Reston Lloyd Calypso Basics Whistling Teakettle with Glass Lid, Lemon

Ok....so I didn't order this teakettle for a long, LONG time because reviewers were saying that it didn't whistle. I thought it didn't make any noise at all. But, I loved its looks so I decided to order it anyway. The yellow color is a buttery yellow. The kettle is good and heavy and the enamel seems to be thick and evenly applied. But the sound....the sound is SO cool! It doesn't whistle like your Grandma's teakettle but it does make a sound. It starts out low and gets louder the longer it boils. It is a low and deep sound like a warning siren. You'll never have to worry about your kettle boiling dry. This kettle will alert you in plenty of time. I'm really enjoying the whole item from shape to color to sound.

I love the teakettle, cute shape, gorgeous red color, good price, good size for 2 or 3 mugs of tea like I make, handle doesn't get too hot to grip, can see into the glass lid. I do wish it was light colored inside.
[...]The two little harmonica reeds are tack welded inside a metal disc. It is held inside the spout cap by a tiny philips head screw. A large jewelers screwdriver works. There is a spring that the disc floats on, which can fall out when you remove the disc and is easily repositioned around the screw hole. The tightness of the spring (adjusted by the screw) affects whether it whistles or not, I tested adjusting by about half turns until I found the right spot, which for mine was fairly loose. Also the reeds can be carefully adjusted, gently bending them closer to or farther from the plate they are attached to, using something like a toothpick, until they blow easily just by blowing on the disc. DH is always working on his harmonicas so he knew all about it, as well as...Read more

Update: Mon 25-Oct-2010

After a mere year and quarter of use, this tea kettle is history. Specifically, there is rusting inside the spout (apparently, there was either no enamel applied, or the enamel was applied incorrectly).

I'm disappointed, because as you can see from reading my original review below, we were very happy with the look, functionality, etc. of this tea kettle.

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I love the sound of this teakettle - it sounds closer to a train horn (though not quite as deep) than the typically shrill tea kettle sound. Also, it's loud enough to notice but not so loud as to be annoying, especially early in the morning.

The diameter of the top opening is about 4", and the handle completely swings 90° in either direction, which should make it pretty easy to clean unless you have very large hands.

The base is about 7¼" in diameter, so unless you have a very large burner you shouldn't need to worry...Read more