Why do 'Cordless' Electric kettles keep breaking down?

The contacts in the base unit are usually very thin and don't last long. The one we have now is like a proper lead end set on the base and the kettle sits quite tightly in it. It's about three years old now, if not a bit more. Made by Crown, bought from Asda. I'm told Crown was a cheap maker and their things didn't last two seconds. It's the best cordless kettle we've had. Go figure.

On Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:29:42 -0000 someone who may be "GPG" wrote this:-

Mine must be at least 15 years old.

I would hazard that if there is nothing obvious just chuck it out (i would not flaff about with something that has electricity and water in such proximity but then I am a wuss) as a new one is in the under a £5 range, of course you could be , really trendy, and go for an £80 kettle. Ours is , at least, 11 years old and is still working fine it is used at least six times a day

Why is it broken?

I'd hazard a guess that limescale is the single biggest killer of kettles - rather than cordless or not.

But in answer, I would not try to repair unless it was something like a damaged lead.

The Crown fan heater we bought from Sainsers sure didn't. Bang! Silence. Cold.

My 13 year old Philips cordless kettle is on the way out - dodgy sprung contacts in the base unit. Had bent them to make better contact recently (yes, with it unplugged) - didn't last.

Now I'm looking for a real built to last replacement.

I have been toying with the idea of getting an old Morphy Richards K2 from ebay.

Suggestions on really good quality modern kettles?

I mean a Russell Hobbs K2, of course.

The one I like, and we have had for three or so years, is the Krups:

It is lighter than most (which is vital for partner who has muscle problems). Works nicely. Is partially sealed from the room so unlikely for flies to get into it.

(Actually we have a Dutch one. Lower wattage but white - we didn't like the black, and even less the heavier stainless model. To be fair, although the stainless is heavier, it seemed to be much lighter than most SS kettles.)

The reviews on Amazon are not overwhelmingly favourable - but we have no problems like those mentioned.

You have a problem with flies . I remember having a kettle that had a mesh filter... in the spout iirc

They're certainly not flawless. The elements and switches go. You might have trouble getting spares too these days.

IME descaling tends to make them leak.

NT

That's great to know. Flies swarming in my kettle have been the bane of my life for many a long year. More manufacturers should highlight the fly-resilience of their kettles.

For similar reasons, I can recommend Dualit toasters which are expensive but have readily available spares. If an ocelot happens to get in there and frig the element, you don't have to sling the whole toaster. Worth factoring into your purchasing decision.

One problem that aggravates the light contacts is lifting the kettle off the base before the thermostat trips. The contact on the kettle base isn't really man enough to break several amps although it can carry that current.

IME descaling tends to make them leak.

NT

Mine must be at least 12 years old - but starting to show signs of a contact getting warm.

Does everyone switch it off (on the kettle) before removing it from the base - to avoid arcing? Conversely does everyone have it switched off before putting it on the base?

That's great to know. Flies swarming in my kettle have been the bane of my life for many a long year. More manufacturers should highlight the fly-resilience of their kettles.

For similar reasons, I can recommend Dualit toasters which are expensive but have readily available spares. If an ocelot happens to get in there and frig the element, you don't have to sling the whole toaster. Worth factoring into your purchasing decision.

That's the reason we keep our Blender in the top cupboard. We hate it when the hippos' get in there at night. Makes a real mess of the blender come morning.

This is nothing to do with Aldi but I've had one of their brands for nigh on four years,the one before that from Tesco's..had that for 19months and only got shut of it because it was naff at boiling time,still worked when I dumped it.

Maybe you're unlucky with kettles? :-)

Get one that switches itself off,mine is the removable base type but if I leave the lid off(forget to replace the lid) it keeps on boiling till its arse is burnt out.

In message , 1501 writes

We have a Dualit equipped kitchen.

Kettle still as noisy as ever after 13 years. Nice to be able to boil a cupful of water in a big capacity kettle. Nice also to clean out the lime scale without having to struggle round an immersed element.

Some years ago, R4 did a piece on what was claimed to be the noisiest kettle in the world! No names were mentioned but it sounded familiar:-)

regards

You ought to see what elephants leave in the breadmaker. B-)

Our current rapid boil cordless kettle is about 3 or 4 years old. Still fine, the previous one didn't last all that long but we have had a change of water supply over that period. From hard requiring a descale every month or so to soft with only minimal scale over seval years.

So I suspect the descaling and/or the cavitation, that is much more pronounced in a hardwater area, has a bearing on the life of kettles. Especially modern moulded plastic ones with seals in the base, sight tubes and/or transparent panels.