It is almost time to replace my stainless steel Akai electric jug. The plastic 'windows' to see the water level are beginning to fail and if I fill the jug more than half fill, the water leaks out of one of them. Also, it's the noisiest jug I have ever had. I have a small open-plan lounge/dining/kitchen and when the water is heating I have to turn the volume up on the TV to be able to hear it because the jug makes so much noise.

Can anyone please recommend a quiet jug, preferably in stainless steel and maybe without the weakest link: the plastic water level viewer. Big ask, I know, but there just might be such a thing out there. The priority is the quietness.

Our is a Breville Stainless Steel "Quiet Boil" and I'm very pleased with it. It's many years old, still as good as new and very quiet. It does have a window, and that is still in perfect condition.

I too like Breville kettles. I had a "Soft Top Pure" for about 3 years but then the window fell off and into the jug. Until then I had been very pleased with it. Finances were tight at the time and I replaced it with a very cheap Kambrook from the Warehouse - it was loud and leaked hot water whenever you lifted it off the base. Not recommended.

I ended up replacing it in January with another Breville - "Crystal Clear Lite". It is a glass body with plastic or stainless framing depending on the model. It is relatively quiet, and doesn't ding all over the place like my last Breville did (I don't like a dinging kettle). I thought the stainless model was a bit heavier than ideal so I chose the plastic framed instead. I see in looking at their lineup just now that you can get a smaller model if you don't need the 1.7L capacity. I waited until it was on sale as I thought $150 was quite steep.

[www.breville.co.nz]

[www.breville.co.nz]

[www.breville.co.nz]

Lorna my old white plastic jug had to be thrown out because it was leaking water .It was a cordless model but the water pooled around the base,which was dangerous.A friend offered to buy me a new one as a birthday present a couple of months ago.I chose a good looking Stainless Steel model from Briscoes in a red colour.It works well and it looks good, but after having a light plastic model I am disappointed.It is very hard to read the water level.It is very heavy when even quarter full, slow boiling and very loud like you find.Maybe all Stainless Steel is loud and heavy?

Thank you everyone. Jenna, when you say 'dinging', do you mean like a bell ringing? I've never heard of a jug with a bell.

I visited the Briscoes website and see the Breville Crystal Clear Lite 1litre model is $139.99 but I'm not sure if it's got a plastic or SS frame so I have sent a message to them asking. Further investigation shows a Sunbeam 1.7lt glass jug with what looks like a plastic frame for $69.99 and it says it's quiet boil.

There's also a Zip 1.8lt glass jug with plastic frame for $39.99.

I think I might go mid-range and try the Sunbeam one. I also have a $10 voucher Briscoes sent to me after I reported a poorly made travel bag. I couldn't return the bag for a full refund because I threw it away in disgust while I was on holiday and bought a new one! I like Briscoes and shop there quite a bit, and that's the first item I've ever been disappointed with.

Lorna, I found this old thread re Electric Kettles.

Well I bought my current Zip Glass one (as stated on the old thread) back in June 2010 - and it is still going well and absolutely no problems. You may like to refer back to the thread, and there is another older thread referred to within the link I have provided.

I had to have a wee chuckle as you made mention of your kettle back then and it was going well. I guess just like us, time ravages even kettles.

Lorna - I believe the "Lite" part of the kettle name refers to it being plastic framing rather than SS. Also, if it is black or red that is also an indicator of plastic! I just had a look at the Briscoes website to see which one you were talking about, and the only Breville glass model I could find was the compact 1L model also for $139. That looks SS to me, but given the smaller size I doubt weight would be an issue (if you were bothered about weight that is).

If you can cope with shopping at Noel Leeming, I see they have 40% off most of their kettles now. The glass Breville ones range from $90 for the black or red "lite" models to $102 for SS.

[products.noelleeming.co.nz]

The dinging I was talking about was a bell that dings when it has finished boiling. I've had several over the years that do that and it didn't bother me for a long time. However, the last couple I had (before this one) would have such a sensitive bell that even putting something down on the bench next to the kettle would make it ding. Irritating, nothing more.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2016 01:57AM by Jenna.

It seems like from the thread Irene brought up and from this thread, that the Zip glass one is the way to go. It seems like a good buy at $39.99.

The Breville Avance that I mentioned in that old thread gave up the ghost - the element died. It was replaced by the Akai that now has leaking plastic after just 3 years.

Jenna, you mentioned in the 2008 thread that it was a pity we couldn't test drive electric jugs in the shop because once bought they last for years so if you don't like it, you're stuck with it. Seems they've fixed that problem; they're made these days to only last 2 or 3 years!

Yeah it does seem that way, doesn't it? At least at $39.99, if you desperately hate the Zip it isn't too much to donate to the hospice shop. Hopefully it won't be the case though! Do report back, especially on the noise level please.

Interesting to see in Consumer NZ's latest appliance lifetime report, kettles should last 5+ years (depending on price paid) So it would be worth returning kettles that start leaking after a couple of years and asking for refund/replacement under the Consumer Guarantees Act!

Slightly off topic, but if you have a gas hob, a whistling kettle may be a consideration.

There is nothing to break down or wear out and it is a statement piece as well as being functional - I've had mine for years and still love it.

Regards,

Barbara Anne

Wow, I have a gas hob, and never considered that, but sounds logical. I will do some googling - I didnt even realise you could still buy them.

Thank you for that, Barbara Anne, but I haven't got a gas hob.

I finally stopped procrastinating and decided to buy the Zip at $39.99 and wouldn't you know it? Briscoes has sold out! Not surprising at that price. I then decided on the Sunbeam Cool Blue Glass jug at $69.99 but thought I'd shop around to see what price other places were selling it at. Noel Leeming have exactly the same model for $159.99, so I took the plunge and ordered one from Briscoes.

I'll let you know what I think of it once it arrives and I've used it for a week or so. There are 3 reviews of it on the Briscoes website and they're all good, so I have my hopes up.

Bit late for you Lorna but for anyone else I have a Russel Hobbs Whisper jug- it wasn't cheap but it is very quiet.

Well, I've had my Sunbeam Glass Jug for a couple of days now and it certainly is a big improvement regarding the noise level. Whilst I can hear it, it's not intrusive and I don't need to adjust the volume on the TV!

One thing I don't like about it is the plastic lid and plastic trim on the handle made to look like stainless steel. It just makes it look cheap as far as I'm concerned. The stainless steel element housing on the lower part of the jug is OK but it does highlight the difference between the lid and handle trim - they are different enough to be obvious. I hope the plastic isn't the weakest link in an otherwise good-looking appliance. Overall I'm happy with it - for now. Let's see how long this one lasts!

In the Grab One store today, there is a stove top whistling kettle for sale - $85 including postage, and 3 colours to choose from