Aarke Kettle in Stainless Steel with Multiple Temperature Settings, 360° Swivel Base, Quiet Boiling and Non-drip Spout, Capacity of 1.2 Litre

I work from home, drink a lot of tea and get through kettles. High quality bench-top appliances aren't hard to find, apart from kettles which are mostly trashy at any price.I was skeptical about buying this Aarke, a manufacturer best know for its fancy carbonators, £200 is a lot of money for a kettle. Understandably, this more complicated electrical product is made in China which seems to be the home of quality manufacturing these days.First impressions were good, the unit arrived in a lovely box with printed instructions. A proper UK plug fitted to the high-quality mains cord.On to the kettle itself, typically Scandinavian in style, simple clean lines, in my opinion this is the best looking kettle available today. High quality materials are used throughout, the lid seals on what appears to be a double-walled boiler using a soft silicone rubber material. The main assembly is polished stainless steel with brushes stainless steel on the inside. The theme continues on the handle which is also made of metal but sits on insulated pads to prevent heat transfer. An all-metal mesh filter is fitted to the spout area.There seems to be just a small amount of black plastic at the rear lid hinge area for damping but not in the water boiling compartment. It isn't visible with the lid closed.Old-school internal max-min water levels are provided, I like this as it eliminates the need for a plastic level indicator.Much of the assembly seems to be screwed together, it has an engineered look inside and out. Onto the base, again, it is has a polished stainless steel case and power button, the shape complements the look of the kettle. Plastic insulator parts necessary for a kettle are well concealed from view.In operation, the kettle is reasonably quiet and has electronic controls for temperature. The simple one button operation can be used to cycle through temperatures, it has a quality feel with subtle white LED lights. Once boiled, the lights show the residual temperature of the water.Overall, after a month of daily use, I think the Aarke kettle is lovely to own and use. Like all polished stainless steel appliances, it is a finger-print magnet.

The media could not be loaded. I hate it passionately when objects are insufficiently described, or simply inaccurate (the norm unfortunately). For example, I almost expected the body to be stainless, but then perhaps the buttons or handle to be chrome-plated plastic (the dreaded 'stainless look' or 'stainless colour'). I'm very happy to report that everything that looks like stainless steel IS in fact stainless steel (body, lid, buttons, handle and base). This is rare! I tested the temperatures with a separate thermocouple: the 40°C is inaccurate, and the 100°C is inaccurate (in my case about 96°C). All the other temperatures were scarily precise. When asked to boil (100°C setting), then the kettle is spewing water a bit (when filled to the max mark), so I use it at the 95°C setting (I think teas and coffees prefer slightly cooler water anyway). Generally speaking this is a beautiful (made in China), well functioning kettle. Long may it live! It is a pity there is no statement about repairability (I think our throw away society is immoral for that reason, and increasingly others).Update: mine had an intermittent fault, would turn itself off, especially with an immediate second fill (see video). Returned it. Going to get a cheap kettle without electronics (electronics were supposed to make things more reliable, but more often than not, is the reason for failure or scrappage. I'm beginning to hate everything electronic).

I knew about the shortcomings when I ordered it: only enough hot water for 3 mugs at a time and no “window” to check how full it is. It does look and feel beautiful though.

I thought about it for a while as it is expensive. There are no issues with fingerprints, as a quick swipe with a cloth removes them. The lid is not stainless steel, but it looks like it. It is sturdy and looks good.

The media could not be loaded. Used it once, as you do when first receiving something new. I also bought a Sage coffee maker at the same time and used only that from then on.Went back to use Aarke kettle (£200 to boil water) and it switches itself off. Tried varying water temperature and water volume. Contacted Aarke via email, who said in their automated reply to request return label, after I sent proof of purchase (Amazon) serial number and short video of it not working. They replied (barely human) who contradicted their automated response, saying I need to contact amazon for return/refund.As its passed 30 days, the Amazon return has no return confirmation and goes round in a loop of going nowhere. I've never returned anything before, but as it's £200 to boil water and their (Aarke) customer service is as broken as the product they produce, then to say that it's a 1 star review is me being positive.To anyone looking for a review, the one time it worked, the kettle boiled water. Maybe your purchase will work twice and in the future Aarke may ba able to boil water successfully, multiple times in a row?Unfortunately that's me thinking positive of course, as I can't predict the future or I wouldn't be writing this review. If anyone has a time machine I can borrow, I would be very grateful. It being a time machine, it would mean that it would be returned to you immediately. Until then, I can not advise getting this kettle before getting a time machine.

Brilliant kettle. Looks fantastic