Which is the best eco kettle?
What, you might fairly be thinking, is an eco kettle when it's at home? Simply, it's a kettle designed to stop you from overfilling -- and stop you wasting electricity, cash and carbon. There are good reasons for wanting one. According to the Energy Saving Trust, you could save a whopping 31 per cent on the running costs on your normal tea-making and saucepan-filling.
There are three to choose from, and they split into two camps for technology. The Eco Kettle and the Lobo Plunger Kettle use two water chambers inside, allowing you to store water inside and only squirt the appropriate amount through to a boiling chamber when needed. The third, the Tefal Quick Cup, takes a different route, heating water instantly and dispensing it from a downward-pointing tap.
One key difference between the eco kettle posse are water filters. The Eco Kettle doesn't have one, while the other two do. That's arguably good news for the Eco Kettle's overall carbon footprint -- each filter will require a mite more carbon to produce in the first place -- but not so good if you're hugely fussy about drinking filtered water.
The filters do have a practical benefit too, cutting down on limescale build-up in the kettle. Whether filters are a priority for you or not, it's worth bearing in mind that neither the Lobo or Tefal kettles have recycling schemes for the filters (unlike Brita's excellent Freepost recycling scheme).
In use, one of the main issues with the kettles is weight. Because of their double chambers, the Eco Kettle and Lobo feel a good deal heavier than an average kettle, so bear that in mind if your wrist is a bit wobbly or you have arthritis. The Tefal may suit you better in that case.
Then there's speed. All of these kettles usually boil faster than a bog-standard kettle, simply because they're always boiling the correct amount. Lastly, there's the design to consider, and on that front the Lobo and Tefal are clear winners for us.
So, fill up your kettle to the right amount, boil a cuppa and read our reviews below to see which one takes your fancy.
Eco Kettle
Lobo Plunger Filter Kettle
Tefal Quick Cup
