Secura Electric Kettle SWK-1701DA In-depth Review
Overall Verdict
The key attraction of the Secura Electric Stainless Steel Double-Wall Kettle (SWK-1701DA) is its good heat retention and cool-to-touch safe exterior. Furthermore, hot water only comes in contact with stainless steel, meaning no internal plastic parts like other kettles we’ve tested.
On top of that, it only costs a tad more than its glass competitors. It’s a straightforward kettle, fast to boil, but a little high on power consumption and lacks some standard features found on other kettles.
Things We Like
- Cool-to-touch exterior
- Double-walled heat retention
- No plastic contact with water
- Fast to boil
- Affordable
- Large lid opening
Things We Don’t Like
- Energy consumption
- No water-level markings
From the start, the Secura Electric Stainless Steel Double-Wall Kettle (SWK-1701DA) won us over with its design. What’s more, the price of $31.75 on Amazon (at the time of writing) was really reasonable.
We chose the simple black version but this model also comes in black onyx, dark purple, red, orange, and white. With just one boil, the exterior proved cool-to-touch and we couldn’t wait to test for heat retention.
7.8 Performance
Our performance tests confirm the product’s claim that the double-wall stainless steel leads to faster boiling times and better heat retention. As a bonus, the kettle was comparatively quiet when boiling. It did consume a bit more energy than other kettles, but this was compensated by excellent heat retention.
7.8 Boiling Time
For common electric kettles (not goosenecks) like the Secura, we evaluate the time it takes to boil 1.5 liters of water—a good middle ground capacity.
The kettle’s advertised to boil water quicker than others due to its stainless steel double-wall construction. And, in the end, it took only 7 minutes and 14 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 indeed fast but not much faster than similar 1500 W kettles we tested. According to our data, it was worthy of a 7.8/10 score.
7.0 Energy Consumption
We used a power meter to measure the Secura’s total energy consumption to bring 1.5 liters of room-temperature water to a rolling boil. The result was 155 Wh which was a little more than its competitors, so we gave it a 7/10.
8.6 Noise Level
During boiling, the Secura’s noise level peaked at 74.5 dB while reaching a rolling simmer, which was lower than the CDC-recommended 80 dB. This result earned the kettle an 8.6/10 on our scoring chart.
8.5 Keep Warm
Understandably, and from our experience, we expected the Securas’s stainless steel double-wall carafe to have good heat retention despite not having a digital Keep Warm feature. These were the manufacturer’s claims and we were not at all disappointed with the result.
After 5 minutes, the temperature only dropped from 212°F / 100°C to 205°F / 96.5°C. This earned the kettle a whopping 8.5/10, or the best out of our non-temperature-control kettles.
7.6 Design
The Secura Electric Stainless Steel Double-Wall Kettle has good build quality overall, not just in its titular feature. However, a silicone band around the lid for tighter a tighter fit, a mesh filter, and a water-level window similar to the Cuisinart CPK-17P1 PerfecTemp would be nice improvements.
In the Box
- One cordless kettle
- One corded power base
- One user manual
- Warranty: 2 years
The Secura Electric Stainless Steel Double-Wall Kettle arrived between a foam pad on the top and on the bottom inside a carton box. The instruction manual was standard, having basic information on the kettle’s parts, how to use, safeguards, cleaning and maintenance, troubleshooting, and warranty.
Dimensions
7.0 Carafe
The Secure holds 1.7 L (57.48 fl. oz), or basically 7 cups. It has a double-wall carafe with a stainless steel interior and a BPA-free plastic exterior (+2). This means that the carafe is cool-to-touch no matter to what temperature you boil the water to (+2).
The carafe has the largest lid opening among our tested kettles—4.92 inches in diameter—allowing you to comfortably pour in water from your tap or any container (+2). The spout is also stainless steel and has a standard V shape.
Unfortunately, the kettle doesn’t have a limescale filter or a water level window, only a maximum water level indicator in the interior wall (+0). It also doesn’t have an LED ring, making the black kettle not any easier to spot in the dark (+0). On the bright side, the power switch does glow blue when the kettle’s running (+1).
An interesting design choice of this model is that its heating element extends from inside the carafe’s bottom to near the top of the carafe’s interior. We assume this is the reason why the kettle's boiling time is slightly faster than other models with the same power output.
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 Secura has a hinged lid that pops up to a 75° angle with a single push of a button located on the handle (+5). Its exterior is plastic with a small cool-touch area in the middle.
During our tests, the plastic part of the lid’s exterior did get hot due to escaping steam, but very slowly. We speculated the lid could stay cool for much longer if it had a silicone band around the circumference for a tighter seal like some other kettles. Nonetheless, our Keep Warm test showed that the lid still closed tightly (+1).
The interior is stainless steel meaning there’s no plastic material coming into contact with your water, which we know many people appreciate (+2).
9.0 Base
The Secura has a standard BPA-free plastic 360° swivel base that’s sturdy and fits the carafe well enough (+5). At the bottom of the base is the cord storage and also three small anti-slip rubber pads (+4). However, for some reason, the kettle that we received was missing two of the rubber pads.
Power Cord
The Secura has a 33.66 inch round power cord, which is easily long enough for household use. It has a three-pronged plug with a grounding wire which is typically safer than a two-pronged one.
7.6 Usability
The Secura Electric Kettle is both safe and easy to use thanks to its cool-touch exterior. Moreover, the stainless steel double-wall construction only makes it slightly larger and heavier than comparable kettles. The carafe’s large lid opening also makes it extremely easy to fill as well as for periodic cleaning.
7.0 User Control
The Secura 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 at the base 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). If you forget to close the lid, this feature won’t work but there’s no need to worry since the boil-dry protection feature will turn the kettle off if it runs dry (+2).
9.0 Ease of Use
The stainless steel double-wall design of the Secura makes it larger and heavier than its counterparts, but only slightly. It’s a worthy tradeoff when you never have to worry about accidentally touching the kettle and burning yourself.
The kettle is extremely simple to use with only two distinctive buttons—one for power and one for opening the lid (+3). Even though the lid only pops up to 75°, the large opening remains unobstructed, and is actually easier to pour in water than most kettles (+1).
The carafe doesn’t have a water level window, only markings on the inside which can be quite tricky for gauging exact volumes. Nonetheless, it should not be too much of a problem as long as you keep the water level below maximum.
The handle felt good and seemed sturdy when we lifted the kettle, including when filled to the max with water (+2). The pouring angle between the arm and the kettle likewise made lifting effortless (+1).
The power base fits firmly below its carafe so there’s no wobble during boiling (+1). We found no odd odor during the first boil—a sign of good material quality and upkeep before delivery.
Due to the flat shape of the cord, it was a bit rigid at first to wrap around the cord storage, but it soon loosened up in (+1). After wrapping, the cord sticks out 6.1 inches, including the plug.
5.0 Cleaning
Having the largest lid opening in our roster of electric kettles, the Secura is extremely easy and effortless to clean (+4). Most adults could easily fit a hand through to wipe the interior (+1). Due to the kettle not having a mesh filter, we recommend doing the cleaning weekly.