Do these Kamjove Kettles have any plastic inside? Do they have Plastic Rings like most stainless kettles? Are there any particular kamjove kettles that are better than others (available for US voltage)? Also is there any advantage of these kettles over any other stainless electric kettle?
KJ-750A
KJ-V60
http://www.birdpick.com/teakettles.html
I was originally interested in the induction KJ-10H, but decided to stay away from induction for now.
Thanks for your help!
I got a prompt reply from birdpick:
"The Kamjove V80 and KJ750 kettles have bodies that are made of stainless steel, but both have plastic handles that prevent being burned when holding it. Also the induction base is made of plastic and stainless steel. The interior is entirely stainless steel. There are no plastic or rubber parts that will touch the water while it is being heated."
Can anyone else verify this? Does anyone else have one of these kettles?
"The Kamjove V80 and KJ750 kettles have bodies that are made of stainless steel, but both have plastic handles that prevent being burned when holding it. Also the induction base is made of plastic and stainless steel. The interior is entirely stainless steel. There are no plastic or rubber parts that will touch the water while it is being heated."
Can anyone else verify this? Does anyone else have one of these kettles?
Thanks. The only reason I am skeptical is that I have looked for a long while to find a non-induction electric tea kettle without plastic inside. The reply I got from bird-pick mentioned "induction base" but I think they meant conduction rings because it was my understanding that these two models were not induction. If anyone else has had experience with these kettles let me know.
The kettle I am currently using is all plastic/polycarb and I am looking to replace it with one that doesn't have plastic. While I know the evidence is not solid, I would like to avoid consuming liquids heated in plastic because of the concerns of BPA and estrogen analogs. I need to look after my biological fitness. Also, after searching for many kettles that looked to be stainless steel, many reviews showed that they still had "plastic taste" to them because they had plastic rings and other components. So if I want to go all metal.
Glass would also be great, but I don't want to get a separate heating element (like a waring burner) because I want to keep the thing on my desk and I don't want a fire. I also am avoiding induction mainly because it is expensive to get a decent one and also because there may potentially be health concerns there too. I am well aware that I am polluting my body every time I breathe, but if I can avoid a little risk, why not?
Glass would also be great, but I don't want to get a separate heating element (like a waring burner) because I want to keep the thing on my desk and I don't want a fire. I also am avoiding induction mainly because it is expensive to get a decent one and also because there may potentially be health concerns there too. I am well aware that I am polluting my body every time I breathe, but if I can avoid a little risk, why not?
For the last five months I've been using the Kamjove V80 (bought from BirdPick). There is no plastic on the inside of the kettle. The handle and the lid knob are plastic but have a metal weld point inside the kettle. The base is plastic and uses a series of concentric rings with contact points to get electricity to the heating element inside the kettle. It boils water fairly quickly and then shuts off, reboiling when the water temp gets below 170F. The pour is nice and steady.
There is only two things about the kettle that make it less than ideal for me. One is the "boil dry" safety feature. There is a spring loaded pin (contact point) in the center of the base which must be depressed by the weight of the filled kettle being on the base in order for the unit to operate. While this does a great job of preventing boiling the kettle dry, it also causes the unit to not operate if there is not sufficient water level in the kettle. Unfortunately, that level is about "half full". I'm glad I bought the larger volume model for this reason. One cannot boil just a cup or two of water. My solution has been to fill the kettle and then "top it off" with water as needed when it gets too low to reboil. For a single gong fu session (three steeps in a 5oz pot,plus preheating vessels) a single boil is all I need. For longer sessions, I use my solution mentioned above.
The second concern is the switch. It is a knob-style that is off in the middle position with "auto" to one side and "manual" to the other. "Auto" brings the water to a boil then shuts off, while "manual" is constant boil. I fear the switch will not last as long as a toggle-style would, but so far I've had no problems with it. (Just have to remember to turn it to "off" position when finished using it).
I hope this answers any questions you (and others) have about this kettle. Overall, I'm happy with the purchase.
If you have other questions, I'll do my best to answer them.
Kamjove V80 specs:
Voltage 110v/60Hz
Power 700w
Capacity 1.2L
There is only two things about the kettle that make it less than ideal for me. One is the "boil dry" safety feature. There is a spring loaded pin (contact point) in the center of the base which must be depressed by the weight of the filled kettle being on the base in order for the unit to operate. While this does a great job of preventing boiling the kettle dry, it also causes the unit to not operate if there is not sufficient water level in the kettle. Unfortunately, that level is about "half full". I'm glad I bought the larger volume model for this reason. One cannot boil just a cup or two of water. My solution has been to fill the kettle and then "top it off" with water as needed when it gets too low to reboil. For a single gong fu session (three steeps in a 5oz pot,plus preheating vessels) a single boil is all I need. For longer sessions, I use my solution mentioned above.
The second concern is the switch. It is a knob-style that is off in the middle position with "auto" to one side and "manual" to the other. "Auto" brings the water to a boil then shuts off, while "manual" is constant boil. I fear the switch will not last as long as a toggle-style would, but so far I've had no problems with it. (Just have to remember to turn it to "off" position when finished using it).
I hope this answers any questions you (and others) have about this kettle. Overall, I'm happy with the purchase.
If you have other questions, I'll do my best to answer them.
Kamjove V80 specs:
Voltage 110v/60Hz
Power 700w
Capacity 1.2L
Re: Kamjove Kettles:Still Looking for a NonPlastiElectric Ke
These kettles are all over Asia as they are usually produced in China. They have become a common fixture in tea shops here in Bangkok and in Hong Kong. Personally, I don't like them. They have a very cheap feel to them and are quite flimsy without being filled up.beachape wrote:Do these Kamjove Kettles have any plastic inside? Do they have Plastic Rings like most stainless kettles? Are there any particular kamjove kettles that are better than others (available for US voltage)? Also is there any advantage of these kettles over any other stainless electric kettle?
KJ-750A
KJ-V60
http://www.birdpick.com/teakettles.html
I was originally interested in the induction KJ-10H, but decided to stay away from induction for now.
Thanks for your help!
I don't understand the fixation that these have on tea people. They are not lovely to look at, IMO, and, there are far better quality stainless kettles made in Europe and elsewhere that are beautiful and will last longer than these cheaply made Chinese products. Even in Hong Kong, the teashops told me they use only the ones made in Taiwan because the Chinese made ones often had problems. Just my .02cents.
Apr 1st, '09, 13:05
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I have a different Kamjove (I forget the model number, but its basically a stainless steel kettle on a black plastic base), and while it is admittedly cheap, it serves me well. It has a better pour than most of the other "nicer" consumer models, which is very nice when pouring into a small vessel. Also, the reboil feature is nice, and is not often found on non-Chinese electric kettles.
Even though it sometimes feels like the handle is going to fall off, it has lasted for well over a year now with no major problems. But most importantly, it's cheap! If I wanted something really nice I'd buy a ceramic kettle.
To the OP: what are the health problems associated with induction kettles? I've never heard this before and I'm quite skeptical.
Even though it sometimes feels like the handle is going to fall off, it has lasted for well over a year now with no major problems. But most importantly, it's cheap! If I wanted something really nice I'd buy a ceramic kettle.
To the OP: what are the health problems associated with induction kettles? I've never heard this before and I'm quite skeptical.
Judging from what I've found, induction heating has not been proven to be a health risk. It remains speculation based on association in special cases.
http://theinductionsite.com/radiation.shtml
http://theinductionsite.com/radiation.shtml
刀獾
片和
片和
I'm going to open this debate (induction safety) as a new topic. If anyone else has comments about a Kamjove, please let me know. It seems i am still on the fence about this kettle. No plastic is great...but i've heard some concerns about quality from other posts as well as the ones here. Maybe I am too picky, but I'm going to keep looking for a little while.
There are other kettles of the same design by different manufacturers. The one that I recommended in the previous thread (I don't know why you started a new one) is one that I think holds up pretty well.. I believe also Chinese made, but for sale in Taiwan. It's no-nonsense army-surplus looking, but in my experience, it's pretty well made. I've got one that's been in pretty much continuous use for a couple of years now.beachape wrote:I'm going to open this debate (induction safety) as a new topic. If anyone else has comments about a Kamjove, please let me know. It seems i am still on the fence about this kettle. No plastic is great...but i've heard some concerns about quality from other posts as well as the ones here.
Imperial Tea Court and some Ten Rens carry them. They're about $80 (of course, for that price, you can buy 2-3 Kamjoves; you can probably get the price a little lower if there's a Ten Ren that carries them near you). I have a Kamjove TP-680 ($30) that's been in pretty much continuous operation, either at home, work, or my girlfriend's work, for about 2 years; no problems there either. But under heavier use, they do tend to have problems - my friend used to use them in her shop, and they just got thrashed.
http://www.tentea.com/electricteapot.html
http://www.imperialtea.com/Steel-Electr ... e-P23.aspx
The Kamjove that I have been eying is this one, which not only looks great, it also has thermostatic control for a range of holding temperatures. About $75.
http://www.birdpick.com/850585.html
http://www.birdpick.com/850585.html
刀獾
片和
片和
Won't work for the OP, since it's induction. Since you're interested, my $0.02 on this kettle (some good, some bad) is at http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?t=6191JP wrote:The Kamjove that I have been eying is this one, which not only looks great, it also has thermostatic control for a range of holding temperatures. About $75.
http://www.birdpick.com/850585.html
Like everything else at Birdpick, this is 25-50% cheaper at Wing Hop Fung in LA (their parent company) -- about $50 there.