Sharp R-230KW 800-Watt 4/5-Cubic-Foot Compact Microwave, White

Sharp R-230KW 800-Watt 4/5-Cubic-Foot Compact Microwave, White

Product By Sharp        (74 customers reviews)

Lowest Price : $67.00 

Technical Details

• Compact 0.8 cu. ft. Microwave fits almost anywhere
• 800 watts of power provides fast reheating and cooking
• 10-3/4" Carousel turntable holds most dinner plates
• Programs: 4 Cooking, 6 Reheating
• 3 Shortcut Options

Product Description

800 watts and 0.8 cubic foot capacity provide ample cooking power while its contemporary styling makes this microwave oven a beautiful compact addition to any kitchen.

Features:


* Auto-Touch Controls are precise and easy to use

* Shortcuts make melting, softening and warming easy

* Digital Display is accurate and easy to read

* Defrost is used to thaw meats and poultry quickly by weight

* Four Cook Options ensure perfectly cooked popular foods for 1 or 2 servings

* Six Reheat Options make it especially easy to heat frequently served foods including beverages, pizza, rolls, and muffins

* Pops Popcorn automatically for perfect results with most types of microwave popcorn

* Minute Plus sets the oven at High with a single touch

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Customer Reviews

  
"Don't buy" 2010-10-23
By K. Ellefson
This microwave is very small, a dinner plate barely fits inside, but this is a good thing when you have a tiny kitchen. I was also able to overlook the flimsy door and the fact that it had less power than my previous microwave, I adjusted times accordingly. However I am giving this microwave only 1 star because I have to return it after only having used it for one month due to paint chipping off the interior. I replaced my previous 9 year old microwave because it just started to chip paint and yet this one chips after only a month. Very disappointing!!!

  
"Compact Microwave" 2010-10-10
By Jacqueline L. Buckely
I had a larger more expensive Sharp with more wattage, but for the price, this one is excellent. I couldn't afford the bigger one again at this time, but this one does everything I need, and is just as efficient.

Thanks.

  
"Great purchase at a even greater price!" 2010-10-04
By Sharron B.
I am very pleased with my microwave,the oven is easy to clean and the instructions are easy to read. It fits very nicely on a mircowave cart: An attractive kitchen necessity.

  
"Perfect compact" 2010-09-30
By boardhead (NJ)
Needed a compact table top unit for a small space. This fit the size bill, has worked well and was inexpensive.

  
"Serves its purpose but a little small inside" 2010-09-04
By Raul Roeder
I think it is a pretty good microwave but my only complaint is that even the little models keep getting bigger on the outside but not proportionately larger on the inside. Since we used ours mostly for defrosting, and heating up, all we need is something dependable. We read in consumer reports that the knobs and switches were just average so that wasnt a show stopper for us. That's because it works well and doesn't break down for a long time. In 6 years, we've owned two small Sharp "carousel" microwaves, each of which lasted for three years with no problems. Compared to our other home appliances, this is pretty impressive. Granted, their are few working parts and all microwaves are more reliable then things like toasters and blenders.

Breadman TR520 Programmable Bread Maker for 1-, 1-1/2-, and 2-Pound Loaves

Breadman TR520 Programmable Bread Maker for 1-, 1-1/2-, and 2-Pound Loaves

Product By Black & Decker       (97 customers reviews)

Lowest Price : $51.54 

Technical Details

• Paddle comes attached to electrical cord; detach but keep safe for use with select bread types
• Programmable breadmaker bakes 1-, 1-1/2-, and 2-pound loaves
• 3 crust shades; 8 functions for breads and doughs; 13-hour delay timer
• Fruit-and-nut add-in signal bell; viewing window; nonstick baking pan; removable lid
• Measures approximately 13-1/2 by 12-1/5 by 13-1/2 inches; 1-year limited warranty

Product Description

Breadman Horizontal Loaf Breadmaker. Makes a 2 pound horizontal loaf. 1-hour keep-warm cycle. Fast Bake bread in under 1-hour. 13-hour delay timer. Crust color control - Light, Medium, Dark. Viewing window. 8 programs.

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Customer Reviews

  
"Are You in the Mood for Some Hot Fresh Bread" 2010-10-25
By niki3668
I purchased this bread machine for the little boy watch. He has a soy allergy that makes it hard to find bread he can eat. I found recipes on the internet and used some that came with the machine. I have made white, wheat and Italian herb bread. They all turned out perfectly! He and the entire family LOVE the bread that this machine makes. I would recommend this machine to everyone!

"good, not great" 2010-10-24
By P&B
We make multi-grain loafs all the time. They come out small but wouldn't blame the machine. Doughs are always good. Problems I've had are 1) the LED numbers failed early into this units 3 year life span--very inconvenient. 2) pan latches became very loose, but with slight adjustment we lived with it, 3) seems to be under powered, although a tablespoon of water often fixes its lugging; 4) deal breaker, the pan started to leak; the rings around the paddle shaft rusted away, thus why we're getting a new baker.


BUT even with these issues, we will probably get another TR520 because it is reasonably priced, it makes good consistent loafs the way we like them and doughs are better than average. I just wished it would last a little longer. Three star.

  
"Better than Store Bought!" 2010-10-23
By Karen Shore (Wyoming, MN United States)
I have three little complaints: 1) the bread comes out more square than oblong, makes for a very large sandwich (a huge bonus would be to come with a bread cutting guide). 2) the pale yellow background with the white letters used for the settings is quite cumbersome. This was quite puzzling to me because it is VERY hard to read the display... whose idea was it to use "pale" yellow and white? and 3) The recipe book is pretty hard to follow. It appears someone just jotted down the recipes and drew lines under each description to separate the ingredients. The way they have the ingredients displayed is somewhat confusing, but there is a way to figure it out... just careful attention. If this part of the review is confusing, that's what the recipe book is like, hard to explain it. THE SETTINGS: you have to be very careful with the settings, if you place setting for medium crust, it comes out very very dark, and hard. The light comes out medium, and somewhat harder than we like the crust to be. My solution: take out the bread about five minutes before it is finished. I don't know if there is any other machine out there better, but I really like having this instead of using store bought bread with all the fake and harmful ingredients; this way I know what exactly my family is eating. This machine, with a little tweaking on my part, works for me! Nice to have homemade bread.

  
"Why spend more?" 2010-10-17
By beejay
This machine does what my previous, much more expensive, bread makers did, bur for much less money! I can use very simple or complex recipes and as long as I have followed the recommendations of the manufacturer, the bread comes out just as planned! I had to try only three "practice" loaves to know how to alter my recipes. I do suggest you use the yeast suggested in the manual instead of any in your recipes or purchased bread mix! Now, go bake some fresh bread...winter is coming and nothing is as welcoming as that smell!

  
"May be the best on the market" 2010-10-12
By Alan L. Jensen (Glendale, CA USA)
I owned a Breadman for about 7 years, and wore it out. It worked great, except the last year or so it needed a bit of help to pick up and mix all of the ingredients; just a bit of digging flour out of the corners with a rubber spatula. In the new one, they've changed the shape of the pan; it looks like I won't have that problem.


I replaced it with this one. The heating coils quit about 90% of the way through the first loaf. Replacement was quick and easy, and the replacement has worked perfectly. I'd give it 5 stars, except the control panel on the front and the liquid crystal display are hard to read. I'll probably buy another Breadman in 5 or 10 years, when this one wears out!

KitchenAid KFC3100WH Chef Series 3-Cup Food Chopper, White

KitchenAid KFC3100WH Chef Series 3-Cup Food Chopper, White

Product By KitchenAid       (197 customers reviews)

Lowest Price : $31.09 

Technical Details

• 3-cup work bowl ideal for small jobs and making sauces, dips, frostings
• Reverse-spiral-action blade pulls food down for uniform chopping
• Electronic pulse pad provides precise control; 240 watts
• Wet and dry compartments on domed lid for adding flavorings
• One-year "total replacement" warranty

Product Description

This little powerhouse is up for any job, no matter how tough, as long as you don't need large quantities of food processed quickly. When might an appliance such as this prove indispensable? How about for chopping lots of onions, nuts or cheese? Perhaps for making a decadent buttercream frosting, guacamole, salsa or spinach dip? KitchenAid's insistence on fine performance is backed by their total replacement warranty.

Amazon.com Review

With a 3-cup work bowl and 240 watts of power, this chopper is ideal for small jobs and for making sauces, frostings, and dressings. The stainless-steel blade's reverse spiral action pulls food down, minimizing scraping and producing uniform chopped meat, nuts, cheese, vegetables, herbs--all the many foods for which the chopper is intended. For adding ingredients while the chopper is running, the lid has two compartments, one for dry items and the other for wet. For precise control, the chopper's electronic pulse pad responds instantaneously. The heavy power base provides stability and is seamless, making cleanup a simple matter of wiping the base and placing all the parts in the dishwasher. The chopper stands just 9-1/2 inches high and has cord storage inside the base. A stiff spatula is included. Should the chopper fail during its first year, KitchenAid's total replacement warranty guarantees delivery of another machine. --Fred Brack

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Customer Reviews

  
"Great Food Chopper" 2010-10-22
By DC
I have really enjoyed this little food chopper, I had a Hamilton Beach one, but found it just did not work properly, it would turn chopped onions into mush. This actually chops onions perfectly.........as a matter of fact I used this to make salsa and never even broke out my cutting board, did it all in the food chopper. It looks great out on my counter and I get allot of comments on it, it is cute, it matches my big food processor !

  
"KitchenAid Mini Chooper by Auralee & Company" 2010-10-18
By Auralee & Company (Moscow, PA)
This is a great Little Chopper!


I was sick of buying onions and peppers already chopped in The freezer section, so decided to pick up this Chopper!

It works like a charm!

Now i buy peppers and Onions in bulk( saving alot of money) and I quickly chop them and freeze them myself with the help of this great little machine!


I also started making Christmas Cookies for the Holidays and its perfect for chopping the nuts i use!
And I think it makes a great Holiday Gift Idea!
Definetely recommend this item!

Auralee & Company

  
"a moody machine, sometimes doesn't want to work" 2010-10-13
By S. ALLING
What a disappointment. I really wanted to like this machine for baby food making, however sometimes it just doesn't work. I mean it, sometimes it does not turn on, so my cooked baby food ends up in trash. I guess you cannot trust a machine for the brand all the time.

  
"Serves a purpose, but quality is lacking" 2010-10-12
By S. Bliss (Naperville, IL)
Personally, I don't think this is a great product. It does serve it's purpose as a small appliance to quickly chop an onion, but the plastic container is cheap and flimsy. I question how long it will last. I do have a 12C wide mouth processor from Kitchen Aid. The plastic on that container was thicker and within 4 months, it had severely cracked and I had to order a replacement.


If you're looking for something that will quickly chop some things up (not uniformly), then this works and it doesn't take up much space. Just plan on replacing it relatively soon. And DON'T put the container or the lid in the dishwasher!

"Good gift" 2010-10-11
By TJK
I bought this food chopper for my mom as a gift and she loves it. Very easy to use and clean.

Zojirushi CV-DSC40 VE Hybrid Water Boiler and Warmer, Stainless Steel

Zojirushi CV-DSC40 VE Hybrid Water Boiler and Warmer, Stainless Steel

Product By Zojirushi        (67 customers reviews)

Lowest Price : $154.99 

Technical Details

• Water boiler and warmer with a large 4-liter capacity
• Vacuum-insulated keep warm provides maximum energy efficiency
• Temperature settings include 175, 195, and 208 degrees F
• Temperature-control system; 6- to 8-hour timer; auto shut-off
• Measures 8-3/8 by 11 by 13-13/16 inches

Product Description

The Zojirushi VE Hybrid Water Boiler and Warmer keeps water hot energy efficiently with vacuum insulation technology. This new items features super VE vacuum-electric hybrid keep warm system. New energy efficient non-electric keep warm. Micro computerized temperature control system. It displays actual water temperature at all times. It is easy to clean with a clear coated stainless steel exterior. It has easy to read large wraparound Panaroma Window water lever gauge. Cafe Drip dispensing mode for slower dispensing and a convenient timer feature (6-10 hours). This unit features a safety auto shut off, easy to hear beep indicator to alert completion of boiling process or low water level.

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Customer Reviews

  
"Excellent! Love it!" 2010-09-11
By A.X. House (PA, USA)
I bought this product when it was on sale, it came 10 days later. We started to use it three weeks ago and I have to say that we love it...very convenient and easy to use. We hope it will last for a long time...

"Excellent product" 2010-09-11
By 4sranchdweller
This water boiler/warmer has many nice features and blends in well with my other stainless steel appliances. I was wondering whether it was worth the high price, but after using it, I have no regrets.

"Quality product - just what we wanted" 2010-09-02
By Dee Richards (Mobile, AL)
About a month ago, we purchased the Zojirushi® VE Hybrid Water Boiler (CV-DSC40) specifically for making coffee. We got tired of the coffeemakers that make the coffee taste like plastic or get so gunked up inside that you can't get the coffeemaker clean. Now we enjoy fresh tasting coffee with a little extra effort. We are still looking for a good manual drip coffee maker that doesn't leave the coffee cold before you can even pour it into the cups.


This unit is very easy to set-up. At night we replace any left-over water with fresh water, set it to vacuum mode, set the number of hours on the timer then push the reboil button. Since the unit keeps the water hot for a long time, we really only use the vacuum mode. It only takes a few minutes to get the water boiling again. I find myself using the water for more than coffee. The other day I made rice and used the water from the boiler to kick-start the process. It was great not having to wait long for the water to boil. Also I have used it to quick 'sanitize' items. Just make sure that the container you are using to get the water can stand up to the heat because it gets really hot.


It does emit steam at the top so you have to be careful where you place the unit.


The number of hours on the timer are limited. It doesn't have a clock for a programmed time but I like that better because I don't have to set a clock. It would make the unit complicated.


I do wish the default setting for the buzzer was not the music. If it is unplugged too long when emptying the water it will revert to the music but it can easily be changed back to the beeping sound.


This unit is made in Japan but be aware that some of the Zojirushi product are made in China. This is one of the few purchases that I would make again. We did purchase a Zojirushi carafe that was made in China. Although the design was good, the carafe did not have the same quality and was returned. I hope our boiler holds up as I expect and, if possible, I will update later.

  
"Love it" 2010-08-16
By Sodakgrrl
When I ordered this I wondered if I was doing the right thing. I am a tea drinker, and have had electric kettles for years, but needed to replace my last one. While kettles are great, I was always having to refill and reheat. I love the Zojirushi. It keeps water at the exactly right temperature (208 degrees), the water is ready in the morning because I can set it to heat up before I get up. It does take about 20 minutes to boil if you are just starting (will be longer in the winter when the water is colder), but with planning that is not an issue. Some others have commented on having to be careful to not place it under cupboards because it is tall and when it boils the steam will hit the cupboard. I find it less of an issue than with my kettle, especially since I had to bring the kettle to a boil every time I needed hot water. I love having hot water throughout the day and evening. The stainless steel finish fits right in with my stainless appliances. The only thing I might do differently is get the 3 liter instead--but the price was better on the 4 liter when I bought it, and I find I go through a lot more water than I thought I would, so I'm happy.

  
"A happy tune greets you every day" 2010-06-03
By Edward Goldberg
Most people talk about the Hot Water. But in fact when you add a new appliance to the kitchen the real question you need to ask is if this extra stuff makes your life better.


This Single Purpose Appliance is a very important part of my day. It makes that very important hot brew at the exact moment I need to have my cup. You will enjoy the nice looks and the quality of the presentation.


Nice features are:


So tall that it can fill even large pots with no lifting or tipping needed. Makes starting up water for Pasta very fast.

Hot soup from an instant "just add water" is now only a moment away.

Ok, so what is this "Happy Tune" title all about?

Yes each time the pot gets up to temp. it breaks out in a small song to say how happy it is to provide you with hot water.

I would bet that the next version will have Twitter so you can "follow" you hot pot on your iPhone/iPad.


Edward M. Goldberg

Black & Decker HS1000 Handy Steamer with Flavor Scenter Screen

Black & Decker HS1000 Handy Steamer with Flavor Scenter Screen

Product By Black & Decker        (33 customers reviews)

Lowest Price : $23.15 

Technical Details

• Food steamer and rice cooker for healthy meals in minutes
• 4-quart steam basket; 5-cup rice bowl; built-in egg holder; drip tray
• 75-minute timer with auto shut-off and signal; external water-fill inlet
• Built-in flavor-scenter screen for flavoring foods with herbs and spices
• Measures approximately 12-1/5 by 9-1/5 by 10-2/5 inches

Product Description

Steamers are a healthy, convenient way to fix vegetables, rice seafood and more. Fill with water, wine, juice, or broth; place herbs or spices in the Flavor Scenter; add food; and set the timer. Your deliciously steamed food is ready when the bell rings.

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Customer Reviews

  
"This is one of the coolest items I own" 2010-10-25
By J. Weisensell
I love that this steamer has a screen that infuses your food with whatever spice you choose! Great gift for any foodie

  
"Great Rice Cooker" 2010-10-23
By Paula
I have tried several different steamers to find one that makes white rice with the same consistency as our local Chinese restaurant. This is it. Rice comes out perfect.

  
"The Ultimate Rice Cooker !" 2010-10-20
By allodds
I have been shopping and hopping from one rice cooker to another, in search of perfection + ease of cooking. Recently bought a conventional fuzzy logic rice cooker; the cooker is fantastic, but the non-stick coated inner pot is now a turn-off after my recent education about its evils. So, this food steamer was my next investment.


Wow is an understatement! There is no escaping the no brainer rice perfection. You fill the bottom compartment with water all the way to Max, place your rice container (with rice plus suggested water measurement) and then turn the thing on. It takes 60 mins to cook 2 cups of dried rice to result in 4 to 6 cups of cooked rice (depending on the variety you use). Brown rice takes 75 mins. The timer switch is an old-fashioned dial, but does its job and turns off faithfully at the end.


After that is all Rice Heaven. Basmati, sushi, brown, wild, - name it, turns out as it should. The amazing thing is, the cooking is even from top to bottom. No stirring needed.


A couple of caveats to be taken into account.

This is not suitable for making large quantities of rice. It is for fool-proof everyday cooking for a family of four to six, nothing can beat it.

You must immediately toss out that tiny flimsy plastic joke of a rice container that comes with it and get an appropriately shaped Pyrex glass bowl instead: http://www.amazon.com/World-Kitchen-pyrex-1072103-Pyrex-Tear/dp/B002IOFF88/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1287594896&sr=8-6. That is about the only extra effort/expense you will need with this product.

  
"New Steamer" 2010-10-15
By Edward Palermo (Peabody, MA United States)
I have been using the B&D HS1000 for about 1 month now. I do like the fact that the basket is larger than my old B&D steamer. What I don't like and others commented about it is how flimsy the new basket is. It feels like if I'm not careful I'm going to break the bottom out of the basket. It is harder to clean since food gets stuck under the seam. Don't really care for the "Flavor Scenter Screen". I just spinkle my spices on top of my food.

I would recommed this steamer.

My old one lasted 4yrs before the timer stopped working so I got my money's worth out of it and hope the new one last as long.

Amazon also had the best price and no shipping

  
"Returning item. Poor quality Poor Service" 2010-08-24
By 0084 (Isle of Atlantis)
Strike 1: Poor design

Lid doesn't fit steamer basket. The lid is slightly more oval than the steamer basket and so it doesn't line up correctly. You need a lid that adheres to the steamer basket to lock in the steam.

How lame can you be in quality design?

I'm suprised because I have always trusted the Black and Decker name.


Strike 2: Service Center at doesn't answer phone during stated hours of operation.

Tried calling the 800 231 9786 service phone number at 7:30pm PST tonight to see if they would send me replacement lid, but their office is closed. The service number says thay are open until 11pm EST. Lame.


I'm going to repackage and return to Amazon. Don't need the hassle. I'll buy another brand.

Hamilton Beach 32229 22-Quart Roaster Oven, Stainless Steel

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Hamilton Beach 32229 22-Quart Roaster Oven, Stainless Steel

Product By Hamilton Beach        (12 customers reviews)

Lowest Price : $55.43 

Technical Details

• 22-quart portable roaster oven for roasting, baking, cooking, and serving
• Simple control knob with adjustable heat up to 450 degrees F
• Removable insert pan and lid; lift-out wire rack; cool-touch side handles
• Stainless-steel housing; easy-to-clean design; user manual with recipes included
• Measures approximately 18 by 25-2/7 by 11 inches; 1-year limited warranty

Product Description

Double your oven space with the Hamilton Beach Roaster Oven. Roasts, bakes, cooks and serves. Features include a removable pan and an easy lift-out rack.

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Customer Reviews

  
"Hamilton Beach 22 Qt. Roaster Oven, Stainless Steel" 2010-10-09
By Gail Jewell (Southern California, USA)
We are Farmers and I do a lot of cooking. I got this Roaster Oven so I could cook two in the time of one ,freeze the extra and have an almost ready source of quick dinner. Summer here is long and HOT, so using my kitchen oven is avoided about half the year.I have this roaster oven out on our porch.

This is the biggest non-comercial roaster I could find with cost being a facter also. I have been using the roaster at least once a week since I got it and I am very pleased with it. The only thing I don't like is how thin the cover is so I tent it with heavy duty alluminum foil to help insulate the top. This seams to cut the cooking time down a bit.

  
"Roaster Ovens" 2010-09-03
By Shopgirl
This Hamilton Beach roaster gives you an entire second oven and DOES NOT heat up your kitchen. Turkey's come out beautifully golden and crisp leaving your stove oven to handle other components of your Thanksgiving feast.

  
"Not Happy" 2010-02-03
By Norma Keffer
I am completely unhappy with this purchase and would love to return it, however I have used it. Which is how I know I do not like it at all. Please let me know if there is anything I can do.

Very unhappy

  
"Great Roaster" 2010-01-31
By Marianne Kincaid
The Roaster that I received from the site has worked great. It can easily cook a turkey and it comes out very juicy. It also is very easy to clean. I had great service from the distributor. He made sure that I got it in time for Thanksgiving. I would highly recommend the roaster and the site.

  
"Careful, it gets hot outside!" 2009-12-21
By M. Burningham (Eagle Mountain, UT United States)
The roaster oven worked great for our 22 lb Thanksgiving turkey, which was stuffed. However, it took about 60 minutes longer than the directions said it would for a stuffed bird. I used the browning sauce recipe included with the oven and the turkey looked perfect. It was moist and delicious! However, I did not expect the outside to heat up as much as it did and burned my hand when I touched it. I put a Post-It note on the cupboard above the roaster warning others not to touch!!

I have since used the roaster to steam about 12 lb of King Crab legs. I improvised a large enough colander from a disposable turkey roasting pan and set it on a rack I had that fit the roaster perfectly. I added 1 qt of water after preheating the roaster to 450 F, then piled in the crab legs. They were done perfectly in about 15 minutes. What an easy way to get this job done!

The roaster looks great and cleans easily -- once it has cooled.

All in all a great investment that has freed up my oven for other foods I make for our big family parties. I am very happy with this purchase.

Breville SK500XL Ikon Cordless 1.7-Liter Stainless-Steel Electric Kettle

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Breville SK500XL Ikon Cordless 1.7-Liter Stainless-Steel Electric Kettle

Product By Breville       (254 customers reviews)

Lowest Price : $69.99 

Technical Details

• 1500-watt cordless kettle rapidly boils up to 1-2/3 liters of water
• Cushion-controlled lid; water-level indicator; removable scale filter
• Easy "on/off" switch; "ready" bell; auto shut-off; boil-dry protection
• Brushed stainless-steel housing; soft-grip handle; cord storage
• Measures 8-3/4 by 6 by 9 inches; 1-year limited warranty

Product Description

Breville Ikon Tea Kettle has premium brushed stainless steel exterior. It has a unique blue backlight behind the water window. 1.8 (1.7 liter) capacity and has 1500 watts of power.

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Customer Reviews

  
"Fast, handy water boiler!" 2010-09-14
By Teresa (Houston, TX)
This boils a whole bunch of water very quickly. It's very handy, easy to use, and my mom, a big tea drinker loves it. It makes a nice Ding! when your water is ready, and then you can just grab your kettle and go anywhere because it's cordless.
Would recommend if you are a serious tea drinker (and you have the counter space!).

  
"Not really faster than old fashioned stove-top boiling." 2010-09-06
By zowee (Seattle, WA USA)
My Breville 1.7 liter Ikon Electric Kettle arrived packed very well and in good shape. The product is attractive; the instructions are nicely done (though there's not much to using a kettle!). Registering the product and opening an account at the [...] website was painless.

The main reason I bought an electric kettle was to have boiling water faster. Well I did a couple of experiments*. Here are the results:

Boil 1.7 Liters water:

--- Breville (Exactly 7 minutes),
--- Covered 2 qt Sauce Pan (7 minutes, 15 seconds)
--- Tea Kettle (7 minutes, 30 seconds)

Boil .5 liters water:

--- Breville (145 seconds)
--- Covered 2 qt Sauce Pan (150 seconds)
--- Tea Kettle (155 seconds)

*Breville time based on when the switch turned off. Tea Kettle based on full whistle. Sauce pan based on observed full rolling boil. Sauce pan and Kettle started on cold burner.

While the Breville was slightly faster than the old-fashioned competition, the differences are minimal. So now I'm wondering if this was worth the $70 price tag, or if any other electric kettle would do better. I doubt it, and I'll probably keep it, for two reasons: 1)the auto-off feature works and is worth quite a lot in terms of safety and convenience, 2) it looks pretty cool - a totally stupid reason but something I'm nonetheless prone to take into consideration.

A note on the retail box - on the back of the box, it says a half-liter of water takes "less than a minute" to boil. On the side of the box, it says a half liter of water takes 130 seconds to boil (that's 2 minutes, 10 seconds by my math, and it took 145 seconds in my test).

I bought this so I could boil water faster to start brewing coffee in my new Chemex coffee pot, with beans ground in my new Capreso burr grinder. I probably could have done just fine with my cheap Krups grinder and a tea kettle, but drama queen that I am, I like making major productions out of the simplest of tasks. I've really outdone myself this time!!

  
"Nice look, bad quality" 2010-08-25
By Bill Smart (Clayton, MO United States)
I bought this kettle originally because the top opened up wide enough to clean, the kettle detached from the base, and I prefer metal over plastic. And it has a cute blue light when it's on. So far so good.

We had to send back two of them because when we got them they didn't work.

We've now had it for a year or two. It's become a bit of a game to figure out exactly how to rotate/position the kettle on the base so it stays on/heating. It's been getting worse - a few months ago I thought I was just getting forgetful and not turning it on after filling it. Then I saw the light go out just after turning it on, the motion of the water sloshing around (I guess) breaking the connection. Now it's very difficult to find a position that works, and the slightest touch turns it back off again.

It's also a bit slower to heat water than my last kettle (which is no longer available) but not as slow as the kettle we have at work.

My guess is that the induction connection in the base is just poorly designed. Anyways, guess we'll be buying a new (different) kettle.
Oh yeah, it does get pretty hot.

  
"I'll never go back to heating water on the stove" 2010-08-22
By J. Swartz (Oakland, CA USA)
We use this to boil water for making coffee with a french press, for making tea, and for heating water for pasta when the stove's just not fast enough to do it alone. It heats up water very quickly, needs no maintenance (there's always some water in it, no leakage or rusting) and *bings* with a pleasant tone when the water's boiled, turning itself off. There's no chance we'll go back to a regular kettle now.

  
"Amazon's Questionable, "Service"" 2010-08-18
By Anonymous (Los Angeles)
This is a review of Amazon's service, not one of the actual kettle. I ordered this kettle 5 days ago and not only has it not shipped, but Amazon won't allow me to cancel my order. If I'd known that I'd be left hanging, I never would have ordered from them. Amazon usually has great service; with this order, they FAILED.