Tefal Smart N Light Kettle review

The Tefal Smart N Light Kettle is  one of the most sophisticated kettles we’ve seen. It features a digital screen which displays the five variable temperatures you can choose from, as well as the real-time temperature. In addition, there’s a one-touch boil button as well as a keep warm setting available, which lasts for 30 minutes.

When we tested it alongside other kettles, we found it to be quick to boil and very cool to touch. It’s quite energy-efficient as well, although it’s a tad on the noisy side. Our only qualms were the lack of a water gauge and the fact that the lid doesn’t seal steam as well as it could. However, as you will find out in our Tefal Smart N Light Kettle review, the overall performance still ranks it as one of our best kettles.     

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Tefal Smart N Light Kettle review: Price and availability

The Tefal Smart N Light Kettle is available to buy from Currys for £79.99 and Tefal for £83.99. A similar model is available to buy in the U.S. from the brand Krups. It’s currently available to buy from Amazon for $59.99. It’s available in a black finish. 

Tefal Smart N Light Kettle review: Design

On first inspection, the Tefal Smart N Light Kettle looks quite impressive. The black, reflective exterior and stainless steel interior give it a sophisticated finish. If this doesn’t catch your eye, then it will once you switch it on — the temperature options and live temperature illuminate on the case and you can’t even see the outlines of the display.

This makes it look much more premium than most kettles. The temperature options include 104, 158, 176, 194 and 212°F or 40, 70, 80, 90 and 100°C, so it’s got an option to suit most herbal teas. 

The Tefal comes with a flip top lid and a plastic handle, which is comfortable to hold, although it could be more cushioned. However, there’s no water gauge, so you need to look within the pot to check you haven’t overfilled it. The minimum capacity is quite large at 450ml — this isn’t defined in the manual, but it’s what we measured using the internal increments — so it’s not ideal if you only want to boil enough for one cup of tea. The maximum capacity of 1.5 liters is also not as big as others we’ve seen.

At 69cm, the cord length is average, and there is storage in the base if you don’t need all of it. It won’t take up a huge amount of countertop space, but it is rather tall, measuring 10.9 x 6.3 x 8.07 inches. Be aware that it is rather heavy too, at 2.83 pounds when empty and 6.1 pounds when full.

When you first switch it on, you can scroll through the temperatures using one of the two buttons on the top of the handle. The second button is a one-touch boil setting, so you can quickly set it to boil. It will select whichever temperature you’ve landed on automatically if you leave it you leave it for a few seconds; we found this was a little frustrating because you can accidentally select the wrong temperature if you don’t act quickly. You can easily tell when it’s started and finished by an audible noise.

The controls on the handle are responsive, although I was a little disappointed that these were physical buttons, rather than touch-sensitive. These feel a little cheap and like they could dent easily.

The live temperature is also displayed on the body, so you have an idea of how long is remaining. A useful keep warm setting can also be selected using the buttons on the handle, which will maintain the temperature for a further 30 minutes. All in all, the design looks impressive and gives the user much more information than most. However, we did notice that the flip-top lid leaks quite a bit of steam as it reaches boiling, which doesn’t look great.

Tefal Smart N Light Kettle review: Performance

The Tefal Smart N Light Kettle was quite quick to boil one liter of water, taking just two minutes and 10 seconds on average. It was a little noisy as it did so, with a maximum reading of 76.3 dB, which is just above the average. However, we were very impressed by the external temperature of this kettle: the body was just 104.7°F after boiling, which is the coolest we’ve ever seen on test. It was warm to the touch, rather than hot, so it’s a great option if you have inquisitive pets or kids around. The energy efficiency of this kettle is good too, needing just 0.11 kWh to boil one liter. However, as mentioned earlier the lid did leak steam as it boiled, so the performance wasn’t flawless. 

It needed just over three minutes to boil the full 1.5 liters of water, and the external temperature and noise readings were similar to the one liter test. It scored well for insulation, thanks to the keep warm setting and double wall construction: 30 minutes after boiling, it measured 197.8°F, and after a full hour the water was still 180.1°F, one of the best among the kettles we tested. It alerts you when the keep warm has finished running, which is useful too. 

The accuracy of pouring through the spout is a little messy, especially when you pour quickly, although it doesn't dribble back if you recede slowly.

Tefal Smart N Light Kettle review: Ease of use and manual

Considering it has variable temperature controls, the Tefal Smart N Light Kettle is surprisingly easy to use via two buttons on the top of the handle. The only nuisance is how quickly it selects a temperature as you scroll through, which we mentioned earlier. 

The limescale filter is easy to remove and refit (although the flip-top lid does get in the way), and the lid is very easy to open and close with a single release button on top. However, the spout is particularly small to fill through from the tap and it overflows if you fill it too quickly. Considering there's no water gauge, you would have to fill it up through the lid instead anyway, so you can see the min and max capacity lines.

This kettle scored well for its manual, as it contains lots of safety advice and guidance, including recommendations for the different temperatures. There are also tips on cleaning and descaling, plus a troubleshooting guide too.

Tefal Smart N Light Kettle review: Verdict

Overall, Tefal Smart N Light Kettle won’t break the bank, but will still impress any visitors. The LED display really makes it stand out from the crowd, and with it being fast to boil, cool to touch, and energy efficient too, it delivers in multiple respects. True, there’s no water gauge and the lid could be better sealed, but if you’re willing to look past that you won’t be disappointed. 

Compared to our winner, the Bosch Sky Kettle, the Tefal Smart N Light Kettle wasn’t quite as speedy, but it was cooler to touch. It’s a similar price, so it just depends on what aspects matter more to you. One thing’s for sure, this kettle will add the wow factor to your countertop.