. It works mayby 1 out of 4 times. We initially made the mistake of not putting the lid on tight, but that isn't the problem anymore. Usually it makes a little half-hearted start and then the whistle stops. Then if we quickly open and close the spout it will start whistling. We tried the open and snap-closed trick before heating water, but it doesn't make a difference.

I have a theory that the early steam fouls the whistle by leaving moisture in the orifices. Once that happens, even at rolling boil with steam shooting out the cap it can't make noise. Sort of like trying to whistle with crackers in your mouth I suppose.

This was to replace my girlfriend's kettle that didn't have a whistle, so we're back where we started and I'm back to shopping for another kettle.

Update: We haven't used this kettle for a year but I just noticed my review didn't reflect the real cause of the whistle problem. The "harmonica" whistle is a tiny, thin, metal reed. In our case a piece of it broke off completely, pouring out with the water. I suspect it was hanging on for awhile before the final swim, enabling the wimpy sounds. Chantal sells replacements for $13(!). They offered to send us a replacement but I'd already picked up a simple glass kettle at that K-store. Clear, glass, plastic stopper with a whistle hole, no moving parts and eight dollars. It works.

LOVE this teakettle! After having used several traditional whistling kettles, I decided to give this one a try. No regrets! It adds a touch of cheerful color to the kitchen. The sound is really great and reminds me of a distant train. I am gladly and permanently bidding the shrill whistles "good-bye"! This is a "good buy"!

A present for my wife, this is a GREAT design. It is easy to hold and VERY easy to pour. Wife happy, me happy.

The first time you hear the low pitch of the whistle is a "what the heck is that?" experience, but a nice change from the screaming "pfffweeeeet" of the usual pot.

Not long after I had this teakettle, I accidently let the water boil out of it. While it notes on the instructions, obviously, NOT to do this, I was surprised that the plastic leading to and surrounding the spout would so quickly melt. This not only silenced my teakettle, but deemed the 'flipper' in-operable. It will barely open, about 1/4 an inch, if that, just enough to slowly pour the liquid from the kettle.

I was quite disappointed, needless to say, after paying $50 for a tea kettle, to so quickly have it turn into one with no whistle and barely able to pour. Again, the manufacturer warned against such ---- heed their warning !

My mother in law wanted a new tea kettle as her old one (which she has had for the past 15 years) decided to retire on a very short notice.
I went looking for two weeks - online and in store, read countless reviews and checked out several different designs. Of course I wanted to make sure she gets a nice looking one which was pretty in design, sturdy enough to last for the next 15 years as well as having an audible whistle.
My mother in law is the clumsy kind of person who would otherwise forget that she has turned the pot on....
This pot ultimately made the race because Bed Bath & Beyond had it on sale for $39.99 so I decided to give it a try.
IT IS PLAIN AWESOME! The whistle starts of quiet and slowly rises to a very much audible but pleasant sounding "whoooooooo".
Also the little trigger to easily open the whistle and pour the water is phenomenal. No more steamed fingertips when you are in a hurry.
And as a tea trinking family we are now going to buy one for ourselves as our old one simply can't keep up with the great features of the CHANTAL LOOP TEAKETTLE.

UPDATE April 2011: The kettle has now been in daily use since we gave it to my MIL for Christmas and it is still going strong. Some people might have just gotten a bad product but the one I purchased still works as it did on day 1