What's so special about a SMEG kettle?

[olor]

I never thought I'd be making a thread on a kettle but here I am 😂 so I'm buying my first house and have started buying bits and bobs ready to move in.

Today on my list is a kettle and toaster.

I have been browsing all morning and keep seeing the SMEG kettle and toaster which I must say, they are stunning!

But £150 for a kettle?! It seems excessive, however everybody that I know who has one seems to love it.

My question is what makes this brand so special? Does it actually make a difference to the standard Russell hobs type of brands.

I'm just looking for opinions really from those who have a SMEG and if they are worth it and what makes them so different to the others

The main problem with Smeg products is they look hideous.

Had a kettle and toaster. Kettle useless after 2 years.
No better than a cheaper one imo.

A long time ago we had a Smeg toaster and a Smeg range oven.

One of the heating elements broke on the toaster very quickly. We got a new element but fixing the replacement it was too tricky.

The range oven didn't like being heated very high and the fan part broke frequently. Their approved engines was also rude and sexist It became cheaper to replace the whole oven. Plus it was a fiddly design for cleaning.

I thought they were a bit wanky looking but Dh likes them.

We bought a Smeg kettle and toaster about 8 years ago. The toaster is still going strong but the kettle only lasted about 3 years before it broke. I wouldn't get Smeg products again. We replaced the kettle with a Dualit one which has been great.

Terrible customer service ime , I would never buy anything SMEG again after my oven.

I have a toaster, kettle and coffee machine. The kettle is ... fine. Had it seven years. I got it for the colour, it's no better than any other kettle. The lid is a bit knackered now.

If you're just starting out and have a load of things to buy, I'd forget about a fancypants kettle and just get the George at Asda kettle: https://direct.asda.com/george/electricals/kitchen-appliances/kettles-toasters/black-kettle-17l/050133365,default,pd.html. Inexpensive, reviews brilliantly and will last reliably for years and years. Then you can get a more snazzy one if you prefer.
For now - definitely substance over style!

Smeg products are simply style over substance. They look great but are basically useless
I have a SMEG fridge freezer, toaster and kettle
The fridge freezer doesn’t defrost properly and boiling water in the kettle takes too long.
I love the retro look but they you are basically paying a lot of money for items to look pretty

just get a hot water tap instead? so much more convenient

Thanks everyone. Definitely going to go for a cheaper option for now, I was just curious as to what makes SMEG so special and why they are so expensive!

I've seen some lovely and much cheaper kettles in asda and next, so am going to go for one of those to start with 😊

I bought one of those, looks lovely but it broke just before it's first birthday so I got it replaced under guarantee.

I don't think we are talking Rolex build quality here and I don't expect it to last very long.

Won't buy another !

My local electrical shop sells all things SMEG. All I do is snigger every time I walk past, due to what 'smeg' was when I was a kid.
Otherwise, as far as I'm concerned you're paying for the name, same for kitchen aid.
I had a Swan kettle for 11 years. The only reason I got a new one was because it was only a litre and I needed a bigger one.

My parents received a dualit toaster for their wedding in 1975. Still going strong with one replacement element over the years

This. I also live in a very hard water area and go through kettles every couple of years (even with descaling frequently). Plus the limescale gets on the surface and you have to clean it off or have grey patches on the base and around the lid. Check your water, OP, if you have hard water then you might just as well get a very cheapo kettle because you're likely to have to replace frequently.

I was sucked in and bought a smeg toaster which was useless.

Don't waste your money. I bought a kettle & toaster when I had a new kitchen fitted. My toaster suddenly stopped working just after 4 years. & now my kettle has broke as the spring on the plastic lid broken & they offered me a reduced price of £114 to replace it. I only paid £120 for it. I'm gutted as if I'd known the kettle wasn't going to last 8 more months I wouldn't have paid for a new toaster. My last kettle & toaster was over 10 year old & they were both under £10. Disgusting customer service from Smeg? so my advice is save your money as now have a kettle not fit for purpose 😡

The name, Status symbol in your kitchen.

Agree with all that, or duality toaster is a thing of wonder. Our Smeg fridge freezer however, is the worst appliance I've ever used. So badly made and easily damaged. Useless.

We have a cream Smeg kettle which has has died 3 times - each one a different kettle which generally falls just outside the 2 years warranty . Twice the coating starts to bubble up and once the heating element went .
Have had long chats with them about expecting more from such an expensive item but they weren't interested and just kept saying " It's out of warranty".
Avoid !

Because people are sucked in to marketing. I have a glass kettle which is great for measuring the amount of water, I would have to go downstairs to look at the brand. Sometimes a brand will be great quality, I bought a miele hoover due to excellent reviews, still really good after 15 years use.

Thanks all. This is an old thread now but I can confirm that I didn't go for the SMEG kettle, went for breville which only cost £30 and it does the job perfectly fine😊

Tbh I didn't really have any intention of getting a SMEG but was just curious about them as I couldn't believe the price!

Smeg is all style over substance! I had the fridge freezer a few years ago that cost well over £1000. Absolute piece of crap! I would never ever buy anything from smeg again.

kettle cost £180 yet broke within 5 years then they offered to sell me a replacement for £114. My matching toaster lasted 4.5 years. I'll never ever waste my money again,

I'm a big fan of smeg! I've got a fridge freezer, I've had 2 kettles and a toaster. The fridge freezer has been brilliant and I've had it 20 years. My first kettle broke and Smeg gave me half price off the new one. The toaster is 8 years old, used every day.

There are probably better out there for cheaper but I just love mine!

my advice to everyone is don't waste your money as they certainly don't last very long & I expect higher quality for the money you pay for the products.