Sage the Soft Top Pure kettle review: feel the quality of that lid

Welcome to our review of the Sage the Soft Top Pure kettle. It’s made from brushed stainless steel, it has a soft opening lid, transparent water windows, an illuminated power switch and it boils water well. There, that’s it, you can now scarper off back to the T3 home page. I jest, of course, because there’s not a great deal one can say about a kettle, other than how big it is, how quickly it boils water and whether it looks nice on the counter top.

We’ve already reviewed a tranche of kettles which you can read about in our handy guide to the best kettles but since we generally like Sage products so much we thought it would be a wheeze to give this handsome minimalist model a fuller review. So here it is.

Sage the Soft Top Pure kettle: price and availability

If you live in the UK, the Sage the Soft Top Pure is available direct from Sage, priced £99.95. Alternatively, try Amazon (£99.87), Harts of Stur (£98.95) and, if you’re a member, Costco, were it’s going for an excellent £79.99.

In America, Sage is sold under the Breville brand so head to the main Breville online store where you can snap this kettle up for $89.95. Or else try Amazon ($79.85) and Walmart ($89.95).

Live in the Land of Oz? Head straight to the Breville store and snap one up for A$189.95 or try The Good Guys who are selling this very kettle for a knockdown A$149.

Sage the Soft Top Pure kettle review: design and features

Sage is a UK subsidiary of Breville that specialises in higher quality domestic appliances. Sage products are usually very easy to spot since they are universally swathed in brushed satin-like stainless steel, whether it’s a toaster, a microwave oven, an espresso machine or a pizza oven. They all match perfectly together and that’s a clever thing because once you’ve owned a Sage product and realised how good it is, chances are you’ll want to match whatever it is you buy next with the style of product you already have. That’s good marketing for you.

As highlighted above, the Soft Top Pure is swathed in Sage’s customary stainless steel so you can be sure it will look stylish on any kitchen worktop. Other design touches include a slim water level window on each each side, a large blue transparent viewing window on top, a tactile on/off switch with accompanying ‘ting’ sound, a 360˚ multi directional base and a nice big grippy rubberised handle for easy pouring. I’m also impressed with the spout design of this kettle which is perfectly shaped to allow the most gentleness of pouring with absolutely no spillage. The spout also includes a removable mesh filter for catching limescale.

The Sage Soft Top Pure has a capacity of 1.7 litres so that’s plenty big enough to pre-boil a large saucepan’s worth of water. The heating element, meanwhile, is hidden from view beneath a metal plate so it should be a cinch to clean when it comes to descaling time.

That’s the main spec list out of the way, so what’s all this Soft Top stuff about then? Well you know how some kettles have a lid that springs open with such gusto it flings condensation into your face, this one opens s-l-o-w-l-y with a soft damping action and closes with a gentle pop sound that’s difficult to demonstrate in words. Of course, it’s really just a marketing gimmick but if you like your home products to have a tactile touch then this may be the kettle for you.

However, I once had a lovely Smeg kettle that also had a nice lid action, but after six months or so Thames Water’s high calcium content put paid to that and the lid stuck fast. The upshot is that, if you live in a hard water area, you may need to decalcify this kettle more often if you want the lid action to continue as if it were brand new.

Sage the Soft Top Pure kettle review: performance

If filling a kettle could ever be considered a joyous task, I found this one to be very pleasant indeed, but mostly because of the kettle’s gentle lid action. In my tests, the Sage boiled a measured cup of water in 1 minute and 6.27 seconds – I like to be pedantic about these things. I then performed a full test of all 1.7 litres and it came in at 3 minutes and 47.05 seconds, give or take a 10th or two. Hence, given this kettle’s 2.4kW consumption, it’s always best to just boil what you need and not half a kettle for a cup of tea. But then you already knew that.

Sage the Soft Top Pure kettle review: verdict

Although the Sage is undeniably stylish to look at, a smidge under a ton is quite a lot to spend on a kettle with a soft-opening lid as its main USP. Nevertheless, if you have the readies available or already own other Sage equipment, you know what to do.

Want more choice? Check our guide to the Best Kettles you can buy today