Dualit Lite 1.5l Kettle review: A gorgeous, competent kettle
A well-built, ergonomic kettle, the Dualit Lite’s main draw is its beautiful chrome and colour-trim design
Pros
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Well-designed handle and spout
- Solid insulation and heat retention
Cons
- Noisy operator
- Relatively expensive
- No extra functions
Dualit is known for its well-built and visually striking range of small kitchen appliances and homewares, which includes toasters, coffee machines, kettles, pots and pans, and more. Living up to the brand’s reputation, the Dualit Lite 1.5l Kettle is a solidly built and aesthetically pleasing piece of kitchenware, with its shiny, chrome design and matte colour trim coming together to bring a bright, elegant look to your countertop. Boiling efficiently, pouring smoothly and generally pleasant in use, the biggest question hanging over the Lite is whether it can justify its fairly steep price tag and stand up to models that offer more technical features and functions.
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Dualit Lite 1.5l Kettle review: What do you get for the money?
At full price, the Dualit Lite 1.5l costs a fairly significant £90. For your money, you get a 1.5l-capacity 3,000W kettle with a highly finished stainless steel body, a heat-proof handle and a heat-proof hinged lid. The Lite measures a fairly compact 22 x 17 x 26cm (WDH), weighs a reasonable 1.6kg and is available in five colour trims: Gloss White, Canvas White, Black, Gloss Red and Grey. It has a clear plastic viewing window with markings in litres on one side of the kettle and a set in cups on the other, and it sits on a 360° swivel base with rubber feet to prevent slippage.
The Dualit Lite is a particularly nice-looking kettle that feels great to use, but at £90, it does sit in a somewhat awkward position, with cheaper kettles operating similarly well while more expensive options offer extra features and functions. If you’re simply looking to boil water for a cuppa, then the likes of the sleek, 1.7l capacity Kenwood Dusk (£50), fast-boiling Kenwood Abbey (£30), or the stripped-back John Lewis Anyday (£20) will all get the job done, for less outlay.
Want your kettle to do a little more than just boil water? Coming with precise variable temperature controls, a keep-warm function and a slick touch-control base, the Russell Hobbs Attentiv (£70) is a great option for anyone looking for a feature-packed kettle that’s reasonably priced, as is the similarly functional Bosch Styline (£65). For fans of voice control, the Swan Alexa Smart Kettle (£99) is a novel option, allowing users with a compatible Amazon smart speaker to set it off with a simple “Alexa, boil the kettle.” And if budget isn’t a concern, the Zwilling’s Enfinigy Pro (£129) boasts a wide range of functions with an ultra-modern design, while the KitchenAid Artisan (£195) offers a truly classic design, alongside variable temperature controls, sturdy build quality and several other neat touches.
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Dualit Lite 1.5l Kettle review: What’s good about it?
As most of the kettles in our group test were 3,000W models, performance results were naturally quite close. Still, the Dualit Lite deserves praise for boiling a litre of water in just 2mins 26secs at a rate of 0.52°C/s – which isn’t far behind the speediest kettle, the Kenwood Abbey, with a time of 2mins 15secs at a rate of 0.57°C/s. It also performed admirably in our insulation and heat-retention tests, heating to a not unreasonable exterior temperature of 66.8°C, and having its water remain at a very respectable 93°C five minutes after coming to a boil.
Outside of performance, the kettle’s aesthetic appeal is one of its main draws. As noted above, the Lite sports a highly finished, silver steel body and a classic jug shape, with the colour trim that runs along the side and top of the kettle adding a welcome pop of brightness. The classic look and range of colour choices available mean the Lite will fit neatly into any kitchen. And, if you want to commit fully to its aesthetic, you can also pair it with Dualit’s Lite Toaster.
Another point of praise for the Dualit Lite is how pleasant it feels to use. Not just a pretty face, the kettle’s good design extends past its looks: the handle is long, grippy and heatproof, as is the smoothly operating hinged lid; the so-called “anti-spill” spout pours smoothly and seems to help avoid drips; and the cup and litre markings either side of the kettle did prove handy, allowing me to make sure no energy was wasted boiling excess water.
Dualit Lite 1.5l Kettle review: What could be better?
The one true fault I found with the Dualit Lite is that it’s fairly noisy, at least compared to the other kettles in our group test. When measured, it registered 58.3dB; it was the second-loudest model behind the Ninja 1l at 63.1dB, and sat far above the most subdued kettles – the KitchenAid Artisan, Kenwood Dusk and Swan Alexa – which landed in the low-50s.
That technical flaw aside, my main complaint with this model is that it’s marginally too expensive. At its price point, I’d really expect some added functionality – a number of temperature setting options, at the very least.
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Dualit Lite 1.5l Kettle review: Should I buy it?
If you’re looking for a barebones model just to boil water, then the likes of the Kenwood Dusk or John Lewis Anyday may be more suitable. Similarly, if you’re looking for a more fully featured model, the Russell Hobbs Attentiv, Swan Alexa Pro or Zwilling’s Enfinigy Pro will offer more functionality.
All that said, there are two main things people care about when purchasing a kettle: that it boils water quickly and efficiently (which the Lite does) and that it looks nice on their countertop, which the shiny, chrome finish and nice selection of available colours will ensure is the case for most kitchens. Furthermore, the nicely designed handle, lid and spout of the Dualit Lite make using it a smooth and pleasant experience, which is an added bonus that not all kettles can match.