Comments on: Review of my Quick Cup from Tefal

By: Yogi The Coffee Maker Reviewer

Yogi The Coffee Maker Reviewer — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:22:07 +0000

Its definitely not worked out very economical if you still went for that kettle….

Why did you not opt for a coffee maker instead..you could have easily found one for that kind of price, boil water and will even make you a good cup of coffee when you feel like…just my 2pence…not worth much these days…let me make it my 50pence…ummm

By: Andy Bailey

Andy Bailey — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:07:34 +0000

wow! what a long comment, I can tell you’re not pleased with it. personally, I find it very useful and much quicker than the normal kettle for making a single cup. I agree with you on the 3 seconds thing though. I’ll keep it though, it’s good enough for the job. Thanks for your opinion!

By: Jayce

Jayce — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:35:10 +0000

This is a classic case of a product not living up to its hype. It’s *almost* a great product, but very badly designed. When I first got mine, it spurted and spluttered so badly, you either had to hold the cup up next to the nozzle and risk getting scalded, or start it, stand well back to avoid being splashed, and wipe up the bench after each use. The distributor sent me a differently designed nozzle (the fact that a different nozzle was available indicated they are well aware of a problem, but hope that most people won’t complain) which did alleviate the splashing somewhat, but the operation is still nowhere near what is shown in commercials.

In Australia and New Zealand it’s marketed with the implied claim that it will give you a cup of hot water in 3 seconds. (Actually there’s an internet ad that specifically makes this claim at http://www.quickcup.com.au/tvc.html) This is quite obviously a case of deliberately deceptive advertising. When I called the distributors they indignantly told me they never claimed to produce a whole cup in seconds, only that it would “give you hot water in 3 seconds” Yeah right. You can have a cup of tea in 3 seconds, as long as it’s in a thimble. My mug takes anywhere between 30~50 seconds to fill. The fact that it’s inconsistent seems to imply the unit isn’t working properly, but the distributors tell me it’s normal.

As to the claim of energy efficiency, I can’t be sure. But it does occur to me that the financial and energy costs of producing and continually replacing a small dedicated throwaway filter would probably far outweigh any savings in power. I assume the filter is necessary to reduce the buildup of scale, rather than for any health concerns.

Overall, this is a real disappointment. A possibly great product but so poorly executed that it’s really not worth the money. Maybe the next model will fix some of these shortcomings.

By: Andy Bailey

Andy Bailey — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 10:35:56 +0000

the filters aren’t required if you don’t want them. I used to use a britta filter to fill my normal kettle so I continue to do that so I don’t need to keep changing filters. If you live in an area that has a good tap water supply then there’s no need!

By: dannie

dannie — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 10:19:58 +0000

every where i’ve read say’s you have to change filter every 6 weeks.so at £4.00 a time what you save on energy your spending on filters thats almost £35.oo a year.

By: Andy Bailey

Andy Bailey — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 12:43:38 +0000

thanks for your question Graham, see the post for the answer and video

By: Graham Hanson

Graham Hanson — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 12:10:46 +0000

Looks cool, well…
I’m thinking of buying one with energy prices set to increase I’m looking to save the odd penny or 2.
What is the power rating of it?

My current kettle takes 1 min to boil a mug of water.
It has 10A stamped on the base, and UK mains is 230V,
using the formula Power = Volts x Amps my kettle’s power rating is 2300 watt or 2.3kW
(I can do sighunce me :D)
2.3/60 = 0.038 that’s how many units of electricity it takes to cook up one mug.
I pay about 13 pence per unit atm, so
13 x 0.038 = 0.498

It costs me about half a pence per mug.
I’d like to do the same sums on this thing, so we can compare and verify their claims of up to 65% energy saving.
What I need to know is this…

1. when you use it in manual mode, how long in seconds do you keep your finger on the button for to fill a mug ~350ml

2. what is the power rating? does it say on the bottom?

By: Andy Bailey

Andy Bailey — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:11:25 +0000

stuart: I saw on mythbusters how they microwaved distilled water and it became super heated, if you put a cold fork in a superheated glass of distilled water then it will explode!

Scott: I’m pleased with it, it definitely is convenient for 2 cups of tea or less made at one time. If you’re making tea for the whole family then it’s a pain in the arse to make each one separately

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 17:08:38 +0000

I was looking at buying one of these a while back but didnt get round to it in the end. Your post has rekindled my interest, might have to make a trip to Argos at the weekend ! Scott's last blog post..NetNewsWire For OS X Available For Free Download

By: Stuart

Stuart — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:21:07 +0000

I wouldn’t recommend boiling water in a microwave. It is a good way to burn yourself.