Mueller 1500W Electric Kettle with SpeedBoil Tech

It’s a good looking product and boils water which is what you want. I chose it to replace a previous glass kettle as that one broke when the glass spout clipped the edge of a cupboard- this one has a plastic spout and so is less likely to break. However one small design flaw, the button to release the lid which you need to fill it with water, requires you to press down on the lid therefor preventing it from opening. You therefore need to develop a little technique of pressing and hooking your fingernail back to make it lift. It seems an obvious design flaw! It will probably become second nature, but
Mildly irritating at first.

Had this kettle for about three weeks now and I have to say it’s a lot quieter than our last glass fast boil kettle. It takes about 70 seconds to boil the minimum amount 0.5 ltr which is good enough for two average sized mugs and about 6 nearly 7 minutes to boil a full 1.8 ltr from cold tap water. Once boiling it takes about 10 seconds to switch itself off. Empty, it isn’t any heavier than a typical plastic kettle. I read that some find the “tip/pour angle” a bit steep and I can see that this would be an issue maybe for some but as we’re both reasonably able bodied at this point it isn’t a problem for us. It’s quite a good pourer as well except when you’re on the last few drops. The glass does get hot when in use but there is a strip of plastic in between the handle and the glass to help avoid getting burned so that’s a plus and there are fill level on both sides of the glass which is handy for lefties and righties.

The Amazon listing says it’s 110V but as we’re in the UK ours is 240V an up to 2200W not the lower rating stated in the listing.

Overall pretty good and worth considering

Who knew you could write so much about a kettle . . . . .

This Review Is For:
Mueller Ultra Kettle: Model No. M99S
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* The original review was written on 5-25-2023.
* It was completely rewritten on 12-25-2023 with the same conclusions and additional details.
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BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)
As of the date of this review, there are nearly 60,000 ratings for this Mueller Kettle. The vast majority of the reviews are 5-Star and very positive, so that says a lot. I’ve had this kettle for over a year, use it several times a week, and I agree with all of those positive reviews.

I’ve recommended this Mueller electric kettle to family and friends and I highly recommend it here without hesitation. That’s the takeaway. If you’re in the market for a water kettle, definitely consider this one.
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► VERY ATTRACTIVE
First of all – this is an attractive modern-looking appliance. The pictures showing it turned on with the pleasantly blue running-lights shining through the clear glass of the body no doubt catch the eye of many potential customers. And it looks good just sitting on the counter. — Except for the power cord. More on that below.

► FUNCTION
Water heats quickly and the unit shuts off when a rolling boil is reached. That’s all it does; It will not keep water warm or hot. The lid mechanism seems to be much sturdier as compared to electric kettles from other mfr’s that I’ve used in the past.

► TIME TO BOILING
There are three volume measurements on the side of the glass: MAX 1.8L (61 fl.oz), 1L (34 fl.oz.), and MIN .5L (17 fl.oz.). I measured time to boiling and automatic shutoff for each volume, starting with a room temperature kettle and tap water temperature of 57° F (14° C).
1.8L = 8 minutes, 39 seconds
1L = 5 minutes, 12 seconds
.5L = 2 minutes, 41 seconds

► ERGONOMICS – HANDLE
The handle is comfortable for me but as others have noted it seems to be thicker than necessary, and those with smaller hands might appreciate a handle with a smaller profile. But as a safety concern I would think a thicker handle is easier to grip and control than one that’s too small. So IMO this larger profile is likely safer for the vast majority of people.

I’ve also noticed the handle barely gets warm even when the water is boiling. The handle can be a little slick if your hands are wet, but once you’re aware, it’s no longer an issue. (A lightly textured handle surface might be welcomed by some users.)

► SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENT – POWER CORD
If Mueller were to ask me what could be improved, there’s only one thing I would mention – and that’s the power cord. Before I go further I want to first say the most important aspect of a power cord is that it’s safe. And assuming a thicker power cord is always safer, I’d rather have a thicker cord. If only this stiff, thick power cord would neatly fold, bend – or just generally get out of the way.

The stiff cord sticks straight out of the electric receptacle for several inches, plops on the counter and takes up space. It resists coiling and manipulating except for very large bends. So, in a small kitchen like mine the cord takes up valuable counter space, limits counter organization and doesn’t want to allow for placing the kettle next to the wall.

The best solution I could think of was a 90 degree adapter that would direct the power cord straight down from the receptacle. The adapter has to be heavy duty so it can handle the 1500 watt draw. I found the following right angle adapter here on Amzn. It’s rated at 15 amps and should be able to handle most countertop appliances, including this kettle. I’ve been using this adapter on my kettle for over a year and it never even gets warm. (amazon.com/s?k=B001R0RNWK) This adapter reduces the issue only by about 50%, as the cord still has its own idea of where it wants to be.

For most people the power cord will be a small issue, and I mention it here at length only because every time I use the kettle I involuntarily think about how much I dislike it.

► KUDOS TO MUELLER
Something I’ve seen in other reviews stands out. There have been several 2023 reviews that stated the Mueller kettles leaked from the outset. Ok, things happen. Manufacturing processes are not perfect and there will always be some defective products coming off the assembly line that don’t get caught in Quality Control. Those defective units appear to be outliers and it was reported that Mueller quickly replaced them. Kudos to Mueller. Sadly, it seems that fewer and fewer mfr’s stand behind their products.

► GENERIC TIP
I have a possibly obvious tip to throw into the ether. Over time, heat and steam from toasters & electric kettles can damage or discolor the finish of overhead cabinets. You might consider pulling these appliances out from under low hanging cabinets before use.

Reviewing: Mueller Ultra Kettle: Model No. M99S 1500W Electric Kettle with SpeedBoil Tech, 1.8 Liter Cordless with LED Light, Borosilicate Glass, Auto Shut-Off and Boil-Dry Protection:

You can purchase this kettle with confidence. I had the same model until very recently, and it worked reliably for nearly 8 years. It was still boiling water perfectly when I decided to replace it, but the pop-up part of the lid was sticking occasionally and no longer opening and closing as well as it used to. We use a kettle at least 8 times per day (multi-person household, drinking a lot of coffee and tea), and if a kettle can last us for 8 years and still be working, then it’s a good kettle.

Here I am, having just purchased the same kettle as before, so (not surprisingly), I’m happy with the new kettle too. Too many kettles have a small capacity. This one boils a good quantity of water, which means that if I’m cooking pasta, I can boil the water in the kettle first, then add it to the pan of pasta, without having to boil the kettle twice. It will also boil enough water for 4 large mugs of coffee.

All electric kettles in the USA take a while to boil, but this is as quick as any I’ve tried. The blue color is cheerful and bright on cold winter mornings, and the big advantage of a kettle like this is that it has an auto-shut-off. You can fill the kettle with water, flick the switch, walk away and do other things… then when the water’s boiled, the kettle will “ping” to let you know, and it will shut itself off. You never need to worry that the water will boil over, or melt a pan, or flood your kitchen, or anything like that.

I’m an English person, so I know about kettles. For anyone not familiar with electric kettles, this doesn’t go on your stove. There’s a base that plugs into a wall (and has a nice, long cord), then the kettle sits on top of the base while it heats the water. It can safely be left on the base all the time, because unless you’ve flipped the switch to turn it on, the water won’t be heating.

Caution: People have asked me if a kettle like this can be used to cook pasta in, or heat soup. The answer is no. It’s just for water.

This is a good, reliable kettle, and it’s excellent value for the price. You’ll love it.