Sunbeam 1.7-Liter Electric Kettle, 1500-Watt Review

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I just bought this tonight at an army PX. When I took it out of the box, I read the directions (6-pages, people, including all the safety mombo-jumbo junk). I cleaned out the kettle like the directions said and plugged it in. As it was heating up, I went online to read when the product actually turns off automatically (since there is only a blurb in the user manual that states: "Ensure the ON/OFF switch is clear of obstructions and the lid is firmly closed. The electric kettle will not turn off automatically if the ON/OFF switch is constrained, or if the lid is left open."). In the time I came online to find this product, there was a "pop" from the kitchen that sounded like a muffled circuit break. When I went out to the kitchen, I found that the kettle did indeed automatically turn off. I turned it back on, and immediately the water boiled for about 10 seconds before it turned off again. I did not see any chemicals on top (like the one review says), and I did not smell any odor. I felt the need to write this review because I felt the others were unfair. Had the other reviewers that rated this poorly read the directions, they would have seen that you are supposed to clean it twice before its first use (which may have eliminated many of their complaints). Either way, I don't care if you buy this product or not, since I have no stake in it, but felt obligated to write a review that seemed more fair.

To be fair: My wife and I used the kettle only once for a cup of tea and it turned out fine. I did not give it 5-stars because I only have had it for a few hours and am not able to comment on its longevity. If this product still performs well in a few years (as I expect appliances to do), I would rate it one more star. Also, I am a stickler and hardly ever rate ANYTHING in life perfect (except my wife), so that is why it received 4-stars, in case you were wondering.

Update (30 January 2012): We use this at least once and sometimes twice a day. Longevity has proven this product worth 5-stars (although I waited less than a year, I am none-the-less impressed).

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We bought one of these on sale at Target about 5 months ago.

It has performed as well as advertised, meeting all of our expectations.

I'm not sure why the other posters had bad experiences (though I see they appear to have posted on both versions of this kettle).

As for quality of the water, we've made tea, cocoa mixes and my French Press coffee (that I'm very particular about -French press vs drip coffee), all with no complaint. The manual does provide specific instructions for flushing the kettle prior to use -perhaps the posters failed to follow those instructions.

We use it 5 to 7 times a week, and have never had an issue with the auto shut off not functioning.

It does sound like heavy boiling, then appears to taper off some before it shuts off. Perhaps the other users didn't wait long enough for the full cycle. Opening the lid will definitely subject you to dangerous steam -it is boiling water.

I highly recommend this kettle, and will likely buy some as gifts for family. The convenience and water quality are far better than our stove top kettles of the past 20 or so years.

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Terrible odor makes the water undrinkable. They treated the inside with some chemical that even after frequent washing still does not come out. No, the odor is not from the water as I used the same faucet with the previous kettle I owned but replaced with this when the top broke off the other kettle. The problem is this Sunbeam. This company used to make decent products then went south and I have now been disappointed for the last time. I sent this back for full refund.

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Faster than any other way to boil water. If you heat water for anything you need this product. I have tried other water boiler, but this is by far the best one I have ever used.

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I also bought this kettle on sale at Target for $13. It lasted for about 4 months, and just broke today. The "automatic shutoff" was faulty and didn't always shut off, and it had a strong plastic taste (and I'm honestly not that picky about the taste of water).

In short, I'd recommend going with something a little pricier that actually works!