Kenwood Metallics Kettle, Latte Steel

I have just bought this kettle and am very happy with it. First of all, the colour is very pleasant, this model is called Latte (SJM104) and it's a warm, soft beige/golden colour with a soft sheen that contrasts nicely with the shiny stainless steel colour of the lid and spout. Plus it goes well in a kitchen that has wooden, light coloured cupboards. There are also other colours: Antique Bronze which is very pleasant too (SJM107), auburn copper (SJM106), Graphite, a soft sheen grey (SJM 105), Carbon Black (SJM109), Charcoal, a chocolate coloured version (SJM 108) and a stainless steel completely shiny one (SJM100). You might have to shop around for the one you want (eg Currys has the three first models in shop but not on line!?). Have a look at the Kenwood website for colours.
It is a jug design (as opposed to the more squat triangular-shaped kettles where the base is wider than the top and which you invariably fill too much) and I think the design helps not to overfill the kettle so less energy is used and it makes less noise and takes less room than the triangular-shaped kettles. Plus there is a transparent "window" on each side of the handle so you can very easily see how much water you put in, with cup graduations on the windows too. Plus if you are left-handed you can see the window on the right hand side of the handle (all the other kettles have all got the window between the handle and body of the kettle and you just can't see how much water is in it!!!). Now talking about noise, the fact that you can very easily put only as much water as you need in the kettle means it boils quicker, so less noise! That being said, I have just tested the kettle by putting as much water as I am allowed to and it is definitely much quieter than my previous kettle. My previous kettle used to become louder just before the water boiled but this one doesn't. This kettle has a power of 3kw, which makes for fast boiling anyway.
You open the lid by pressing the button on the top of the handle and just push down the lid to close, which is nice. My previous kettle had a very stiff lid so that's a definite plus. Inside the opening, there is a removable plastic container divided into a left and right compartment. If you pour water into the left and fill the compartment to the top, it will give you a mug worth of water (there is a small hole at the bottom of the container). If you pour water into the right compartment, you can just fill the kettle up as the opening is bigger. You can also use the kettle the "normal" way by removing this container. The kettle also pours well. The only bit that lights up when you switch the kettle on is the transparent switch at the bottom of the kettle that turns blue. Compared with my previous kettle, it hardly lets steam escape through the spout when it boils.
How it will perform long-term, obviously only time will tell. The only negative side I could think is that the body and lid are a bit hot to the touch once the kettle has boiled but I suppose it's to be expected. I hope my review helps!

Bought this to replace an all metal Tefal kettle of similar design that stop with a pop recently.
Key points to note are:
- Compact size. This is a small neat kettle compared to many of similar capacity.
- Well designed. The lid is operated by a button on the handle so you can refill it one handed. The on/off switch has a simple white light on the end to show when it is on (presumably for deaf people as it's pretty obvious to the ear when it's turned on). The finish is non-marking, low sheen and easy to clean.
- Fast. It has the same rating as our old kettle, but it is faster to boil. <30secs for a mug of tea!
- Efficient. There is a 'doobrie' for measuring a mug, but it's a fiddle and slower than filling it to number 2 on the scale, which is close to a standard mug of water.
-Good value. Well, it is if you get it from Amazon and not one of the other sellers like I did :-( Amazon were out of stock when I needed mine and a kettle is not something you can do with out for long.
- It looks nice! don't be swayed by the 'Latte' tag. It's a pleasant buff colour that works well in our wood kitchen.

And last but not least, it is a fully metal kettle, not like the Philips one I bought first that had a plastic liner in it, so we get untainted tea from this kettle.

For looks this kettle has it all. Sits nicely in the kitchen and doesn't look out of place at all. The slightly smaller amount of water is hardly noticeable as it still comfortably makes 5 mugs of tea and quickly too. Noise, yes but quick kettles do make noise but you can easily make coffee in typical advert breaks. Click down button on the base with bright LED light in the button showing its working and yes a gauge on either side of the handle which would suit either hand.

Its main problem though would be cleaning to prevent the build up of limescale in a hard water area where I indeed live. It has a clever opening lid for pouring water in (unless you want to do it through the spout) but the trouble is, is that the mechanism is supported by a complete ring of plastic so whereas tipping limescale from a normal kettle is quite easy it now collects around the plastic rim and falls back in even somewhat if you turn it completely upside down. Then of course the rim deflects water too and you have to take care some doesn't end up over you.

Otherwise, its not a bad kettle and certainly the fastest I have had. I never even used the one cup insert by the way... that's just a gimmick reflectively if you are a family.

I gave it '3 stars' but in a soft water area it would have been great all round and would have got top marks. Though time will tell to see if the lid mechanism holds up.