Review of Bodum Bistro 34-Ounce Electric Water Kettle

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I currently have a T-Fal variable speed tea kettle and so did some direct comparisons between the two. The Bodum lagged in all. It took the T-Fal 2 min 19 sec to boil .5 liters and 3 min 35 seconds to boil a liter. The Bodum took 3 min 17 sec and 5 min 47 sec respectively, a significant difference and one that would certainly be noticeable while waiting. The greater size of the T-Fal is preferable to me as well--the Bodum tops out at the one liter mark, but others may not need a large kettle.

The Bodum is definitely lighter and if someone is concerned about weight, the Bodum wouldn't be a problem at all. It has a relatively small footprint, though not really significantly smaller than my T-Fal.

In general then, with the speed, size, and variabilty--I'd aim people to the T-Fal. But by far the biggest concern I had with the Bodum was its strange propensity to stay on even after boiling. On two occasions the kettle either stayed on or came back on and got hot well after I'd boiled and poured out the water. During my testing I ended up unplugging it every time just to ensure this not happening again. I don't know if this was a singular flaw or something that is a feature of all of them, but it's certainly cause for concern

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There's nothing to it really, an electric water heater so I don't have to light up the stove, wonder if there's a small clean pot, stand there until it boils or forget and let it boil over, etc.

You fill this up, push the ON button, after it boils it turns off. You lift the pot off the base and pour over teabag or into steeping pot, whatever.

I like it because it's green and modern looking. Functionality is so basic there's nothing to complain about.

Like the previous reviewer, I noticed there was no specific OFF button (just the ON button) But the auto shut off worked fine. If you're worried about auto shutoff not working soon enough, unplug after the water has boiled. I don't want bells and whistles, literally, on my tea-pot. One switch is great and the size is perfect for a family of four at breakfast. It's not like we're trying to boil water for spaghetti!

Looks like someone beat me to a 5 star review, but I'm sure we are both very pleased we purchased the product regardless of the negative review.

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This kettle looked so cute and modern that I ignored the reviewers who claimed the fact that there is no "off" button is extremely dangerous. how bad could that really be, right? I bought the red color and thought it looked so perfect in my kitchen. HOWEVER, when my husband woke up to find the kettle STILL BOILING from the night before (though the water had long since evaporated)he quickly plugged it out of the wall, and it is now on its way back to amazon. not only is this extremely dangerous, but it's also extremely costly! and explains the exorbitant electricity bill we recently received. who knows how many times the kettle stayed on boil for WAY over a minute.

I agree with the reviewer who said this item should be recalledit's completely unsafe.

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After reading all the negative reviews, I called Bodum's customer service line before ordering to ask about the absence of an "off" button. The rep assured me that all you have to do is remove the kettle from the base and the heater clicks off. That made sense to me so I ordered.

As soon as I unpacked it, I plugged it in, pressed the "on" button, and the light went on. I immediately removed the kettle from the base and the light went off, so I assumed it was no longer heating. Just in case, I unplugged it,then plugged it back i, thinking it was still off since the light was off.

Half an hour later I came back and happened to touch the outside of the kettle and it was hot. The pot was STILL on in spite of the fact that I had lifted it from its base, unplugged it, and replugged it in with no "on" light on. There was no water in the kettle either; so much for the safety feature that it shuts off automatically as soon as it's empty.

In spite of what the customer service rep told me, the 72-page manual (72 pages to boil water? Granted it's in 11 languages, but slight overkill) clearly states, "If the boiling process is ended by removing the main plug from the electrical outlet, the kettle will immediately switch itself back on when the main plug is reinserted." What kind of a design or safety function is that?

The one and only plus of this product is the beautiful style with its nice lines and bright colors. Sadly it's the only reasonably priced modern kettle I could find. That's not enough to make up for the extreme safety hazard, of course. Needless to say, I'm returning this item immediately. It should be recalled.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Perhaps if Bodum had approached this kettle with the same care they seem to have put into their French Press coffee pots, I could write a better review, sadly this is not the case.

So it's a kettle, when I first came to the USA at the end of the last century, I would have been delighted with this thing, Boiling kettles seemed non existent then.

But with the march of time, and the popularity of tea specifically (like Europe) kettles are now available in an abundance of sizes, prices and features.

Biggest problem with this is kettle is the On switch.

You notice I did not say on/off switch, because it only has an auto shut off feature, which is highly dependent on the internal sensor recognizing a boil and turning the unit off. You can not turn it off manually unless you physically unplug it.

If you need a kettle for instant coffee, or soup for example, you don't want the water to boil completely, I mean how hard would an off switch have been to put in?

It's a real shame, it's a nice clean modern design, very lightweight, and looks classy.

Slower to boil then most kettles I've used, that I could care less about, but I suspect most people will not be able to get over the on/off switch thing.

Perhaps instead of worrying about being green, and boasting about "BPA free" they should have looked at functionality first.

I would recommend Aroma AWK-115S Hot H20 X-Press 1-1/2-Liter Cordless Water Kettle.

Not only cheaper, but larger capacity, quicker boiling, on/off capability, and automatic shut off when lifted from the base.

Overall I expected more from Bodum, especially as it is not exactly cheap either.