Customer Reviews

Le Creuset Enamel-on-Steel Whistling 1-4/5-Quart Teakettle, Flame

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I received this teakettle for Christmas 2009. By April rust was evident around the lid opening, around the pouring end of the spout, and at the point the spout joined the body where there was a hairline gap in the enamel. I followed the instructions--never left water in the teakettle, never let it boil dry, didn't bump or jostle it. I contacted Le Creuset and they said to send it back at my expense and they would decide if it merited replacing. Three weeks later the replacement arrived. It is now July and every time I put the lid on the teakettle flakes of rust pop out from under the stainless steel ring around the opening. In the last few days the rust has emerged from under the ring, so I called Le Creuset again. After being put on hold twice and finally getting referred to a supervisor Le Creuset agreed to pay the shipping to return the teakettle. As compensation they will give me a credit that I can only use to buy Le Creuset products from Le Creuset at Le Creuset prices. If I want to get a stainless steel teakettle from them I have to pay an additional $35, although I could get a third enamel on steel teakettle that most likely will rust before Thanksgiving at no additional cost. What a bargain! This is a terrible product with terrible customer service.

Although I've long been a fan of Le Creuset's cast iron enamel cookware, this teakettle is highly flawed. That's because the plastic that encases the whistle and the spout melts. That's right. A teakettle that is meant to be used on heat hot enough to boil water melts when you do so.

I'm now on my third kettle. But it's my last. I bought the first on Amazon and after using it only a couple of times on my gas stove, the entire plastic casing around the spout melted. I figured I had to have done something wrong because, hey, this is Le Creuset -- they'd never sell a tea kettle you couldn't boil water in. So I bought a second one. And despite using it carefully and conservatively, within a couple of weeks it happened again. So this time I contacted Le Creuset, which disappointingly has a rather rude customer service department, and they said I had to pay for not only shipping the flawed $75 kettle to them but also pay for them to ship back a replacement (assuming they deemed to acknowledge fault and not blame me because otherwise I'd have to pay for them to send me back my wrecked kettle). I aggressively protested to various supervisors, pointing out that the shipping costs would total nearly that of a new kettle; only when I vowed to make a Better Business Bureau and Twitter stink, did they back off and paid to ship me a new one.

Although they finally agreed to handling this problem in a proper way, it came with a stern and condescending lecture that the melting had to have been my fault because the kettle was clearly marked as to not be used on a high gas flame. Having already thrown away all the original packing material, I couldn't credibly argue with them that they were wrong, although I didn't remember such a disclaimer/warning.

So I got my replacement model and when I did, I scrupulously studied all the packing materials and literature for that warning to not use the kettle on high heat (as if I would have originally bought it had there been such a disclosure in the product description). But there was none. No where. Nada.

Still, I was careful. I kept the flame low and made sure my gas stove never was used on a high heat anywhere near the kettle. But still, it happened again. The entire plastic casing around the spout melted. It melted all over the spout and it melted onto my stove's burner.

I am so disappointed. I love the way this kettle looks. And I love the whole idea of Le Creuset -- kitchen quality that you buy once and can have forever. But now I don't trust their quality and I don't trust their customer service who blamed me for their faulty product.

So I think this is the lesson learned: if you have a gas stove, do not buy this product. Unless you plan on trying to boil water in your tea kettle at a flame set to simmer. And Le Creuset should either fix this product or eliminate it because it's a blight on their reputation.

I was extremely excited to purchase this Le Creuset product, as I swear by me enamel coated dutch ovens and pans. However, this product is a piece of JUNK. After less than one month of daily use, the product began to rust. I first noticed the rust when I was re-filling the kettle. I saw a large rust spot that was flaky and discoloring the water. This is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. The product has been well taken care of, but clearly there is a manufacturing and/ design issue here. Le Creuset will be receiving a letter asking for a refund for this one!

I love my Le Creuset stainless steel teakettle. It is well made. Definetly worth the
money. It boils the water really fast & whistles at me to let me know when the water
is boiling. The whistle is not annoying or ear busting, it's just right to alert you
when the water boils. The handle locks in place for easy, safe pouring. Great product!

Product shipped promptly and arrived in good condition. Teapot looks nice on the stove..... unfortunately I can't seem to get a spill-free pour from it after it has boiled. You have to be careful not to fill too much water before heating or it will build up pressure and spurt hot water while you pour...

I thought I was buying my wife a quality kettle, but I was wrong. It looked pretty, was more expensive than the other kettles, and came from a company that I thought made quality products. The only problem is that this kettle doesn't work.

We've used this kettle for a few months now, and it ALWAYS drips water. On occasions the kettle will not only drip, but EXPLODE with boiling water. My wife told me that she's been burned twice by boiling water. It is extremely aggravating. This is a design problem, and I am sure that the good folks at Le Creuset knew about it and simply decided that they would make more money trading on their good name than selling a good product.

I recommend you either buy cheap kettles or get a copper kettle - don't but a Le Creuset kettle!

Well, let me start by saying I am glad I did not pay retail price for this teakettle. I purchased mine on ebay for $45 plus shipping and I am still disappointed with product.

Good: Looks nice and matches are other cookware and well hell its the famous Le Creuset!

Bad: Spits hot water when pouring, handle gets so hot you always need a towel or mit to pour, seems
to take forever to heat up. OMG its the famous Le Creuset and it sucks.

Pass on this one no matter how tempted.

These kettles rust easily, it is unfortunately because they do look nice and match other Le Creuset cookware well. A bit funny reading the review battles over whether people are caring for them properly - how do you know who to believe? But my 2c after having two of these kettles is simply to stay away or just be ok with buying a new one every year.

You'd think a little more thought would have gone into the design for a tea kettle from a company that makes such fine ovenware and who charges so much for a tea kettle. This little unit really sucks, mainly because it dribbles boiling hot water all over the place every time you pour it (watch out if you're barefoot!). I have tried pouring slowly, fast, medium-speed--at least it's consistent in that it dribbles water every single time, no matter how you pour. Also if you fill it up too a certain level, it sprays hot water all over the stove once it's boiling.

I had a Chantal stainless steel kettle before...and boy, do I miss it.

This is the second Le Creuset tea kettle I've owned, and neither has been a disappointment. My first was the Zen tea kettle. I loved it's graceful shape. I am enjoying this one no less. In fact, I am surprised at how much satisfaction this little tea kettle has provided. It's a little work of art. The color and shading are very attractive, it has a pleasing shape, and it's well made.

The whistle is a bit unpredictable, but that's a small thing. It was never intended as a safety feature but as a convenience. To those who complained that the lid is too tight, I would point out that this is a good thing, since it keeps steam from escaping around the rim. You don't want that to happen when you're handling the kettle. To those who complained about the stopper and about burned fingers, I would say read the directions before you use this product. If you wait a moment for excess steam to escape the spout you won't burn yourself. In all the years we've owned Le Creuset tea kettles we've never experienced any burned fingers by following that practice.

You do have to take care of the enamel finish, but that's the nature of enamel coating. If you bang it too hard you will chip it, and if you use abrasive cleansers you will dull it. If you take care of it properly it will last a long time and provide much more than satisfactory service. I am sold on my Le Creuset tea kettle.