Bonavita 1.7-Liter Variable Temperature Digital Electric Kettle

Great concept, but with several significant flaws
We really wanted to like this kettle, but unfortunately the unit we received didn't work well at all. We'll explain our experience below so you can take it into consideration as you make your own decision.

PROS:

1. Temperature control is great for tea lovers and seems reasonably accurate.

2. Temperature settings are customizable for precision.

CONS:

1. On the unit we received, a strong burst of steam escaped continuously from an invisible gap somewhere around the bottom of the handle, near the water-level window. Not just a little steam, but almost like a pressure spray. Interestingly, this stopped happening after a few uses, making us wonder if something melted to block the leak. In any case, it isn't a good sign of the build quality (at least on the particular unit we received; others might not have this problem).

2. When boiling on the max setting, the handle became too hot to touch with bare skin, and remained so...

Avoid!
This product worked great but after 6 months of daily use the heating element stopped working. At $70, I expected it to be a bit more reliable. I tried to contact customer support to file a warranty claim but kept getting the runaround. Then, I tried to see if I could fix it myself but the bottom panel is secured with triangle headed screws that nobody has a bit for. Basically, it seems like Bonavita's policy for broken products is "screw you, buy a new one."

Edit: I finally managed to get the bottom panel open. Turns out it was a blown thermal fuse. Assuming you're having the same problem I'm having and willing to do a little tinkering, you can order replacement fuses for about a buck each. Google the part number "G4A01192C" and it'll come up as the first result. Granted it's a little bit of work but worth it considering the price of buying a whole new kettle.

Does One Thing, and Does It Well
This is a very well designed kettle whose primary design goal was clearly to very accurately heat water to a specified temperature and keep it there. Every feature and control clearly speaks to that goal and it all works together seamlessly to achieve it.

The controls are simple, intuitive, quick, and easy to use. The desired temperature can be easily set using the preset button to cycle through the five preset temperatures and then, if desired, further customize by one degree increments. The readout displays the current water temperature rather than the target which is usually quite nice, but can be slightly annoying on rare occasions. The handle stays cool even when keeping water at a near boil for many hours.

There were some things about the kettle that I have not seen mentioned in many places, if any. There is a plastic water level window under the handle, though it doesn't seem to affect the taste of the water any. There is also a plastic strainer assembly...

Click to Editorial Reviews