Kenwood Dusk 1.7l Kettle review: Capacious and calming

For many of us, sticking the kettle on to make a cup of tea – breakfast, green, herbal or otherwise – is one of the quieter, calmer parts of our day. A top kettle to match this soothing ritual, the Kenwood Dusk is a well-designed, capacious model that comes in a range of earthy colours inspired by the gloaming period from which it gets its name. An efficient and quiet boiler, the Kenwood’s operation matches its design well, leaving only one question to be answered: is it worth opening up your wallet for its decidedly mid-range price tag?

Kenwood Dusk 1.7l Kettle review: What do you get for the money?

At full price, the Kenwood Dusk costs £55, although you’re likely to find it for a little cheaper on most sites. The Dusk has a 1.7l capacity, a plastic body, and a textured exterior with glossy stripes. It measures 16 x 23 x 26cm (WDH), weighs 1.1kg and has a 3,000W interior heating coil, which is standard for most kettles. Other notable features include a removable limescale filter, a 360° storage base, an extra wide spout, and a clear viewing window with water level markers. The Kenwood Dusk is also available in three colours: Slate Grey, Olive Green and Twilight Purple.

There’s plenty to like about the Kenwood Dusk. That said, around £50 for a kettle with any extra features or functionality may seem a little steep to some. If you’re looking to spend less, then the handsome, quick-boiling Abbey Collection (£30) kettle, also from Kenwood, is a great option. Cheaper still is John Lewis’ Anyday Kettle (£20), which may not be as aesthetically pleasing or robust as some of the more expensive kettles we’ve tested, but it will certainly get the job done.

Inversely, looking towards kettles that are a bit more expensive, you can pick up models that offer a wider range of features, excellent build quality, as well as eye-catching designs. The Bosch Styline (£65) has four temperature settings and a keep warm function, while the Russell Hobbs Attentiv (£70) boasts precise temperature controls ranging from 40°C to 100°C, a keep warm function and a removable tea-steeping basket. Around the £100 mark and above, the variable temperature Swan Alexa Smart Kettle (£99) can be paired with any Amazon smart speaker, allowing for voice-controlled water boiling, the Zwilling Enfinigy Pro (£129) is as feature-packed as any kettle we’ve tested and has a sleek, ultra-modern design, while the KitchenAid Artisan (£195) offers variable temperature settings, great build quality, a beautiful, classic design and is a smooth and luxurious operator in use.

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Kenwood Dusk 1.7l Kettle review: What’s good about it?

First off, let’s look at the hard data, through which the Dusk has proven itself to be a notably solid performer. In our kettle group speed test, the Kenwood Dusk boiled a litre of water in just 2mins 20secs, with a boil rate of 0.53°C/s. This puts it close to the Kenwood Abbey, the speediest of the lot, with a time of 2mins 15secs and a boil rate of 0.57°C/s. Of course, we should note that all the 3,000W kettles performed similarly in our test, but I think the Dusk still deserves praise for matching its rivals. To test its insulation and safety credentials, we measured the exterior temperature of the Dusk in use; it maxed out at a warm but safe 54.6°C, bettering several other kettles that reached potentially finger-burning highs of 70-78°C. Lastly, it measured just 53.3dBA while boiling, making it the second-quietest kettle on test, behind only the high-end KitchenAid Artisan.

The Dusk also deserves kudos for its large 1.7l capacity, as well as its wide spout, which pours smoothly, and without dumping hot water all over your countertop. Finally, a big plus of the Dusk in my book is its looks; I find that its shape, finish and range of muted, twilight-inspired colours come together to give the kettle a very aesthetically pleasing and soothing effect. If you’re looking for an extra calming presence in your kitchen, this kettle – at least in my opinion – is the visual equivalent of a cup of chamomile.

Kenwood Dusk 1.7l Kettle review: What could be better?

While not the most important factor in the world, the Kenwood Dusk didn’t perform as well as its rivals in our heat retention test, with a litre of water measuring in at just 89.8°C five minutes after boiling –this was the joint lowest score in this test.

Aside from that, the only other complaint I can offer is that the Kenwood arguably sits in an awkward position in terms of price, being a little more expensive than the rest of the more straightforward kettles and having none of the extra features of the pricier models. However, the Dusk does arguably carve out a mid-range niche better than the Dualit Lite (£90), for example – which is another simple to operate, aesthetically pleasing kettle but one that costs a good deal more.

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Kenwood Dusk 1.7l Kettle review: Should I buy it?

The Kenwood Dusk’s large capacity makes it suitable for busy households, or serious tea and coffee drinkers. I’m a big fan of its muted design, available in various colours, finding it aesthetically pleasing and visually soothing as promised. The Dusk also performed well in our tests, registering as one of quickest and quietest boilers in our group. Topping things off, the kettle proved to offer decent insulation and a nicely wide, easy-pouring spout.

As noted throughout my review, the Kenwood Dusk does cost a bit more than some similarly straightforward operating kettles while not being able to boast extra features like the more expensive kettles. Sitting in something of a mid-range niche, the Kenwood Dusk is largely worth the money in my opinion, if you happen to be looking for a simple, reliable boiler and are also a fan of its subtle and evocative physical design.