Threw $40 at a cheap electric kettle and now I'm paying for it

I bought a no-name electric kettle off Amazon for $40 six months ago because I couldn't justify spending more. It worked fine for about 4 months until the switch started sticking and now it won't shut off on its own. I have to stand there and watch it boil or risk burning my place down. Anyone else learn the hard way that cheap appliances cost more in frustration?

2 comments

2 Comments

aaron7081mo ago

Had the EXACT same thing happen with a $35 Mr. Coffee kettle. The switch literally melted one day while I was right there. Spend the $60 on a Hamilton Beach or even a Cuisinart, you'll get a kettle that actually has a working auto shutoff and doesn't feel like a fire hazard. The cheap ones just use the thinnest plastic switches that fail after a few months. Trust me, standing there watching water boil gets old REAL fast.

mark_cooper1mo ago

That switch issue you mentioned, did it start out feeling a little loose or wobbly before it fully failed? Wondering if there's a specific warning sign to watch for with those cheap kettles. I had a similar one where the lid hinge cracked after a few uses, and then steam started leaking out the back. Makes me think the whole thing is just built from the cheapest possible parts that barely pass QC.