AIBU to spend £162 on a kettle? Are Smeg products worth it?

[Canadianskates]

Thinking of buying a Smeg kettle but are they really worth the price? £162 for a kettle?! They look really beautiful but are they worth it?

AIBU to buy one????

Paying for the logo. I’ve not found them any different to other reasonable-quality kettles. But they look nice in the kitchen so if you’ve the budget then go for it.
Personally I like the fast (rapid?) boiling ones & the quiet boil. I’d choose a quiet one over anything because it’s on all the time!

I find the logo quite tacky, I’d go for something like this.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fellow-Corvo-Electric-Kettle-Built/dp/B00CWXWR7C/ref=sr_1_8_sspa?crid=3N5GWER3RKPSZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._GhyMrq8-m5_4G9iUXOXcfzcVJ8KHoqasujRNaE1gy6w-0qm7Da2aem1a9A7WuXlJ721W-HbiTVQ53BMG8AfyK3C3UndfDqa15FOt92Dmli6ebCx4pkhPIkDXY_MCrFDvAg-t5Zu3CZrg_8eK18nuqzsgMoMHs4pbKekkTCpppn_1cyxla4lHj5W_ZzCU3Bd3UU-7h6vOjkVAEt7FQ-zh-TBKMfyHre67_bZ_EjtpMk.4v1GeQdDp7kt1pS7q7tHHuj7KWSkDEaBSH5c2BnBCIQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=smeg%2Bkettle&qid=1773161935&sprefix=Smeg%2B%2Caps%2C286&sr=8-8-spons&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.d7e5a2de-8759-4da3-993c-d11b6e3d217f&aref=3aK8npMeE9&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&th=1

Though if it's a temperature controlled one it looks like my KitchenAid one and they are for right handed people, my left handed DH leaves it the wrong way round annoyingly after he has used it and moaned about it being for right handed people

If it's a money thing and you feel stressed about justifying it, I'll tell you two things:

1. Frame it in context of buying your favourite alternative. Can you buy e.g. a cheaper kettle and a massage? A cheaper kettle and money in your weekend away pot? A cheaper kettle and money toward a phone upgrade? Put it in terms of "I could.have the kettle, or I could have A kettle AND...."

1. Once you buy it, you'll want something else. It's human nature. It's exactly why I haven't bought a Dyson hair dryer, airwrap, airfryer, hobby upgrade, tea tray, velvetiser, new trainers, a Nintendo etc.... because as soon as I have them, yes I'll like them, but I'll have dropped a few £k on stuff I don't really need. I have a hairdryer, oven (and mostly make big meals), shoes that are still OK, just not new-looking, I have a milk frother and hob etc. The system is designed to make us want more and pay more and marketing makes us want it.

By all means buy the kettle. I have a few wild purchases and if I had to look at it daily and it needed replacing, you know what, I would buy it without hesitation.

The £599 D&G ones are hideous. If I was looking to splash cash on a kettle I go for Aarke.

https://www.lakeland.co.uk/28099/aarke-stainless-steel-kettle

I don’t see how it can be worth it. It’s boiling water, there’s no special features that you’re getting over and above what a much cheaper kettle can do. I also don’t like how the water level bit is behind the handle, it’s not as easy to see compared to it being on the side.
And this is purely personal taste, but I don’t think smeg kettles look very nice. If I was going to spend a lot on a kettle, I’d buy the £199 one a PP linked - I think it looks much nicer.

I have a smeg kettle ( and toaster ) and love them for the way they look. They’re less than a year old and no problems so far , but can’t comment on the longevity of them , and they don’t boil water or toast bread any differntly from any others as far as I can tell lol

I once bought a gorgeous smeg kettle and matching toaster. Nothing special about their performance and both managed to make it to just outside warranty before packing in. Buy them for the appearance, but not for the performance.

I agree that the D&G Smeg kettle is awful! Won’t be buying that at least.

Thanks for the alternative recommendations, keep them coming so I can compare!

My main criteria for a kettle is zero contact between boiling water and plastic. That typically rules out the ones that cost a tenner, even if they do last a decade. I assume the Smeg one has a 100% stainless steel interior?

My smeg fridge turned out to be an absolute hunk of shit. Style over substance

What does a £162 kettle do that a bog standard supermarket one doesn't do?

i have one which i love, had it for a year it's like new

i don't love the toaster though, it toasts very unevenly so i have to turn the bread otherwise its half uncooked and half burnt...

My smeg fridge freezer is rubbish. It’s not frost free! I have to defrost it every couple of months. It was given to me as an “upgrade” in a new build (which I suspect means they were trying to get rid of them). I wouldn’t touch the brand with s barge pole now.

I am a member of a smeg group on FB because I bought the slide in cooker with the induction top. My criteria were induction top and pyrolytic oven and it had to be slide in not built in so hens teeth choice. Anyway the kettles get dreadful coments about the finish not lasting and these are die hard Smeg fans. I really love my Dualit kettle. Its one of the few metal ones you can get that are only a litre so you can boil tiny amounts and its compact on the worktop. Its around 10 years old and still polishes up like new when i can be bothered.

edit: I love love love the cooker.

If it's colour you want , check out DeLonghi . I have a blue one with matching 4 slice toaster . It's not any more special than any other but I liked the colour . Heavy limescale area so nothing lasts long and have to keep up on descaling .

best thing I ever ever bought was a whole house water softener and a filter tap with undersink filter.

When it comes to Kettles I much prefer a Le Creuset on the Aga

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Good news, you don't have to. They sell kettles for £12 at Asda.

That is mad. A kettle boils water, and that is it.

I have had my kettle (Siemens by F Porsche) since 2000. Still going strong after 26 years. 💪

Of course!

We bought one and v quickly the enamel/ paint chipped off the lid. We are pretty careful with household stuff and don’t exactly use it much either. Added to the poor finish it is just a kettle - nothing remotely extra or enhanced about it. I wouldn’t buy another one. Complete waste of money.

I've had one from Argos basic one only cost a fiver that lasted longer and was a fast boiler.