Braun WK200W Aqua Express Electric Water Kettle, White

I bought this kettle for my wife, who is a tea drinker. The Braun has so many nice features, it's hard to know where to start. Others have said it boils very fast - indeed it does. But it also has no exposed element and the lid swings open wide, making for easy cleaning - you'd be amazed at how many other kettles are difficult to clean. You can put the kettle on the base any way you want, and swivel it around. Others I've seen are very particular about positioning. There is an "on" light on BOTH sides of the kettle, as well as fill windows.This Braun is just so well designed, it's amazing. My wife loves hers, and recommends it to her tea-drinking friends. Highly recommended.Edit, December 2007: After many years, our Braun died. I disassembled it and discovered that a plastic strap hinge, part of the on-off mechanism, had separated and was beyond repair. Oh well - off to Amazon for a new one, and I was pleased to see that it was still offered.Except... The current model has been "value engineered" with somewhat cheaper parts and is assembled in the Czech Republic rather than Germany. It is pretty much functionally the same, though the power cord on the base is now much shorter than it was originally. (We just reused the old base!) Operationally, it does not shut off as quickly as my old one did, but that might be a unit-to-unit variation. We still like it.The caution I would offer is: do not force the power button on the handle, as this can break the mechanism internally beyond repair.

I bought this electric kettle more than 2 years ago, and it's still working perfectly. It's very light-weight when empty, which is nice to handle since filling it with water makes it heavy enough. I must boil water with this device 5 times a day minimum, and it still works as it did when I first started using it. I like the safety features like the auto shut off, and the fact that it won't even start if the lid is not properly on or if it's not resting in the base completely. The body of the kettle gets warm, but the handle remains at room temperature.The plastic smell was worrisome at the beginning, but after multiple uses, the smell went away completely. Try boiling water & pouring it out in the sink several times before you make your first real cup of tea.Not related to this particular kettle per se, but I recommend using filtered water to prevent sedimentary build-up. Plus pure filtered water allows my fancy Japanese green teas to have the best flavor and color.I love this kettle so much that I got the exact same model for my mother who also uses it constantly.Highly recommended.Update: it's now 2017, and I'm still using this same kettle! No problems at all. How unusual for a consumer appliance to last so long these days! If this one ever wears out, I'm definitely getting the same brand. Quality product.

Until now I've always purchased the Bodum kettles because they are fast and look great in my kitchen. But they haven't had long lives.When the latest one burned out, I decided to switch brands. After reading reviews and checking the products I took a chance on this Braun kettle. It doesn't have the high style of the Bodum but the color was good, it wasn't ugly and the reviews were favorable.The handle is well insulated, a big plus. My quibbles, and they are just that, are that the on button and the open lid button are close to each other so sometimes I press the wrong one. The lid assembly is not the easiest to open and at first it seemed hard to fill, though it is not.Overall, it's been an excellent choice. It's sturdy, boils water quickly and holds 7 cups, just enough. No leaking or heat transfer. It's a great performer and I like it better every day.

I was really jazzed about my purchase of the Braun WK200W. It was a real improvement over my previous electric kettle. You can fill it through the spout, it's very quick and the level indicator is conveniently located. Good, good, goodNow the bad. I noticed standing water adjacent to the kettle, this was at about 8 months. It leaked on and off for a couple of months, before I called Braun expecting a replacement. Their response was,"Thank you for the information, we'll make note of it. Good bye." They essentially left me hanging, like thanks for the info guinea pig.It still works but leaks. I was in Costco yesterday and bought a Hamilton Beach Stainless Steel electric kettle for $29. It looks great, but the reviews on Amazon give me caution.

I am not as pleased with this kettle as I hoped I would be. I wanted a replacement for my trusty Bodum which I owned troublefree for 13 years. I loved the sylish look of the Bodum, it looked so nice in the kitchen with its ultra modern design. This kettle is big and quite ugly looking on the kitchen counter top.Things I like:-1) Fast2) Good pouring3) Easy fill4) comfortable handle5) Cordless6) 7 cup capacity (although the big bulky size is also a negative as it makes it unattractive)7) Automatic cut-offThings I do not like:-1) The big, black, extra thick ugly cord, (the kettle is white, not like the picture, a white handle too)2) The plain ordinary style, (compared to the Bodum's ultra modern look)3) The size4) The noise, (it is VERY noisy, I can hear it upstairs)5) The smell, (at the moment it smells of plastic, I am hoping that will go)Unfortunately the Bodum has been discontinued but it had all the advantages this one has not. It was quiet, smaller, only fractionally slower, stylish, and did not smell. It was also cordless and had automatic shut-off. It was white to match my kitchen and had a white cord. It is very disappointing when an old friend dies.UPDATE.Good news! I have found a vendor who has the Bodum Curl Cordless Electric Kettle, so I will order one of those and send this thing back.