Philips HD4671/20 Brushed Metal Energy Efficient Kettle, 3000 Watt, 1.7 Litre

I looked at, and tried, lots of the better reviewed kettles before finally buying this one. I previously had a Breville JK115 Lightning, which to be fair was an excellent kettle and lasted almost 5 years before starting to leak (plastic seemed to be disintegrating and it was taking longer to boil!).
The Philips HD4671/20 looks smart (for a kettle) and the handle is quite comfortable when pouring. It's not too heavy, and the lid opens and shuts properly even when boiling (some start to leak steam when hot). The only thing against the Philips HD4671 is that it is difficult to get the last drops of water out of the kettle because of the limescale filter position, in comparison the Breville drained every drop - if it was not for this small issue I would have given the Philips 5 stars.
The Philips boils fast, 4mins 40 seconds for a full kettle with cold water, sounds a long time (especially when you watch it) but is still about a minute faster than most others tried (although a kenwood managed this 10 seconds faster!).
A big advantage is the very low reaching windows on each side of the kettle meaning that you can see very small amounts of water. Enough for a mug (1.5 cups)of cold water boils in 40 seconds which is wayfaster than anything else I have tried. Also, after boiling you CAN fill and go again immediately, some cut out for a few minutes until completely cool, maybe a small point but really frustrating if you want more hot water quickly.
The noise of the kettle is definitely less than many kettles and much less than the previous Breville.
From the moment the large bubbles appear as it starts to boil, time to switch off is 8 seconds, I have read that many consider this too much but I would consider this a rolling boil and I find that this actually makes better tasting tea!
After following the instructions to rinse, fill full and boil and discard (I did this part 3 times)and rinse again - I am completely unaware of any smells or tastes that shouldn't be there (some still smell of plastic or metal) - I do live in a soft water area and filter all drinking water though.
The case is brushed steel, some reviews have said it is difficult to keep clean but so far I have not experienced this - maybe it is a limescale issue and doesn't affect me?
Lastly, but maybe most importantly for me and my family, this kettle pours really well (fast or slow) without any splurting or splashing meaning that the boiling water goes in the cup and not all over the worktop.
It's sad that you have to go to this level of review for a everyday item like a kettle, I was amazed that there are so many kettles available that can't do simple things like boiling and pouring without making the water taste horrible - maybe I expect too much? From trying lots (and that's only the ones getting good reviews) and being thoroughly disappointed I think this one is at the better end of the scale and worth while buying. These are my experiences and I hope it helps someone but - you pays your money and takes your chances!

I've had the kettle for 2 months and am very pleased with it. The cup measure is very helpful for only boiling what you need, it pours without dripping, the button to open the lid is great for keeping your hands away from the hot steam when you refill again straight away. The brushed steel goes well with my kitchen and doesn't get as dirty as the shiny steel of my old kettle. But the thing I like most is that it boils almost as quickly as my old kettle but I can stay in the room and have a phone conversation whilst it does it! Much quieter. :-)

I took a long time to find a kettle that I liked, and that ticked all the boxes. Before I bought this one, I bought a cheaper, lesser known brand - which lasted one day before malfunctioning! I then got the Philips one and am really pleased with my choice. Looks very smart and aesthetically pleasing without being over the top (ok, so it doesn't light up with colours when it boils - I can live with that!). I very much like the brushed metal and chrome (goes well with the microwave!).

Boils fast, due to the 3.0KW element - good for people in a hurry, or just impatient for their cuppa (like me!).

The ability to boil just a small amount of water is an important energy saving idea, and helps to balance out the cost of using a high wattage element. Most times I boil the kettle, it is only for one cup of tea/coffee, so it suits my needs in that respect (probably applies to most people I would think ie most times only a small amount of boiled water is needed, for hot drinks).

will help keep my electricity bill down (kettles use a lot of electricity when boiling - I have an electricity monitor that shows me just how much the electricity consumption shoots up when a kettle is being boiled!) It can be difficult to read the gauge, due to condensation - you have to move the kettle around a little to see the water level - not a problem though).

The fast 3.0KW element doesn't mean the kettle is noisy. Far from it. It was important to me to get a kettle that was quite quiet when boiling - one of the reasons I got the Philips one was when I read a review that said it wasn't a noisy kettle. I can confirm that to be true - it is comfortably quiet when boiling and one can actually hold a conversation beside the kettle (which I couldn't do with a previous kettle which sounded like a plane taking off - drove me mad!). So many fast boil, concealed element kettles can be noisy - well this one ain't.

Another important feature of this kettle is that it doesn't take too long to switch off once boiling has begun (about 5-6 seconds) - this means the kitchen doesn't become a steamy sauna - and you don't waste electricity on unnecessary prolonged boiling (unlike some other kettles).

The blue light on the on-off switch that lights up when you put the kettle on to boil looks really cool as well as being useful - lets you know at a glance whether the kettle is on or off. Good feature.

The brushed steel finish doesn't show fingerprints etc as easily as a glossy stainless steel finish, so the kettle doesn't need much looking after to keep it looking smart. Actually, fingerprints aren't normally a problem as one doesn't normally touch the body of a kettle. However what you do touch sometimes is the lid, to close it after opening - but Philips have been clever as the transparent plastic gauge continues across the centre of the lid which means you don't get fingerprint marks there - and no burned fingers either! Sometimes I also touch the black plastic spout, to balance the kettle if it's pretty full (it's quite weighty), and the same advantages of plastic apply - no fingerprints and no hot metal to burn fingers.

The 360 degree base is handy as you can replace the kettle on the base angled any way you like; it also sits back onto its base easily and smoothly.

Can be filled easily - and without splashing - via the spout. If you want to lift the lid for filling - yes, the lid does actually lift to 90 degrees! (so many kettles with spring up lids just don't open far enough for easy filling).

The handle is well designed, and comfortable to hold.

The only possible serious drawback for someone could be that the kettle is, as mentioned earlier, quite heavy. This is not a problem to myself - but could be to someone frail or elderly.

All in all, I am delighted with the look and the thoughtful design of this reasonably priced kettle (and hope it lasts longer than most kettles these days seem to! Time will tell...)