Amazon Basics Electric Glass Kettle In-depth Review
Overall Verdict
The Amazon Basics has just the right features to be a simple and easy-to-use electric kettle. Besides a glass carafe, there’s nothing fancy about its design. Nevertheless, its performance scores are actually quite high across the board, making it a good and low-cost choice.
Things We Like
- Inexpensive
- Easy to use
- Light weight
- Large capacity
- Pretty fast boiling time
- Long cord
Things We Don’t Like
- Kettle waddles on base
- Cord rigid to wrap
With our electric kettle series in hand, we bought the Amazon Basics Electric Glass and Steel Kettle (F-625C) for 29.63$ to review. Our first impression upon unboxing and doing a test run were mixed. The kettle had a pretty fast boiling time but it waddled around the base quite a bit. Without further ado, check out the standardized test results and detailed assessments below.
7.9 Performance
For such a standard kettle as the Amazon Basics, performance is what you should be focused on. Looking at the scores, we’d say it delivered well on boiling time, energy consumption, noise level, and heat retention.
7.8 Boiling Time
For the common electric kettles (not gooseneck) like the Amazon Basics, we evaluate the time they take to boil 1.5 liters of water—a middle ground of their capacity. The kettle took 6 minutes and 57 seconds to bring 1.5 liters of room-temperature water (80°F/26.7°C) to boiling point (212°F/100°C).
This result was quite fast and matched with the kettle’s 1500 W of power, worthy of a 7.8/10.
8.0 Energy Consumption
We used a power meter to measure the Amazon Basics’ total energy consumption to bring 1.5 liters of room-temperature water to a rolling boil. The result was 150 Wh which was our standard for an 8/10.
8.5 Noise Level
The CDC-recommended 80 dB limit is for two hours of continuous noise exposure. During boiling, the Amazon Basics’s noise level peaked at 75 dB while reaching a rolling simmer. This result earned the kettle an 8.5/10.
7.0 Keep Warm
The glass carafe of the Amazon Basics doesn’t have the best material for heat retention. The kettle also doesn’t have temperature control or the Keep Warm feature. As a result, after 5 minutes, the temperature dropped from 212°F / 100°C to 202°F / 95°C. This equates to a 7/10 according to our data.
7.5 Design
The Amazon Basics has a standard design, and we don’t mean that as a criticism. All the features of its carafe, spout, handle, lid, base, and power cord do well what they are meant to do. The only thing subpar about the kettle is the slightly wobbly kettle-to-base assembly.
In the Box
- One cordless kettle
- One corded power base
- One user manual
- Warranty: 1-year US limited
The Amazon Basics arrived between a foam pad on the top and one on the bottom inside a carton box. The instruction manual had basic information on the kettle’s parts, how to use, safeguards, cleaning and maintenance, troubleshooting, and warranty.
Dimensions
8.0 Carafe
The carafe is made of glass and holds 1.7 L (57.48 fl. oz.) which is around 7 cups of water (+2). It has a large opening, 3.54 inches in diameter, so you can comfortably pour in water from your tap or any container (+1).
The plastic spout of the Amazon Basics has a standard V-shape. There are water level markings in the middle of the carafe (+1). The limescale filter is positioned by the spout and is removable (+2).
Similar to many other cordless electric kettles, the Amazon Basics’ heating element is positioned inside the bottom of the carafe. There’s a ring of blue LED around the bottom which will illuminate when the kettle’s running, making it easy to spot in the dark (+2).
7.0 Handle
The cool-touch handle is made of BPA-free plastic (+3). Its design is standard, without an ergonomic contour or anti-slip feature, but feels secure and comfortable on the wrist nonetheless (+4).
8.0 Lid
The Amazon Basics has a hinged lid that pop-ups to an 85° angle with a single push of a button on the handle (+5). It has a silicone band around the circumference to make sure it’s tightly sealed when closed (+2).
The exterior is plastic with a stainless steel coating. The lid isn’t entirely cool-to-touch, only a small black area.
The interior is plastic which may be undesirable for those wanting to avoid water coming into contact with plastic material (+1). Nonetheless, we found no odd odor during the first boil.
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6.0 Base
The Amazon Basics has a standard BPA-free plastic 360° swivel base (+2). We found the kettle’s fit to the base not very firm, possibly due to the coupler not completely fitting (+0). At the bottom of the base is the cord storage and also three small anti-slip rubber pads (+4).
Power Cord
The Amazon Basics has a 29.72-inch flat power cord, which should be enough for household use. Its three-pronged plug is grounded so typically safer than a two-pronged one.
7.5 Usability
The Amazon Basics doesn’t try to be anything more than it is— a standard and easy-to-use electric kettle. Therefore, the kettle doesn’t create any unnecessary difficulties in controlling and using it.
7.0 User Control
The Amazon Basics has a standard one-touch switch with no digital display or temperature control (+1).
The power switch is made of clear plastic and is positioned near the bottom of the carafe along the handle. It also acts as the indicator light which will illuminate with a blue LED when the kettle is running (+2).
The kettle has an automatic shutoff feature which will activate when the thermal fuse detects that the temperature has reached boiling point (+2). You must keep the lid closed to use this feature, but if you forget to close the lid there is a boil-dry protection feature which turns off the kettle when no water is present (+2).
8.0 Ease of Use
The Amazon Basics is extremely simple to use, with only two distinctive buttons—one for power and one for opening the lid (+2). No unpleasant odor was detected during the first boil—a sign of good material quality and upkeep before delivery.
The handle felt good to grip and seemed sturdy when we picked the kettle up—it was filled with water to the max (+2). It has a good angle between the arm and the kettle, so pouring is effortless (+1).
The unobstructed and large opening of 3.54 inches allowed us to comfortably pour in water from the tap or even a water pitcher (+1). The water level markings are in the middle of the carafe for easy viewing and precise decanting (+1).
Because the kettle didn’t fit firmly onto the base, the whole thing kind of wobbled around when reaching boiling point. It wasn’t to a dangerous degree, but slightly noisy nonetheless (+0).
Due to the flat shape of the cord, it was a bit rigid to wrap around the cord storage, but it was okay after we broke the cord in (+1). After wrapping, the cord sticks out 5.51 inches, including the plug.
7.0 Cleaning
Cleaning the Amazon Basics is effortless and easy (+2). Its lid doesn’t get in the way and the opening is large enough for an adult hand to fit through and wipe the interior (+3). The limescale filter is removable for frequent cleaning and maintenance as well (+2).