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Aug 06, 2023

Kenwood Abbey Lux kettle review: A brilliant, basic kettle

Pros Cons While pricey kettles pack in fancy features such as variable temperature settings and cheaper kettles are often far too flimsy, the mid-range Kenwood Abbey splits the difference. With a

Pros

Cons

While pricey kettles pack in fancy features such as variable temperature settings and cheaper kettles are often far too flimsy, the mid-range Kenwood Abbey splits the difference. With a stylish, contemporary look, a large 1.7l capacity and a handful of neat design touches, this sensibly priced kettle does just enough to stand out from the crowd.

The Kenwood Abbey can ordinarily be picked up for between £30 and £40, depending on the retailer. For your money, you’ll get a 1.7l capacity kettle, with an all-plastic body that measures 18.8 x 22 x 25cm (WDH) and weighs 0.99kg. The Abbey also has a 3,000W internal heating coil and a clear viewing window with measurement markings, and it sits atop a 360-degree swivel base. The kettle is available in four colours: white, dark grey, dark grey with rose gold trim and white with silver trim.

In terms of value, the Kenwood Abbey is actually pretty tough to beat, with only our favourite budget kettle, the John Lewis Anyday (£20), coming in cheaper. You won’t find a great many kettles below the £20 mark, and we wouldn’t really recommend any of those, as build quality really suffers at these lower price points.

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If you’re happy to spend a little more, then there are many excellent options. Two of our favourite kettles, the Bosch Styline (£65) and Russell Hobbs Attentiv (£70), both have variable temperature abilities, keep-warm functions and stylish designs, with the Styline offering better dual-walled insulation and the Attentiv having slicker controls and more precise temperature settings.

Stretch your budget even further, however, and the Swan Alexa (£99) adds smart speaker compatibility, giving you the option to use voice commands and app controls, the Zwilling Enfinigy Pro (£129) brings together many of the plusses of both the Styline and the Attentiv alongside an ultra-modern design, while the KitchenAid Artisan (£195) boasts peerless build quality, design and ease of use.

While all the 3,000W kettles performed similarly in our testing, the Kenwood Abbey was the fastest of the lot, if only by a few seconds. The Abbey took just 2mins 15secs to boil 1l of water, achieving a boil rate of 0.57°C/s and proving its speed and efficiency. It also performed solidly in our heat-retention test, keeping a litre of water at 91.2°C when measured five minutes after boiling.

Other neat physical features of the kettle include its roomy 1.7l capacity, which makes it suitable for large, busy households, its clear viewing window with measurement markers and its wide, soft-pouring spout. The kettle is also nicely light at 0.99kg and has a smooth, one-button lid opening mechanism. I’m also a fan of the kettle’s stylish look, with the metallic trim of the silver-and-white and black-and-rose-gold versions adding a touch of contemporary class to the kitchen.

One area where the Abbey faltered was the exterior temperature test. Reaching a peak of 62.3°C, the Abbey got a little hotter on the outside during use than I would like. Although, admittedly, it wasn’t the worst offender, with the likes of the John Lewis Anyday and Ninja 1l Rapid Boil coming to highs of over 70°C.

Outside of that, my two main critiques of the Abbey are its all-plastic construction, which, naturally, make it less sturdy and harder to clean than a kettle that at least has a stainless-steel interior, and its lack of any extra features or functions. However, given the kettle’s fairly modest price, these are mere quibbles.

While it lacks features compared to pricier kettles, the Kenwood Abbey is a great buy if you’re looking for something a touch nicer than a generic, white-plastic kettle. The Abbey has a generous capacity, enough for even the liveliest tea-making sessions, a 3,000W internal heating coil, which allows it to boil water as fast as any of its rivals, and a handsome design that both looks stylish on your countertop and feels sturdy in use.

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