Customer Reviews

Breville VKJ187 Cream Stainless Steel Jug Kettle

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I must admit, I would not normally spend this much on a kettle, but this was a thing of beauty, a cut above the rest. The kettle is cream coloured stainless steel, which matches the units in the kitchen realy well. It is really easy to keep clean by just giving it a wipe over now and then with a damp cloth.

The kettle is really easy to use. It slots into a circular base, which plugs into the mains. The black lid fits securely, but is not difficult to remove. i usually fill it with a jug, but you could fill it straight from the tap. The capacity of the kettle is 1.5 litres, which equates to about 7 cups. There is an indicator along the back of the kettle, which allows you to easily see the water level without opening the kettle.

You switch on the kettle by pressing a silver button which is located at the top of the handle. Immediately, the water gauge along the side of the kettle is illuminated by a blue light, which looks really nice. The kettle does not take very long to boil, and the kettle switches itself off as soon as it has boiled. Pouring the water is easy, as the kettle, though solid and robust is not overly heavy to lift and the spout is just the right size and shape to avoid drips and spills. There is a limescale filter located just inside the spout, which catches any bits of scale and prevents them from going in your tea, essential if you live in a hard water area, as we do. The filter is removable and washable.

I have had the kettle for a couple of years now, and it still looks as good as new and I have not had to descale it yet as it has not accumulated much scale, having no large metal element in the bottom, like my previous kettle. This kettle is a joy to use, and I am glad that we invested a little extra money when we bought it. The kettle looks well made and good quality and is showing no signs of wear and tear, and I truly believe it is a product that will last us many years (and cuppas) to come. The kettle looks stylish and because it is a classic design, it has a look that will not go out of fashion, and also a look that would complement any kitchen, whether modern or traditional.

Breville also make a toaster to match the kettle.

This gets 3 stars because while it lasted it was a great kettle: looked wonderful, handled well, very stylish. It was one of Breville's most popular, and its replacement is not nearly so well designed. BUT...

I had the plain steel version of this model,and it lasted just 2 years because the contacts in the base plate got dirty and there is no way to resolve the problem - lots of other Amazon reviewers noted the same problem, with the same frustration (you won't find the reviews, as the steel versions have been withdrawn from sale, and all those bad reviews with them). Breville is reportedly not interested in solving the problem. So short sighted - wouldn't it be better/cheaper to make fewer, well designed products that last, which is what people want to buy? I guess these manufacturers are just cynical, make the thing to fall apart in 2 years, make us chuck it out, make us buy another one. Well....

Have switched to Russell Hobbs, as so many of the Breville kettles seem to be mechanically challenged in one way or another, to judge by Amazon review results. I do resent paying good money for yet more landfill.

Hey, about that: why aren't manufacturers penalised on environmental grounds for bad production - send in your faulty kettle and they get taxed for it? Then they might see the point of getting it right. If you think I am being absurd, just skim through all the electric kettles on Amazon and see how many carry bad reviews saying they break down very quickly. What a waste!

We should do something about it....anyone?

I bought the kettle to match the units in my kitchen after buying the toaster. It does match but I wouldn't say that am that impressed with the actual kettle. The lid is a nightmare to get off as it is so tight. It is a quick boil but not as quick as my last cheap one. Would I buy it again...no not really!

Got this to replace a Bosch kettle which had started leaking. After trailing through various Internet stores and studying a number of consumer reviews I decided on this one and I haven't been disappointed in the least. It is well-built, a nice design, it boils quite quickly and I've found that it can cope with as little as a couple of cupfuls of water so reducing energy consumption. It is easy to clean, particularly the limescale filter, has a large and comfortable handle and isn't heavy or clumsy. This was a good purchase for me.

**UPDATE ON REVIEW BELOW****

It's now February 2012. Every time we use the kettle there is a pool of water which we think collects from the bottom of the handle, where the clear filling guide is located (the filling guide runs up the side of the kettle, and lights up in blue). The product is only just out of its 1 year guarantee ( which is not a long guarantee, and suggests they don't have confidence in their own product ). Sadly this is most likely a (ridiculous) design fault, and we would have asked for a refund rather than repair. We will never buy a Breville product again.

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FIRST PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2012:

"This replaced an excellent plastic 'cool wall' morphy richards kettle, which lasted for about ten years. Unfortunately nothing that matches the spec of this kettle is currently available on the market -- so we're stuck with purchasing a compromise amongst what is found online and in shops.

This kettle looks good and isn't too large. The detachable lid isn't a problem. The switch is in the top of the handle so isn't prone to breaking which is a sympton of the majority of kettles currently on the market, which have a small sticking out plastic switch at the bottom -- which will become brittle and break off eventually.

Being metal the whole thing gets very hot (except plastic bits), and also loses more heat than a thicker walled kettle (again there's not much choice in this at the moment). The metal base inside the kettle is prone to scale - ours did within weeks, and the filter doesn't always stop it coming out. Again, this is common amongst most kettles available.

Metal kettles like this are more echoey when boiling and when finishing boiling. The plastic one would go silent immediately, which was great: it would also hold its heat, and it seemed to boil a little more quickly.

Summing up. Not a bad purchase, and matches our cream kitchen well. About the best we could fine within a very limited choice of what is actually best for consumers -- I could't find any designed to last a lifetime."

Well I am really pleased with the kettle, it looks nice and sturdy and the cream is really set off by the silver. It is a tad on the loud side but it's not really a problem, also I find it easier to fill up with water from the spout as the lid can be a bit awkward to get off. All in all would recommend. Looks lovely in my kitchen, thank you.

This is a good looking kettle that boils quickly and has a good filter. It pours easily without drips and is easy to fill. We live in a very hard water area and it seems to resist "furring" of the element better than previously owned kettles. It is noisy however when heating up.

Earlier review said lid was nightmare and absolutely right! Looks nice, esp in a cream kitchen, but almost impossible to refill. And when still hot, absolutely dangerous as no insulating walls on the metal jug. Needed my husband and a tea towel to prise it off. Replacement just as bad.
Nice looks, shame about the performance.
Rang Breville customer services but they shrugged me off saying this was the first complaint.
Clearly they don't read Amazon customer reviews!
My advice for anyone looking for a stylish, safe and effective cream kettle, look at the Prestige option - they also do a super retro toaster with flashing blue lights.
I paid £29.79 at Sainsbury in-store - currently £5+ more on Amazon.

It might well be nice to look at and quite heavy, and even heat things up quickly, however the interior heating plate is made of third grade Chinese stainless steel and will start to rust after 6 months normal use. At least ours did. It doesn't inspire confidence in the range as the matching toaster is totally awful and is just a cheap generic Chinese toaster in fancy clothes.

Fast boil, great looking, good all round kettle. The kettle boils quiet loud but it boils really fast it lights up blue which is really effective. It looks great in my kitchen with the matching toaster.