Customer Reviews

West Bend 53783 1-3/4-Quart Cordless Water Kettle, Black

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(51)

 

 

If your an expat or just an anglophile and you are left wondering, "Why doesn't America embrace the electric kettle?!" then this is the item for you. Sleek and aptly priced.

I don't know why you'd pay around $50 for something that just heats water... brand loyalty? I wouldn't pay the extra $15-$30 just for the flat metal plate that the Braun or Philips has. (The West Bend kettle has a metal coil to heat up the water: Yes, you have to clean the coiled versions, but it's exactly the same as cleaning out a coffee maker... white vinegar once in a blue moon. Hey, the Brits and the Irish don't mind the coil, why should I?)

The stouter version of this I think is too small, unless you live alone and don't drink that much tea/coffee/cocoa. Between us, my brother and I drink six to eight cups of tea a day, plus hot cereal on top of that and this kettle is more than sufficient (1.7 liters).

Some more good things:
It turns of automatically after it comes to a roaring boil.
See-through panel lets you see the water level.
So quiet, you wouldn't know it's on...
That's why it has a little red light that goes on.
Has a locking top so as to avoid spills.
The black fits in with my kitchen's decor.

It also comes in handy for when I'm cooking, using up all the burners and need just a bit of hot water, quickly. Or even if I am cooking rice or pasta, it's easier to heat up the water in the electric kettle and then pour it into the pot on the stove.

Two complaints: The cord is thick and not very flexible (the cord itself is about two feet). I have this plugged into the same outlet as my microwave and cannot use the two at the same time or else I'll have a circuit short... but then again, whoever remodeled the kitchen did a bad job on the electicity.

Makes a great present for any hot beverage lover or college student.

Given the price this Kettle works ok, but:
- it fails to shut off quite frequently, when boiling point is reached (which is why I ditched my old el. kettle)
- it doesn't shut off, when you take it off the base (so you put it back empty and it's trying to boil the little water left inside)
- you have to fit it onto the base (better models can be put on 360 degrees).

If you wanna use this a lot, get a better one.

Update: Yesterday I started boiling a quart of water and went to do something else in the mean time. Of course I forgot about my water. When I returned to the kitchen, the kettle had shut off - but only after a full quart of water had evaporated :(

I was recently traveling in New Zealand and every where you went (hotels, RV's, etc) had an electric water kettle. This was great and I really appreciated the automatic shut off, because my boyfriend keeps burning up our tea kettles. So I saw this one, read the reviews and decided to get it. I am so disspointed. The kettle heats water great, BUT the automatic shut off doesn't work at all. This is something that a few other reviews mentioned, so I am sending it back. I do not recommend getting this model.

It was great while it lasted but it only lasted three months. I was thrilled with how fast and convenient it was until the heating element stopped working. I did use it almost daily so if you are looking for something for minimal use it may last you longer. I'm now caught in the exchange fun of Amazon says return to manufacturer and West Bend says return to original place of purchase. I don't expect either will be worth the effort for a $20 piece of equiptment.

I had to return this item. It only shut itself off one time, and the remaining times boiled itself dry. Also, takes quite a while to heat the water. I'll buy another brand this time.

This unit is OK if you want to heat more than two cups of water. It has a minimum water level to cover the coils. If you want to just heat 1/2 cup for oat meal or one cup for a tea, you waste a lot of electricity and water by heating two cups. If you use bottled water like I do, you really don't want to waste half or more of the water you are heating up. Don't leave the water in the kettle either. It will leak. It also does not shut itself off as advertized after the water is heated to boiling. It will keep on boiling until you shut if off or if it goes dry. It is also very cheaply made, but I guess what to you want for $20.

Well, I've owned this tea pot for about 6 months now. It seemed to work fine until 2 nights ago. I used it, set the pot back in its holder and walked away for the night. The next day, I noticed moisture all over the front of my new custom cabinets and in fact one of the door's laminate finish had curled up. The tea pot NEVER shut itself off which is supposed to be one of its safety features. Not only is it supposed to shut itself off after it reaches a certain temperature, it most certainly should have after its use. I am grateful that our home did not burn down with us in it but would not want this to happen to others'. Ours was promptly thrown away!! There's a reason the price is too good to be true. Also, it was very bulky and the heating elements are on the inside.

This pot was wonderful for three days. boiled the water and shut off. Excellent. I used it a lot. The fourth day; i turned it on and went to brush my teeth while i waited for it.

it didn't shut off.

in that small amount of time it had boiled nearly all 1.75 quarts of water into steam which condensed under, on, inside of and on top of my kitchen cabinet and counter. The steam condensation ruined my cabinet in that short span of time. that $20 pot that i now can't use will end up costing me at least $350 plus labor...

Made a wonderful steam room - so if that's what you're looking for buy it.

If not and you still decide to purchase it - DO NOT TRUST THE AUTO SHUT OFF AND WALK AWAY FROM IT ...

I'll be going back to the microwave which i can trust to shut off) for one cup heating or my whistling pot for two cups plus. (which i know will scream until i shut it off)

The safety switch does not switch this kettle off. Mine boils dry almost everytime.

On the plus side, the kettle boils water quickly, it's inexpensive, and the overall design is clever. Unfortunately, a couple of problems with this item may force me to abandon it.
I've been using the kettle for about a month and the water still has some kind of plastic chemical taste to it. I can taste it through the tea. I've tried detergent, bleach, and have boiled around a gallon of water a day with it. I've tried to ignore the taste, and convince myself that the chemicals are harmless but harmful or not it makes the tea taste bad.
The filter keeps falling off and it was detached when it arrived. My instruction book doesn't say much about the filter, but without the filter it won't automatically shut off.
It was only around 20 bucks but I've wasted quite a bit of time with this item, cleaning it and fussing with the filter, and I feel bad about ingesting the chemicals.
I want an energy efficent, quick way to make tea, so I will continue trying to clean the darn thing, and if I find something that intervenes with this chemical leaching process I'll update this review. Until then I must return to the primitive task of boiling the water in a microwave oven.