Choosing a good electric kettle

Among the hundreds of offers from various manufacturers, everyone wants to choose an electric kettle with the best combination of price and quality. Not be superfluous to the presence of various additional functions, it is they, at times, that facilitate household tasks for the owners. Mobile and compact kettles today are presented in a rich assortment of colors, shapes and parameters. Before you choose an electric kettle, you need to decide on the key factors of purchase: place of use, number of users, design features and option.

Types of heating elements

The design of the electric kettle is quite simple: in its lower part is concentrated the whole mechanism, including the heating element. There are two types of heaters:

• open ten (spiral);
  
• closed PETN (disk / spiral PETN, built into the bottom).
  

It is simple to distinguish the first type from the second: open PETs have the form of a spiral or similar, and the embedded ones are under the surface of the bottom and are not visible in any way.

If not so long ago open spiral heaters were common, then with the advent of closed heating elements such structures began to die off. They work only with a high level of liquid, because the spiral must be under water. Cleaning will also require additional manipulations, because the scum will settle over the entire area of ​​the heating element.

Built-in type heating element has a long service life, it is easier to care for such devices. The minimum water level they have less, therefore, they are considered more economical.

Power factor

Power consumption corresponds to the consumption of electricity per hour, and also determines the rate of heating of water. Naturally, the higher the power, the faster the water will boil, the more electricity will be consumed. As a rule, the volume and power are directly proportional, for example, small kettles of 0.5 - 1 l always have a low indicator of energy consumption.

How to choose the power of the electric kettle? If the device will be used in conditions home or work, the value should not exceed 3 kW, but it is desirable to stay at 1.8 - 2.5 kW. Excessive load on the network does not lead to anything good, especially in the winter, when people often use heaters and additional lighting devices. For cottages, garage or recreation center Low-power models with consumption from 0.5 to 1 kW are optimal. They will not have a significant load on the network, they can work from a generator or a car inverter.

To understand which electric kettle is better to choose, assess the area and place of use of the device. A powerful device can not always be used outside the city or from a 12 V to 220 converter; here it is more advantageous to take a small kettle and boil it two or three times.

The optimal volume of the kettle

The volume of a teapot is measured in liters, its optimal value depends on the number of users and the frequency of tea breaks.You should not buy a model with a large reserve capacity, because it will directly increase the power consumption of the device.

It is easy to calculate the average value: one circle is approximately equal to 0.25 l, for a family of 4 people a volume of 1-1.5 liters will suffice. If you refer to user reviews and assess the demand, the most popular are models with capacities from 1.5 to 1.8 liters. Which electric kettle is better to buy is up to the user only, but it is better to take this information into account.

It should be noted that the volume indicator will not affect the time of boiling water, because it is proportional to the power, plus the size of the heating element is increased in a large kettle.

Body materials

Modern models of electric kettles are made from different materials, each of which has its own characteristics, pros and cons. It is difficult to say which ones are better and which ones are worse. Rate what will be a priority for you, in those conditions where the device will be used.

Plastic products

Most of the products with plastic housing refers to lower and middle price categories, but you can find expensive products from famous brands.The advantages of the material of the twentieth century are obvious:

• affordable price;
• a wide range of colors and shapes, from standard to unusual;
• a light weight;
• easy care;
• strength and durability.

The latter advantage is somewhat subjective. If a good quality primary-use plastic is strong enough to withstand a dull blow (for example, falling on a tiled floor), then the secondary one is very brittle.

Interesting fact! Recycled plastic can not be tinted, it is a dull color with a "dirty" shade. Various inclusions can be observed (uneven coloring of the raw materials). Primary plastic has an even color, without impurities.

The quality of raw materials is easy to determine by smell. If the rules for the production of food plastic are observed, it will not have a sharp “plastic” or technical smell. A good electric kettle can have a subtle scent that disappears in a day of use.

The main disadvantage of plastic is its potential harm to health. The material can not be called environmentally friendly, but its danger is somewhat exaggerated.If you do not take into account the products of lower quality, it is quite acceptable to choose a kettle from plastic for daily use. The second weighty disadvantage is that the material is too susceptible to various kinds of scratches, which spoils the appearance and creates the impression of untidiness. This is especially noticeable on products in white or beige.

Glass teapot

For those who still doubt the safety of plastic, we advise you to stop the choice of the electric kettle on any model with a glass case. Safe and eco-friendly The material will cost a little more, but this is well offset by its external data. Capacity of glass is often decorated with colored lights, it looks beautiful and modern.

Glass perfectly retains heat, demonstrates the level of water and does not transmit any extraneous odors of liquid - all this is undoubtedly useful advantages. Among the minuses - increased fragility of the body and considerable weight. Heat-resistant glass used for teapots is rather thick and heavy, for example, for growing up children this can be a problem.

A couple more drawbacks of such products:

• they need to be washed more often, small scale is clearly visible from the outside, and this is not at all aesthetic;
• the glass case gets very hot, the user risks getting burned by carelessness.

Before you choose an electric kettle from glass, evaluate how comfortable it is, whether it has a comfortable weight, and whether it will suit all users.

Ceramic appliances

Ceramic electric kettles appeared relatively recently, but have already won the interest of many users. From the point of view of aesthetics - this is one of the best options, because such devices look very stylish and elegant. Buyers are not limited either in colors or in forms; manufacturers create both simple electric kettles of standard design and true masterpieces. Sometimes the cups come in similar colors.

If you want to make the right choice of electric kettle, take note of all the features of ceramic products.

1. Wall thickness: a thick body is less fragile, but the water in it will heat up and cool longer.
2. They less noisythan devices from other materials.
3. The inner surface is very smooth and does not collect scale on the walls.
4. Ceramics do not conduct electrical current.
5. The material is quite fragile and heavy.

Please note that most of the range of ceramic kettles has rather modest parameters of power and volume, about 1.2 kW and 1.2 liters. But this does not mean that it is impossible to choose a model with more impressive characteristics.

Speaking of appearance, ceramic teapots are creative. Not every apartment can be found such a device, because they appeared on the market not so long ago.

Electric kettle

Metal is known to be durable and durable material. It is quite resistant to mechanical shocks or falls, the worst thing that can be - the appearance of dents from strong point shots. When it comes to of stainless steel, here you can pick up the most attractive model without thinking. The polished or matte steel surface looks aesthetically pleasing and modern.

Aluminum alloys ways to react even with cold water, such devices are best avoided.

Before you choose a good electric kettle made of metal, consider their features.

1. The metal quickly and strongly heats up and cools for a long time, make a choice in favor of models and rubber overlays on handles.
2. Well, if the model has double walls, there are teapots, where the inner surface is covered with plastic.
3. Stainless steel increases the weight of the device, will require careful and special care to keep the surface clean and new.

Additional option and other useful stuff

Modern teapots can not only boil two liters of water in three minutes, many models are equipped with very useful features. Do not neglect the constructive detail. So what do you need to pay attention to?

1. Type of removable standwhich is of two types: normal (or stationary) and “pirouette”. The first type involves the installation of the kettle in only one position. Supports "pirouette" today are the most common, here the contact is located in the middle, while the kettle can be rotated, taken from either side - this is convenient.
2. Well, if the lid opens smoothly, by pressing a special button.
3. Thermostat allows you to set any water heating temperature, which is useful, for example, for preparing a mixture for small children, when the liquid must be a certain temperature.
   
   

   Electric PHILIPS HD9380 / 20 with thermostat

4. Heating function maintains the temperature of the water in a given mode.
5. Additional top filter necessary if the water is hard and scaling is possible. Between nylon and metal is better to choose the second option, it is more durable.
   
6. For those who are used to plan everything, the model with on timer. The option will allow you to set the desired parameters, and boiling water will be ready at the set time.
7. Protection against switching on without water will help to extend the life of the device, because by inattention the user can easily spoil the device.
8. Removable internal filter.

Smart kettle BORK K810

Little about brands

Speaking about how to choose the right electric kettle, you can not ignore the trademarks. At present, the household appliance is represented by a huge range of different manufacturers. Most of the production is concentrated, of course, in China, the rest of the products can be made in Russia and the countries of Europe.

First of all, you should avoid the companies offering uniquely low prices - buying such products is too risky. Good and quality can not be very cheap.The manufacturing country does not play a role in the middle price segment, be it China, Poland or Russia. All products will be approximately equal in quality, but may differ in functionality and design. It would be nice to read reviews about the most interesting models.

If your choice is premium, choose exclusively European production, it is several steps higher than Chinese and Russian. Also note that products made in Germany or France, will be demanding to use. The owner will need to ensure, at a minimum, a stable mains voltage, it is also not recommended to pour water above the maximum mark.