<p>Is that the right word–those things you heat water in? We want to replace ours with the electric kind they have in European hotel rooms with the coil inside that heats the water really fast. Anyone have suggestions on a good kind?</p>
<p>My 6 year-old Krups is in fine shape.</p>
<p>I have a Philips right now and have had a variety of British and German brands. They last for awhile and then I get another one. I like the ones that have a little plate that they sit on. So there are two parts.</p>
<p>Last time I had to do this, I pondered over something with a whistle-cover but circular pour-spout, versus the shaped pour spout that just quietly steams up the room until all the water is gone.</p>
<p>My D’s turned off automatically. That was progress.</p>
<p>We had one when we lived in the UK. Perhaps things have improved since then (the late 70s). The coils used to get a buildup of fur owing to the hardness of the water. We just bought a regular tea kettle for S, because the water around here leaves a brown residue.</p>
<p>I love the tea-cozy sweaters.</p>
<p>After burning up multiple teakettles by forgetting to turn them off, we got a Black and Decker electric one It is the kind with a black plate you put it on and it turns itself off. Wonderful. We did have to replace the first one because a house sitter forgot it was electric and put it on the stove. Major oops.
Ellen</p>
<p>This is the one I have:</p>
<p>[Braun</a> WK200W Electric Water Kettle](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Braun-WK200W-Electric-Water-Kettle/dp/B00004S9H7/ref=tag_tdp_sv_edpp_i]Braun”>http://www.amazon.com/Braun-WK200W-Electric-Water-Kettle/dp/B00004S9H7/ref=tag_tdp_sv_edpp_i)</p>
<p>I paid $60 five years ago after seeing it at my European friend’s house. That was money well spent. We use our teakettle 2 X day.</p>
<p>It shuts off automatically with a quiet click.</p>
<p>Like mini, we also have the B&D electric one with the separate ‘plate’. It’s great and the automatic shut off is essential. :)</p>
<p>I bought the same one BunsenBurner has for my daughter for her dorm room. We have the 220 v. version at home (and another one in my classroom), and I love it. It brings 1.5 liters of cold water to a boil in 45 seconds. D says it isn’t quite as fast with 110 current, but she is very happy to have it (and no exposed element, so it is OK for dorm use).</p>
<p>Ok, so we do have really hard water–it tastes really good though. Will that scuzz up the coil of the Braun or the Black and Decker? I think our water has lots of calcium and other minerals.</p>
<p>Many years ago, after my H had destroyed a couple of tea kettles by turning on the stove and sitting down in front of the computer, my MIL gave us a Russell Hobbs. We’re now on our second one. I don’t think that they make kettles for the US market any longer, but you may still be able to find one on Ebay. They’re the best!</p>
<p>I recently purchased a Breville electric kettle, and so far, it has been great.</p>
<p>
Yes, unless you filter the water first. You can use a filter for the water to prevent this happening. In England this is known as a Brita filter, but that’s the brand name. No idea if this exists in the US (50 years behind in kettle technology by the sounds of it! Kettles that don’t switch themselves off still exist?)</p>
<p>Bethie, I have been pondering this after sabotaging my Chantal tea kettle (stove top kind, but really nice, sigh). Amazon is great for being able to read reviews of a bunch of kettles. And this site is good too (below). I ordered my son one for his room at school, since he’s a tea-drinking kinda guy. They have free shipping on one of their most popular models (and you can order digestive biscuits from the same store!):</p>
<p>[Electric</a> Kettle](<a href=“http://www.englishteastore.com/kettles.html]Electric”>http://www.englishteastore.com/kettles.html)</p>
<p>Those Brits (my mom was one) really know their tea. I haven’t bought one yet because we have so little counter space that I’m not sure I can bear to give up any of it to an electric kettle. </p>
<p>Oh, and definitely make sure that you get one with the cord attached to the base, not to the kettle itself. Good luck!</p>
<p>Yes, Brita filter systems are readily available in the US!</p>
<p>Yes, some of us use Britta or other brand filters regularly here, for the hard water. But like everything else with mineral build up, giving a good soak in vinigar on occasion should harness the fuzzy build up. </p>
<p>Great site above. I think I need one, as I have many fears of running off with the stove on, and like my Scottish dad and grandmother, drink instant coffee as well as tea.</p>
<p>I did get a very cheap version of these kettles at Target for my S in his dorm at one point, as I wanted him drinking some curative herbal tea. Less than $10 on sale. He made soup and ramen in it. In time, it died, probably of abuse.</p>
<p>Sorry, cross posted, and misspelled Guess it is Brita, and vinegar.</p>
<p>I use Brita filtration pitcher for drinking water (just do not like the taste of chlorination) and tap water for everything else, since our water is of very good quality. My Braun kettle does not have coils - there is a metal plate on the bottom of the kettle which contains the heating element. Such design makes the kettle as easy to clean as the stove-top classic kind.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great input–I guess this will be my holiday gift to myself.</p>