Russell Hobbs 14150-10 1.7 L Capacity Montana Kettle in Brushed Stainless Steel and Black with Concealed 3 kW Element

My previous Russell Hobbs Satin Montana kettle recently died a death. I think the element had gone, but it had served me well (very stylish, looked great, fast boil and had lasted for around seven years). I really wanted to replace it with the same, and with that in mind I trekked around Comet and Curry's but couldn't find it, and so decided that it was no longer being manufactured. Very sad. :o(

However, a week or so later it occurred to me to have a look on Amazon and 'lo and behold', there it was! It was cheaper than the kettle I had decided on, which I noticed only rated 2 stars on Amazon. I couldn't believe my luck and ordered it 'pronto'.

It arrived today (I ordered it late Friday evening and it arrived on Monday - two working days later) and the first thing I noticed is that the lid has been improved. I never had a problem with the the previous lid, but hubby found it difficult to pull off (possibly large and cumbersome fingers?). However, the new lid has been improved and is so much easier to remove from the kettle.

I notice on Amazon that there are reviews criticising the polished version, that the lid is either too stiff or too loose. For heavens sake! Inside the lid are three small circular thingy's. If it's too loose you simply use a screwdriver or other implement to push the three thingy's slightly outwards. If it's too tight you use the screwdriver to push them slightly inwards. It's not rocket science.

I proceeded to do the initial three boils and throw away routine. The first boil was immediately discarded into the watering can (on a water meter, but will do for watering the hanging baskets), and then put on the second boil and went off to do the ironing. I returned to the kitchen around one hour and fifteen minutes later and found that the outside of the kettle was too hot to keep my hands on.

This worried me a lot. I thought that there must be a fault, that the kettle wasn't shutting off completely and there must be a constant flow of electricity which was keeping it hot. I wasn't happy that I may have to send it back.

I discarded the water and then put on for the third boil. Once boiled, I unplugged the kettle and then left it, to see what happened. After one hour the kettle was still too hot to keep my hands on. I checked the temperature of the water and it was still very hot. After two hours and twenty minutes the kettle was just about comfortable to keep my hands on and the water was still hot. After 3 hours and twenty minutes the outside of the kettle was still fairly hot and the water was comfortably hand hot (I've now given up on my experiment, as I need to use the kettle to refresh the pasta).

They have obviously made dramatic improvements to the outer casing - a fantastic improvement on what I consider was already a great kettle.

Well done Russell Hobbs. A great looking kettle with improvements which will definitely cut down on my electricity bill. What more can anyone ask?

I have kept the old lid and the electric base as spares, not that I think I will need them - but you never know.

This is our second one, the first lasted for more than six years of regular use. It boils quickly and keeps hot for longer than other kettles and it looks good in brushed stainless steel. I also like the fact to stop it boiling fully you just pick it off the base and it switches off. I fill the kettle from the spout, making use of the filter, you just have to be careful not to have the tap on fully as water then spills onto the side of the kettle and will stain it and there is an annoying bit in the spout inside at the base where water gathers but apart from that this is a great kettle.

We are very happy with this kettle. The lid is removable, so you can fill the kettle easily. It is also plastic, so doesn't get too hot. The kettle is light and sturdy. We use it several times each day and have been very happy with it. Yes, it's a bit noisy when boiling, but it boils quickly.