# Anyone thinking of buying a "Tefal Quick Cup" - I wouldn't recommend it



## TreeTiger (17 Aug 2007)

My kettle died the other day so I went off to Power City to replace it. We make a lot of tea in this house so couldn't last a day without a kettle. 

I noticed the "Tefal Quick Cup" which claimed to deliver hot water in 3 seconds, energy savings up to 65%, filtered, better tasting water. It seemed like a great (albeit not cheap) idea, the saleswoman told me her in-laws have one and it's great, so I paid up my €79.95 and brought it home.

I brought it back today for the following reasons:

1. It doesn't deliver boiling water (the instruction booklet inside tells you this, it doesn't say it on the box).
2. Because the water isn't boiling, tea made with it tastes horrible. Try making a cuppa using hot water from your tap and you'll get the idea!
3. It's noisy, sounds like when the steam nozzle on our coffee machine is operating.
4. It spits, so you need to have a tray or something to catch the excess water.

I really HATED this machine.  Have now bought a bog standard cordless kettle at €25 and am enjoying a nice hot cup of tea.

Thought I'd post this in case anyone is considering buying one.


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## Firefly (20 Aug 2007)

The kettle IMO is the un-sung hero in every house. 

Long live the cuppa


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## ClubMan (20 Aug 2007)

Firefly said:


> The kettle IMO is the un-sung hero in every house.


Not always unsung.

I much prefer the coffee maker though...


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## Vanilla (20 Aug 2007)

I recently bought a really cheap kettle from Tesco- a quick boil one. I can't remember the price but I'd say it was less than €10.00. It's not fancy but it does the job and it really is quick.


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## BOXtheFOX (20 Aug 2007)

http://wwwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn3JUs3f0sY


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## BlueSpud (20 Aug 2007)

When buying a kettle, consider a 3kw kettle. Most bog standard kettles, including the tesco one mentioned above are 2kw. The 3kw one will boil in about 2/3 the time! You will notice the difference, and well worth the extra few bob in time wasted for the friggin 2kw one to boil.

3kw kettles, you will never go back!


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## ClubMan (20 Aug 2007)

And only fill the kettle with as much water as you need rather than boiling more than you need.


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## efm (20 Aug 2007)

ClubMan said:


> And only fill the kettle with as much water as you need rather than boiling more than you need.


 
Should you leave enough water to cover the element in the kettle?

I always wondered if it damages the kettle if you pour all the water out while the element is still hot.


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## ClubMan (20 Aug 2007)

efm said:


> Should you leave enough water to cover the element in the kettle?


I didn't think so but I guess you should adhere to the minimum water level indicated on the kettle itself?


> I always wondered if it damages the kettle if you poor all the water out while the element is still hot.


Why?


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## efm (20 Aug 2007)

ClubMan said:


> Why?


 
Because the kettle (well my kettle does anyway) makes a hissing / sizzling noise if you empty it completely after boiling


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## ClubMan (20 Aug 2007)

But that's just the water boiling off the (partially) exposed element. Not sure why this would necessarily damage the element...


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## efm (20 Aug 2007)

ClubMan said:


> But that's just the water boiling off the (partially) exposed element. Not sure why this would necessarily damage the element...


 
I'm not sure if it does - that's why I asked the question  

And knowing your expertise with domestic kitchen appliances I bow to your superior knowledge. I can now rest easy knowing that my kettle is safe to empty completely after boiling!


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## Sue Ellen (20 Aug 2007)

Best gadget for the professional tea drinker


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## pc7 (20 Aug 2007)

i've a tefal kettle that is made up of glass you can see the water boiling but its full of fur now (think its limescale) is this bad for you. Only in the house 5 weeks so kettle is very new, should I use a water filter now for boiling the kettle and drinking from the tap?


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## gipimann (21 Aug 2007)

pc7, it's a good idea to descale the kettle - the limescale isn't bad for you but it will prevent efficient heating of the kettle (and can make the tea/coffee taste awful).   I use "Oust all-purpose descaler" which is for kettles, irons, etc.

I use a water filter jug but it doesn't remove limescale - a water softener would do that.


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## Round Tuit (21 Aug 2007)

Re descaling: I use white wine vinegar, about a 3rd of bottle diluted to fill kettle. Does the job in same way, cheaper (about 50c per clean), more environmentally friendly too I would have thought.
And I saw this yoke reviewed on "something for the weekend" on BBC 2 a while ago and the bloke on it (Tim Lovejoy) said exactly what OP said - water not hot enough, tea tastes icky.


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## BlueSpud (21 Aug 2007)

If you boil a kettle with the element exposed, that part of the element will heat the air and not water.  Also, the element will get much hotter than normal and possibly damage the kettle.


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## swordshead (21 Aug 2007)

sueellen said:


> for the professional tea drinker


...think that applies to the whole country!


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## pc7 (21 Aug 2007)

thanks guys for advice on descaling i'll do that it looks yuck!


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## yogi22 (3 Jan 2009)

In order to balance the argument about the Tefal Quickcup, I've just come across a positive report from someone who bought one for an elderly relative. I guess it depends on personal taste and what you're using it for.
Anyway, if you're interested the report can be found on www.eazy2use.co.uk


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## TreeTiger (4 Jan 2009)

yogi22 said:


> In order to balance the argument about the Tefal Quickcup, I've just come across a positive report from someone who bought one for an elderly relative. I guess it depends on personal taste and what you're using it for.
> Anyway, if you're interested the report can be found on [broken link removed]


I'm glad someone liked it and all Tefal's efforts have not been in vain 

Sorry, but I thought it was complete crap.
Lots of people agree with me, for example on  reviewcentre.com  it got an overall rating of 3.5 out of 10, with only 25% of people recommending it.

Some choice comments:
"I've read back many of the comments here and have to tell you all that you can't have followed the instructions and cleaned the system out with white vinegar every month as instructed"
"You must turn it off at the wall straight after you have finished with it. Change the filter when recommended. Descale using vinegar when recommended."
" also fill it with a jug rather than keep fighting to pull the water container out."
"Tea also tasted funny as it wasn't made with boiling water. Very noisy also! I am taking mine back at the weekend"
"I will be returning it and will exchange it for a new kettle."
"We are going to take it back to the shop because it obviously doesn't do what it says and I thought we would get an exchange for another but having read reviews on more than one site, have decided to get a refund and wait until Tefal sort out the problems."
"Maybe turning it off when not in use makes a difference, but keep your kettle handy just in case!"
"Must be the worst item I have purchased in over 60 years."

For a machine that is supposed to be quick and simple, the amount of maintenance is a bit much - turn it off, change the filter, descale it - and then you should keep the kettle handy just in case!!!
Pointless kitchen appliance of the century, in my opinion!


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## Whizz (5 Feb 2015)

just had to give backing to the Tefal quick cup, sad day, yesterday, 8 yr old QC finally died, never let us down. We have another 6 yr old still going strong, only reason I found this blog today,as was immediately looking for a new one, put your jug through the dishwasher & change the filter regularly, surely 3 secs of a small rattle & hiss, won't deafen anyone. Need hot water for all sorts of cooking moments, place mug & press. Said my bit, off to buy a new one today.


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## Squonk (5 Feb 2015)

I have a Tassimo machine. Makes teas, coffees, hot chocolates etc. A bar code reader on the drink discs tells the machine to use just the right amount of water at the right temperature for a given brew. Love it.


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## PMU (5 Feb 2015)

If you are a tea drinker buy one of these [broken link removed].  There is nothing better.  And it looks super cool.


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## becky (5 Feb 2015)

PMU, I've just bought a new kettle for €20 in Aldi.  I'm very happy with it as it's big and great on these frosty morning.

So €200 plus for a kettle is a big ask but I want.


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## emmt (24 Apr 2015)

I bought what i thought was a cool kettle that was reduced to EUR30 in one of the big stores (and checked on Amazon and it was about 80STG) so I thought I'll have me one of those. It was one of the types that you have to remove the lid completely to fill the kettle and has a very wide base narrowing to the top. The kettle itself is fine but its the design that gets me
- you cant fill the kettle from the cold tap with one hand (toddler in the other one!) as you have to use both hands - one to hold the kettle and the other to remove the lid
- you have to fill it with a lot more water to reach the minimum level

Just something to consider. Its back to the bog standard kettles for me!


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