Graef Kettle WK900 review: “A considered upgrade rather than an everyday essential”

RRP at time of testing: £120 | Check price at Harts of Stur, Borough Kitchen, Amazon or Graef directly

My verdict

If your kettle is currently something you picked up in a hurry after the last one died mid-tea round, you’re probably not giving it much thought beyond “does it boil quickly?” and “where’s the nearest plug”.

Then you come across something like the Graef WK900 and realise there’s a whole tier of the best kettles you’ve been ignoring. The sort that promises better temperature control, a safer exterior and a design that doesn’t look like it’s been borrowed from a student kitchen.

I tested this one in our busy kitchen in our family home of four, where kettles get a workout and patience is in short supply. The white version slotted in neatly with everything else, which matters more than you think when it’s permanently on display, especially if you’ve already invested in one of the best toasters to match. But a good-looking kettle only gets you so far, I’ve learned. The real question is whether it earns its keep day to day.

The packaging is simple, very on-brand for Graef

And to be fair, this is a kettle that does feel considered. It’s quick, relatively quiet and has a couple of features you don’t tend to see on standard models, including a child lock and multiple temperature settings. It does feel like a step up from the usual plug-and-boil options most of us settle for.

But it’s not perfect. The lack of a water window takes some getting used to, and the pouring isn’t as smooth as you’d hope once you get towards the end. And at around £120, it’s firmly in the “think twice” category rather than an easy, everyday upgrade.

If you’re redesigning your kitchen or pulling together one of the best kettle and toaster sets, it makes sense. If you just want something to boil water without fuss, it might feel like more kettle than you need.

How I tested the Graef kettle

DH and I have been using the Graef WK900 as our main kettle over a period of regular daily use, making everything from quick morning coffees to multiple cups back-to-back during the working day.

Suffice to say that over two weeks, this kettle has had a real workout. Between the two of us, we’ve been making at least eight drinks a day, so it’s clocked up well over 100 boils in real-life use already. 

We’ve paid attention to:

• How quickly it boils smaller and larger amounts

• How easy it was to fill, use and pour

• Whether the temperature settings felt genuinely useful

• How safe it felt around children

• How it fits into everyday kitchen routines

This isn’t lab testing. It’s real life, with interruptions, distractions and the occasional “who’s used the last of the hot water again?” moment. It’s usually me.

Graef electric kettle WK900: what's in the box?

Inside the box, you get the kettle itself with its cordless 360° base attached, along with a simple instruction manual. There are no extra accessories or add-ons included, it’s a fairly straightforward setup.

What comes with the Graef electric kettle WK900

How quickly does the Graef kettle boil?

Speed-wise, this is one of the stronger points. It took around 40 seconds to boil the minimum 0.5L (two cups), which is quick when you’re making a single drink and don’t want to wait around.

For larger volumes, it’s still efficient, and crucially, it doesn’t make a huge song and dance about it.It’s quietish while boiling, which you appreciate more than you expect - particularly if you’ve ever gone looking for the best quiet kettles - especially early in the morning or when the house is already noisy enough.

There’s also a small but useful touch: it beeps when it’s done. That might sound unnecessary, but if you’ve wandered off mid-task, it’s a helpful nudge rather than having to remember you left it on. Plus, who doesn’t love a little appliance jingle? With my washing machine, this kettle and my air fryer - I’ve basically got a band. 

The kettle has four temperature settings built in - though, I'm not sure what temperatures the symbols are?

How well made is the Graef kettle?

This is where the Graef starts to justify its price. It has a double-walled design, and the exterior feels solid and well put together rather than flimsy or overly lightweight. The matte finish on the white model looks clean and doesn’t feel cheap.

One of the more noticeable benefits is that it doesn’t get dangerously hot to the touch. It’s warm, yes, but not enough to cause concern if a child brushes against it. That’s not something you can say for every kettle.

The design details are clearly thought through:

• stainless steel base

• hinged lid rather than a fully removable one

• consistent finish across the range

It feels like something designed to be left out, not hidden away in an appliance cupboard.

The design is undoubtedly sleek and very modern

How easy is the Graef kettle to use?

For the most part, it’s straightforward. There are four temperature settings, and the control button lights up blue when in use, which is exactly what you’d expect from a temperature control kettle. It’s simple enough to operate without digging out a manual every time, which is always a good sign.

That said, the four buttons are a tad confusing. Two have exact temperatures shown, whereas two others have symbols. A look at the instruction manual doesn't clarify exactly what these temperatures are, but my guess is that the top one is boiling - so, 100 degrees - and the second one down is 90? That makes sense to me.

The hinged lid makes filling easy and avoids that slightly awkward juggling you get with fully removable lids. It’s quick to open, quick to check, and quick to refill.

That said, there’s one omission that does take some adjustment: there’s no water level window.

You can’t glance at the kettle and see how much is left inside. You have to open the lid and check manually. At first, this feels unnecessarily inconvenient, especially when most kettles include one as standard. Over time, it becomes less of an issue, but it never quite stops being a mild irritation. That said, it takes seconds to check, so it’s hardly a major flaw. More a “why isn’t this here?” moment.

You can just about make out the max / min water levels inside the kettle

Is the Graef kettle safe to use?

Safety is clearly something Graef has focused on, and it shows in a couple of ways.

Firstly, as mentioned, the outer casing doesn’t get too hot, which is reassuring in a family kitchen where small hands have a habit of reaching for things they shouldn’t.

Secondly, there’s the child lock, which is unusual for a kettle. It’s located on the base of the kettle itself and, when activated, ensures that the kettle only heats water up to your desired temperature, which you confirm by pressing the boil-button. In practice, it’s not the easiest thing to use. The switch is quite small and a bit fiddly to toggle unless you have long nails or small fingers. It’s not something you’ll be switching on and off multiple times a day.

It feels more like a feature you set once and leave in place, rather than something you dip in and out of.

Prevent "who keeps changing the kettle temperature?" arguments with the child lock

Plus, the kettle has "energy memory" - which means if you deactivate the child lock, you have to wait 30 minutes to "unload" it. To do so, you just take the kettle off the base.

The question is - does a kettle really need a child lock? Probably not. Though, I can see why this would be a great feature if you have older children who know how to navigate a kettle safely, but will likely forget to set the kettle back to your preferred temperature. For small ones, they shouldn't be near the kettle and so it's probably unnecessary.

Then again, I could see it preventing some quibbles between spouses? "AIBU to whack DH for forgetting to change my kettle temperature back to my preferred 80 degrees for my green tea?"

Unlike many kettles I've tested, the spout on this one is rather, Dalek-ish?

Is the Graef kettle easy to clean?

There’s nothing especially complicated here. The design is relatively simple, with a stainless steel interior and no exposed heating element, which is helpful if you’re dealing with limescale and researching the best kettle for hard water. The kettle has a built in lime filter that prevents it being poured out. But I can't help but notice the change in taste in my coffee after recently testing the Russell Hobbs Purity Glass Brita Filter kettle.

Furthermore, the wide opening from the hinged lid helps when you need to look inside or give it a clean, and there aren’t lots of awkward corners to deal with. It behaves much like any standard kettle in this respect, which is no bad thing.

Pouring can be a bit splashy(?) if you have to tilt the kettle up high

How does the Graef kettle pour?

This is one area where it doesn’t quite hit the mark. When the kettle is fuller, the pour is smooth and controlled. No issues there.

But as the water level drops and you tip it higher to empty it, things get a bit less precise. There can be some splashing towards the end, which isn’t ideal if you’re trying to pour neatly into smaller mugs or avoid drips on the worktop. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s noticeable enough to mention.

I should also share that, during testing, we noticed how the water is slightly foamy after pouring out, especially after using the 70 and 80 degrees Celsius settings. My husband raised the alarm first. Cue a good 30 minutes of us both Googling on our phones “why is my water foamy out the kettle”, resulting in us going down the rabbit hole on Quora. 

So, apparently, this is normal for water that doesn’t boil up to 100 degrees Celsius. At 70 degrees, the water is not at full boiling point so the foam is usually a build up of air bubbles and dissolved gases that become less stable as the water heats up. You learn something new everyday, huh?

The instruction manual explains what each temperature is ideal for

Is the Graef kettle good value for money?

At around £120, this is undeniably a premium kettle. Whether it feels worth that depends on how you use it.

If you’re the kind of person who will make use of the temperature settings, appreciates a quieter boil and wants something that looks cohesive in a newly updated kitchen, it starts to make more sense.

If you’re simply replacing a broken kettle, or even considering one of the best hot water dispensers instead, it’s harder to justify spending that much. 

Personally, it falls into the category of “I’d consider it as part of a full kitchen refresh”. As a standalone purchase to replace a working kettle, it feels like a stretch.

A modern home's dream - the Graef electric kettle and toaster set

Final verdict: is the Graef kettle the one for you?

The Graef WK900 sits slightly outside the mainstream kettle market. It’s well built, quick to boil and includes features you don’t often see, particularly the child lock and multiple temperature settings. It also looks the part, which matters if your kitchen is a space you’ve put thought into.

But it’s not flawless. The lack of a water window and the slightly awkward pouring are small but noticeable drawbacks, and the price means it won’t be an easy yes for everyone.

This is a kettle for someone who wants a bit more from their everyday appliances and is happy to pay for it. If that’s you, it’s a solid option.

If not, a simpler kettle will do the job just as well, even if it doesn’t look quite as good doing it.

About the author

Rebecca Roberts (aka Beccy) is our resident lifestyle expert with a practical focus on sleep, wellness and everyday comfort. She’s equally at home tackling frank, NSFW‑adjacent topics as she is road‑testing kitchen appliances, mattresses and vacuums that work for real parents. As a mum of two, she writes with the time‑poor, sleep‑deprived in mind - honest product reviews, realistic routines and products that make parents’ lives easier.

When she’s not at her desk, she’s probably product‑testing with her two helpers, corralling a PTA or walking her two dogs up and down country lanes.

About Mumsnet reviews

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All prices are correct at the time of writing.

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