No real Zojirushi distribution (especially if you´re looking for electrical) , forget about decent Cuisinart -the american make of CPK17 has 6 keepwarm temp settings, the european version just 5º degree steps between 85 and 100 Celsius, you have not even the cheap Pino digital option, and examples can go on) . I could settle for a kamjove, but I prefer devices that can serve me for at least a decent period of time, and can take an intensive use without cracking in 6 months.
So I spent almost 2 days searching, reading, comparing. Mainly in the UK, France and Germany markets (amazon, online stores, dedicated either to selling kitchen electronics or even special tea-ware).
The criteria for the kettle I searched was :
Mandatory:
- to be electric, detachable (fixed base, mobile unit)
- stainless steel inside , hidden heating element.
- at least 1,5 liters capacity, no more than 2 (3 Liters would be too heavy for precision handling)
- it should bring water to boil and then keep it warm to : either a preset
of the device, or a custom temp you could chose .
- it should have safety implementation like auto shutdown when empty or similar
- sturdiness, decent design and ergonomics (no designer extravagances), decent manufacturer guarantee period.
- price range 50-150 euro, depending on how well it meets the listed criteria.
Optional :
- Electronic display of the real actual temp (regardless of the fact that the device is operating, or just in standby)
- 360º rotational base (its nice to just put it on it´s base, not searching for the correct fit )
- decent light / sound alerts, better none, than stupid or weird beeps and flashes.
So, I rapidly skipped the mainstream consumer oriented products like philips, siemens, krupps ,bosch, breville, and so on. Not that I care too much about names and brands, but I found none (event the most expensive) to be able to meet the minimal requirements. As for the midpriced ones, i saw either stupid presettings, faulty design or lack of decent minimal quality. (I actually have a noname 15 euros plastic kettle at the office, it
boils water, shuts off automatically and nothing more).
Anyway, after getting tired of this search, I found only two models I would pick, so here they are :
1. The Bodum Chambord (new model 11076-16EURO ) : http://www.bodum.com/int/en-us/shop/det ... 76-16EURO/
(manual here http://www.bodum.com/media/ifu/11076-16EURO.pdf )
A pretty decent unit, and the only one I met which was actually designed for tea aficionados. It has presets for all the 5 basic temps you need, from 60 to 100 Celsius). It would have been perfect if it had some custom
adjustable temp option, but considering the good range of the presets, I can ingnore that. It would have been more than perfect if it had a display of the actual temp. But that is already too much to ask maybe.
What I don´t like about it is:
- The looks - oh, maybe its just a matter of taste, but it looks like an oversized coffee frenchpress .
- The spout - too small. I dont need to pour one liter at once, but it just too small, or at least it looks like.
- The handle - that´s the worst part. I consider it too small/thin . I can imagine putting a little too much effort in holding it right and pouring easily given the total weight of the unit when filled with water. Especially if that water is hot, I would like not to spill it on me
. - And of course the price. It´s around 170 euros. Not that I cannot afford the investment, but as I have no possibility to buy it locally and only order it online, its pretty risky somehow. I would like to be able to hold it in my hands to see if I actually dislike it so much as in pictures. Not a hugely expensive item, but I just have bought too much stuff that I don´t use just because I found out later that it was not exactly what I wanted/needed.
1. The Dirt Devil Aquagrad M3005 :
http://www.dirt-devil.de/shop/index.php ... 1.31519878
manual here http://www.dirt-devil.de/shop/out/oxbas ... rad_fl.pdf
Now thats an all purpose kettle. The good part is that it handles 2 liters of water,(you never have enough hot water we all know that) but the not so good part is that it wont function with less than 1 liter( pretty weird I would say).
It has an electronic display of the actual temp. Great! It has a simple operating knob that lets you set the desired temp between 30 and 100 degrees Celsius in 5degree steps. Fabulous! (Maybe important to mention that if you start straight with the keepwarm setting, it will just heat up the water to that temp, not boil and then cool down, but it this can be worked around.)
Also great price - 85 Euros - half of the Bodum Chambord price. Also decent looks. Seems pretty safe and easy to handle.
Now the not-so-great aspects: The calfilter is integrated in the lid. An the lid is just ugly at best. I would say more than ugly, almost weird.
It doesn´t have an ON/OFF switch integrated in the base. You have to unplug it to turn it off. Damn!
There are a lot of customers not satisfied with the build quality. So this cracks the myth about german standard quality. It seems that there were cases when it was broke as new out of the box, others claim the contacts between the unit and the base failed to work in less than a month, and so on. I wouldn´t throw it around, but anyway it seems somehow fragile.
I hope any of you european teachatters can use the information above to spare time/effort in your possible search for this kind of device. I will also appreciate any suggestion for some other model I have missed in my search.
Thank you !
