PID'd kettles

[SJM]

I know, I know, I know, we chewed this topic to death a year or so ago, but....that was when they first erupted on the scene.
Now that you have had yours for a while.....do you like it?  Would you buy it again?  Would you but another brand?  Would you go back to an un-PID'd kettle?

[pShoe]

I use both the Bonavita Variable Temperature Kettle and Cuisinart PerfecTemp. The Bonavita is my main work horse and the PerfecTemp is used at work. Both have served me well. My the Perfect temp was my only Kettle I had to pour the hot water into my Hario Kettle for pour overs. That  was not fun. It required preheating to get me anywhere close to adequate brew temp. For full immersion style it work fine. I kinda like the look of it more than the Bonavita, but that is not to say I don't like the look of the Bonavita. I like that the PerfecTemp beeps when it reaches the temp. The interface and execution of the PerfecTemp is better too. The plastic above the "On" button on the Bonavita has bubbled up. Nevertheless, the Bonavita is still my favorite among the two because of the goose neck, and extra temperature control. The build in timer is a cool feature too, but I only use that when I don't readily have my phone near by. It's been a while since I look, but I don't think there is much competition to the Bonavita Variable Temperature Kettle ATM. 

TL,DR
Bonavita Variable Temperature Kettle
Yes
Yes
No
No

[SJM]

Excellent information. 
I don't need the gooseneck since I don't do pourovers. 

The Bonavita is probably at the top of my list.  I have been seeing comments about about corrosion and the early demise of the thermal fuse, but it still seems like the most likely choice.

The Cuisinart looks eally nice, but it offends me because it says stuff on the buttons like "green" "oolong" "french press".  Can you actually set a temp of your own, or are there only those presets? 

[fffolks]

I love my PID Bonavita kettle and a recent experience has left me really happy with their customer service. After a year and half or so of everyday use, the gooseneck spout broke off at the body of the kettle. I sent Bonavita an email late on a Thursday night and got a response within 15 minutes. Their representative requested a photo of the kettle and the next morning I received a tracking number and had a new kettle 3 days later. Very impressed.

[peter]

I know, I know, I know, we chewed this topic to death a year or so ago, but....that was when they first erupted on the scene.
Now that you have had yours for a while.....do you like it?  Would you buy it again?  Would you but another brand?  Would you go back to an un-PID'd kettle?

My frugal nature makes me ask why you or anyone would want a PID'd kettle?  What brew methods need such specific temps that guessing with a non-PID'd kettle would produce inferior results, bearing in mind that whatever temp you think you have in the kettle changes as soon as you pour?

[SJM]

Well I'm just not as frugal as you are Peter....

Worked hard.
Saved hard.
No kids.
Why not spend it?

[peter]

Ya know, I do - really do - enjoy spending money, which in part is what spurns my frugality so I'll have it to spend when I want it.  The question still remains, will the features a PID'd kettle enhance the coffee you can produce?  I say a standard electric kettle will get you close enough to the correct temps that there will be no discernible difference in the cup.

No doubt, you'll buy the kettle from a vendor who will accept returns, yes?   

[SJM]

So, here's the other reason. 
When brewing in the large ESPRO, I need to heat a kettle with water to pre-warm both the 32 oz and the 8 oz (to use to hold what is leftover).

Which means I need two kettles full of hot water:  one for pre-warming everything and one for brewing....I figured the second one might as well have the PID to save me letting the brew kettle boil, putting a thermometer in it, waiting while it settles, etc....

Susan

[milowebailey]

I have two electric kettles, neither of them PID... happy with both of them.

Bonavita with spout
Melita without spout

I agree with Peter especially since no kettle keeps the temp consistent while you are pouring, so what's the point.

If you want the ultimate.... here ya go

[SJM]

But I am not trying to keep the temp steady through any pour.  I'm just pouring it into the FP.  I just want a kettle which will stop the temp from rising above 205 degrees and then hold it there while I do whatever I am doing until I am ready to pour dump.

I think this will make a fine addition to my current Aroma which is perfect for a kettle which just goes up to boiling and shuts itself off.

I'm willing to be wrong.....again....

Susan (who may even have had this kettle briefly once before....)

[milowebailey]

Ok, you could try this....Norwegian  coffee

[SJM]

With some methods, I'll cheat to save water, assuming that the brewer is clean.  My water source is 90% RO water from the hot water tap of my cooler and 10% filtered tap (I gave up on water softening cartridges as I was still having scale problems).  Instead of filling my kettle with the water, I'll weigh the water into the brewer (such as the carafe of the Kalita 185 or a Chemex) and then pour it into my pouring kettle to take it up the rest of the way to the temperature I desire.  This makes it easy to weigh out my water and preheat the brewer somewhat.

Part of this may be that we've got buckets in the bathroom that we use to catch the water while we wait for it to heat up since we're facing a pretty bad cycle for drought in California, but even though we're facing a dire situation it still is not enough to make me stop rinsing my filters before brewing, I hate that astringent paper taste.

I thought about that the other day.  I poured the hot water into the ESPRO and then considered pouring it back into the Aroma, but....it HAD an aroma which dissuaded me.  I need the water in the kettle to be usable for whatever.....not just coffee.

There is a serious drought in CA, but not at my house.  I'm on a well and everything I use goes right back into the ground.  Nothing runs off into the sewer system or to the ocean.  I feel no guilt at all about using water.

[peter]

So, here's the other reason. 
When brewing in the large ESPRO, I need to heat a kettle with water to pre-warm both the 32 oz and the 8 oz (to use to hold what is leftover).

Which means I need two kettles full of hot water:  one for pre-warming everything and one for brewing....I figured the second one might as well have the PID to save me letting the brew kettle boil, putting a thermometer in it, waiting while it settles, etc....

Susan

You are over-complicating the process, in my estimation.  The times when I have to preheat a press pot, I'll pour hot water into the press pot, grind the beans and while they are grinding, pour the water back into the kettle, add the ground coffee to the press pot and by then the water is back up to temp for the pour.  One kettle, badda-bing badda-bang.

I don't buy the theory about not reheating water because that depletes the oxygen in the water - hooey.

[headchange4u]

I've gone through a lot of kettles, both with and without temp controls, and I can honestly say that that a kettle with temp control is a must-have for my coffee arsenal. I don't need the accuracy of a PID, but it's really nice to be able to get up in the morning, set the kettle to 200*F, finish getting ready for work, and then return to the kettle knowing it's ready to go at the proper temp. It's also nice to have setting for things like green tea and know when the kettle beeps it will be at the proper ~160*F.

This unit is the one I'm currently using:
http://www.amazon.com/Kalorik-Cordless-Electric-Kettle-Stainless/dp/B003FGWA5O/ref=pd_sbs_k_7

[pShoe]

Can you actually set a temp of your own, or are there only those presets?

Unfortunately, you are stuck with them. That's the biggest down fall IMO, but it's better than the "on/off" electric kettles I guess.