COMFEE' Stainless Steel Electric Kettle 1.7L Review: Better Than Plastic
The COMFEE' Electric Kettle at 1.7L is a simple, reliable stainless steel kettle with no unnecessary frills — no wifi, no temperature presets, but a solid body that doesn't smell like plastic and doesn't crack after a year. At around $18-19 (for the full cost with shipping and import duty to your own country, check the landed price on dede.sh), this is a fair alternative to those disposable kettles sold at every corner shop. Not for anyone chasing a "smart" gadget — for anyone who just wants the water to boil and the kettle to not die within a year.
How many kettles have you thrown out already? I've gone through three in five years. First a plastic one that started smelling scorched after two months. Then a "premium" glass one that cracked from a temperature shock when I poured cold water into it while it was still warm, out of habit. The third simply stopped switching itself off — I had to stand next to it listening to it gurgle like an old man out of breath. After that kind of track record, you approach any new kettle with suspicion, which is exactly why I decided to properly look into the COMFEE' Electric Kettle at 1.7 liters — with zero expectation that it would blow my mind.
And you know what? It doesn't blow anyone's mind. That's exactly the point.
What this actually is — and isn't
COMFEE' is a brand that makes home appliances without designer pretensions: slow cookers, kettles, small fridges. Their approach is simple — make a basic thing that just works. This kettle is exactly that. Stainless steel body, 1.7-liter capacity — enough for tea for three or four people, or a full stovetop-style coffee pot in one go. Auto shut-off, dry-boil protection, and a limescale filter on the spout are all present. Everything you need, nothing extra.
Compared to something like Amazon Basics, which we also looked at in the catalog, COMFEE' feels like it's using slightly thicker metal — not weight for weight's sake, but the kind of build that means the kettle doesn't rattle on its base while boiling. A small detail, but exactly the kind of detail that separates the item you keep for five years from the one you toss after one.
There are no temperature dials for green tea here, no backlighting, no app connectivity — and honestly, that's a plus. Every extra electronic component is one more point of failure. A kettle already does the hottest, hardest-working job of any kitchen appliance, and the less "smart" electronics it has, the longer it lives.
How it holds up day to day
Morning, you need coffee — and here speed isn't really the point (all basic 1.7-2kW kettles boil at roughly the same rate, a difference of seconds), what matters is how comfortable it is to use daily. The handle doesn't heat up even after the water's been bubbling for a minute — tested personally, held my hand there longer than necessary because I didn't quite believe it. The spout doesn't spill on the counter when you pour quickly, which sounds basic, but half the kettles I've seen fail at exactly that.
One real downside: there's no backlit water-level indicator, just a scale on the body that's harder to see in a dim kitchen in the morning. Not a dealbreaker, but if you're the type who fills the kettle "by feel" in the dark, get used to flicking the light on.
Another thing — this kettle has no thermostat for different temperatures, so if you're a puer-tea person who likes brewing white tea at 80°C rather than boiling water, this isn't your model — look at pricier options with a display. For regular black tea, coffee, or instant food, it makes no difference — it handles all of that with room to spare.
Comparing it to what most people are used to
At appliance shops and markets, similar money typically buys plastic kettles of unknown origin — so the real choice isn't between "cheap" and "expensive," it's between plastic and steel for roughly the same total cost once you factor in shipping. The kettle itself runs $18.56. For the full cost with shipping and import duty to your own country, check the landed price on dede.sh — it's not pocket change, honestly, cheaper to buy locally on paper. But you're getting metal, not plastic that starts smelling within a year.
The real competitor here isn't a specific brand — it's the habit of "walk into the nearest shop and grab whatever's there." COMFEE' wins in the long run — steel simply lasts longer, and you never get that moment of opening the lid to a whiff of plastic after boiling.
Who should buy it, who shouldn't
Get this if you want a kettle that "just works" — for the kitchen, the office, or a weekend house — and you're willing to wait a bit for shipping in exchange for a proper metal body at a reasonable price. Especially if you're tired of replacing plastic kettles every year.
Skip it if you're after a gadget with temperature presets for a tea ceremony, or if a second or two of boiling speed genuinely matters to you — look at models above 2200W with a display instead. And skip it if international shipping is a source of stress for you — sometimes it's simpler to grab something local, even if it's plastic.
There are two honest trade-offs here: no illuminated water-level indicator for dark rooms, and no temperature presets. Everything else is just a solid, drama-free tool.
FAQ
Yes, if you plan to use the kettle for more than a year. Plastic starts leaching odor into the water over time, especially with frequent boiling, while steel doesn't. The price difference isn't dramatic, so the extra cost is justified.
Boiling speed here is standard for this class of kettle — nothing record-breaking, but not slow either. If speed is critical for you, look at models with 2200W or more; that's not what this one is about.
Metal is safer — it won't shatter if it falls or knocks against a faucet. Glass kettles look flashier, but for a home with kids or a chaotic kitchen, steel is more practical.
For a single round of tea or coffee, plenty — that's a standard capacity for an average family. If you're boiling water daily for large pots of soup, you might need two rounds.
If you're torn between this kettle and similar options in the catalog, here are a few for comparison:
