Chantal Enamel-on-Steel 1.8 Quart Loop Teakettle, Chili Red

Comment: I 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.

Comment: I 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.

Comment: Not long after I had this teakettle, I accidently let the water boil out of it. While it notes on the instructions, obviously, NOT to do this, I was surprised that the plastic leading to and surrounding the spout would so quickly melt. This not only silenced my teakettle, but deemed the 'flipper' in-operable. It will barely open, about 1/4 an inch, if that, just enough to slowly pour the liquid from the kettle.

I was quite disappointed, needless to say, after paying $50 for a tea kettle, to so quickly have it turn into one with no whistle and barely able to pour. Again, the manufacturer warned against such ---- heed their warning !

Comment: 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.

Comment: I bought this 3 years ago for my mother, who uses it all the time. The finish still looks good and it serves it purpose.