Daewoo Essentials 1.7L Fast Boil Kettle Review: a cheap, no-frills jug that just boils water

I’ve been using this Daewoo Essentials 1.7L kettle as a basic, everyday kettle in the kitchen. I didn’t buy it looking for something fancy – I just wanted something cheap that boils water without driving me mad with noise or breaking after a week. So I treated it like a normal house kettle: tea in the morning, coffee during the day, and the odd pot noodle or instant soup.

From day one, my expectations were pretty low. It’s plastic, it’s budget, and the brand isn’t exactly trying to impress with premium stuff here. I was more interested in two things: how fast it boils and whether it feels like it’s going to fall apart when you pick it up. In practice, it sits in that middle ground: not impressive, not terrible, just… usable.

Over a couple of weeks, I used it roughly 5–10 times a day. So it got a decent workout: filling it to the max for several cups, just a mug’s worth, and doing quick top-ups. I also paid attention to little annoyances: how loud it is, if the lid behaves, whether the base is annoying to dock on, that sort of thing. These are the details that actually matter day to day.

If you’re expecting some premium stainless steel showpiece, this isn’t it. But if you’re wondering whether this cheap Daewoo kettle is worth grabbing as a stopgap, for a student flat, office, spare room, or camping with hook-up, I’ll be straight: it basically does what it says, with a few quirks you should know about before buying.

In terms of value for money, this Daewoo kettle sits in a pretty sweet spot for people who just want something cheap that works. It’s priced like a basic travel or entry-level kettle, but you still get a full 1.7L capacity, auto shut-off, boil-dry protection, and a cordless jug design. For a lot of people – students, shared houses, offices, caravans – that’s all they really need. The Amazon rating around 4.1/5 fits my experience: generally positive, with a few fair complaints.

Compared to more expensive branded kettles, you do notice what you’re missing: sturdier materials, a better base, smoother lid mechanism, and usually a nicer design. If you’re used to a £40–£60 kettle, this will feel like a downgrade in build quality, even if it actually boils water just as well. On the flip side, one reviewer said they preferred this to a more expensive kettle that broke, which sums it up: a cheap kettle that works is better than a fancy one that dies early.

If you’re in a hard water area, you might want to factor in the cost and hassle of regular descaling, but that’s true of pretty much any kettle. The removable filter is a plus, even if it’s a bit flimsy. Running costs are standard – there’s nothing especially energy-saving here beyond the usual advice to not overfill it. The water gauge helps with that, so you’re not constantly boiling a full kettle for one mug.

Overall, I’d say the value is solid if your priority is price over feel. It’s not the best kettle on the market, but at this budget level it holds up fine and doesn’t feel like a rip-off. If you can stretch your budget, there are nicer-feeling kettles out there. But if you’re trying to keep costs down and just want something that boils water without drama, this one makes sense.

Design-wise, this is a very plain black plastic jug kettle. No metal trim, no fancy shapes, just a slightly rounded body with a handle and a little water window. If you’ve ever used a budget supermarket kettle, it feels in the same league. The footprint is compact, which is nice if you’re short on counter space or using it in a caravan or small kitchen. It doesn’t dominate the worktop, and it tucks in easily next to other appliances.

The handle is reasonably comfortable. It’s not padded or anything, but the shape is fine and you can grip it securely, even when it’s full. The lid opens wide enough to fill it under the tap without splashing everywhere, and that’s handy for cleaning too. The LED light in the switch is a small touch but useful: from across the room you can see if it’s on or off, which avoids guessing if it’s finished boiling when there’s background noise.

On the downside, the base feels a bit too small, and a couple of Amazon reviewers mentioned the fit not being perfect. I agree. When you put the kettle back on the base, you sometimes have to wiggle it a bit to get it to sit right. It’s not unusable, but you notice it compared to chunkier, more stable bases from pricier kettles. Also, because it’s very light plastic, when it’s empty it can feel a bit flimsy on the base rather than solidly planted.

Visually, it’s fine if you don’t care about style. It looks like what it is: a cheap black plastic kettle that gets the job done. No one is going to compliment your kettle, but if you mainly care about space-saving and practicality, the design is acceptable. Just don’t expect it to feel premium in any way – it’s clearly built to hit a price, not to impress.

The whole body of the Daewoo Essentials kettle is made of black plastic, apart from the internal heating element area and a few small bits. When you pick it up, the first thing you notice is how light and hollow it feels. That’s good if you don’t want to lift something heavy, but it does give off that cheap vibe. One reviewer said it “feels a bit cheap” and I’m on the same page – nothing about it screams solid or robust.

The plastic itself is smooth and easy to wipe down, so in terms of cleaning, it’s straightforward. Spills and splashes from tea or coffee don’t cling much, and a quick wipe with a cloth gets it looking decent again. Inside, it’s the usual kettle interior: not coated with anything special, just a standard finish. After a couple of weeks, I didn’t notice any weird smells or strong plastic taste in the water, which is often a worry with very cheap kettles. I still boiled and emptied a couple of full kettles at the start, which I’d recommend with any plastic kettle.

The spout has a removable filter, at least on paper, but in practice it’s a bit of a mixed bag. One user mentioned the filter is basically fixed but pops out easily, which is exactly how it feels: it’s not nicely engineered, it’s more “it sits there until you accidentally knock it”. It does catch some limescale, but don’t expect miracles. If you live in a hard water area, you’ll still want to descale regularly.

In terms of heat, the plastic body does get warm, and one review pointed out the casing gets quite hot. I noticed that too: it’s not so hot you instantly burn yourself, but you wouldn’t want to grab the body instead of the handle just after boiling. So yes, it’s technically “cool-touch” compared to metal, but it’s not exactly cool. Overall, the materials are what you’d expect from a budget, functional kettle – they work, but you won’t be impressed by the quality.

Let’s be honest: this doesn’t feel like a kettle you’ll still be using in five or six years. The light plastic build and slightly loose-feeling parts give off more of a “use it for a while and replace it” vibe. That said, during a couple of weeks of everyday use, it didn’t show any obvious signs of trouble: no leaks, no cracks, no dodgy switch behaviour. For the price bracket, that’s about what I expected.

The hinge on the lid feels okay but not rock solid. I wouldn’t slam it shut or yank it open aggressively. Used normally, it’s fine, but if you’re rough with your stuff, it’s probably not going to love that long-term. The same goes for the filter in the spout – as mentioned, it’s a bit loose and feels like the kind of part that might either fall out and get lost or warp a bit over time if you’re constantly removing it to clean.

One good point is that the simple design means there’s not much to break: no fancy temperature controls, no complicated buttons, just a basic switch and a light. Fewer features generally means fewer things to fail. Also, because the body is plastic, you don’t have to worry about dents like you do with thin stainless steel kettles. Scratches, sure, but they’re cosmetic.

If you’re buying this expecting it to be a long-term workhorse, I’d say temper those expectations. It’s more suited to situations like: student accommodation for a couple of years, a spare kettle for guests, a cheap replacement while you decide on a better one, or for camping/holiday homes. At this price, I mentally file it under “disposable after a few years” rather than a serious investment piece. It’s not terrible, but there are sturdier options if you’re willing to pay more.

In daily use, the performance is pretty straightforward: it boils water and does it reasonably quickly. With about 1 mug of water, it took roughly the same time as other cheap kettles I’ve had – fast enough that you’re not pacing the kitchen. When I filled it closer to the 1.7L max, it obviously took longer, but still within what I’d call normal for a basic 1800–2200W kettle. It’s not at the slow end, but don’t expect high-end speed either.

Noise-wise, I was pleasantly surprised. A couple of reviewers said it’s quiet, and I’d agree. It’s not silent, but the boiling sound is more of a gentle whoosh rather than a roaring jet engine. You can still have a conversation or watch TV in the same room without having to raise your voice. If you’re using it late at night in a flat or caravan, it’s not going to wake the whole place up.

The auto shut-off works as expected. Once it hits boiling, it clicks off cleanly and doesn’t try to re-boil unless you flick it back down. I deliberately let it boil dry once with barely any water inside to see how it behaved – it shut off before things got worrying, so the boil-dry protection seems to do its job. That’s reassuring if you’re the type who walks away mid-boil and forgets about it.

The only annoyance performance-wise is the slightly small base and the cheap-feeling fit, which can make you double-check that it’s actually sitting properly and making contact. Once it’s on and running though, it’s reliable enough. No random cut-outs, no weird noises, no flickering lights. Overall, it performs like a decent budget kettle: nothing exciting, but it heats water without fuss.

Out of the box, the Daewoo Essentials kettle is exactly what you’d expect from a budget model. You get the kettle, the round base, and a small filter already fitted inside the spout. No extras, no fancy booklet, just the basics. It’s a 1.7L cordless jug-style kettle, black plastic, with a visible water gauge on the side and a simple on/off switch that lights up when it’s boiling. That’s it. Very straightforward.

The brand talks about 1850–2200W fast boil, but the spec line also mentions 1500W, which is a bit confusing. In real life, it feels like a standard cheap kettle – it’s not painfully slow, but it’s not lightning fast either. For one or two mugs it’s fine; for a full 1.7L it takes a bit longer but still reasonable. There’s auto shut-off and boil-dry protection, which is pretty standard now, but good to know it’s there if you get distracted.

The water window has clear markings, so you can roughly see how much you’re filling. It’s not super precise to the millilitre, but enough to avoid overfilling. The lid has a simple push mechanism and locks down, so you don’t feel like it’s going to flip open mid-pour. The base is on the small side, and you can feel it when you try to drop the kettle back on in a hurry – you need to aim it a bit more than with chunkier bases.

Overall, the presentation is exactly what the price suggests: basic, functional, and a bit cheap-looking. If you’re buying this for a rental, student kitchen, or as a backup kettle, it makes sense. If it’s going to sit in your newly done designer kitchen, it’s going to look out of place next to anything higher-end. But in terms of features, you get the core stuff you need to boil water safely.