With 1500 watts and automatic shutoff, the Hamilton Beach 1.7 Glass Electric Kettle is fasterthan a microwave and safer than a stovetop kettle. The soft blue illumination along with a brushed, stainless steel base looks great on the kitchen counter.Tips & Care Before use, fill kettle with selected amount of water with mesh filter in place, and ensure that water level is between 0.5 L and MAX on the water level window and on level surface before serving. Overfilling the kettle may cause boiling water to spit out of the spout. Do not use for any other purpose than heating water, as other liquids or food will contaminate the interior and void the warranty. If the kettle floor starts turning colors, dont panic. This is normal and tends to happen, and does not affect the kettles performance. Note: Care must be taken when handling the kettle to avoid spilled hot liquid, scalding or burns.
Electric Kettles
Hamilton Beach 1.7 L Glass Electric Kettle for Tea and Water, Cordless, LED Indicator, Auto-Shutoff and Boil-Dry Protection, Brushed Metal (40865), Clear
$4.60
| Asin | B00CXMO01I |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 9.88 x 8.63 x 6.25 inches |
| Weight | 1.11 Kilograms |
| Manufacturer | Hamilton Beach |
Punintended –
I bought this kettle to replace my old stainless steel one from Hamilton Beach. The old one lasted about 10 years before it started sticking to the base and then stopped working. Pretty good run. Hamilton Beach currently has a different stainless steel kettle on Amazon for exactly the same price as this glass one, but they have changed the style since my old one. The reviews seemed about the same, so I went with the pretty glass with the blue light for my new one. It arrived today. Here’s my impression so far:
Lid: Hinge seems flimsy; concerned it will wear out quickly. Thought at first that the lid would not stay open by itself while filling. This would have been a major inconvenience, and made me feel strong regret about the purchase. Turned out I just needed to open it farther for it to lock into place, so it’s OK. The lid on the old one just popped open with one button and stayed open without any extra pushing, but the opening to fill it was narrow. This one has two buttons that must be squeezed together, then you pull the lid back until it clicks into place. It’s a fairly gentle squeeze, but something to consider if you have arthritis or other hand issues. Once in place, the opening to fill it is ample. The current stainless steel model does seem to have the one button opening like my old one (and today, 2 days after I bought the glass one, the new stainless steel one is on sale).
Filter: The filter is attached to the lid, and doesn’t seal against the sides of the kettle. Particles could realistically get around the edges of the filter easily. I don’t think this will be an issue for me because I always use filtered water, but if you are using direct tap water (which may contain minerals) this is something to consider. My old kettle had the filter attached behind the spout, not connected to the lid, so this was not a problem. The new stainless steel models appear to have the filter attached to the body like the old ones, but the photos don’t show a view to confirm this for certain.
Odor: Some reviews have reported a strong plastic odor when using the kettle. I did not find this to be the case. However, I did notice an odor from the plastic of the base when I first unwrapped it, fresh out of the box. Before using the kettle, I took a vinegar-spritzed cloth and wiped down the outer portion of the base (not the center nub, because it may be unsafe to get that damp), as well as wiping down the outside of the kettle. I figured the steam would clean the inside. I did the first boil with a full kettle of water and 2 tablespoons of vinegar to clean any residue before using it. I poured that out, then boiled a half-full kettle of plain water to use for tea. There was no plastic odor during boiling. However, when I lifted the kettle off the base after the second boil, there was a brief waft of plastic smell coming off the base. I hope this will clear up over time. It could be that the extra heat from boiling immediately twice in a row caused the extra odor.
Taste: First cup of chamomile tea hard to judge, because I forgot to rinse out the residue of hot chocolate from my mug before making tea in it. Tastes fine, but not sure if there are any unusual flavors I would have noticed without the chocolate/milk residue. Next cup of herbal tea tasted like it is supposed to taste.
Overall: Works well. Nice to be able to watch the water boil, with the pretty blue light. Seems easier to clean than my old stainless steel one, and I’ll be able to actually see whether it looks clean. Removed a star for the lid and filter design inconveniences, but otherwise seems a good kettle.
However, since I care more about practicality and safety than aesthetics, I would have chosen a different kettle if I’d known better. Although the glass kettle may be easier to clean than my old kettle, I never needed to clean it much. Boiling filtered water in it — just using it for its intended purpose — generally kept it plenty clean. When I thought it needed more, I just added some vinegar to the boil. I think the differences in the lid and filter make the stainless steel kettle of the Hamilton Beach brand slightly superior.
Hamilton Beach 40880 Stainless Steel Electric Kettle, 1.7-Liter, Silver
Bottom line though, if I had seen the Secura brand one sooner, I’d have bought that instead. Double-walled stainless steel interior throughout, including the lid and filter. Lid opens with one button. Easy-to-clean design. Supposedly cool to the touch exterior even when water is boiling inside. Has a 4.5 star rating after 3,039 reviews, which is pretty spectacular. Only a few dollars more than the Hamilton Beach kettles.
Secura The Original Stainless Steel Double Wall Electric Water Kettle 1.8 Quart
Broken –
I love this tea kettle.
Look, I’m a coffee guy. That’s where I run to most of the time. But I do drink tea and my wife and daughter drink tea constantly.
Our standard stainless steel kettle of 20 years finally died on us so we went for a replacement.
I can tell you this kettle is a dream.
It heats the water much faster than putting on the stove, and I love that it is glass so you can see the water inside – how much is in there, and what the boiling state is (sometimes I shut it off before it fully boils because it is still hot enough to brew, but won’t burn my tongue when I drink it right away)
Honestly I love this thing more than I should. If you are considering an electric kettle, then I think this one is a great choice.
I would give this thing 4.5 stars.
Here are the things I wish were better:
There is no whistle. There is significant noise in the functioning of the kettle, but after the water is heated it just shuts off.
It’s kind of backward in that regard. Since the noise is there when it is in use, it becomes white noise and you tune it out in the background.
When it goes away you don’t really notice (or at least I don’t), so if I get distracted doing something then I might realize 30 minutes later that my water was done and has now cooled. Let me start her up again. (although it holds the heat well so it doesn’t take as long to reheat)
I wish you could tone down the light. I was iffy about the light, but ended up liking it. I like blue too so it was a win. But it is so darn prominent I wish it was not as bright, or not as big. No big deal, but if I was designing from scratch I would ditch it.
Since it is glass you will see mineral build up on the bottom of the kettle.
I by no means have hard water. But minerals are in tap water so within the first week there were deposits coating the bottom of the kettle.
Sort of no big deal but I see them every time I pick it up to fill.
Maybe use filtered water to reduce that effect.
I could use another inch in the power cord. The cord wraps underneath so it is out of the way. But I like to pull the kettle out toward the front of my counter so the steam won’t damage cabinets above. Just about an inch more of slack would be nice.
But that’s it. Those are negligible complaints compared to pros, so I definitely recommend this item.
Mercman –
The bottom plate connector that the kettle aligned with has a male insert that goes into the bottom of the kettle. The plastic has somehow melted or burned from the elctircal connector.
Smaro –
I bought this kettle because I wanted an inexpensive kettle that still worked well and also looked nice sitting on the counter in our kitchen. I didn’t want to spend too much money either, and so far this kettle has been a great value.
As far as basic functioning goes, it works very well and heats up water much quicker than I expected. If I fill it up to the minimum line, which is half a liter and more than enough water for a cup of tea or drip coffee, it takes about one minute to boil. It is the same amount of time as heating it up in the microwave, but I find the water from the kettle produces a better cup of tea.
At first I was skeptical about the blue light and thought it would look tacky, but it turns out that it has been a helpful feature because as I am multitasking or in an out of the kitchen I can easily see that the water has finished boiling so I don’t forget about it. Also, with my old stainless steal kettle, I would sometimes think that I had turned on the water only to find out five minutes later that I had forgotten to plug it in! So, the blue light is great for preventing this!
My favorite thing about the glass kettle though is that I no longer have to worry about cleaning all the streaks and fingerprints off with my old stainless steal kettle. This kettle still looks sleek though because it has some stainless steal on the handle and the base, but so far I haven’t seen any streaks or finger prints to clean off of those areas.
The only problem I have encountered so far is that the stainless steel on the inside of kettle that heats up the water has started to discolor. I boiled the kettle with a vinegar/water solution and was still not able to get rid of the discoloration. I think all kettles experience this, but usually you can’t see it. The nice thing is that the opening at the top is quite wide, which makes it easy to clean inside.
Overall, I would recommend this kettle and would buy it again because the positives have out weighed the negatives and I think anyone would be hard pressed to find a glass kettle as good as this one at this price point.
Drakkenfyre –
I’m a big hot tea drinker, and I’ve owned an electric kettle for about six years, a Capresso H20 Plus, I wanted to switch to electric kettles over stove ones for several reasons, including convenience and speed. My thoughts on that model can be seen on its product page.
I decided I wanted to get a new one. Not because the old one had failed or anything, some of its finish had worn away, but I just wanted to get a new one, and relegate that one to storage.
I wanted another glass one, as I like the design, and I like being able to see when the water is about to boil/boiling. If you have a tea that should be brewed at a lower temperature, like green, or you have something to fix that doesn’t require boiling water (instant grits, oatmeal, instant soups) you can turn it off before it gets close to boiling.
I was already sold on the design, and had decided to get it, when I saw that it had blue LEDs that lit the kettle up.
It takes a little longer to boil than my old kettle, but it’s larger capacity, so it’s probably around the same amount of time, given equal capacities.
Like my old kettle, it does make sound as it heats. A "roar", but it’s lower than my old one.
I do not notice any plastic taste in the water. However, I like to leave leftover water in my kettles for use the next day, and I noticed a faint taste of plastic in that water.
The blue LEDs are beautiful. I wish there was a setting to keep them on for a short time after the water has boiled. Maybe a selectable temperature setting so you know once the water’s cooled down to a certain point, that it needs heating again.
The lid is easy to open, and seems to firmly close. I don’t mind the scale filter in the spout, but it’s pointless. It does not make full contact with the kettle glass around the spout. The bottom has a huge gap, so any scale would just go right into whatever you’re pouring into.
The handle is comfortable, and the switch is easy to flip. After getting used to the initial oddness (for me) of the switch being at the bottom (I’m used to my previous electric kettle’s being at the top) I much prefer it as a lever rather than a sliding switch.
I’ve noticed a lot of people complain about rusting. The heating element is covered in stainless steel. It should not rust. I’ve used mine dozens of times now, and have left water in it overnight several times, and I’ve yet to see any rust stains. Metal can and does undergo color changes due to extreme heat. This thermal change can be caused by heating elements, and does not indicate damage or rust. And the hardness of your water can also affect it. If your water is very hard, mineral deposits can and will build up. I have city tap water, and it’s very soft, and I’ve never noticed the single bit of scale on my old electric kettle, which also had plenty of reviewers complaining of rust and scale build-up (I didn’t have rust with it, either.)
Unless people are using bleach to clean their kettle, they shouldn’t rust at all, let alone within one or two uses. If you’ve noticed what seems to be rust in your kettle, scrub it then rub the surface with your finger. If you don’t feel any difference in the surface, it’s likely just a thermally-induced color change. The only other explanation I can think of is that some of the company’s stock is coming from a different manufacturer, and they’re using non-stainless steel.
One note about the auto shut-off. Unlike my old kettle which shut off after about 3 seconds of boiling, this one will boil for 10 seconds or longer. I’ve seen a company rep say that the lid had to be completely shut for the auto shut-off to work, but it still feels odd that it boils for so long, especially when there are reviews claiming theirs never shut off, and boiled dry.
It does feel odd that when filled to the "max" line, the kettle is barely over half-full. The space is used for the boiling water so it doesn’t splash out or into the kettle’s hand, and it’s a large kettle so you’re still getting the stated capacity, but it does look odd for "full" to be "slightly above half-full."
I really, really like this kettle. I’m hoping the finish will hold up better than my old one, and it will work just as hard.
Rachel –
**UPDATE AFTER 18 MONTHS OF USE**
This little baby is still going strong! She has served me so well for exactly 18 months now and is only just starting to show a little wear and tear. The metal strip that goes from the hinge at the lid, down and along the handle has started pulling away ever so slightly and there’s a little bit of rust there – I’m guessing its from steam escaping from the lid. No big deal though. Apart from that, I am still extremely pleased with my purchase. I could not get by without my two or sometimes three, cups of tea every day. I’d be lost without this. This, and Yorkshire teabags from Amazon. Mmm.
I even still get a kick out of the funky blue light. Best purchase ever!
After moving to the U.S, it wasn’t long before I realized that a bag of Lipton just did not cut it, because us Brits; we love our tea! I was also surprised that at stores such as Walmart/Target etc, there really isn’t a vast choice of electric kettles on offer either. But I get it, coffee is by far the more popular choice…
So my quest began about 6 years ago when I ended up buying a run of the mill electric kettle from a big box store. That guy finally gave up earlier this year though and so I turned to… Where else, but here of course, for a new one – and Amazon never fails to disappoint!
Here are a few points that impressed me about this item:
* Being familiar with the Hamilton Beach brand, their standard of quality met my expectations. None of the components feel cheap or flimsy. This kettle is well built.
* I was a bit wary about the glass on this kettle however. Initially I thought it might be too fragile and break easily but I’ve had no problems with that at all and on the contrary, it actually seems quite hard wearing.
* I really like the design. The stainless steel finish and the pretty blue light inside the look really cool.
* It’s boils water quite fast. Probably less than 60 seconds I’d say, and it automatically turns off upon reaching boiling point. Just remember to snap the lid on firmly after filling it to ensure the water doesn’t run dry!
*i found the price to be really fair – not expensive at all.
My husband are so happy with this purchase – it has even encouraged him to start grinding whole beans and using a French press for his much needed cup of coffee too. Now he says he’ll never go back to instant or a Keurig pod.
So in conclusion, this is a great buy – one I’m so happy to come across on Amazon for a great price and one that can do justice to my precious, authentic English tea bags! 🙂 (Yorkshire Tea by the way if anyone’s interested).
Feel free to comment if you have any questions.
Matt Blank –
I’ve had this for almost 6 years now, probably around 5000 cycles, and it still works great.
One caveat to keep in mind is that the auto-shutoff doesn’t seem to happen unless the lid is shut. I assume this is because the lack of pressure inside isn’t allowing the water temperature to reach the shutoff threshold. They could have set it just a tiny bit lower. I noticed several people mention this in reviews an in the videos they show the lid open – so this at least seems consistent.
If it were to run dry, it would trip because there’s no more water to cool the heater.
Zhou jiahui –
This is a great glass electric kettle that I would highly recommend to you to try it. This is one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. The price is reasonable for its great functions.
The brand of this kettle is “Hamilton Beach” with good quality. It has the soft blue LED light illuminations when it’s heating water. Glass sides and the compact stainless steel base are the most two special places of this kettle.
I have owned this glass kettle for around half a year. By comparing with the kettles that I used before, I feel like that this one would be the best. Easy to clean is the first advantage this glass kettle has, not like other kettles, this kettle has glass sides which gives me a good view to see what happens in it. Also, some of us always left water under the kettle bottom, but since the bottom is stainless so it will not turn rusty, we just need to use the paper towel or dry cloth to scrub the water in case of the electric leakage. Furthermore, the wide opening makes me easy to put the brush in and clean it thoroughly. The second advantage would be the water gets heated much faster than other kettles. It only spends around 1 minute on heating water and then it will automatically turn off the heating mode. The third would be that it stands stable while it’s heating. Not like some other electric kettles, they are shaking slightly while they are heating, this glass kettle has a stable stance so that I do not have to worry about some water are leaking out while they are being heating.
Based on my personal hobby interest. I would like to recommend this kettle to you.
It’s pretty, fast and safe!
Thomas E. Hudson –
In spite of any negative comments listed below or above mine, I really love this kettle. Not only does the glass let you see the state of the water—vital when needing not-quite-boiling water for brewing tea!) but it works about as well as an old kettle we’ve had for years. That means it boils water in a good time. We use ours three or four times a day for tea and avoid any scale issues by using filtered water. And heck, even if it gets a little inside, the top is wide enough with the lid lifted to get a good-sized fist and cloth in there.
I believe I read some grousing about the plastic used in the lid. This is of near-zero consequence as the water barely touches just the spout and only as you pour. If you are worried about things in plastics, a quick wipe on the inside of the lid with a paper towel after use and there will be no drip back.
There have also been comments on various kettles regarding the auto shut-off. This one boils our water for a full 20-seconds before it shuts off. Not certain if this is by design, but it certainly ensures you have truly boiling water.
If I have anything to mention, it would be these two things"
1. The On/Off handle is clear plastic and a little thin so don’t go forcing it up or down as you could eventually break it.
2. Pour the hot water slowly. The opening is not huge and you can make a small mess if you go too fast.
One other thing I appreciate about this. The cord is wrapped around the bottom of the base. If you need only a few inches, unwind just one round and poke the cord through the side. If you need more, unwind it all the way. Very handy.
Ronald M. Chavin –
Both Hamilton Beach products will create, in a very short time, boiling hot water that tastes as good as the boiling hot water created by a stainless steel stovetop frying pan or stainless steel stovetop pot.
[However, discard the boiling hot water created by these 2 Hamilton Beach products during the first 2 boiling cycles because the resulting water will NOT taste good].
Both Hamilton Beach products are economically priced at about $30.00 each with free shipping.
[However, the price of the Hamilton Beach 40989e Stainless Steel Kettle moves around wildly. I bought it for $36.14 (with free shipping) but it then suddenly became priced at under $29 (with free shipping) and it is now priced somewhere in between these 2 extremes].
Both Hamilton Beach products are rated for 1,500 watts, 120 volts, and 60 hertz.
Both Hamilton Beach products will raise the temperature of the water to 100 degrees Celsius (boiling temperature) in less than 6 minutes for 1.2 liters of water, in less than 8 minutes for 1.9 liters of water, and in less than 9 minutes for 2.2 liters of water.
[1.0000 liter of water weighs exactly 1.0000 kilogram and is equivalent to 1.0567 U.S. liquid quarts of water].
After automatically shutting off, both Hamilton Beach products will keep the boiling water that they contain quite hot for a very long time.
[However, because stainless steel conducts heat just slightly better than glass, the boiling water inside of the Hamilton Beach Glass Kettle might cool off at a just slightly slower rate than the boiling water inside of the Hamilton Beach Stainless Steel Kettle].
The black plastic base of the Hamilton Beach Stainless Steel Kettle and the shiny metal-coated plastic base of the Hamilton Beach Glass Kettle look very similar but they are NOT interchangeable. Both Hamilton Beach kettles will not operate at all if used on top of the base that came supplied with the other product.
The warranty for both products will become void if either of these 2 Hamilton Beach products are misused for brewing tea or coffee directly inside of the kettle.
This product, the Hamilton Beach Glass Kettle, is better than the Hamilton Beach Stainless Steel Kettle for boiling frozen fish filets which are enclosed in sealed, clear, plastic pouches because the diameter of the opening at the top of the kettle is much wider on the Glass Kettle than on the Stainless Steel Kettle. However, the instructions say that Hamilton Beach kettles should only be used for making boiling hot water.
This product, the Hamilton Beach Glass Kettle, doesn’t rust as easily as the Hamilton Beach Stainless Steel Kettle, which develops minor spots of rust, especially at the very top opening circle of the kettle.
Although both Hamilton Beach kettles are rated for exactly 1.7 liters, the Hamilton Beach Glass Kettle can hold substantially more water than the Hamilton Beach Stainless Steel Kettle. Both Hamilton Beach kettles can be filled with much more water than the "Maximum Line" and still operate with excellent results.
[Go up to about 1.9 liters of water on the Stainless Steel Kettle and up to about 2.2 liters of water on the Glass Kettle. Going any higher will cause spillage of a tiny amount of boiling hot water at the very conclusion of the boiling cycle].
Although the orange-red indicator light on the Hamilton Beach Stainless Steel Kettle is quite adequate in every way, the blue indicator light on the Hamilton Beach Glass Kettle, which illuminates the entire kettle and illuminates the entire room like a lava lamp, is better because it is easier to see from a much greater distance.
The dispensing beaks on these 2 Hamilton Beach kettles are shaped somewhat differently. On the Glass Kettle, the dispensing beak is larger and less likely to cause unwanted spills of boiling hot water at the beginning when pouring boiling hot water out of a maximum-filled kettle. However, the larger dispensing beak on the Glass Kettle is clumsier for accurately dispensing small quantities of boiling hot water, especially after the Glass Kettle is mostly empty. By contast, the smaller dispensing beak on the Stainless Steel Kettle is more accurate for dispensing small quantities of boiling hot water, especially after the Stainless Steel Kettle is mostly empty. Unfortunately, for mysterious reasons that I can’t fully explain, the Stainless Steel Kettle is substantially more likely to cause unwanted spills of boiling hot water at the beginning when pouring boiling hot water out of a maximum-filled kettle.
Overall, the Hamilton Beach Stainless Steel Kettle is somewhat more attractive than the Hamilton Beach Glass Kettle, especially if it is maintained by polishing away any spots of corrosion (rust) on the stainless steel and wiping away any food stains.
The Hamilton Beach Stainless Steel Kettle tends to leak a very tiny amount (about 2 or 3 drops) of water, which is NEVER hot, where the black plastic on/off lever (switch handle) is located. By contast, the somewhat difficult-to-see clear plastic on/off lever (switch handle) on the Hamilton Beach Glass Kettle never leaks any water.
[By the way, the photograph of the Hamilton Beach Stainless Steel Kettle is wrong because it shows a stainless steel kettle with a clear plastic on/off lever (switch handle). However, after purchasing it, we will receive a stainless steel kettle with an easy-to-see black plastic handle].
The biggest advantage of the Hamilton Beach Glass Kettle is that the water level is extremely easy to see. This is in sharp contast to the Hamilton Beach Stainless Steel Kettle, in which judging the height of the water level is inconvenient and difficult.
The biggest disadvantage of the Hamilton Beach Glass Kettle is that both the upper flap and big side handle were designed to look as sexy (attractive) as possible at the expense of making them less functional: (1)The uppermost part of the big side handle on the Glass Kettle gets too hot and this problem is worsened by the sexy (attractive) metal trim, which tends to corrode (rust) slightly within the first month of use. (2)The upper flap (lid) on the Glass Kettle is clumsy and difficult to use. This is in sharp contrast to the completely black upper flap (lid) on the Stainless Steel Kettle, which is convenient to open and close.
CONCLUSION: The Hamilton Beach Glass Kettle is slightly better overall than the Hamilton Beach Stainless Steel Kettle. This overall difference would have been even greater if Hamilton Beach had designed the upper flap and big side handle of their Glass Kettle for maximum function instead of for maximum sexiness.
NOTE ABOUT CORROSION: Molybdenum is plentifully mined in the United States and is strongly begging for uses. Molybdenum ends up being used in place of niobium in stainless steel alloys that were made in the U.S. Meanwhile, Japanese stainless steel alloys and more recently, Brazilian stainless steel alloys, are high in niobium and low in molybdenum. Although more expensive than molybdenum, niobium (columbium) aids in the corrosion resistance, strength, and overall quality of stainless steel alloys. The decorative stainless steel areas of Hamilton Beach products will frequently rust, especially in humid climates such as Hawaii, Washington State, Oregon, and the southern coastal areas of the southern U.S. states bordering the Gulf of Mexico. The good news is that the bottom stainless steel circle of Hamilton Beach electric kettles, which comes in contact with the boiling hot water, does NOT rust.