I really really love videos like these. It's the kind of thoughts you have while browsing for something to buy. Like "why is this kettle twice the price, they're literally doing the same job". Then you get Tom's no bullshit comparison between the two, doing the exact same tests you would do to see the differences.
You helped me choose my machine around a year ago (barista express) but I stayed subbed and keep watching some of your vids because I genuinely think you make the best coffee themed reviews on the whole platform. Cheers
I know it is vain, but I paid twice as much for the Fellow simply because it looks better. I got it in Green here in the EU. It goes well with my new red Profitec Go and yellow Specialita. Much more colorful setup than I had in the use, which was a black Bambino Plus, white ESP and black Cosori kettle (every piece performs better for my needs too). Thanks for the video, Tom, it is always enjoyable and informative.
Hi there! Enjoy your Stag while it lasts! That spout is better for pour overs/filters/osmotic flow drip than MANY goosenecks out there. Try venturing into filter coffee :) I have migrated from EKG Stag to Hario V60 Electric. These two are in the same price range and I love the V60 more than the Stag. Reason I chose to move on? My Stag spoiled electrically. It still boiled but the mini computer was not working and shows 85 degC when the water is clearly bubbling. This means the water overboils and spurts out. This issue is common in Stag kettles. You can google if you want to research to get an EKG Stag. They have not settled the longevity issue on their kettles. I am not Tom and I do not wish to repair my kettle myself. Believe me, I tried; I googled, bought screwdrivers, and tweaked couple of times. After that, I was like, heck, just buy a new one. But I refuse to repurchase Stag ever again. To be fair, what I found better on the Stag are (i) the spout and (ii) the on/off turning function coupled with temperature settings. Towards the end of its life, my Stag lid also frequently unscrewed and had to be tightened after EVERY use. It did not make sense to keep anymore because it doesn’t feel good to use. No point being aesthetic but not having the function to match. TL;DR: Stag lasts only just over 2 years. Tom is right. I am praying hard that the Hario V60 will last beyond because my old Tefal chunky (like Tom’s old one) kettle never died; its lid broke from the body and I just did not like how it opens anymore after 7-8 years. The good old chunky kettle was great because its thermostat seems like it will last 10-20 years. I will gladly pay in the $200-300 price point if the entire unit can reach 10 -15 years. I am that kind of person who wants life essentials to stabilise and not swap them like influencers; my essentials are not fashion. So… if EKG Stag reads your channel… here is hoping they do something about that computer chip/electric wire.
I currently own the Fish Smart, it is good to use, even with heavy-duty like serving public events. However, there are a few points I don't like. 1st is The upper handle curve, which is not as high enough as the fellow, which makes me have to put more effort in trying to hold it sometimes, I feel hot on the finger because the handle is quite close to the boiling cap, and I can feel the heat. 2nd is the touch screen for the temperature, it takes quite a little effort to adjust the right temperature, so having a knob-like Stagg is better. 3rd is the time to reach the right temperature, like you said, it is quite slow if you use it long enough to recognize it. 4th is it only holds a small amount of water, 600ml. But overall, the build quality is superb for the value, and it is easy to control the flow rate, which is enough for a daily home barista. On the other hand, I would choose the Brewista kettle as my next upgrade.
Nicely explained! I did feel the video comparison was a little simplistic and whether one can accept or mind the additional shortcomings for a cheaper price.
Thanks for the comparison. The Stag was in my wishlist since the beginning but I went with budget options and I'm pretty content. My new wishlist kettle though is the Hario Alpha, it's still quite a bit cheaper than the stag and I'm curious how it fares against it.
From unboxing, (always fun to watch) features, build quality, place of manufacturing, (comparison with your IPhone was gold) power, heating time, (comparison with your older original kettle was an opener on brewing speed) pour rate, price, i agree with you. Sweet short to the point, now we know, you stole the show on this kettle comparison
Well I'd say for me they're a horse a piece. You can adjust flow and aim well on both. But this is coming from an angle of a novice, as I gravitate towards espresso. I did this video because I wanted to start doing some grinder testing for pourovers, and needed a kettle. I was wondering myself about which one to get, so I got both. I think that Coffee Chronicler or Lance Hedrick could give a more in depth analysis of the pouring dynamics. Cheers!
@ thank you Tom. I’ll look around though I already have the stagg regular. I heard pro had some issues so didn’t opt for that one. I look forward to your pour over videos
I had a Fellow Stagg EKG Pro. It stank for a very long time. At some point I accidentally poured some water over the base. It must have leaked in via the rotary knob. Now it's electronic waste. And the firmware updates only worked once. After that, the app always said that there was a new version. But it could never be installed.
What about the Flair's 60$ kettle? That seems like such a good bargain that nothing else is worth buying, since they seem to be undercutting the entire market with virtually the same feature set
I have the Timemore and at the end of the goose neck the paint has come off. It isn't very scratch resistant I will say, so if you want something for the long term get the Stagg. If you don't care about longevity etc, get the Timemore imo
Hi Tom, thanks so much for your great reviews. Really helpful for a beginner like me. Any chance you will review the La Specialista Opera in the coming months? I'm almost sold on the Barista Express Impress, but I like the design of the La Specialista a lot more...
Hi Tom, great video. I watched a similar video not long ago and he chose the timemore as the winner, reason being it was the better angle at the end on the neck of the spout. He found it easier when doing a aeropress or pour over. Did you find the actual pouring any better on either? Thanks
Pouring is similar for me, but I like that the Fish has a higher flow rate, for when I'm topping up an Americano for example. I feel like the Fish feels a little more balanced in the hand for me too, maybe because it's smaller.
I was buying a new electric kettle about every 2 years because the electronics that controlled the water temperature would inevitably FAIL. Worst by far was a Costco kettle that had nifty blue lights (!). It lasted a few months. I returned it, the Costco worker said he saw many of them being returned. Gave up, bought a 1.7 liter "Cascade Meadows" 1500 watt kettle. It only boils and seems to have some sort of analog system that shuts it off. It was on sale several years ago for $15.99 at a local store. Zero electronics = Zero problems. That may also apply to espresso machines. Endless equipment videos, none I have seen that review the equipment after, say, 5 years.
@@TomsCoffeeCorner Descale my electric kettle? Oh my goodness. That might explain it. :) How often do you use it, how often do you descale it? I must have missed that video.
@ We have super duper hard water where we live, so about every 2 weeks we need to descale the main kettle. It’s just vinegar and water, then boil. Cheers!
Hey Tom. Hope you're enjoying the holidays. I was wondering if you had used the Gemilai G3006 before? I think it is from the same makers as the miicoffee apex.
Hey there! Joe Varacalli did a video on it: ruclips.net/user/live3zhttG6FKEE?si=TotxHM07WnPpCuxH Looks to be a very cheap option, but I don't know how the drinks will be. Cheers!
Fellow is actually cheaper than a Timemore in my country lol Not by much, sth around 20 USD but still cheaper. I bought a Stag pro for around 200 USD, now you can find it even for less at the discount. I chose it mainly because of the aesthetic and slightly bigger capacity. Beside that I like the detail comparison and if you can get the Timemore kettle that isn’t that pricey it is for sure a good deal 😅
But can you taste the difference in a blind test between the three? (or more importantly, could I taste the difference using generic supermarket beans)
i prefer neither - the Stagg is very expensive and the Fish is slow and kind of ugly to my taste. lookup YK-E138 (Amazon has 110v version, Aliexpress 220v) kettle - it has many "brand" names but it is basically the same Brix temp. controlled kettle, with temp. hold function, holds 1 liter, seems much faster then the Fish, and has a quick boil button for times you just want to boil water to 100c . oh and it's cheaper then both
Last month I bought the Timemore. It didn't work right out of the box, which was probably just as well because I didn't like the small size or flimsy construction. I returned it and bought the Fellow Stagg. I like the size, more robust construction, feel and performance. To me this isn't a close call: the Fellow Stagg is a winner by a long shot, albeit with a higher price tag.
It would be great to see the other main competitors compared as well. The Bonavita, OXO, & Brewista…
9 дней назад
Fellow has an option now to buy 2 in 1 kettle kit, which gives you Stagg and Corvo in basic black colors for $208. Besides that, Fellow has extended warranty of 3 years if you register the product, and a great product support. It is similar to iPhone, you can buy it or a Chinese Honor for less 200-300 bucks, but the support, service and warranty will not be at the same level. Also, Fellow offers a wide range of appliances in the same design, so you can make a nice setup at home, while timemore is at the beginning of designing their lineup of products.
Oh no, it was pretty hard to here a German taking about fahrenheit 😅. I think most Americans who are into coffee are mentally equipped to deal with degrees Celsius.... perhaps even the Kelvin scale!
uhm no, even the timemore at 100€ is overpriced. Xiaomi sells the superior tech like Bluetooth connectivity for like 39€ The fact that people are paying 200€ for a kettle that costs 30€ to make, shows how gullible coffee people are.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
I really really love videos like these. It's the kind of thoughts you have while browsing for something to buy. Like "why is this kettle twice the price, they're literally doing the same job". Then you get Tom's no bullshit comparison between the two, doing the exact same tests you would do to see the differences.
You helped me choose my machine around a year ago (barista express) but I stayed subbed and keep watching some of your vids because I genuinely think you make the best coffee themed reviews on the whole platform. Cheers
@@deceny5155 With all the other great creators out there, this is quite a compliment. Thank you for your kind words! Tom
I know it is vain, but I paid twice as much for the Fellow simply because it looks better. I got it in Green here in the EU. It goes well with my new red Profitec Go and yellow Specialita. Much more colorful setup than I had in the use, which was a black Bambino Plus, white ESP and black Cosori kettle (every piece performs better for my needs too).
Thanks for the video, Tom, it is always enjoyable and informative.
The differing colors for the Stagg is a definite plus point. I didn't know they made them in green. Thanks for the tip! Tom
Hi there! Enjoy your Stag while it lasts! That spout is better for pour overs/filters/osmotic flow drip than MANY goosenecks out there. Try venturing into filter coffee :)
I have migrated from EKG Stag to Hario V60 Electric. These two are in the same price range and I love the V60 more than the Stag.
Reason I chose to move on? My Stag spoiled electrically. It still boiled but the mini computer was not working and shows 85 degC when the water is clearly bubbling. This means the water overboils and spurts out. This issue is common in Stag kettles. You can google if you want to research to get an EKG Stag. They have not settled the longevity issue on their kettles.
I am not Tom and I do not wish to repair my kettle myself. Believe me, I tried; I googled, bought screwdrivers, and tweaked couple of times. After that, I was like, heck, just buy a new one.
But I refuse to repurchase Stag ever again.
To be fair, what I found better on the Stag are (i) the spout and (ii) the on/off turning function coupled with temperature settings.
Towards the end of its life, my Stag lid also frequently unscrewed and had to be tightened after EVERY use. It did not make sense to keep anymore because it doesn’t feel good to use. No point being aesthetic but not having the function to match.
TL;DR: Stag lasts only just over 2 years. Tom is right.
I am praying hard that the Hario V60 will last beyond because my old Tefal chunky (like Tom’s old one) kettle never died; its lid broke from the body and I just did not like how it opens anymore after 7-8 years. The good old chunky kettle was great because its thermostat seems like it will last 10-20 years.
I will gladly pay in the $200-300 price point if the entire unit can reach 10 -15 years. I am that kind of person who wants life essentials to stabilise and not swap them like influencers; my essentials are not fashion.
So… if EKG Stag reads your channel… here is hoping they do something about that computer chip/electric wire.
I currently own the Fish Smart, it is good to use, even with heavy-duty like serving public events. However, there are a few points I don't like. 1st is The upper handle curve, which is not as high enough as the fellow, which makes me have to put more effort in trying to hold it sometimes, I feel hot on the finger because the handle is quite close to the boiling cap, and I can feel the heat. 2nd is the touch screen for the temperature, it takes quite a little effort to adjust the right temperature, so having a knob-like Stagg is better. 3rd is the time to reach the right temperature, like you said, it is quite slow if you use it long enough to recognize it. 4th is it only holds a small amount of water, 600ml. But overall, the build quality is superb for the value, and it is easy to control the flow rate, which is enough for a daily home barista. On the other hand, I would choose the Brewista kettle as my next upgrade.
Nicely explained! I did feel the video comparison was a little simplistic and whether one can accept or mind the additional shortcomings for a cheaper price.
We also should consider the pouring stream, handle position, and ease of temperature adjustment when it comes to the overall quality.
Thanks for the comparison. The Stag was in my wishlist since the beginning but I went with budget options and I'm pretty content. My new wishlist kettle though is the Hario Alpha, it's still quite a bit cheaper than the stag and I'm curious how it fares against it.
From unboxing, (always fun to watch) features, build quality, place of manufacturing, (comparison with your IPhone was gold) power, heating time, (comparison with your older original kettle was an opener on brewing speed) pour rate, price, i agree with you. Sweet short to the point, now we know, you stole the show on this kettle comparison
@@orrinbelcher6593 Thank you for the thoughtful comment! Tom🙋♂️
I love comparisons like this but would have liked to know which one has the better control when pouring slowly (flow rate & aim)
Well I'd say for me they're a horse a piece. You can adjust flow and aim well on both. But this is coming from an angle of a novice, as I gravitate towards espresso. I did this video because I wanted to start doing some grinder testing for pourovers, and needed a kettle. I was wondering myself about which one to get, so I got both.
I think that Coffee Chronicler or Lance Hedrick could give a more in depth analysis of the pouring dynamics. Cheers!
@ thank you Tom. I’ll look around though I already have the stagg regular. I heard pro had some issues so didn’t opt for that one. I look forward to your pour over videos
"Papa James" aka James Hoffmann, did a review on temperature controlled gooseneck kettles on his RUclips channel. 🤗
I had a Fellow Stagg EKG Pro. It stank for a very long time. At some point I accidentally poured some water over the base. It must have leaked in via the rotary knob. Now it's electronic waste. And the firmware updates only worked once. After that, the app always said that there was a new version. But it could never be installed.
Oh man, that sucks! thanks for sharing your story.
Have 2 fellows for last 5-6 yrs. Enjoying them.
What about the Flair's 60$ kettle? That seems like such a good bargain that nothing else is worth buying, since they seem to be undercutting the entire market with virtually the same feature set
Oh wow, that is really cheap! Here is the link for anyone interested: flairespresso.com/product/flair-cafe-kettle
I have the Timemore and at the end of the goose neck the paint has come off. It isn't very scratch resistant I will say, so if you want something for the long term get the Stagg. If you don't care about longevity etc, get the Timemore imo
Hi Tom, thanks so much for your great reviews. Really helpful for a beginner like me. Any chance you will review the La Specialista Opera in the coming months? I'm almost sold on the Barista Express Impress, but I like the design of the La Specialista a lot more...
I'd like to review the Opera soon enough. Waiting to get a decent deal on it...
seems like we are in the same boat then haha!
Hi Tom, great video. I watched a similar video not long ago and he chose the timemore as the winner, reason being it was the better angle at the end on the neck of the spout. He found it easier when doing a aeropress or pour over. Did you find the actual pouring any better on either? Thanks
Pouring is similar for me, but I like that the Fish has a higher flow rate, for when I'm topping up an Americano for example. I feel like the Fish feels a little more balanced in the hand for me too, maybe because it's smaller.
I was buying a new electric kettle about every 2 years because the electronics that controlled the water temperature would inevitably FAIL. Worst by far was a Costco kettle that had nifty blue lights (!). It lasted a few months. I returned it, the Costco worker said he saw many of them being returned. Gave up, bought a 1.7 liter "Cascade Meadows" 1500 watt kettle. It only boils and seems to have some sort of analog system that shuts it off. It was on sale several years ago for $15.99 at a local store. Zero electronics = Zero problems. That may also apply to espresso machines. Endless equipment videos, none I have seen that review the equipment after, say, 5 years.
@@SunriseLAW We’ve had our Brain for about 12 years already. My wife descales it regularly, and it works like a champ, even after all these years. 👍🏻
@@TomsCoffeeCorner Descale my electric kettle? Oh my goodness. That might explain it. :) How often do you use it, how often do you descale it? I must have missed that video.
@ We have super duper hard water where we live, so about every 2 weeks we need to descale the main kettle. It’s just vinegar and water, then boil. Cheers!
Hey Tom. Hope you're enjoying the holidays.
I was wondering if you had used the Gemilai G3006 before? I think it is from the same makers as the miicoffee apex.
Hey there! Joe Varacalli did a video on it: ruclips.net/user/live3zhttG6FKEE?si=TotxHM07WnPpCuxH
Looks to be a very cheap option, but I don't know how the drinks will be. Cheers!
@TomsCoffeeCorner Ah great thanks. I'll take a look.
Is there a comparison of Siemens coffee machines?I'm waiting with curiosity.Good luck🎉
Probably this year...:)
Tom, why you call that thang Steak instead of Stagg?
I go with #thanksforthereviewtom
Was considering to get the stagg, but meh. The fish is good enough, as you said.
Greetings
Your eye for details are amazing and you are a master in clarifying differences. Looking forward to your opinions in 2025
Thanks so much for your kind words!
Fellow is actually cheaper than a Timemore in my country lol Not by much, sth around 20 USD but still cheaper.
I bought a Stag pro for around 200 USD, now you can find it even for less at the discount. I chose it mainly because of the aesthetic and slightly bigger capacity.
Beside that I like the detail comparison and if you can get the Timemore kettle that isn’t that pricey it is for sure a good deal 😅
I think here the Timemore is almost 3 times as cheap as the Fellow, im in south east asia
But can you taste the difference in a blind test between the three? (or more importantly, could I taste the difference using generic supermarket beans)
I can't imagine. The water is at the same temperature. I cannot tell a difference anyways.
👍
i prefer neither - the Stagg is very expensive and the Fish is slow and kind of ugly to my taste. lookup YK-E138 (Amazon has 110v version, Aliexpress 220v) kettle - it has many "brand" names but it is basically the same Brix temp. controlled kettle, with temp. hold function, holds 1 liter, seems much faster then the Fish, and has a quick boil button for times you just want to boil water to 100c . oh and it's cheaper then both
Last month I bought the Timemore. It didn't work right out of the box, which was probably just as well because I didn't like the small size or flimsy construction. I returned it and bought the Fellow Stagg. I like the size, more robust construction, feel and performance. To me this isn't a close call: the Fellow Stagg is a winner by a long shot, albeit with a higher price tag.
It would be great to see the other main competitors compared as well. The Bonavita, OXO, & Brewista…
Fellow has an option now to buy 2 in 1 kettle kit, which gives you Stagg and Corvo in basic black colors for $208. Besides that, Fellow has extended warranty of 3 years if you register the product, and a great product support. It is similar to iPhone, you can buy it or a Chinese Honor for less 200-300 bucks, but the support, service and warranty will not be at the same level. Also, Fellow offers a wide range of appliances in the same design, so you can make a nice setup at home, while timemore is at the beginning of designing their lineup of products.
Units!! Please use Celsius next time! I hope this channel is not USA focused...
I mention in the video that 203° F is 95° C. Also, I showed how to change units. Cheers!
Oh no, it was pretty hard to here a German taking about fahrenheit 😅. I think most Americans who are into coffee are mentally equipped to deal with degrees Celsius.... perhaps even the Kelvin scale!
@@radicalpaddyo No one uses kelvins expect scientists
uhm no, even the timemore at 100€ is overpriced. Xiaomi sells the superior tech like Bluetooth connectivity for like 39€
The fact that people are paying 200€ for a kettle that costs 30€ to make, shows how gullible coffee people are.