Smeg Retro Style Kettle Black (Model No. KLF03BLUK)

Really wished I'd never bought this kettle in black. I've had it for three years which is a long time ago but I wished I'd dealt with the issues when they started. It wasn't long before the paint started peeling off near the bottom and around the letters. It gathers tonnes of limescale on the outside, especially where the water level as from the large amount of steam that comes out of the gap where the on/off button is. Finally, it started leaking from the base. I've seen similar complaints on other sites about this kettle. A complete waste of money!

Beautiful and practical, my favourite ever kettle!

I am so pleased with this kettle, I felt a bit nervous spending this much on a kettle but I am entirely satisfied with it. It works perfectly, pours very well, is nicely robust and solid whilst not too heavy. The handle is well designed so the kettle is comfortable to hold. I like the button to open the lid. The water gauge is a little more difficult to see than on my old kettle as it's under the handle but it's fine, and does look nicer there in my view. I bought the pale blue and love the colour, so pretty. I was worried the kettle would look enormous but it doesn't. We have had it several months now and I'm very happy with it. Would definitely recommend.

Disappointing purchase

Having hankered after a Smeg kettle for some time I finally bought one when our existing cheap kettle went wrong. I was initially thrilled with it as it looks so beautiful and stylish. However after a very short time in use the black paint started coming off the top button. It's gradually got worse and is wearing off with use. This is something I never would have expected especially with such a high end kettle. It completely spoils the look of the kettle. Very disappointed

Great! but not perfect, brace for a very detailed review...

Beautiful in white, great kettle, but some good/bad things to highlight;Good:Much quieter than our older kettle. Beautiful design. Really easy to hold with a very comfortable handle, the white indicator light when boiling is very elegant and looks great in the day or night (there's a slight animation to it that looks great as well... when boiling it's a very subtle flicker/wave - very good attention to detail/design) The flicker switch is very satisfying and also very silent (nearly mute) when it pops up (unlike our older kettle) The chrome design looks great, and the push button to open the lid is great - when you press the button it slowly opens so it won't flick any hot water at you, and it's a very wide opening for cleaning/adding water. It has a metal ... MoreBeautiful in white, great kettle, but some good/bad things to highlight;Good:Much quieter than our older kettle. Beautiful design. Really easy to hold with a very comfortable handle, the white indicator light when boiling is very elegant and looks great in the day or night (there's a slight animation to it that looks great as well... when boiling it's a very subtle flicker/wave - very good attention to detail/design) The flicker switch is very satisfying and also very silent (nearly mute) when it pops up (unlike our older kettle) The chrome design looks great, and the push button to open the lid is great - when you press the button it slowly opens so it won't flick any hot water at you, and it's a very wide opening for cleaning/adding water. It has a metal removable filter (other kettles are typically a plastic mesh that you'd have to replace, and most manufactures don't sell the filter so you'd have to get a whole new kettle if you just wanted the filter. The spout is fantastic, incredibly easy to poor. The base/stand for the kettle is lovely and makes the kettle sit above the table slightly due to the feet of the base, and there's a lovely spring/suspension when you put the kettle on it, which has a nice cushion feeling.Bad:The window for looking at the water levels could be bigger, or they could have put in a nice feature, like a button to press to light up the window temporarily, because most of the time you have to wiggle the kettle to see where the water level is/or just get really close to it. The kettle squeaks a little when you pick up and squeeze the handle. I think this is because the handle is a chrome plastic, but I also think that's more a design flaw by having 2 sides of plastic fused into 1 rather than just having 1 plastic piece fit to the unit. The weight is slightly heavy (this is a battle between durability/design & function, because you might want metal strong parts, which the unit has... however this will make it heavier, whereas more plastic parts would make it lighter, but this may appear to have less quality - altho maybe a bit more metal or better plastic design would be nice on the handle so it didn't squeak, which our older cheaper plastic kettle didn't)Extra info:The cable is whitish/grey, but this could be just for the white/light colour models. You can get so many replacements parts including the SMEG letters if they were to fall off, or the filter, and even parts for lid etc from the main SMEG website.

Lasted Five Years

I bought this kettle again yesterday, as the one I had owned previously blew up after 5 years of moderate to heavy use. (I boil it AT LEAST 4 times a day) I previously had the pure stainless steel one and it was a nightmare to keep clean, so was kind of happy to pick a new one yesterday despite having to pay for one again! I chose the slate grey. Here's what I love about this kettle; so aesthetically pleasing, feels solid and high quality to hold, very easy to get on and off the swivel base, handle is super ergonomic and comfortable to hold, it is quiet when it's boiling, and pours really smoothly and in an easy to control way. The only things that went wrong with my old one after several years were discolouring in the handle top that connects to the kettle itself ... MoreI bought this kettle again yesterday, as the one I had owned previously blew up after 5 years of moderate to heavy use. (I boil it AT LEAST 4 times a day) I previously had the pure stainless steel one and it was a nightmare to keep clean, so was kind of happy to pick a new one yesterday despite having to pay for one again! I chose the slate grey. Here's what I love about this kettle; so aesthetically pleasing, feels solid and high quality to hold, very easy to get on and off the swivel base, handle is super ergonomic and comfortable to hold, it is quiet when it's boiling, and pours really smoothly and in an easy to control way. The only things that went wrong with my old one after several years were discolouring in the handle top that connects to the kettle itself (a very small part of the kettle) and the button on the lid got more and more stubborn as it got older. Needless to say I loved it enough to buy another - and I thought 5 years wasn't bad as a lifespan for a kettle. The slate grey looks stunning in my kitchen. I like to "mismatch" my smeg, so I have it with a white toaster - looks great.

Looks great but quality is poor

I've had this kettle for less than 3 years & suddenly it's decided to pack up. Some of the paint on the lid flaked off within a month or 2 of buying & it developed a strange rattle from somewhere again, a short time after purchase. Aesthetically pleasing it certainly is but build quality is poor & I won't be buying again as expected it to last at least 10 years for the inflated purchase price. I already have a matching toaster but had to replace that too after smoke appeared & it stopped working- thankfully that was within the guarantee period, so was replaced for free. Very disappointed.

Sleek and Stylish Design with High-End Price Tag

The Smeg Kettle in baby blue is an excellent addition to our kitchen. Its sleek and stylish design fits perfectly with our kitchen's decor, and it has become a focal point of our countertop. The kettle's colour scheme is both charming and elegant, adding a touch of personality to our kitchen.Despite its high-end price tag, the kettle easily fulfils the functionality commonly expected of a kettle. It boils water quickly and efficiently, and its single switch makes it incredibly easy to use. We've found capacity for the kettle to be around five cups of tea.As is typical of Smeg products, the build quality of the kettle is also excellent. It is made of high-quality materials that are both durable and easy to clean, which I hope will ensure that it will last for ... MoreThe Smeg Kettle in baby blue is an excellent addition to our kitchen. Its sleek and stylish design fits perfectly with our kitchen's decor, and it has become a focal point of our countertop. The kettle's colour scheme is both charming and elegant, adding a touch of personality to our kitchen.Despite its high-end price tag, the kettle easily fulfils the functionality commonly expected of a kettle. It boils water quickly and efficiently, and its single switch makes it incredibly easy to use. We've found capacity for the kettle to be around five cups of tea.As is typical of Smeg products, the build quality of the kettle is also excellent. It is made of high-quality materials that are both durable and easy to clean, which I hope will ensure that it will last for years to come.I would highly recommend this Kettle to anyone who is looking for a high-quality, stylish kettle. It is undoubtedly expensive, but its sleek design and excellent build quality make it worth the investment. If you are looking for a kettle that is both stylish and functional, this product is certainly worth considering.

Stylish and beautiful! Highly recommend.

I love this kettle! It looks fabulous and stylish and has a ‘high end’ quality finish. It has a rapid, quiet boil. Before purchasing this kettle I read numerous reviews on many kettles and I’m glad that I did. Some of the cheaper ones that I was originally going to buy had some fairly average reviews. As I was replacing a kettle that was only about 2 years old I decided to spend a little more for a better product - and it has a 2 year warranty compared to most products that only have a 1 year warranty. I would highly recommend this beautiful kettle.

Tried It Out Twice

I have , over the last four years tried out two of these. The first was the one with the stick on smeg label- letters fell off, lid was temperamental and the on/ off knob fell off. Eventually it gave up so decided that would give it another go as it must have improved. Unfortunately not, same issues- the lid has to be manually manipulated open, the on/off knob is secured with a cheap plastic mechanism which has again disintegrated. The overall design is not great as water drips from lid down to the knob. I'm aftaid I have to give it the thumbs down, despite loving the design and having the matching toaster. Will not be purchasing a third.

Two failures in a year

We have had 2 Smeg kettles now. The first one just stopped working for no god reason, so we replaced it with another Smeg. This one lasted just 5 months before it began to cut out long before it reached boiling point. While we wait for the warranty replaced version, we are having to keep pressing the on switch and holding it down until the kettle boils. There is no replacement yet because it is out of stock!We are unhappy with the wait and are contemplating asking for a replacement. We will wait for a replacement because our previous experience with John Lewis has been good. Hope springs eternal!