Why do 'Cordless' Electric kettles keep breaking down?

You mean these things

I do mean those things.

She started to get them everywhere - mainly bathroom and kitchen. Pest control and plumber had no idea. I went, rodded drain, found much rubble/gravel. Seems someone had seen fit to tip rubbish down the vent pipe many years ago and eventually it had broken/filled. Hence flies. Fixed by insurance.

They were not obviously drawn to hot water, simply anything moist in the area.

Horrible for her.

Good web site. This is what it does when I looked to see what it says about cluster flies (which we have);

Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error '80004005'

/pests/bannerrotator.asp, line 21

Worked fine for me just now. Maybe it's been fixed?

Burco 2-litre catering kettle. (Only bought it earlier this year, a refurb. off Ebay, but it feels like "right," like a proper kettle. I never got the hang of picking up the jug type.)

The message

from mike contains these words:

You may purchase a Dualit for various reasons, but I'm not convinced that overall cost per year is the best argument. I've had one for decades -- but could buy a couple of toasters for the cost of a single Dualit element. However, the fact that the elements are now mica-covered, that the toaster works beautifully, that there is pleasure in using it and that it's reliable and almost idiot-proof make it worthwhile for me.

Hear hear. Bereft of 'clever' bits such as automatic pop-up, it's a totally reliable machine, and easy to use. I've only had my 2-slice steel 'polished' Vario for a year or so, and I find it a good solid piece of engineering. Every other toaster I've had has given trouble with either the pop-up mechanism or hot spots causing element failure.

AND the crumb tray works, collecting all the detritus rather than leaving it to clog up the machine :-)

My only whinge is Dualit's customer service - when I enquired about finishes (I really wanted brushed stainless steel to match with other kitchen accessories) they didn't seem all that helpful. As it happens their polished finish is about right and doesn't look too bad... :-))