Budget boiling water tap recomendations?
Discussion
Hi all. I've been fancying for a boiling water tap lately. I'm currently on a tight budget due to baby etc so was thinking of buying a used one on eBay. Does anyone have any advice or recommendations on ones that are good value for money as it seems a lot of the money goes into the tap finish. If i buy cheap second hand and it doesn't last too long I don't mind too much - if i like it it'll help me justify replacing it with a better one. I'm seeing Victorian plumbing and the likes have their own in-house brand offerings at a more budget friendly price. I know you get qhat you pay for but as long as the system was faster than waiting for a kettle i'd be happy
Also I might buy a second hand quooker tank and pair it with a more budget 3 in 1 tap but I'm unsure if this is possible, maybe somebody on here has tried that.
Thoughts welcome... I believe these will become fairly standard equipment in years to come.
Also I might buy a second hand quooker tank and pair it with a more budget 3 in 1 tap but I'm unsure if this is possible, maybe somebody on here has tried that.
Thoughts welcome... I believe these will become fairly standard equipment in years to come.
We use one of these at work and has been fine and on the budget end of the scale.
https://www.plumbworld.co.uk/insinkerator-kitchen-...
https://www.plumbworld.co.uk/insinkerator-kitchen-...
https://www.qettle.com/
Really good, had one for 3 or 4 years ish and very happy, had a quooker in old flat and there is not much to choose between them.
Really good, had one for 3 or 4 years ish and very happy, had a quooker in old flat and there is not much to choose between them.
Our v1 Quooker is now 16 years old & ought to probably be replaced....they haven't offered a brilliant upgrade offer.
Wondering about the Qettle....but we now rarely have 'regular' tea - mostly green/jasmine/white, etc, plus coffee.....& those recommend NOT boiling water, so I am wondering about one of the other taps that are not quite boiling taps!
Any suggestions will be taken on board and stored for future us.
We are also in a hard water area, and decoking the Quooker is a ball-ache....looks like Qettle's want a new filter every 6 months, which sounds a lot....
Wondering about the Qettle....but we now rarely have 'regular' tea - mostly green/jasmine/white, etc, plus coffee.....& those recommend NOT boiling water, so I am wondering about one of the other taps that are not quite boiling taps!
Any suggestions will be taken on board and stored for future us.
We are also in a hard water area, and decoking the Quooker is a ball-ache....looks like Qettle's want a new filter every 6 months, which sounds a lot....
eliot said:
I understand how they are useful in an office kitchen - but fail to see the point for domestic use apart from novelty/fashion.
/dons heatproof suit to protect from the hot tap fanbois/
Heh heh!/dons heatproof suit to protect from the hot tap fanbois/
Hey, you’re entitled to your opinion, of course.
If it were purely financial, I’d perhaps agree - you can buy an awful lot of kettles for the cost of even a cheap hot tap!
However….having owned one for many years - which clearly makes me a fanboy - I can honestly say it is used multiple times on almost every day, and saves a huge amount of time.
If time isn’t important, again, use a kettle!
Have you ever lived in a house that has one? Honestly, it is the one “luxury” kitchen gadget we would NOT do without.
But that’s from a fanboi. I respect you have a view that differs to me.
nikaiyo2 said:
https://www.qettle.com/
Really good, had one for 3 or 4 years ish and very happy, had a quooker in old flat and there is not much to choose between them.
We put a Qettle in the kitchen a couple of years ago. Got a water leak from the ferrule on one of the pipes, just out of warranty.Really good, had one for 3 or 4 years ish and very happy, had a quooker in old flat and there is not much to choose between them.
Qettle were fantastic, sending a replacement. Good product and a great company to deal with.
mikeiow said:
saves a huge amount of time.
As a test I just boiled a cup of cold water and it took 61 seconds in my £19.99 Russell Hobs - lets assume it takes 10 seconds in a hot tap.50 seconds x 5 cups of coffee, i think i can live with the burden of spending less than 5 minutes a day waiting for it to boil - i usually spend the time tidying the kitchen or unloading the dishwasher and it's time I'm away from the computer screen.
Each to their own I guess.
eliot said:
mikeiow said:
saves a huge amount of time.
As a test I just boiled a cup of cold water and it took 61 seconds in my £19.99 Russell Hobs - lets assume it takes 10 seconds in a hot tap.50 seconds x 5 cups of coffee, i think i can live with the burden of spending less than 5 minutes a day waiting for it to boil - i usually spend the time tidying the kitchen or unloading the dishwasher and it's time I'm away from the computer screen.
Each to their own I guess.
Sure, for one person with time on their hands, that is fine - that’s why I am perfectly happy for you to have your view. Seriously: almost all of my pals have a kettle, no hot tap, and live happy lives!
In contrast, the only other ones I know who own a hot tap would *never* do without it.
I feel it is similar to some car features. I couldn’t have a car without some features (adaptive cruise, heated seats, adaptive headlights, etc) that most people have perhaps never experienced and therefore won’t miss. Absolutely fine!
For a family, or even a couple, who boil veg, make pots of tea/coffee etc, those times add up. Coming down in the morning and getting the tea in the cup immediately to take back up after a stir….it saves time over the months and years.
& yes, I realise I am by definition a ‘fanboi’ for them, but we all live our own experiences. As you say, each to their own.
Meanwhile, back on topic: has the OP got any other recommendations after the Qettle, and does anyone have a not-quite-boiling option we might consider at some point?
Have a Quooker which has been trouble free since it went in in 2017 and would never go back now. Like an electric boot/tailgate or electric garage door, completely unnecessary but once you’ve had the convenience there’s no going back.
Can’t help with a budget one but don’t think you’ll regret stretching yourself, OP.
On a cost perspective, means we are only heating the small tank under the kitchen sink rather than the hot water tank upstairs.
Also, non-boiling hot water in the kitchen comes from this and instant non boiling hot water is overlooked but bloody brilliant. Whenever I am elsewhere, perhaps a holiday let and I'm wasting water waiting for the hot to run through I’m reminded how convenient it is.
I’d survive without central locking or by using wind up windows but I wouldn’t want to.
Can’t help with a budget one but don’t think you’ll regret stretching yourself, OP.
On a cost perspective, means we are only heating the small tank under the kitchen sink rather than the hot water tank upstairs.
Also, non-boiling hot water in the kitchen comes from this and instant non boiling hot water is overlooked but bloody brilliant. Whenever I am elsewhere, perhaps a holiday let and I'm wasting water waiting for the hot to run through I’m reminded how convenient it is.
I’d survive without central locking or by using wind up windows but I wouldn’t want to.
eliot said:
As a test I just boiled a cup of cold water and it took 61 seconds in my £19.99 Russell Hobs - lets assume it takes 10 seconds in a hot tap.
50 seconds x 5 cups of coffee, i think i can live with the burden of spending less than 5 minutes a day waiting for it to boil - i usually spend the time tidying the kitchen or unloading the dishwasher and it's time I'm away from the computer screen.
Each to their own I guess.
I am with you on this one, plus if my £20 kettle breaks I chick it in the bin and buy a new one. Plus I can easily descale it in 10 minutes by using a 50 pence sachet of desclaer.50 seconds x 5 cups of coffee, i think i can live with the burden of spending less than 5 minutes a day waiting for it to boil - i usually spend the time tidying the kitchen or unloading the dishwasher and it's time I'm away from the computer screen.
Each to their own I guess.
I have used boiling taps at my office and the water never seems to be as hot as a kettle and makes a rubbish cup of tea.
The idea of spending 100s if not £1000 on a hot tap that doesn't make as good tea as a cheap kettle and will cost a fortune to repair makes no sense to me.
Plus I never sit and watch the kettle thinking "well that is a minute of my life wasted"
ThingsBehindTheSun said:
eliot said:
As a test I just boiled a cup of cold water and it took 61 seconds in my £19.99 Russell Hobs - lets assume it takes 10 seconds in a hot tap.
50 seconds x 5 cups of coffee, i think i can live with the burden of spending less than 5 minutes a day waiting for it to boil - i usually spend the time tidying the kitchen or unloading the dishwasher and it's time I'm away from the computer screen.
Each to their own I guess.
I am with you on this one, plus if my £20 kettle breaks I chick it in the bin and buy a new one. Plus I can easily descale it in 10 minutes by using a 50 pence sachet of desclaer.50 seconds x 5 cups of coffee, i think i can live with the burden of spending less than 5 minutes a day waiting for it to boil - i usually spend the time tidying the kitchen or unloading the dishwasher and it's time I'm away from the computer screen.
Each to their own I guess.
I have used boiling taps at my office and the water never seems to be as hot as a kettle and makes a rubbish cup of tea.
The idea of spending 100s if not £1000 on a hot tap that doesn't make as good tea as a cheap kettle and will cost a fortune to repair makes no sense to me.
Plus I never sit and watch the kettle thinking "well that is a minute of my life wasted"
Before we had our kitchen refurb (16yrs ago!), I had a meeting with a customer, & we went to make a cuppa to start. I spotted the ZipTap (since I was mulling over a luxury item) but he told me it made awful tea because it wasn’t boiling, & proceeded to pop the kettle on!
Other not-quite boiling taps are also available, although I now know that some say tea shouldn’t use boiling water.
That was why we ended up spending out on the Quooker - like Qettle, it *is* boiling.
As I said…I totally get that a kettle will always be cheaper and entirely functional. Just not as quick….
Jimjimhim said:
They are a complete waste of money IMO, saves you seconds but costs a fortune.
I felt a bit of a muppet agreeing to a Quooker when we had a full kitchen refurb a couple of years ago but it was all so expensive anyhow that the cost just merged into a big number I blanked out of my mind.I can't give any stick back to folk who hold the view above because I was that guy.
Now, I'd never be without one again.
renmure said:
Jimjimhim said:
They are a complete waste of money IMO, saves you seconds but costs a fortune.
I felt a bit of a muppet agreeing to a Quooker when we had a full kitchen refurb a couple of years ago but it was all so expensive anyhow that the cost just merged into a big number I blanked out of my mind.I can't give any stick back to folk who hold the view above because I was that guy.
Now, I'd never be without one again.
I was a sceptic about these hot taps until we remodelled our kitchen and the supplier threw one into the deal. I drink quite a few cups of tea every day, and there's a break-point at which it's cheaper to have one of these vs a kettle but I've no idea which side of the line I stand however I can say that mine makes as good a cuppa as a kettle. Imagine a kettle having just boiled, it switches off, and you wait until all the bubbles have calmed down - maybe 20 seconds - and then you make your drink. That's how hot mine is.
The incoming water is also filtered so it doesn't need descaling - at least it hasn't these past 7 years anyway.
If I had a complaint it's that the boiling tap on my particular type (can't remember which one) is too easy to activate, so that when guests come and wish to wash their hands, they might accidentally pull the wrong lever. It only happened once but it has led to us being especially careful when new guests come, and we have to avoid letting children near it.
Ours doesn't have a filtered cold tap either which seems a shame as there is a filter in the system. I'm not sure if you can get these but if I were spec'ing one up in the future, I'd see if that were possible.
The incoming water is also filtered so it doesn't need descaling - at least it hasn't these past 7 years anyway.
If I had a complaint it's that the boiling tap on my particular type (can't remember which one) is too easy to activate, so that when guests come and wish to wash their hands, they might accidentally pull the wrong lever. It only happened once but it has led to us being especially careful when new guests come, and we have to avoid letting children near it.
Ours doesn't have a filtered cold tap either which seems a shame as there is a filter in the system. I'm not sure if you can get these but if I were spec'ing one up in the future, I'd see if that were possible.
Jimjimhim said:
renmure said:
Jimjimhim said:
They are a complete waste of money IMO, saves you seconds but costs a fortune.
I felt a bit of a muppet agreeing to a Quooker when we had a full kitchen refurb a couple of years ago but it was all so expensive anyhow that the cost just merged into a big number I blanked out of my mind.I can't give any stick back to folk who hold the view above because I was that guy.
Now, I'd never be without one again.
t, it didn't last). Although for us it was a house-build so the cost looked even tinnier. 
Tea/ coffee - i can now grab a brew for 2 BETWEEN meetings it's so quick, so it's worth it for that alone. But, I also was wrong, I wouldn't be without one now. Pan of pasta, vegetables, some instant gravy. Clean the teaspoon off after you've whipped the teabag out, sterilise a needle/ kids bottle/ calpol dropper.
I use ours *all* the time. It's a luxury you could easily live without of course. It's a bit like apple car play, I can live without it sure, but I don't ever want a car without it again.
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