20.1.2020

If the most important thing to you is to have a kettle which has a clear and persistent whistle then don’t buy this one. The reviews pretty much say that it’s hit and miss as to whether the bird will actually whistle - mine does ... sort of. Sometimes it whistles, sometimes it’s more of a hiss of steam. I played with it a lot trying to figure out what was wrong with It; after all, it’s only a whistle right ? I should be able to make it work. It worked well when I blew in it but on the kettle not so much. In my case, I determined the whistle created enough back-pressure to allow steam to escape the lid a little which meant less steam for the whistle so, the bird went from whistling to hissing.I found rotating the lid until I found a position which sealed better helped. Not that the lid is loose or poorly matched to the kettle - it’s not. It’s just that the whistle is poorly designed. BUT, if the point of the whistle is to inform you that the kettle is boiling and not just to entertain, then it does that. The whistle makes the boiling audible.So, after all that, why did I give it 4 stars ? It’s because it’s a great kettle that performs the function of boiling water, pouring and looking good very well. Excellent actually. The wide base makes it a very fast kettle. A wide base means it can go on a larger burner. The handle is excellent, it never gets hot and is designed to allow perfect positioning of your hand to achieve the right balance to pour when the kettle is full. The lid fits well and the small plastic disc on top (which is barely visible due to being so clear and tight fitting) keeps the top of the lid under the knob cool . Not to be overlooked is that it’s 18/10 stainless steel and made in Italy. Yes that’s right, Italy.This kettle has been made for years and years without any significant design change. That should tell you that it’s a great piece of equipment. Pity they didn’t do a better job with the bird. A kettle with this heritage certainly deserves it.So, if you want a kettle that works very well then buy it. If you want something that sounds like a flock of Sparrows then look elsewhere.UPDATE: Nov 24, 2020 ...This continues to be a very good kettle. My previous comments and rating still stand. I will add that I boiled it dry once. Quite dry actually, as it was on my large stove burner on Hi for 15 minutes while dry. Needless to say I was concerned about warping once it cooled down. I allowed it to cool down on it’s own without adding water and once cooled the bottom, though discoloured, (inside only) was perfect. No damage at all. This is a testament to the design and quality materials.As for the whistle, I purchased a couple extra ($55) hoping to get one which worked perfectly. Unfortunately, neither were better than the original. I did find a solution, although it’s a pain in the a ... the fix is to push the pointed end of a toothpick up into the ‘keyway’ of the plastic cylinder inside the whistle. Hold the whistle upside down with the plastic rib and keyway facing up and jamb a toothpick into the small space between the plastic plunger and the plastic rib of the body of the whistle. This method is not convenient but it works on all 3 of my whistles. I intend to glue one so I don’t need the toothpick but haven’t got around to it yet (not sure about a suitable glue). I don’t need to use the whistle very often so, it pretty much stays in my silverware drawer.Hope this helps ...

14.1.2011

The finish on this kettle is top notch and makes for a stiking feature in our kitchen. The base is nice and wide and the water boils really quickly if you boil just the right amount of water, especially if you use a high power double ring burner. The design is such that I think it would look at home in an ultra modern kitchen as well as the slightly more traditional. It is very stable and there is no chance of it tipping over.Be careful when cleaning the outside of the kettle as you wouldn't want to put fine scratches into the beautiful mirror finish. I have given ours a light wipe with a very soft cloth using warm water and it has come up sparkling again.

22.2.2011

I have owned this kettle for a few years and really do love it. My husband and I are both big Alessi fans and have quite a few pieces, and this takes pride of place - especially as I got up at some god-awful hour to sell at a boot fair to raise the capital for it! Apart from the fact that it really does look stunning, it works well (I sometimes get a chuf-chuffing before the whistle works properly, like it's slightly blocked, but I've never had whistle-failure, however much water I'm boiling) and it is great for saving worktop space, plus avoiding the annoying habit of electric kettle steam collecting under wall mounted cupboards. Also, don't be put off by the cream handle; I wondered if this would look dirty quite quick,

5.3.2016

After owning this kettle for a week and having used it several times a day, I am pleased to report that personally I am very happy with the kettle. I did stall from buying one after reading the mixed reviews on this site, but after a bit of research on the reviews posted on the U.S. Amazon site, which left me feeling more upbeat about my chances of being happy with my purchase, I decided to see for myself. Firstly I should say that we had been living with our stove-top camping kettle for a few weeks after another electric kettle gave up, so I already realised that a stove-top kettle and an electric kettle require different approaches. For example, I cannot leave the room whilst it is boiling on the hob,

27.5.2010

Pretty kettle. I was just fed up of buying new electric kettles each year after they konk out!!!! I had a new really sexy black and silver gas hob installed so decided to get a sexy shiny hob kettle, which I figured would way outlast electric kettles. This Alessi hob kettle is sexy, stylish, costs a fair few £££'s but as I spent a fair few £££'s wasted on kettles that die after a year I figured it was a good investment.It whistles and has the cutest little bird, everyone who visits comments on how wicked this kettle looks.Descales well with kettle descaler. The only thing I've noticed is after some time the bottom of the kettle, ie where the little dot/bobble details are (see picture)

11.5.2013

I own the electric version which has merrily been in use taking pride of place in the kitchen for the last 3 years. Other reviews of the electric version suggest that I should have expected to fail at least 2 years ago. So in anticipation of me needing to replace this rather beautiful of functional kitchen paraphernalia, Ive had this sitting in my basket and couldn't resist purchasing the stove top version when Amazon had it on sale at a knock down price of £55. It's now on sale at £88 so a good buy. You don't buy this kettle for its practically, you choose it because you love the design and if like me that represents some importance, my review of this product is....It boils water like any other kettle.

19.12.2010

We bought our first Alessi hob kettle, white ivory trim with bird whistle, two years ago last October. It was a love thing, my friends thought we'd gone crazy paying this sort of money for a kettle with no plug! However, it still looked lovely and did the job slowly but fabulously with the bonus of a little birdsong at the end, until one day someone absent mindedly put the kettle on the hob and disappeared into another room out of ear-shot to check their emails, then got too involved which meant that it boiled dry and melted all over my cooker. Including the little bird whistle(sob).However, my husband (for it was he that incinerated the above kettle) went about getting an urgent replacement (before I got home from work)

10.5.2016

This is a really stylish kettle and an iconic design. Like other reviews, I had an issue with the bird whistle but Amazon were great in replacing it. The first one I received as a present and the whistle did not work. Amazon were quick to refund my account so I could get another without the gift-giver knowing about it. The second one worked fine.With the first one I think the lid was not sealing properly and the steam was escaping through the lid. Make sure the lid is snapped on firmly - you should hear it click. It is not a loud whistle and I think the level of water in the kettle makes a difference to how loud it is. I find it works best it you don't fill it much above the base of the spout.

7.3.2013

We just put in some wooden worktops and got fed up of power cables trailing. We used a hob kettle many years ago, so were happy to try again. Chose this one because it did not look too bulky, has a wide botton to catch the gas and heat up quickly and looked nice. In use have found it great. We have had it 4 months or more. We use it many times a day, sometimes just for 1 or 2 cups and it works well even with small amount of water. We live in hard water area, but only use 'filtered' water through charcoal and the kettle shows no signs of limescale due to this. The lid is a little tight on ours, but not a problem. The whistle is also tighter when warm/hot,

7.1.2012

This is a beautiful kettle, reminiscent of the Art Deco era. While standing in the kitchen waiting for it to boil, to make my early morning cup of tea, it gives me pleasure just to look at its elegant, clear cut lines and to hear the soft whistle. The stainless steel mirror polished surface is easy to keep clean, just wipe with a damp cloth & dry. It doesn't boil as quickly as an electric kettle but who cares? The longer to enjoy its beauty & a quiet interlude before a busy day. The kettle whistles beautifully, the secret is to be sure the lid is put on tightly & the whistle put into the spout firmly. The whistle is soft not ear splitting.

31.3.2012

Bought this kettle after hesitating initially because of the price - didn't think I could justify spending so much on a kettle. I have had the kettle for about a month now and not only is it well made & stylish it works like a dream. It heats up extremely quickly on my induction hob and looks just lovely! Just a couple of points to make... at first I thought the whistle wasn't working too well but I hadn't put the lid down fully on the kettle - it fits quite tightly and can be quite difficult to remove when filling. Not a problem for me but thought I would raise this point as it may be a problem for some. Also I bought the 'White Ivory Trim' model and it's worth pointing out that this is actually cream,

9.4.2015

I've had my 9093 kettle since 1995, I use it every day and it still looks great. I bought a spare bird whistle in an Alessi store in Italy while on vacation because my beloved, old, toothless boy cat loved to climb up at night, steal the bird, and gum it. I still use the mangled bird whistle (it works) but old puss has long since departed this world. Yes, I let the water boil out once and the knob on the top softened and sits slightly a'kilter and the stainless took on a slightly darker hue. But the iconic design still looks as clean and marvelous as it first did. I use it on my largest gas ring because of its broad bottom and it boils quickly. Plan to use it for another 20 (or more) years!

17.5.2011

Apparently Alessi can.Although, yes, this is a kettle and one can find a much cheaper ones that do exactly the same thing (that is, ...boil water). However, if you are considering buying this you are not looking for a practical kettle - but a piece of modern design that will bring some beauty into your everyday life.This is a classic Alessi product and it is mostly well designed (the singing bird has a tendency of getting ...burned - there are replacements but, you guessed it, they are not cheap). The sky blue handle cover blends beautifully with the polished metal, the kettle is very easy to clean and, most importantly,

4.7.2011

Even after 20+ years, this kettle remains the most sought after stylish kitchen item.I've tried both the electric version (don't bother with the electric version, it is very expensive to run, takes forever to boil water and lasts little more than a year) and this hob version, and the hob version is vastly superior.It may be me, but I think this kettle has been reduced in size slightly from the original that I received as a wedding present all those years ago.I still love the traditional bird whistle, but the plastic doesn't last that long if you don't take the whistle out of the kettle as soon as it is boiled and leave it out afterwards as well (I guess the steam deteriorates the plastic).

13.3.2020

I bought this kettle in February 2019 to replace yet another electric kettle that had just stopped working, when I opened the Alessi kettle box I was stunned at just how lovely albeit expensive it was, and decided it was too beautiful to actually use, so I bought another cheap electric kettle which has just blown up! I decided to stop being daft and use my Alessi kettle and how glad I am , looks stunning, boils quicker than I expected, the handle is well designed and doesn't get hot, the bird whistles when the water has boiled , I love it, it is slower than an electric kettle but who cares it cheers me up just looking at it and with all this doom and gloom around it's just what I need.

Alessi 9093 - Reviews

Info

Analysis

Detail