Russell Hobbs Inspire Kettle Review: 43 Seconds a Cup, and a Filter That Needs Help
The Inspire is the black-gloss, steel-trimmed jug kettle sold by most big UK electrical retailers. A home tester timed one cup at 43 seconds, several hundred buyers love it, and the one source that looked hard at limescale was not impressed. Here is what the three agree on, and the figures that do not match.
Where the reviews line up
This review is built on three sources: a home test by Mumsnet Reviews, 372 buyer ratings at AO, and the expert notes and 51 buyer reviews at Dutch retailer Coolblue. The model we cover is the UK 24361 in black. The white 24360 is the same kettle in a different colour.
All three agree on two things. It is quick with small amounts. Russell Hobbs claims one 235 ml cup in 45 seconds, and Mumsnet's tester timed 43. It looks smarter than the price. The gloss finish, steel trim and blue-lit water window come up in every source, and AO buyers give it 4.9 out of 5.
The warning comes from Coolblue. Its expert says the filter does not stop limescale well, and one buyer there descales with vinegar every fortnight. Mumsnet calls the washable filter a plus, so you get both views. If you live in a hard-water area, expect to descale it often, as the manual tells you to.
Buy it as a fast, good-looking everyday kettle, not as a quiet one. Russell Hobbs' own page lists Quiet Boil as "No". Coolblue gives 80 dB, but for the 2,400 W continental version, not the UK 3,000 W model.
The three reviews this summary is built from
- Mumsnet ReviewsOne tester, a family of four, everyday use. The only source that timed it: 43 seconds for one cup.
- AO4.9/5 from 372 reviews on the black 24361, checked 3 October 2026. Ratings hosted by the shop that sells it.
- Coolblue8.6/10 from 51 reviews, plus the retailer's own pros and cons. The continental 24361-70 at 2,400 W.
Before the review: UK and continental versions differ
Russell Hobbs sells an Inspire with a -70 suffix in Europe (24360-70, 24361-70). It is rated at 2,400 W. The UK 24360 and 24361 are rated at 3,000 W by AO, Currys Business and Mumsnet. The Coolblue figures below (55-second boil, 80 dB) are for the 2,400 W model. A UK kettle should be a little faster than that. Russell Hobbs also sells Inspire kettles in grey (24363) and cream (24364), and Which? lists a brass-trimmed black (24365).
Specification at a glance
| Spec | Figure | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Model | 24361 (black); 24360 is white | Russell Hobbs UK product page |
| Power | 3,000 W (UK). 2,400 W on the continental 24361-70 | AO, Currys Business, Mumsnet; Coolblue for the -70 |
| Capacity | 1.7 litres, about 7 cups | Russell Hobbs, AO, Coolblue agree |
| Minimum fill | 280 ml (Mumsnet). The manual says “at least 1 cup” | Two sources, worded differently |
| One-cup boil | Claimed 45 s for 235 ml · timed 43 s by Mumsnet · 55 s on the 2,400 W version (Coolblue) | One independent timing only |
| Full-kettle boil | Not published by any source we could read | See the caveat box |
| Energy per one-cup boil | About 0.036 kWh (3 kW × 43 s). Multiply by your unit rate | Our arithmetic from the figures above |
| Noise | 80 dB (Coolblue, 2,400 W version). Russell Hobbs lists Quiet Boil: No | No UK-model measurement found |
| Limescale filter | Removable, washable anti-scale filter. Spare costs £4.99 from Russell Hobbs | Currys Business calls it a BRITA filter; nobody else does |
| Cord length | 0.91 m | AO, Coolblue and Currys Business agree |
| Base | 360° cordless base with cord storage | Coolblue, Currys Business, Harvey Norman |
| Dimensions (H × W × D) | 26.7 × 23.5 × 15.8 cm (AO) · 24.0 × 25.5 × 18.0 cm (Currys Business) · height 240 mm (Russell Hobbs) | Sources disagree. Measure your space with room to spare |
| Weight | 1.16 kg (Coolblue) · 1.6 kg (Currys Business) | Sources disagree |
| Guarantee | 2 years, plus 1 more if you register online within 28 days | Russell Hobbs manual; AO and Currys Business say 3 years |
| Price | £48.99 at Russell Hobbs · £46 at AO (both 3 Oct 2026) | Mumsnet saw £32 in August 2025 |
Mumsnet Reviews
This is a home test, not a lab test. One tester used it in a family of four, boiling it many times a day for tea and coffee. It is still the only source we found that timed the kettle. She timed one cup at 43 seconds, slightly faster than Russell Hobbs' own claim of 45 seconds for 235 ml. She also gives 280 ml as the minimum fill and 1.7 litres as the maximum.
Her verdict is positive: "a winner all round". She scores it 5/5 for features, cleaning and value, and 4/5 for design and ease of use. She finds it "not particularly noisy" and the gloss easy to wipe clean. She also rates the washable anti-scale filter and the spout, which pours accurately. Her two complaints are worth knowing: you have to take the lid off completely to fill it, and it has no temperature settings. She also says she timed a full kettle but does not print the result, and that is the figure we would most like to have.
Watch: Russell Hobbs inspire 1.7L VS IKICH 1.7L Cordless Electric Kettle - Time Test Battle
A head-to-head boil-time test against a budget kettle, the closest video match to Mumsnet’s timing. We could not open it, so we have not checked the times it shows.
Watch on YouTube ↗AO
AO has the largest set of UK ratings we could read: 4.9 out of 5 from 372 reviews. These are ratings on the shop's own product page, so we give you the numbers rather than treating them as a verdict. A score that high from this many people still tells you few buyers are disappointed in the first weeks. The reviews we could see were almost all five stars. One had clearly been left on the wrong product, as it praises how evenly the kettle "toasts the bread".
The white 24360 page has similar comments: "Lovely looking fast boil kettle", "Looks the part and works great", and, interestingly, "Quiet Kettle". AO lists 3,000 W, 1.7 litres, a 0.91 m cord, a removable washable filter and a three-year guarantee if you register within 28 days. Russell Hobbs' manual says the same thing differently: two years as standard, plus one more year if you register online within 28 days. If you don't register, you get two years.
Watch: Russell Hobbs 24360 Inspire Electric Kettle, 3000 W, 1.7 Litre, White with Chrome Accents
A look at the white 24360, the same kettle in the other UK colour. Good for seeing the finish and the water window that buyers praise.
Watch on YouTube ↗Coolblue
Coolblue is a Dutch electricals retailer that writes its own short assessment of each product. We include it because it is the only source that publishes a noise figure (80 dB) and the only one that raises a clear problem. Remember that it covers the 2,400 W 24361-70, not the UK model. Its 55-second boil time and its noise figure do not carry straight across to the UK kettle.
Coolblue likes the quick boil, the 360° base, water marks in both litres and cups, and the lit switch. Its three cons are useful. The body gets hot while it boils, so hold it only by the handle. The plastic is less durable than metal. And the filter does not stop limescale well. One buyer backs this up, saying deposits build up quickly and get into the water, so they boil vinegar through it every two weeks. Mumsnet saw the same filter as a plus. The difference is probably the hardness of each tester's water, and we can't settle it. The manual says to descale at least monthly, which suggests the filter alone isn't enough.
Watch: RUSSELL HOBBS Inspire waterkoker - wit (24360-70)
A short Dutch product film of the continental white 24360-70, the same version Coolblue sells. Useful for the lid, filter and base, even if you do not follow the commentary.
Watch on YouTube ↗Strengths and weak points
What holds up
- Fast with a single cup: 43 seconds when Mumsnet timed it, against a 45-second claim.
- Rated 4.9/5 by 372 AO buyers, and 8.6/10 by 51 Coolblue buyers.
- Water marks in cups and litres, so it is easy to boil only what you need.
- Gloss finish wipes clean easily, and the spout pours accurately.
- 360° base, with cord storage for the short 0.91 m lead.
- An extra year of guarantee, free, if you register online within 28 days.
What people complain about
- The limescale filter does little in hard water, by one retailer's and one buyer's account.
- The lid comes off completely to fill; there is no flip-up lid.
- The plastic body gets hot while it boils.
- It is not a quiet-boil model, by Russell Hobbs' own listing.
- No temperature settings and no keep-warm.
- The 0.91 m cord is short if your socket is not close to where the kettle sits.
Who it actually suits
Buy it if you want a mainstream 1.7-litre kettle that looks better than its price and you often boil just one or two cups. Mumsnet's timing suggests that is where it does best. It is also a good choice if you want a matching toaster from the same range.
Look elsewhere if you live in a hard-water area and don't want to descale every few weeks, if you want a quiet kettle for an open-plan room or early mornings, or if you want temperature settings for green tea or baby formula. A kettle with a flip-up lid will also suit you better if you fill it at the tap one-handed.
What we could not check
- Full-kettle boil time. Mumsnet says it was tested but prints no figure. Which? lists the 24361 (last tested January 2025), but its results are behind a login. We found no published 1.7-litre time.
- Noise on the UK 3,000 W model. The only decibel figure (80 dB) is for the continental 2,400 W version, from Coolblue. Mumsnet and one AO buyer call it fairly quiet. Russell Hobbs lists it as not quiet-boil.
- The videos. We confirmed all three videos by finding the exact watch link and title in two differently worded searches, not by opening them. The listings did not show channel names, so we do not name the channels. We have not checked the times the boil-test video shows.
- Argos, Currys and Tesco prices. Argos sells both colours (24361 and 24360), but its pages load prices in a way we could not read. Currys' consumer page now redirects to its kettle category, and the Currys Business listing is out of stock. We found no Tesco listing for the Inspire kettle. The prices we give are Russell Hobbs and AO only.
- Dimensions and weight. Three sources give three sets of dimensions, and two give 1.16 kg and 1.6 kg. We print them all. If space is tight, measure the kettle before you buy.
- Whether the filter is BRITA. Only Currys Business says so. Russell Hobbs calls it an anti-scale filter, and we treat it as Russell Hobbs' own.
- Guarantee wording. The manual we read is a 24360 copy hosted by a university. AO and Currys Business say "3 years" without making clear that one year depends on registering. Russell Hobbs' page mentions only a "1 Year Extended Warranty".
- Which? results. Which? has tested the 24361, 24363 and 24365. Its scores and measurements are behind a login, so nothing on this page should be read as Which? backing.
Sources last checked 3 October 2026. Kettle prices change often, so check the listing in front of you before ordering.