Product Description

Hamilton Beach brushed stainless finish Cool Touch tea kettle has 8-cup capacity and a cordless base for easy pouring and safe operation. Concealed heating element and thumb activated lid for easy filling. Additional features include automatic shut-off when water boils, an On - Off light, and a mineral deposit filter.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2125 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Color: Stainless
• Brand: Hamilton Beach
• Model: 40898
• Platform: Windows
• Format: Color
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 8.75" h x 10.13" w x 6.75" l, 3.60 pounds

Features

• 40-ounce electric kettle with concealed heating element
• Cordless design for easy serving; 360-degree power base
• Automatic shut-off; locking lid; drip-free pouring spout
• Stay-cool stainless-steel housing; mineral-deposit filter
• Measures 8-1/2 by 6 by 10 inches; 1-year limited warranty

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

401 of 405 people found the following review helpful.
Metal liner, cool outside, good balance - best combo of features
By andrewc
Most importantly, my wife loves it, and she is a gadget-phobe. I just bought a second one for my mother.

We have been using it for two months now, and no problems so far.

After my usual exhaustive search, I selected this tea kettle because it had the best combination of features.

PRO:
- All metal: stainless steel liner and no exposed heating element to accumulate scale buildup. The lid is plastic but it doesn't come into contact with the water. I really didn't like the idea of boiling water in contact with plastic.
- Cool touch exterior for safety and also it insulates the water inside, keeping it hotter after the kettle shuts off upon boiling.
- Nice balance for the handle - I find the electric kettles with the handle on the top to be much more difficult to lift and pour. This one has the handle on the side - much better.
- Wide mouth top is easy to fill and clean. The lid pivots in the middle - too hard to descri be so I added a clip from the user manual. Easy to remove lid to clean, though as others mentioned it does get in the way a bit when you're filling the kettle.
- As with many other kettles, it is cordless -- the kettle lifts easily off and on from the corded base, and you can hide any extra power cord inside the base.

CON (none of these matter to me or my wife):
- No water level indication, but then if there were you would probably have connections that could leak over time and potentially plastic parts in contact with water.
- Water temperature is not adjustable.

344 of 350 people found the following review helpful.
Almost perfect
By Bob Tobias
2 1/2 Year Update (as of 3/2013): We've been using this kettle at least twice a day and it works and looks like new. The only maintenance we do is every six months heat up a one-to-one mix of water and vinegar to clean any build-up. Now, back to the original review...

There are lots of pluses... The double insulation keeps the outside less than dangerously hot. It also means the water will heat up a tiny bit faster and stays hot a lot longer than uninsulated kettles.

The water almost never touches plastic; an important consideration to some. The underside of the lid is plastic and so is the frame around the scale filter. Still, the contact is minimal. The tall, thin design means it take up less counter space than other models.

The surprising (to me anyway) "minus" is that when you take this pot off its base the switch stays in the on position. All the other cordless electric kettles I've used shut off when you lift them up. The re sult is that the only two ways to turn this off are to remember to flip the switch or count on the kettle to turn itself off when the remaining water boils or the pot runs dry. It's not a big deal but for the price Hamilton Beach could have included an interlock (like they do on other kettles they make).

BTW, I feel that honest, effective reviews take the place of first-hand experiences that are lacking in online shopping. I've always appreciated the help I've gotten from other reviewers and continue to return the favor as best as I can. If you thought this review was helpful please let me know by clicking on "Yes" button where it asks. If there was anything you thought was lacking or unclear leave a comment and I'll do what I can to fix it.

273 of 278 people found the following review helpful.
Simple But Functional (And Durable)
By Avid Reviewer
I've had the Hamilton Beach Cool Touch Tea Kettle for two years and I've had no problems with it. I love it for the following features:

Pros
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- Stainless Steel
The most important reason I got this kettle is that its interior is made of stainless steel, not plastic. Boiling water in plastic just doesn't sit well with me what with the talk about the health hazards from harmful chemicals (e.g. BPA, DEHA) in plastic leaching into food and drinks.

- Seamless Metal
Inside and out, I simply can't find a a metal seam - the kettle is a one-piece stainless steel construction and have absolutely no joints where pieces of stainless steel are welded together. There is, therefore, no need to worry about the water being contaminated by lead from solder.

- Quick Boil
It boils 40 oz of water, the maximum capacity, in 4 minutes. (I actually timed it. Boil times will of course vary depending on altitude and the initial temperatur e of the water.)

- "Cool" Touch
When boiling water in the kettle, the exterior of the kettle is warm, not hot, so you don't risk getting burned.

- Wide Opening
The wide opening makes it easy to fill it with water and to clean.

- Easy Plug In and Plug Out
To "plug in" the kettle to the power supply, simply sit the kettle on the base unit. Similarly, simply lift the kettle to "unplug" it. It's a one-handed operation, and there's no cords or plugs to mess with.

- Spring-Loaded Lid
The spring-loaded lid flips open with the press of a button on the handle. The lid can also be easily detached by pressing a button on it to release a catch.

- Auto Shutoff
When the water starts to boil, the power button pops up, the green LED indicator turns off, and the kettle automatically shuts off. There is also an audible "click" as the power button pops up.

- Looks
The kettle looks attractive with it s simple curves and brushed stainless steel finish.

As for Cons, there's just one for me:

Con
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- Hard-To-See "Max" Water Fill Mark
The interior has a "Max" mark to indicate the maximum water level but it's not easy to see it. Work-around: The lid is hinged in the middle, so when it is flipped open, the bottom half of extends below the rim of the kettle. It so happens that the bottom of the lid lines up with the "Max" mark, so you can use the lid as a marker for gauging when the water level reaches the mark.

Conclusion
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The Hamilton Beach Cool Touch Tea Kettle is attractive, easy to use, and boils water quickly. I don't think you can go wrong with this one.

[Update June 9, 2011]
I'm really pleased with how durable this product is -- I've been using this electric kettle for well over 4 years now, and I've had no problems with it. I hope to enjoy using it for many more years to come!