RSVP International (SIM-BF2) Simplex Beehive Gas Tea Kettle, 1.7 Quart, Copper | Flat Base Design | For Electric or Gas Ranges | Whistles

I got this kettle and filled it three times and got no more than a faint wind-through-the-trees sigh out of it--no whistle. So I sat down to write this review, but decided to give it one more try before committing myself to a 1-star review. The fourth time, I....really....pushed....DOWN on the lid. While it had snapped into place before, this last time it snapped, then clicked into place and formed an airtight bond. There were no stray wisps of steam, there was no sigh. There just was a modulated, medium-loud and very satisfying whistle. As there has been every time I've used it since.I am betting a dime that the people who gave this kettle a bad review for not whistling, did not push down hard enough for that final click. For those 1-star reviewers, if you still have the kettle, give it another try and push the seal all the way closed. It works like a trooper.It's also a beautiful item, quite a bit lighter than I expected and smaller, but still a thing of beauty. I've been brewing a pot of loose leaf tea every morning for 50 years. Over that time I've tried several configurations of teapots and have discovered that the authentic Brown Betty 6-cup pot gives just the right shape/dimensions/glaze to make the perfect cup of tea. And this kettle, filled to just below the line the instructions say not to fill above, heats up nearly precisely the exact amount of boiling water to fill the Brown Betty. It's as if they were each designed with the other in mind.Now, because of its lightness, the kettle arrived with a sizeable dent on the bottom. I contacted the company in England directly to see if this would affect the integrity of it, and within a day their customer service rep emailed that he had a similar kettle and after 23 years it's so dented it looks like a different design entirely, but that it's still boiling up water with no problems. So I expect I will keep it. My wife insisted that I ask BigKettle if they'd do some sort of a rebate because of the dent. So I have asked and await their answer. But I'll keep the kettle no matter how they respond, and realize that though it truly is beautiful, its function is what transports it to something special. I imagine it will collect further dents.This is a well made, not- Chinese-made, beautifully whistling little tea kettle. I looked for over a month for an alternative to all the junk that's out there (and the few available designer ones, mainly from Italy, which may look beautiful, but which invariably required handling some lid or cap or handle in close proximity to boiling steam). I found it in this Simplex.A terrific tea kettle.

The kettle looks GREAT, would stand out in any kitchen AND it's NOT MADE IN CHINA, which is why I bought it. I don't mind paying more than china-norm prices for good products but I'm not thoroughly impressed with this unit. First off it doesn't whistle, seems I read it has a special whistle in it but not a biggy I'm smart enough to know my water is hot. The real problem is it just feels overall kind of weak. And maybe that's just because the handle is flexible and makes the whole unit feel weak or maybe the product could stand a little heavier metal. Then again I like stout things, and it's by no means chinajunk.

First of all, I don't hate this item (as giving it one star suggests by the Amazon website). It's just poor quality, as compared with the original tea kettles manufactured by Simplex of England. I had and used one of those beauties for years. It came with the cottage I rented. So, when I moved on, I had to leave it behind.I purchased a new one on Amazon, and when it arrived, it did not whistle at all. I also noticed that the weight and and quality of the copper was lighter, softer (subject to denting more easily), and the construction was flimsier and the lid handle was cheap-looking.I contacted the seller (Simplex) - only possible through Amazon website seller contact email route. I got a response a couple of weeks later from England - with a return # and postage paid for sending the item back to a Florida distributor. And a replacement item would be on it's way to me. The replacement item arrived and had a very, very, very quiet whistle and it leaked at the joint where the spout meets the body of the kettle. So, I wrote again.I got a response, in writing again, from the same individual in England saying that a replacement would be on it's way to me and I could keep the defective one - and perhaps I would like to use it as a planter in my garden.I have received the 2nd replacement item and have been using it. It's passable, but I don't think it's anywhere near the original quality of the older kettles. I also don't think it's worth the price. The whistle is quiet and the lid has to be set just right for it to even whistle at all.I was told by the representative from England, in her email to me, that the company had to reduce the volume of the whistle to meet some standard for sound regulations. I didn't understand how it could be reduced to such terribly less audible and unreliable standards.I have since found an older kettle (same beautiful copper Simplex kettle for gas stove) in an antique store for $35. It's in perfect condition and it is so much sturdier and whistles reliably, loudly, and quite well. It's just like the one I had in my cottage rental.I ended up keeping the Amazon ordered one (the new chintzy one)- that I fill with water and set on my wood/gas/heater stove for looks and adjunct heated water when needed.I gave the leaky one (abandoned by Simplex) to my sister, at her request, and she tried it for awhile. It leaked too much and was horrid. So, she now uses it as a planter in her garden. She prefers her Le Creuset Oolong kettle as the best option for her and her family.And I prefer my vintage model, from the antique store, Simplex copper kettle - a lovely surprise find!!!I hope this review is helpful. I'm sorry that the product has deteriorated so pitifully. Good luck with your search for what best suits your needs in these endeavors.I don't recommend buying one of these cheesy new models at great expense. Look for an older Simplex or opt for my sister's choice.We love our tea and cafe. And many of our friends love the good electric kettles, too. You have so many choices. This newer Simplex is just not a good one - sorry to say.....