"Excellent Teakettle!" 2009-12-23By
Michael J. LerchI got this for my wife who loves to drink tea (and for me... Hot Chocolate!). What sets this apart from the other teakettles is that this has a great design to it. The arched handle makes it easy to pour even when it's heavy with boiling water (the weight of the kettle is average for teakettles), and the handle keeps your hand from getting burned since it doesn't get hot.
Overall I gave it an excellent rating, it looks great, and we'll keep this kettle for a long long time.
"NOT a harmonica whistle" 2009-12-10By
SooozI ordered this tea kettle after much searching for a moderately priced kettle with good ratings and the patented harmonica whistle, as this one advertises as having. The Chantal kettles are consistently well reviewed as being long lasting and solidly built, and the patented "Hohner Harmonica Whistle" was the most important aspect of the kettle for which I wished to purchase.
My husband owned a harmonica whistle kettle prior to my meeting him and he doesn't know where he got it, plus there is no brand name on it. My mother was visiting and loved the sound- a two tone harmonica/train whistle sound that is easy for her to hear. She wears hearing aids and does not pick up high pitches like typical tea kettle whistles. So I began a search for a kettle to buy her, and settled on this one.
The first one I received sounded like a sick cat- a high pitched sound, definitely un-harmonica-like whatsoever. I sent it back, hoping it was just a defect, and exchanged it for another. The second one can't seem to decide its sound- it vacillates between a sputtery, piercing cat noise and a high pitched whistle at irregular patterns, sort of like an old, hoarse cat choir that can't find its pitch. Both noises are nothing like a harmonica noise, and fairly disturbing to the ear that can hear high pitches. It is nothing like the two tone harmonica low sounds for which I had hoped.
I do like the ergonomic handle and I know my mother will adore the cobalt blue, but the whole point of the purchase was getting her a kettle she can hear. The kettle seems sturdy and looks as if it would hold up long term like most Chantal kettles are reviewed to do. However, the packaging says nothing about the patented harmonica whistle, despite the Amazon listing description, and I think the pricier Chantal models ($120 compared to $50) possess the harmonica sound I am looking to buy for mom. That is a pretty expensive tea kettle, and I will continue to search for a more affordable one before I choose to spend so much. For $120 I would want my tea kettle to not only whistle two pleasing harmonica tones, it should do a jig on the stove top as well.
I should have further read the reviews on Amazon before buying this specific Chantal (I had read other reviews of Chantal tea kettles elsewhere) and I would have seen that many people have problems with the whistle. Upon further inspection, I see how air escapes the lid and the cap where the whistle sits does not sit well on the pour spout. When I played with the spout and the lid, however, it didn't help the whistle sound one way or another.
"Great Harmonics" 2009-11-28By
Danielle E. Sucher (Brooklyn, NY)
I love this kettle! It does everything a tea kettle should, but with the added bonus of a really melodious whistle. It starts off low, then rises in volume, and has wonderful harmonics that are a pleasure to hear.
"Chantal tea kettle" 2009-08-12By
Guerillacook (Ithaca, NY)
Just as pictured and holds a fair amount of water. The whistle is more like a low train whistle and needs some getting used to, but a good purchase.
"Nice Kettle, Lousy Whistle" 2009-03-13By
D. Migliaccio (Northern Virginia)
I've had my Chantal Enamel-on-Steel 1.8 quart Loop Teakettle for just under a year now. It's a fine kettle; the enamel finish is still in good condition, it's shapely and easy on the eye, it heats water quickly. All this is incidental to the main the reason I wanted this kettle, which was its harmonic whistle. Well, guess what, folks - it's a lousy kettle if what you want is a dependable whistle.
My first whistle died about three months after I received the kettle as a birthday gift. The harmonic sound was the first to go; I got by for a week or two with a single-note whistle and then that gave out as well. I tried the cleaning methods suggested at the Chantal website, to no avail. I finally called their 1-800 number and a representative said she would send another whistle.
The second whistle lasted a little bit less than two months. Again, the recommended cleaning did not work, and again, I called the 1-800 number and was sent a third whistle.
This third whistle lasted only about three months, gasping along for its final week on a single-note whistle before that went bye-bye a few days ago. I called the 1-800 number and after pressing the appropriate buttons, was directed to a recording that recommended I email Chantal. Apparently their live customer service has gasped its last as well.
I've emailed Chantal for another whistle, but to be honest, I'm not hopeful for a response. I'll probably still use the kettle; it still boils water just fine. But if you're looking for a kettle with a dependable whistle - LOOK ELSEWHERE.
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