Eco Friendly Kettle - Useful Or Gimmick? (Merged)

twobob_2

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Eco-Kettle-Innovation-and-practicality_W0QQitemZ270012979362QQihZ017QQcategoryZ20634QQcmdZViewItem

I came across this after having bougtht some very cheap low energy candle bulbs from this guy.

Sounded promising in the title, but I can't see and advantge over just filling a normal kettle with what you need and no more.

Your thoughts ?????

BungleGirl

I tried to buy one of these locally a couple of months ago because I needed a new kettle quickly so didn't have time to order online but I couldn't find one in a shop anywhere so I ended up with a normal kettle :rolleyes:

I think that for me the advantage is that if you live in a house with people that don't have the same 'green values' they are kind of forced to reduce the amount of water they boil.

When I was looking there was one on ebay that someone was selling for their elderly parents - they had bought it but as it has to water compartments it was too heavy for them to lift easily - so i suppose it may not be suitable for some people.

I tried to find out how ethical the company was that made them but didn't come up with much info.

I would be interested in other peoples thoughts on this product too as I may still get one and give my other kettle to someone who needs a new one or freecycle it.

Skiduck

Interesting, however, as you say - with a normal kettle - a little thought would do the same thing. The main use I read from it is the single cup usage, in a normal kettle, this would be detrimental to the element. So in effect, it's probably great if you make a lot of single cup drinks, if not, use your normal ketlle and think about how much water you put in. If you buy a new kettle, where is the old one going?

Esmerelda

Doing a google search brings up quite a lot of information, including http://www.ecokettle.com. I can't quite see the environmental logic though if you've got a perfectly good kettle you'd have to chuck out to replace with this one.

heymylastnameislewis

heres a thought fill ur mug then empty it into the kettle add a little bit extra to make sure and hey eco friendly!

jonnyw_2

The point of these is that you cant help directing your mind to how much water you will actually be boiling - you have to think about it.

My failing is to decide to have a drink, put the kettle on to boil then get distracted and end up having to boil it again.

Any ideas on how to avoid this?

Ken68

I boil MILK in the microwave , in the mug. 1minute 40secs.
Could work just to hot water then add tea or coffee.

Skiduck

jonnyw wrote:

The point of these is that you cant help directing your mind to how much water you will actually be boiling - you have to think about it.

My failing is to decide to have a drink, put the kettle on to boil then get distracted and end up having to boil it again.

Any ideas on how to avoid this?

Keep your hand on the kettle, when it starts to get too hot, it will remind you that you are boiling it.

meerustar

My mum bought one of these kettles a few months back as she drinks lots of tea/coffee and was sick of boiling more water than she needed ...

...anyway, it arrived and I shown her how it worked. The kettle has 2 chambers. You put water in the top chamber and then push down on the top of the kettle to release the right amount of water to be boiled into the bottom chamber.

It has the little diagram thing on the side, you know the one, one cup, two cups etc and so we released enough water for one cup.

We waited for it to boil, poured it in the cup and there wasn't even one cups worth in it. It would have filled only those small cups you get with a saucer. So we tried again, this time filling it to one and a half cup ... and this was enough to fill her cup.

Anyway, I decided to do a little experiment and see how much less water she was using with this new kettle ... and if the 'normal' kettle would take such a small amount without burning out. The difference was about an eggcup ... hardly worth buying the new kettle for.

So, IMHO, I'd stick with the kettle you have and give the 'eco' one a miss. It's heavy, it's bulky and to be quite honest, a pain in the backside!!!

BungleGirl

Thanks meerustar - that has saved me thirty odd quid!! How you have described it I don't think that I will bother with one.

Perhaps when I get back from my holiday I will have another conversation with the menfolk in my house (my partner and step-son) about how much water they put in the kettle and watch them roll their eyes and look at each other in a 'lets just keep quiet and let her ramble on about it for a while and then we can just forget about it again - don't disagree or argue or we could be here for ages' fashion.

AussieLass

When I boil up the jug I put the remainder in my thermos. That way I don't have to boil up so often. It keeps boiling hot for ages.