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- Gorgeous design details
- Easy to use
- Pleasant sounding boil
- Very expensive
- Heavy
Smeg might be best known for its range of super-luxe Italian ovens and refrigerators but one of its most consistently sought-after appliances is its 50s retro-style kettle – the KLF03. It’s a sleek, glossy affair, with the iconic Smeg branding proudly displayed across the front and it even comes in a multitude of colours for every kitchen.
While it might be an expensive bit of kit – it is just a kettle, after all – its thoughtful design and performance in tests make it a real stand-out item that I’m more than happy to recommend. This Smeg KLF03 kettle review covers why it’s ideal for gifting, a special birthday or just as a treat to brighten up your kitchen – read more about why I think it’s worth considering below.
What do you get for the money?
The Smeg KLF03 kettle is one of three models produced by Smeg. It sits alongside the KLF05, a mini 0.8L model (£130) and the KLF04, a variable temperature model (£200). The KLF03, which I’ve reviewed here, is the brand’s ‘mid-range’ option at £160 – a full-sized 1.7L kettle with a single temperature setting of 100°C.
As you might expect given the price, its design is anything but mid-range. It’s incredibly well built, with a sleek gloss body and soft-open lid that’s activated by a button on top. Power is controlled by a small lever under the handle and is illuminated while the kettle is boiling. The 360 swivel base is as thoughtfully designed as the kettle itself, featuring non-slip feet and a slightly raised button, to allow for cord storage underneath. It’s available in a total of 14 colours, including the classic cream pictured in this review.
What’s it like to use?
While I personally found it to be a little on the heavy side at 1.5kg, it’s evenly weighted throughout with a comfortable ergonomic handle that stays cool to the touch. I also don’t need to lift a kettle for more than a few seconds at a time, so unless you’re elderly or have serious muscle weakness, I don’t think it would be a real issue. This kettle also has a nice consistent pour, whether it’s full or just pouring one cup – it might not be something you think about from day to day but when it’s not right, you’ll notice.
Cleaning is easy too. Both the spout and internals of the kettle are sleek and without hidden nooks, which means less hidden limescale build-up to worry about. And if you live in a hard water area like me, you’ll know how quickly that can become a problem.
One issue I did come across during testing is that the Smeg KLF03 kettle review wouldn’t be complete without noting it gets rather hot on the outside and stays that way for a while. The initial external temperature I measured with a heat thermometer came in at 101.7°C, only dropping down to 87.9°C after five minutes. For most people, this won’t be an issue but if you have young children that can access it, this might be one to reconsider.
Is it noisy?
The Smeg KLF03 has a relatively quiet boil. In my tests, I measured an average decibel level of 63.8dB from a metre away using a sound meter. As well as being quiet, I also like that the sound isn’t a grating one. Now, if you’ve never really thought about the type of sound your appliance makes before, that might sound weird. But after close to a decade testing kitchen appliances, I know that even a quiet kettle can be grating to listen to. While some, like the Smeg kettle, produced a soft, low rumble, others can feel quite piercing, even at lower decibels.
Should you buy the Smeg KLF03 kettle?
This is a beautiful kettle with a great pour and lots of thoughtful quality of life features that you simply won’t find on cheaper models – but it is going to set you back significantly more than your average kettle. In fact, you can spend much less and still find yourself with a perfectly good model that does the job of boiling water.
So why buy it? If you do have the money to spend on a nicer kettle, you like the design and you’re looking for something that has thoughtful quality of life features, then there’s no reason not to consider it. I’ve tested plenty of kettles that stretch beyond the £100 mark and many of them aren’t as well designed as this one.
