Smeg KLF03 50’s Style Kettle Review

For an attention-grabbing and stylish appliance, choose the Smeg KLF03 50’s Style Kettle in an on-trend champagne shade. Not only does it look gorgeous on the worktop, it’s practical: from the fingerprint-proof matte finish to easy filling. It’s also equipped with plenty of power, so you won’t be waiting around for your brew. And pouring? As smooth and elegant as you’d expect.

As one of the few appliances getting pride of place on the worktop, it’s almost a necessity for a kettle to look stylish. This is something that the Smeg 50’s Style kettle achieves brilliantly, from its sleek shape to its matte finish and chrome detailing. However, it impresses on the practical front too, filling easily, boiling quickly and pouring without splashing. We especially liked the slowly rising lid – elegant when filling from cold, but even better for preventing a face-full of steam when refilling after boiling.

Design and features

• Stainless-steel interior
• Soft-opening lid
• Brightly lit power lever

It isn’t only the logo that makes Smeg’s kettle instantly recognisable, but the combination of elements that go into making it look good. These include the latest matte finishes (in champagne, black or white) that don’t show up splashes and fingerprints in the way of gloss surfaces, plus the chrome detailing on the spout, handle, power lever and base.

The KLF03 is also beautifully designed on the inside. The stainless-steel interior is easy to keep clean; a concealed element reduces limescale build-up; and a removable, washable stainless-steel filter means there’s less chance of limescale ending up in your cup.

I really liked the illuminated lever to show the kettle is on. Not only is it obvious and chunky, avoiding accidentally switching it on, its bright light can be seen at a glance. It comes with boil-dry protection should you manage to catch it, however.

A touch of a button up top sees the lid open – again, not easily caught by accident or mixed up with a power switch – and it slowly rises for filling. However, its water window can be a bit slow to present the actual amount of water in the kettle when filling, I repeatedly overfilled, so had to get into a habit of filling, checking, then topping up. Thankfully, the Smeg includes a measure for cups and litres, so you can stick to the measurement you prefer.

Performance

• Pours smoothly
• One litre boils in 2mins 18secs
• Heavy when full

The KLF03 has a 3kW element to thank for its speedy performance. From cold, I boiled a litre of water in 2mins 18secs, and a full kettle of 1.7 litres in 3m 44s – which meant minimal waiting around. Plus, there was no bubbling or splashing at the spout, even with the kettle full.

Pouring out was visibly smooth, with no drips or dribbles, from full to empty. Note that the kettle’s minimum capacity is 500ml, though, so on occasion you will be boiling more water than you need.

Where there might be an issue for some is with the weight of the jug itself. Without the base, it’s more than 1.2kg, with most of that concentrated in jug’s base. When filled to its 1.7-litre capacity, this weight rises to 2.9kg, which may prove too heavy for some. I found the kettle became noticeably weighty as I was holding the jug under the tap for a few seconds while filling.

Conclusion

If you want a stylish kettle but don’t want to compromise on boiling performance and smooth pouring, the Smeg KLF03 50’s Style Kettle is an excellent choice. For those who need variable temperatures, the Smeg KL04 may be a better choice. For more options still, check out our other recommended kettles.