Smeg 50's Style KLF03
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- Top Review
I was dazzled by its looks
50's Style KLF03I only have myself to blame.
I read the reviews. I saw the disappointment. I brushed them aside and bet it wouldn’t affect me. I was wrong.
Purchased in December 2019, by mid 2020 I’d noticed a bubble start to appear just below the lid opening on one side of the kettle.
I read the reviews again and found multiple complaints of the same issue. And many others. I kicked myself.
For such an expensive item, I was so disappointed. It just boils water, but it looks so nice.
The good points? It’s nice to look at and it boils water. It is also noticeably quieter than our last De’Longhi kettle. This is somewhat important in an open plan kitchen/living set up.
The outcome for me? By end November 2020, the bubble measured about 5 cm across and was gradually increasing in size. I’m fairly sure it would have continued to grow, and eventually it would break open to reveal the surface underneath the painted exterior. Did it effect boiling water? No. But it was not going to be siting on my benchtop once that bubble burst. For the cost, I’d hoped to get several years out of it.
Would I recommend you buy one? If you can’t live without it, then yes. But you must go in expecting it to fail so I would only do so if you purchase from a reputable retailer who will make the refund or replacement a painless endeavour. Of course, yours might not fail. I doubt they all do.
I was offered a replacement under warranty. My experience was with Appliances Online. Couldn’t have been more helpful. (I’ve also had a exceptional returns experience for a different product (hair straightener) from a Harvey Norman store in Oxley Qld.) Choose your retailer carefully. While they are all required to follow the same laws, some just do it much kinder and with less drama than others.
SMEG - it is obvious from your contact with customers here, that you do care. I appreciate that. Good brands can go bad though. Your manufacturing sites need to up their game. Whilst I've been happy to chance it on small appliances, I would not risk it with larger and more expensive ones, and that is a real shame. I'm about to redo a kitchen and I've ruled out SMEG perhaps to my detriment.
Purchased in for $195.
- Top Review
Sleek
50's Style KLF03The 1950’s appearance makes this Smeg Kettle an icon of its own, its classy and will fit into any kitchen. Though it appears to be built with a steel casing, its actually hard plastic. Cool to touch around casing, so not hot fingers to worry about. As always, depending on water amount is length in time, but overall is quick. Surprisingly, as you may find, new kettles have a chemical water taste at first and need quite a few boils to eliminate. With the Smeg, we boiled water 3 times, then made a beverage and walla, perfect coffee. This is one of the quietest kettles we have purchased. My daughter too made a comment, not feeling bad for using the kettle first thing in the morning.
The only negative I have, is the water level is situated Vertically under the handle. Though it is hidden from view giving it a sleek appearance, it is in an awkward place. Comes in a range of colours.
Comes with a 2 year warranty.
Purchased in at Myer for $199.
Hi Mortishia. Thank you for your review in regards to your Smeg Kettle, we appreciate you taking time out of your day and your comments will be forwarded to our Product Development Department as we do take our Customers feedback to them for their future considerations regarding design etc. Once again, thank you and dont forget you can contact us at any time in regards to any queries you may have at : service@smeg.com.au - Please mark to my Attention ( Lesley ) Regards, Lesley from Smeg Australia.
Perfect!
50's Style KLF03I've been very happy with this kettle. Matches back perfectly with my Smeg toaster. Lovely colour choices. Great to be able to have a colour that matches back nicely with my kitchen. Great size, comes to boil quite quickly. Easy to use and to clean. Nice smooth edges everywhere.
Purchased in .
Feels a Luxury
50's Style KLF03I love the retro look and style of the kettle. Has a simple to use operation which I love too. It heats quick and has neutral water taste. Is a bit pricey for a kettle but I really love it for its appearance in my kitchen.
Purchased in at The Good Guys.
A little over rated
50's Style KLF03Purchased the black Smeg 50's kettle from Joyce Mayne 26/9/23 paid $198 have found it to be a little over rated beautiful designed kettle but very heavy to lift once water is filled, the lid sticks all the time so have given up filling it from the lid so I fill water into the spout I know I should return it but there is no more black available so will persevere with the filling into the spout, the colour hasn't been applied well either as the black paint is slighly peeling near the handle I will see how it goes in another month then will return for an optional colour
Dear Diane,
Thanks for your review. Have you contacted us to discuss these problems? We would like to have the opportunity to look at the feedback you provided. Can you kindly email us your full name,
Smell
50's Style KLF03I have just returned my kettle because of the awful smell it produced when the water was boiled. The smell filled my whole kitchen. The water also tasted terrible, even after filling, boiling and refilling over 10 times.
Stupidly, I accepted a replacement as the option. The new kettle is exactly the same. I’ll try returning it today and will lol for another brand.
Purchased in for $199.
Find out how Smeg 50's Style KLF03 compares to other Electric Kettles
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Quality and satisfaction
50's Style KLF03The kettle looks smart and is pleasing on the eye. My only complaint is that it's a little small for more than one person so feel. Issues relating to perceived discolouration pertaining to the SS bottom inside the hub were resolved by descaling, thanks to the advice from SMEG Diamond Service
Purchased in at David Jones Retail Stores for $320.
excellent unit
50's Style KLF03Have had for some time now, nice design and a good looking addition to the kitchen
Terrible taste and smell
50's Style KLF03We have researched remedies and tried lemon juice and sodium bicarbonate and still cannot remove the terrible taste and smell. It will be returned tomorrow.
Purchased in .
Boiled water tastes like plastic
50's Style KLF03I’m not fussy but the boiled water tastes like plastic. The pouring spout is too small, so you really have to over-stretch to pot water into cup. Plus, it’s a heavy kettle. Looks fabulous but functionally poor!
Purchased in .
Looks good but exterior bubbles/pops out
50's Style KLF03Our smeg kettle started to bubble on the top corner after 7 months. It boils water and looks good but for the cost, the exterior shouldnt be bubbling!
Find out how Smeg 50's Style KLF03 compares to other Electric Kettles
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Smeg service
50's Style KLF03I have had two dealings with the Smeg service team , both times the service was excellent, efficient and satisfying, no wonder so many people turn to Smeg for their appliances.
Smeg Kettle Stinks like plastic
50's Style KLF03I purchased a smeg black kettles. I have had it out of the box for around 2 months and boil it once a day - all to try and get rid of the horrible plastic smell. I am yet to actually use the water it boils. It absolutely stinks like plastic after every boil. So disappointed - avoid this product.
Purchased in at Harvey Norman.
Disappointing/Adequate
50's Style KLF03Starting with the pros. I love the look of this kettle. And Smeg's customer service is EXCELLENT. Now for the cons. It is loud and slow. Like others here, I bought this expecting the quality to represent the price tag beyond the aesthetics. The kettle worked fine for a while, although I did get comments from friends about how loud it is when they came for a cuppa. I hadn't noticed until then! Then it started to leak through the level window. At first it was a slow leak, and although I didn't have the same bubbling issues as others, or losing le
... Read moretters, I eventually ended up with water over the bench every time the kettle was over the 2-3 cup marker on the water level. I contacted Smeg to complain, even though by this stage the kettle was out of warranty. Smeg customer service was excellent. I knew from this site that they were proactive, and they replaced the kettle out of goodwill. I can't fault them. However, I wouldn't buy this kettle again, even though I haven't had a problem with the replacement - so far, so good. For the $$, it isn't all that impressive besides the look of it.Purchased in at Myer.
Find out how Smeg 50's Style KLF03 compares to other Electric Kettles
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Nothing but looks
50's Style KLF03For an old person this is not the kettle. It is very heavy, specially when its full. Very hard to open the lid, I have to press a few times. it takes the same time to boil when full, as any average kettle.
It is not easy to determine the water level. As I titled, It does look good, but that's about it
Purchased in at Flybuy for $200.
SMEG 50's style kettle, good in design poor in function
50's Style KLF03I have found over the last decade that buying "top" name brands is nothing more than that and has nothing to do with functionality or endurance. Our red SMEG 50's kettle has shown to be the same, not worth the money. Unsurprisingly it lasted two years, just enough to get through the Australian warranty laws then the lid snapped away. What I found disappointing is that SMEG do not hold spare parts so I could not purchase a replacement red lid, then it began leaking at the water level window so into hard garbage it goes. For the price which is al
... Read moremost ten times a K-mart or target kettle one does expect more than just design, we would expect a quality product that would last some years after all it is only a kettle not a rocket ship to the moon. Then when I flipped it over I was surprised to read tihs Italian designed product made in China and not Italy which may explain the lack of quality, that is, an expensive product made at the lowest cost and who knows if manufactured by slave labour in China or not. But that said the fact that we cannot buy spare parts for a "top" end brand I would say steer right away. My wife went to K-mart and bought a kettle for a tenth of the price or nearto. I guess we are lucky the matching SMEG toaster has lasted so far.Dear AZA,
Thanks for your review. Have you contacted us to discuss these problems? We would like to have the opportunity to look at the feedback you provided. Can you kindly email us your full name, a
Thankyou for taking the time to review and assist me with a solution that has restored my faith not only in the brand but that there are good companies that still back their products.
Looks nice but tastes disgusting
50's Style KLF03Tried everything to get the awful taste removed from the water to no avail. The top is fiddler to open (takes a few attempts each time) only upside is it looks nice on the counter.
Purchased in at Harvey Norman for $220.
Dear Michaela,
Thanks for your review. Have you contacted us to discuss these problems? We would like to have the opportunity to look at the feedback you provided. Can you kindly email us your full na
Questions & Answers
Our new kettle smells like burning plastic despite trying lemon in water, repeated boiling etc. any ideas to fix this I note Smeg say yo contact them directly but the link didn’t work !
Dear unhappy customer,
Thanks for your enquiry. Have you contacted us to discuss these problems? We would like to have the opportunity to look at the feedback you provided. Can you kindly email us your full name, address, and contact telephone number? Our email address is: diamondservice@smeg.com.au and please mark it to the attention of Lesley.
Regards, Smeg Australia.
I have this problem too.
AVOID this product.
I purchased a smeg retro black kettle. I have had it out of the box for around 2 months and boil it once a day - all to try and get rid of the horrible plastic smell. I am yet to actually use the water it boils. It absolutely stinks like plastic after every boil. This can not be good for health. Avoid this product.
The spout of the Smeg Kettle is attached and sealed with a large bead of glue, which the hot water runs over. Can SMEG confirm what this glue is, or confirm where the Material Safety Data Sheet for this glue can be found? It is not mentioned in the products sheet.
I've just recently purchased a new style (with raised letters) SMEG kettle. I went to give it a wipe over with a microfibre cloth and the marks wouldn't come off. I did persist and eventually it looked better but this is the 3rd SMEG kettle I've had and never were the others so hard to clean. Anyone else had this problem?
No, haven't had that problem. I thought the SMEG was an excellent kettle but had to make a warranty claim when the outer cover of the kettle formed an ever-increasing blister and parted company with the inner wall. The retailer said that they get about 'one a week' of this warranty claim.
Get an answer from our members and Smeg representatives
Details
Features
This is a sleek 50s style collection of electric kettles from Smeg with a 1.7L capacity and a 39" power cable that comes in an array of colourful finishes. It has many more features including:
- Stainless steel body which is safe and non-leaching
- 2,400 watt heating element to heat water quickly
- Water level indicator to see when to refill
- Soft opening lid for safety
- Removable limescale filter for easy cleaning
- Auto switch off after boiling for safety
- Built-in cord wrap for a neat appearance
- Anti slip feet to prevent spills
- 360° swivel base for convenience
Reviewers thought:
The product has a very classy look and is quick and quiet when boiling water. It is robust and the paintwork does not tend to scratch off with time.
The spring-loaded lid doesn’t function as smoothly as hoped. People have noted that the product is quite heavy (1.3kg) and even more so when filled with 1.7L of water. People also had some problems with the product leaking water.
- MPN: 18604, 18605, 18609, 18610, 18616, 18617, 18677, 18690, 18691, 18692, 18693, 18694, 715943, 715945, 715947, 715948, 827250, 827251, 847494, 847495, KLF03BLAU, KLF03BLMAU, KLF03CHMAU, KLF03CRAU, KLF03GOAU, KLF03GRAU, KLF03PBAU, KLF03PGAU, KLF03PKAU, KLF03RDAU, KLF03RGAU, KLF03SSAU, KLF03WHAU and KLF03WHMAU
Prices
Smeg 50's Retro Style Aesthetic Electric KettlePink KLF03PKAU
$189- $199
Smeg Retro Style 1.7 Litre Kettle - Black
$199- $199
- $199
- $199
- $199
- $199
- $199
- $199
- $219
- $219
- $219
- $219
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- $229
- $239
- $299
- $299
Extra Information
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Update - October 2021 - I've just had the second kettle replaced under warranty. This one had 2 bubbles appear in the paint work at about the 8 month mark.
Again replaced by Appliances Online though they did gently suggest I choose another brand. I have the matching toaster, so I'd rather keep to the same kettle, as unlikely as it is that it'll be 3rd time lucky.
Disappointing to need to return it though perhaps not unexpected. I think this will be the last time they replace it. Fingers crossed.