Customer Reviews

Krups FLF2-J4 Cordless Electric 54-Ounce Water Kettle, Black

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(26)
1 star:		(60)

 

 

The kettle's appearance is nice. It has high power and boils fast. Due to design of the lid the water is tightly covered so there is less evaporation.
Here are the problems.

1) The stainless floor becomes spotted and uneven really fast (faster than with my previous Braun kettle).

2) On my first unit power switch was malfunctioning. It took me 2-3-4 attempts before I could start it. I replaced the kettle with a new one and had the very same problems.

The bottom line.
If you decide to buy, don't do it online. Buy at some place where you can easily replace the kettle if the first (second, third etc.) one is defective.

I decided to return this kettle and buy Braun for the same price.


Update 08/08/2008
After half a year I decided to give it another try and bought a new black Krups Kettle from Bad Bath And Beyond again. I hoped that they produced a new batch with the known defect fixed. Nothing has improved. The third kettle is also defective in exactly the same way - power switch doesn't work properly and turns the kettle off several seconds after turning on.

I love the features of this kettle. However, after 10 months of use, it began to leak around the seam just where the bottom of the handle joins the body of the kettle. Disappointing.

My husband thinks that small appliances are a waste of counterspace and money. I don't always disagree, but we make press pot coffee twice a day and heating up the water on the stove took 15+ minutes and there was always floating sediment in the bottom of our kettle...sounds appetizing! I researched this kettle and liked the description that the water boiled quickly and turned off automatically....I also wanted it to retain heat and be able to be taken off of the heating source for serving. My husband (and I) really like this pot. We use it not only for coffee (full pot to boiling takes just under 5 minutes) but to boil water for pasta and other cooking. It saves me time and I don't want to be in the kitchen all night....this is one small appliance that we do not want to be without. The only change I would make is that the handle seems a bit large for the average hand so it is not as comfortable to hold and I still have sediment...which is probably a problem with my water. At least now I can get into the pot to clean through the large opening. No weird smells here and we have been using daily for 6 months.

There are good/bad sides to anything, and here's an attempt at an unbiased review of both:

Note: We purchased this at Bed Bath & Beyond using the discount. We had to exchange it due to the on/off switch not working, and the second kettle still works fine after 2 years. I liked it so much I got one for my mother in law as a gift. Hers is also working fine after 1 year. Personally, I'm switching to a stainless steel kettle b/c I don't like having a plastic-lined kettle, and also the wattage is a bit too high for our kitchen (1750W is on the high end for electric kettles; some are 1500 or 1200W).

The Pros:
-item works well, have had no problems or leaks, etc.
-the high voltage heats water in just a couple minutes. i boiled 5 cups of water in 3 mins, 20 seconds. usually i boil only 2 cups at a time which is even quicker.
-not too loud as far as electric kettles go, sort of a low rumbling.
-easy to clean on the outside, dark color conceals splatters and dust
-the little switch on top lights up while it's boiling
-there's a trigger under the handle to open the lid. sometimes i open it to put the water in the kettle this way since the lid can be a pain (see below)

The Cons:
-for us, the high voltage has been a con, as it trips the breaker when we use our micro (which is 1100W) and the kettle (1750W) at the same time. fyi, our house is only 8 years old.
-we had trouble with the first model's on/off switch. it wouldn't stay on long enough to heat the water. (our 2nd kettle did not have this problem)
-the lid (on both that we tried) is a bit troublesome. you have to rotate it a bit back and forth (between "close" and "lock") to click it in place.
-the interior is the same as the exterior, a heavy-duty plastic material. the base is a silver metal, probly Stainless Steel. I am no longer comfortable boiling water in plastic for human consumption. The steel can get brownish from water deposits and needs to be cleaned (some stores sell drop-in tablets for that)--also normal.

Hope this review was helpful. I wrote it b/c I appreciate the reviews others have written! God bless, CB

We bought this Krups FLF2-J4 with anticipation of and excelent machine for our needs. It is a nice looking unit light weight and fast at heating a full load of water. However, an odor is created in the unit and after two weeks of usage it still remains. It hadn't diminished during that time. It smells like burnt plastic and it transfers that to the water for our tea or fresh ground coffee. Not pleasant. We felt it just wasn't safe. I've repacked it and will return it if possible. Krups know of this as they mentioned it in their manual.

It has never worked, from the beginning. If I had time, I'd take it back. We have to hit the on switch anywhere from 4-9x every morning to get it to go to boiling. It just switches off. I'm buying a different one.

I just purchased this product after alot of research of other similar
electric kettles.I followed the directions about boiling twice and I did
not detect any plastic taste or smell like other reviewers. The water boils fast, shuts off like it is supposed to, pours without steam burning
my hand and feels light even when full. I don't really need all that water
but I like having that feature.It's also very easy to clean. I love it!!

When a cup of tea sounds wonderful, you won't have to wait long for it. Water heats very quickly, and with the automatic shut-off, you won't have to worry about it boiling dry. The very thin base is also great; it's almost invisible when the kettle is sitting on it, and is not cumbersome. I purchased the black one and it looks great in my kitchen; and is easily wiped off with a damp cloth.

I've had the kettle now for some time and used it many, many times. It works perfectly. Quick to heat the water, and by following the provide instructions in the package about cleaning it before use to get rid of the plastic smell/taste, I've had no issues at all with the water tasting funny. The boiled water I get after pouring in cold water from my filter-pitcher, tastes the same way as the water form my filter pitcher does.... which is proof for me, that the kettle isn't adding any taste to the water.

Being able to use my one cup french press for the morning coffee is great, and tea is so much easier and safer now that the stove kettle isn't used anymore.

Customer below wrote that the tea pot gave toxic smell. It says in the instructions that you have to boil the water twice before you use it to get rid of the new plastic smell. Most of the electic tea kettles require it. I boiled the water twice, and when I made myself a cup of tea there was no smell what so ever. This tea kettle is very comfortable, easy to clean, and it boils water very fast. This is my 3rd item from Krups. I just bought the Convectional Toaster Oven from them and I like it a LOT! Much better then microwave!