Electric kettles, scored on five axes

Buy it if

• Green tea and coffee from the same kettle, at different temperatures
• Hard water, where descaling happens often
• You want stainless rather than plastic touching the water

Skip it if

• You need a gooseneck spout for pour-over control
• Counter space is tight — this is a full-size kettle

Buy it if

• Pour-over coffee, where flow rate is part of the recipe
• You want to set a temperature to the degree
• The kettle lives on the counter and has to look right there

Skip it if

• You mainly fill mugs and pots — the narrow spout is slow for that
• Under a litre is not enough for a household

Buy it if

• Pour-over coffee without paying for the styling
• You want a hold function but not single-degree precision
• A handle designed by a company that thinks about handles

Skip it if

• Precision to the exact degree is part of your routine
• You want a full-size kettle for tea and cooking too

Buy it if

• Trying pour-over without spending much to find out if you like it
• Presets are enough — you do not need arbitrary temperatures
• A second kettle for an office or a small kitchen

Skip it if

• You want the build to last a decade
• Under a litre will not cover a household

Buy it if

• A guest room, an office, or a first apartment
• You only ever want boiling water
• Watching the water boil is genuinely part of the appeal

Skip it if

• Daily heavy use — the failure reports cluster fast
• You want temperature control of any kind