Kmart 1.5L Clear Variable Temperature Kettle
VerifiedMPN: LD-K10457 reviews
Good features and great value – This kettle is replacing an old $39 Kogan 2L variable temp cordless glass LED lit kettle that was Kogan's second attempt at sending me a fully functional kettle. Kogan was very quick to send a replacement and that last Kogan kettle did last almost 5 years until a flash and puff of smoke signalled a final boil. On shopping around once more, it… Read more · 2
seemed most brands with similar features were around $100 and often more, but Kmart's glass offering was an exception. Compared to the previous Kogan's tiny buttons and LEDs, the temperature selector is easy to use, has a convenient lid opening switch and no beeps - the Kogan kettle beeped at every opportunity, usually twice, which became very annoying.
This Kmart kettle's LED ring only lights up blue, signalling a boil in progress. The old Kogan kettle did have a selection of LED colours to indicate various temperatures - more useful at a glance than the faint glow from a button on this kettle.
A not-so-obvious but clever feature is a plastic disc embedded in the steel lid. When the kettle has just boiled and the lid too hot to comfortably close, the plastic disc remains cool. Placing the kettle onto the base can be fiddly in some models, but this kettle settles easily onto the base. The handle is angled to be a comfortable hold even when full.
With hard water, even with a PuraTap filter, the Kogan kettle needed fortnightly cleans for calcium buildup to maintain a shiny element. After 2 months of use, this Kmart model shows no sign yet of any buildup.
One minor annoyance only solved today was a cleaning suggestion. The instructions mention removing and cleaning the steel mesh filter concealed in the spout but fail to mention how. This appeared to have a release tab awkwardly placed inside the kettle, but no amount of pressing in or pulling out allowed the filter assembly to come free. Today I tried once more and discovered the filter mesh slides out sideways leaving the plastic filter frame behind in the spout.
The 10 page instruction booklet is predominately multiple warnings about the risks involved with hot water and electricity - something that could be condensed into two lines.
Assuming this kettle isn't as failure-prone as some reviewers suggest, then it's a welcome addition to the kitchen and excellent bang-per-buck.
Failed in 3 months – Bought 2. First one failed within 18 months. Second failed within 3 months. Show details
Good quality, does the job, minor issues – I wish I had bought a kettle where the temperature can be selected before. It's quieter, less expensive as the water is not boiled to an unnecessarily high temperature, and I don't have to wait for the tea to cool down. Yes, the inner base has discoloured, but it's no big deal. It has an external plastic guard around the glass, which is absurd,… Read more · 1
but people are so risk averse these days it's not surprising. I've had this for at least two years. I would buy the same type of kettle again and this is quite inexpensive compared to other brands.
Three faulty kettles in a row – Three faulty kettles in a row, all the same product. They work for a while and then just don't boil - the lights are on but nothing is happening. The third one only lasted for 2 days (and was already having problems straight out of the box.) Date of purchase listed on this review is for the most recent kettle. As another reviewer on this site said - we're not able to post reviews on the Kmart site so thought people here might like to know. Show details
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Disappointed – I purchased this kettle Nov 2023. It was great with the different temperature settings even we only use two. It's easy to see the level of water & boils quite quickly & not too noisy. However within a month there was discolouration at the bottom a rusty look so it was cleaned using lemon juice, now it is almost a weekly chore where I never had… Read more
this issue with other kettles. In the past week it doesn't automatically stop boiling and we have to turn it off at the power. Needless to say at a cost of $69 it is being returned to Kmart for a refund, I will replace it with a different type of kettle. As you can't enter a review on Kmart website I thought others would like to know. Very disappointing.
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By far my favorite – I bought several kettle in past from Kogan and any other brands. Neither any of them last and end up building limescales, even after having the water filtered. Bought this kettle earlier this year and so far I have been impressed. No limescale buildup, no stains and no leaks. I do wish the kettle is 1.7L or bigger, but I have no complaints to… Read more · 1
date.
Price wise, it might be a big pricy at $69, but other brands charge more or less the same, if not more.
Bought for safety (also looks great) – My ancient plastic / El Cheapo special boiled dry on me after I became distracted and forgot all about it. I'm not going to become less distracted into the future, so off to google for a safer product. Unfortunately all alternatives, no matter the price, had multiple reviewers reporting that their product had (also) failed the… Read more
turn-off-when-boiled test at least once.
However there was a class of kettles that would hold a given temperature - and turn off on a timer. Timers seem to me to be much more robust than the sensor used to detect boiling. Plus multiple temperature settings mean that it is using a temperature gauge, not some fallible steam-detection device.
This Kmart unit came up as (one of) the cheapest kettles with this multi-temperature functionality - so I bought it.
As a bonus, (IMO) it looks great in the kitchen (see photo) with a blue light shining through the glass vessel.
Caveat: It's simple and easy to use, but not obvious (before the first time) - so read the manual first.
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(Some months later) ....
All is well and, after reading the manual for the Breville coffee grinder, I now make my tea and (plunger/french-press) coffee with the 95 degree setting rather than the full boil. Full boil does indeed work brilliantly (and is fun to watch), but is now reserved for instant soups etc.
And ... if you've read the reviews for the 1.7 litre Kmart Smart Variable Temperature Kettle, this one doesn't have any of the characteristics complained of there ... it doesn’t beep, doesn’t get particularly hot to touch and it definitely boils water when asked to do so (far right button).
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