The fuse is made by Microtemp, model number is G4a00 184C with Yellow letters. G4 line is for 10A 250v which is 15A 120v. But I couldn’t find the same model. Since the item you installed could be not reliable according to amazon reviews, I recommend Aupo brand.(Aupo BF184 10A)
Also I recommend Klein 1005 crimping tool (or cheaper option : Newacalox multi plier 8 inch). Additionally if you don't have a triangle driver bit but you have 3/32 flat drive bit, it will work just fine. (Craftman Precision multi-bit screwdriver 18 pc set has it and it is only 9 bucks and very useful for other jobs too)
@@imagelee Torx should work too. I opened the base bottom triangle screws with a T-7, three points of contact for a fairly reasonably sized screw is ok. Fellow also sells replacement kettles for $80. Given the cost of tools and time and potentially dangerous mistakes, most people should just consider buying a replacement kettle.
I don't know if you're the same person who wrote up the instructions on the "ifixit" website. Either way, thank you for your comment. After opening my kettle and reading the thermal fuse it came withe - Microtemp G4A00 tf 184C - I couldn't find the same part or the Aupo part, but was able to find a thermal fuse that is 10A 250v tf 184C by searching for the Aupo thermal fuse. Looks like my kettle is up and working again! I did calculate the amperage before hand via the info on the kettle itself. So when I read your comment I knew it would work. I'm new to doing these types of repairs and glad so many people are as passionate to repair their items rather than get rid of them.
Important note : In the video he used crimp connector which is the right way to do it. If you try to solder it you can burn the new thermal fuse. So use crimp connectors or big heatsink on the fuse and be quick with the soldering iron. If you decide to solder it check with multimeter at the end to see if it still good.
I don't think the way this was crimped was safe. The general rule of thumb is to never crimp solid wire as crimps are not designed to work with it. I would try to provide a mental explanation but it's easier to just try it for yourself, crimp a solid wire and a stranded wire and try to wiggle both of them for a minute. The stranded wire likely won't get loose but I highly doubt that the single wire will still be secure at that point. If you don't trust a youtube comment, just google it, it's industry standard practice that crimping solid wire is generally a bad idea. I don't know exactly what they did to connect this initially but from some research there are special crimps which are designed specifically for this purpose, and it might be that they're spot welded (which would not generate enough heat for long enough to trip the thermal fuse), but in almost all instances I have found, the solid leg of the thermal fuse overlaps with the stranded wire in some form. The risk here is that as the kettle gets jostled around, the crimp will get loose (also boiling water induces enough vibration to cause problems in and of itself, even if this part never moved). A loose connection can cause arcing. Arcing can cause things to heat up. Heat can cause things to melt and burn. So it's a fire hazard. The only saving grace is that the thermal fuse should blow before anything catches on fire, but buying thermal fuses from amazon is already a risk. If it was a normal fuse, they're already cheap enough to manufacture that buying a name brand is reliable and nobody is out there trying to make a buck selling you a knock-off. When it comes to more expensive components, I would stick to component suppliers where you know what you're getting.
Ratcheting ferrule crimp should work for this case, add heat shrink tubing over the connection as common practice. It's a kettle, the wires are tucked inside, should not be too much stress/strain on it for however long life it has left.
How do you remove the fuse? The video doesn't show how to take the old fuse out. Thanks for sharing, I am at 4:17 in the video and stuck so I appreciate your advice.
Thank you! Thank you! I had the same issue and after multiple emails with Fellows they agreed to send me another kettle but I had been searching RUclips for a solution. Now that yours popped up I can try it with my old kettle and I'll know what to do if it happens to the replacement. Seriously, this Right to Repair issue is REAL!
Thanks David! “Right to repair” is one of the big reasons I support Baratza. Being able to fix literally anything on my vario makes it pretty tough to think about getting anything else…
@@DavidLikesCoffee That's fantastic! I know you've mentioned replacing your setup in a previous video. But i think you're gonna have a hard time in replacing the customer care you get from baratza ;) In Lance's recent Timemore post he called the vario with the ditting steel burrs the baby brother to the SSP unimodal :D Vario still going strong :P
How did you open the base?! I see at 1:19 you've gotten it open, but I'm struggling to figure out how to get in. I see the 8 clips, but something seems to be holding on still
Oh my god, threw away my previous Stagg EKG for the EXACT issue and it was just out of warranty. Did some general research to see if I could fix it before tossing it, but couldn't find a solve. Welp - if my EKG Pro ends up having the same issue I'll know how to attempt to fix it this time. Great video - thanks for putting this out.
Thank you so much for this! I've had the same issue with two (two!) Brewista Artisan kettles in 18 months and although their website says it's probably the fuse I wasn't sure exactly how to replace it. Can't wait to try it out. Edit 2024-04-07: Okay so it turns out the Brewista is not set up the same way. I haven't been able to find a thermal fuse in the kettle body or the base, despite what their website says. I tested most of the components with a mulitmeter and everything seems to be in order except the heating element itself which isn't giving continuity. Since it's impossible to replace separately from the kettle and Brewista don't sell spares I guess I'll make do with my £140 paperweights and just never buy from Brewista again. (For the record I'm still none the wiser as to why my two kettles failed. I never ran it with less than 500ml of water and there were no big noises, smells, obvious short circuits, or other broken appliances. The base and buttons still work, there's just no heating...)
there are a ton of products that fail this way - my own kettle had this issue. My All-Clad waffle maker did as well. Get the right thermal fuse temp spec, and you should clamp it in place. $5 has saved me several hundred.
I'm a little anxious about a video about replacing blown fuses, that lacks investigation into why it blew in the first place, and whether the root cause could pose a significant risk to others attempting to follow along. Especially for an appliance like an electric kettle? Could be worth a follow up
Exactly. The main question here is--why did the thermal fuse pop? It's there for a reason, after all--to prevent fires. So the kettle got too hot at that connection--what's going on and why?
yeah I wonder about fixing small appliances...... can you inadvertently cause a house fire..... OK, mine was pretty old. Going to home depot or target to get a simple straight forward quick boiling kettle.
Fun fact, for those that find the STAGG pours just a bit too slow, If you look inside there is a little metal piece with holes covering the hole at the bottom of the spout, which further restricts flow. With a mallet and a flat sharp chisel or screwdriver it can be removed easily. It now pours SMOOTHER and just a bit Faster.
I own a 3rd party refurbished Sage coffe machine (brevile) and was really surprised to find that Sage will send me any kart I need and guides. I feel this is going to last some time
well done. Sounds like a pretty poor customer service. Think it's time we also reviewed companies not just by new shiny products - but also by subsequent support and sustainability.
The right to repair means you have the right to modify your appliance in such a way that it violates the conditions of the global NRTL safety certifications that product companies have to pay tens of thousands in regulatory fees in order to obtain. And in doing so, your average RUclips commenter is thus free to injure or kill people via electrocution or burning down their house. This nuance is lost in all the advocacy around right to repair. An average safety CB report spans between one to two hundred pages and enumerates all critical safety components and workmanship areas that must not be changed to maintain compliance with the mark. And the continued use of the safety mark requires regular paid audits to the factory that actually builds the product in order to ensure critical components have not changed and the critical areas of workmanship have not changed. All this must be in place so the consumer can buy a new gadget and trust that it will not possibly kill them or their family. By all means, repair your own device. But consider all this the next time you throw shade at some new company who for some reason does not endorse rubes to go into their mains-connected appliance to muck about with it themselves. You do not mention why the thermal fuse blew.
This may turn into a rant, but this is an example of why I get really ticked about the snobbery in the coffee and cooking communities, people gatekeeping and telling newbies just to "Spend the money. You have to pay for quality." Well, obviously quality is not a priority anymore. These new start-ups and luxury companies exist to grift people. Appliances are getting pricier, more complex and less dependable. It's a real problem. Pollution is rampant already, and businesses shouldn't produce disposable trash. A company only deserves continued business for having reliable products and services, not because of design features, looks or branding.
This 100%, and for some reason so many are willing to throw in with the "big names" like Fellow when the quality just doesn't match the hype... It's unfortunate. Fellow has some good ideas and could be well positioned as a quality leader, especially for the prices they're charging, and yet here we are. You'll see companies like Brewista at brewer's cup world competitions, their products having very good quality, but they get zero hype for some reason. Marketing is so bizarre to me.
@@jacobs1047 It's tricky. They're not always wrong. Sometimes buying cheap will end up costing you more and you may have your baseline cost set too low. Or they're very aware that missing a particular feature will really hold you back. Buying a blade grinder instead of at least a burr grinder would be a huge mistake, e.g. But yeah... too often they'll take you from beginner quality prices into professional quality prices, skipping the middle... and when you're new you just don't know any better.
Wow I've never heard a customer service story that screamed planned obsolescence louder than this. Breaks just out side the warranty period, the company is sure the only thing you can do is replace it, yet the only thing wrong with it was that a fuse blew.
Cough consumer electronics Cough Cough professional equipment Cough Cough automaker Cough This is not news. We do have people fighting for it, and some win lately. They are small win but that's a good start.
For all my ranting about Fellow, I should add that I super appreciate videos like this one. Brands and product quality totally aside, videos about self-repair and Right to Repair are invaluable. So whatever one may think of this kettle or this brand, thank you for taking the time to discuss diagnosing issues with consumer products and managing the fix.
I think you are way too kind with a company that took the decision to use triangle head screws to prevent most people from trying to repair their product. To me this is simply evil, just like the oval head screws on Nespresso machines. Thumbs up for the iFixit bits that help with both of these evil head screws :)
I almost included a segment with all the "unrepairable" things I've fixed recently with the iFixit bits. Would have been a very long video if I had kept it in 😅
triangle screwdrivers are not hard to find, also most of the time they aren't in with any real amount of force needed to remove it. so generally a flat head screwdriver will do the job.
@@justinbouchard Of course they are not hard to find, once you start searching for them, and decide to spend the money. But they add one more barrier that stops the merely curious people from just having a look themselves, or from sharing pics with someone else who could give advice. In this day and age, anyone working in manufacturing appliances must know how bad the generated waste can be. The decision to go with about any kind of "security" screws is ethically indefensible.
@@jmsaffroy dude, any "curious" person would go to the dollar store, or do a quick google search and find out that you can fit a flathead in there........ unless that thing was glued together it's not anti repair.
Well done video! I don't have one of these kettles, but i watched this as I am considering a purchase and wanted to know about reliability. I was surprised at the Baratza reference at the end. I have owned my Baratza Virtuoso grinder since it was first released about 20 years ago. Baratza is a great company for providing parts AND KNOWLEDGE for DIY repairs. All companies should model themselves after Baratza.
A while back, I felt envious of not being able to spend the money on this kettle, but my simple Hario gooseneck kettle, that is heated on the stove hasn't got anything to go wrong and allows me to make beautiful coffee
Why you say it’s well made? Broken in 2 years.The company says that’s not repairable. 165$ and the cost was 1 dollar and it is not repairable. That’s why 99% of true coffee lovers don’t care of having a simple Chinese ,as this is, 30-50 dollars kettle. I personally don’t care about the temperature screen cause I need boiling water every time. So when the thermostat close the circuit I use the water.
Right to Repair, championed by tech and farmers impacts all of us. Coffee lovers, cars, and nearly everything in our lives is turning into services or similar monetizated bullshit that our father's fathers would've been able to do easily.
Great video. Saved me a TON of money. Thank you! Just completed this on my own "broken" Fellow Stagg EKG. Super easy. You definitely need a crimping tool and you definitely need crimp connectors. All told the repair cost me under CAD $50 including the CAD $35 Klein wire stripper and crimp tool (which I needed for wiring outlets and light fixtures anyways).
The rest of the electronics seemed to be working, beyond that it was a guess that was worth spending a few dollars on for a box of fuses. If you have a multimeter, I linked a great video on fault tracing electric kettles
The Bonavita kettles work on the stagg base, and versa vice. Great video! I had a Bonavita that had a base plastic part that for messed up. I reached out to them for a replacement part being that it was 3 screws and one plastic part. They said sorry, sucks to be you. But a new one.
I like Bonavita and Brewista. Fellow has never lived up to my expectations for build quality and functionality. Great marketing, some nice ideas, but the execution just hasn't been there for me.
Indeed. I’m very disappointed with their withdrawal of support for Stagg EKG+. App has been taken down at this point. Mine came with a bad lid as well, that I replaced at my own expense. I was looking for a new scale and thought Fellow had a cool new one coming out, then I remembered their support and bought an Acaia Perl S.
Well in the tea world nothing quite like the corvo exists. No plastic inside anywhere, good temp control and not a stupid gooseneck. I'm all ears for other options
I can understand why manufacturers don't want to provide electrical repair parts to consumers. They have no way of knowing if the consumer is anywhere near qualified to work on electrical equipment. If they provide a part to an unqualified person and that person's work causes a fire, the manufacturer may be held liable. Even if they can successfully defend against a lawsuit, it's still going to be costly. They'd rather lose a customer than face that.
My Stagg sputters and runs wild when it boils. I wonder if the issue is with the temp probe either in the kettle or in the base. Anyone fixed this before?
Unfortunately I have the same issue. Some days it does this other days not.... until recently it's been happening every day. I have to fill it half way to avoid it boiling over or boil the water with the lid off. I reached out to fellow and they told me I had to replace it as it was out of warranty. Sure I'll hand over another 220$ for a kettle that will last 2 years while my parents $15 kettle still going after 10 years.
@@zdaher my dad opened it and did a tonne pf tests. Couldnt locate the fault. Its very simple under the hood. Very strange and frankly extremely frustrating. Its cemented my view that anything Fellow is absolute garbage. Unsure what to get instead.
I think I need to replace the thermometer 😢 Any thoughts on this? At some point I started noticing small deviation. E.g. I've set it to 95 but it would go to 96 (when I remove the cattle and place it back). Over a couple of months it become worse and now it's critical since you can set whatever temperature and it will reach 100 (saying it's 83 even or something) and boil the water with its full power 😭 So I cannot even leave it and have to watch and switch it off to be safe.
My hario thermometer broke. Very weak piece of equipment. I figured, I'll buy a new one instead of buying the outrageously expensive EKG. I noticed that the thermometer costs 70 euros (you actually also get a lid in which you can insert it). As you may have expected, my lid is intact and it seems impossible to buy the thermometer only. I bought a 10 EUR thermometer on Amazon that I can insert into the lid that I still have. Problem solved. It's unreal how expensive things can become in the coffee world.
Gotta say I was surprised of how easy it was to fix it, im no handy person at all, but i was able to follow along and not its working!!!! Thanks for making this video, otherwise the kettle would be just another fixable item in the trash!!!!
I read too many complaints about failing heating plate, so I’m ought the stainless steel polished steel kettle. Then I got it and it is tiny…too tiny to properly center on my gas stove without setting to low, and waiting 20 minutes for water to boil…then I thought, Oh an indication plate-but guess what, in order for a metal to work on an induction heater, the metal must be magnetic-but though stainless steel, this metal that Fellow uses is not the right kind-it has an additional element which makes it non-metal. So now what? Spend 150.00 on a hob that many complain about, all the time? Well, I’m sorry but this product is Vheap-read CHINA!! My attachment to coffee and all-things-pretty slapped me in the face… Do any of you use induction plates for your Fellow Stagg EKG kettles? if so, please let me know. I already tossed a magnetic thermometer against my kettle and it isn’t magnetic-meaning an induction plate cannot be used…Appreciate any comments. Tashi Delek.
Same thing has happened to my kettle but I don't have the tools or the expertise with fuses to fix the thing. If anyone wants a lovely but broken Fellow Stagg and lives in or near Manhattan reply to this and you are welcome to mine. Like David, I am annoyed at the many things that don't last, especially when they are high end. I do not want to add my kettle to already overflowing landfill and would love to give it to someone handy enough to fix it.
I just don't get why Fellow won't suggest this as a troubleshooting and self repair option... regardless of all the other valid points as to why not trying to fix a $165+ kettle with a simple $1 fuse, it would likely save the company money on thousands of unnecessary warranty replacements every year (not to mention reduced waste from throwing out perfectly good tech).
My fellow has the same problem (shows the set temp, but wouldn’t heat), but only after I wipe down the base. Apparently, something gets damp. It works again after I either let it sit and dry out on its own or use a blow dryer for a quicker fix. Hope this helps.
So useful! I have a broken Oxo similar-kettle (my second), and I think they're less helpful than Fellow. Perhaps it has the same issue, and can be fixed easily.
why is there an electronic board inside something that basically boils water? Such a ridiculous waste.....if I want non-boiled water I can microwave it to "warm". My 15 yo GE kettle finally blew. I might try to fix it, because not only are these new kettles overly complicated and expensive they are also huge. Who needs to boil 1.7 liters of water for a cup of tea? Counter space waster.
A kettle that costs $165 dollars on it's own is ridiculous. Putting in a fuse that cannot be easily exchanged is outrageous. I don't think I have ever seen a kettle with a fuse and the ones I had in my life, lasted 10 years easily. So this is overpriced rubbish :D
I found one today at a garage sale for $2.00 Some oldsters were downsizing and were clearing out their house. I brought it home and all the features worked 🤟🏼
0:54 - Not its fucking not. It's BS that any company refuses to honour a warranty just outside of the '2 years' and they should be ashamed of themselves. Here in Australia, we are protected by consumer laws that state any warranty period is, and should be honoured for the reasonably expected life span of the product, not an arbitrary 1 or 2 years. I had trouble with my EKG outside of 2 years, and after a little bit nudging, got a brand new replacement (same with a Sony TV recently too). Know your rights, especially if you are in Aus.
Maybe im being impatient or the algorithms are against me, but i cant find a repair guide for the piezo buzzer on electric kettles. All repairs are for the boil. I did find a video showing how to disable the speaker, which isnt the ideal outcome. Mine is loud and distorted. Id love to replace it with something that sounds loud enough to get my attention but clean sounding. Maybe it just needs to be replaced? Im sure it didn't sound like that when new. But improving the soind would be a luxurious upgrade that I'd LOVE to learn. (I'm a handy person with basic soldering skills... and also speakers that sound broken are bad for my mental health.)
2 years?! I have had a cheap Walmart one that I got on sale for $25 for 4 years. Will happily spend another $30 to get another one when this one fails. The stuff that is $100-200 is asinine. The scales that cost $100 are nearly identical to the ones that cost $30. Sure, a $1000 grinder is superior to a $40 grinder, but honestly probably not one that costs $400. The coffee industry is absurdly elitist while the people who are the ones growing the stuff are being taken advantage of even with fair trade practices.
David - I'm considering buying a Fellow Stagg EKG. I want to heat just 12oz of water at a time. Can you tell me if this meets the minimum fill amount? I don't want to waste heating more water than I need to. Thanks!
Thank you David and other commenters! I had a Bonavita variable temp sitting in my back closet for 2 years that had the same issue of not heating that was out of the warranty period. Despite not being the same model, I thought the same fix might work and it did! I didn't have any of the tools or parts initially and buying them all was well worth the investment. I had given up hope long ago of fixing it, but now it's not just an expensive paperweight anymore!
Yikes, imaging paying $165 USD for a kettle and the customer service is next to useless. No idea why this comapny chargers such a premium for their products but definitely not buying anything from them in the future. Was definitely considering this kettle, but not anymore.
Corporations, FELLOW included, are only focused on profits, not customer service, nor honoring the consumer that makes a purchase. They could be better as far as repairs and service, but they choose not to do that.
165.00 is too much for a disposable device. So no thanks Fellow. You want all the prestige of a premium coffee brand, but none of the reliability or burden.
"Can it be fixed?" - "No, buy a new one!" There should be some sort of punishment for companies that suggest buying new products and don't offer repair and recycle programmes. Given how far they've been overreaching and believe that they still own products we buy, why not have them handle all the maintenance, repairing, and disposal?
Nice video! Can you share with us the thermal fuse temp rating? I also have the same kettle and in case it happens to mine, I can buy the right fuse to start with. Thank you!
Planned obsolescence sucks. We need the right to repair. Our planet is already at a very critical stage due to all forms waste and pollution. Also: if I need to replace a kettle that costs almost 200$ every 2 years I’d probably replace it with a „stupid“ oldschool stovetop kettle that will last at least 10 years and cost a fraction of that.
My first fellow kettle broke just after warranty and they told me to buy a base which were back ordered 6 months due to Covid. Then I remembered I got it from Costco so I took that sucker back for a full refund. I wonder if this was a batch issue as in kettles before a certain date are more susceptible to failure. Great repair vid 👌🏼
Fellow should have used a resettable thermal fuse, it is common that people by accident run the kettle dry. If you didn't run the kettle dry and it failed then the thermal fuse is undersigned and not suitable for the lifespan of the kettle. To some it up, piss poor engineering for a $165 kettle!
I’ve had to make this repair a few times on my kettle. However, the Line side of the heater wire has gotten overheated over time that it needs replacing. Do you or anyone on here have a part number for the heat resistant wire?
Life saver! I already had one fail and spent $75 to get a new kettle (base was fine and they sell/sold just the kettle). I think this one is almost ready to fail based upon its occasional inability to heat water consistently, requiring the occasional off/on toggle. Last time I definitely thought it was the controller inside the base which I was unable to find a replacement for (made by some company in the UK). I'm set for the next failure(s), thanks!
Right to repair is one of the reasons I try to not buy too many “smart” products I have a stovetop kettle and a manual coffee grinder. I don’t want everything to be smart and electric
Does anyone here have an issue with their kettle getting super loud while heating up? Almost whistling I reached out to customer service and they recommended descaling so I did with vinegar and it does the same.
Does ayone has the same issue, and found out it isn't the Theraml Fuse? Fellow want me to buy a new base, to solve the issue, but i can't find what might be wrong in it.
Honestly the fuse did it’s job and kept the heating element from getting dangerously hot. Why it can’t be offered as a replacement part / repair service is another story.
@@DavidLikesCoffee it’s good to know how to fix it, it’s just a bit sad in the repair department and as time goes on the quality of things doesn’t seem to be there.
I have the same problem with my Brewista Kettle(not the artisan). It has the same screws on the bottom of the base. I’m going to open it and see if it has the same fuse.
In design nowadays it's a key part of the process to design for the future. I hate when companies are seen as having a "good design" but miss this key factor. I study design and I alway try to create products that actually take into account how they impact the earth after the customer has bought the item. Also thinking about what happens when the product is not repairable anymore and how we can recycle it is super important. I think a design that doens't take that keyfactor, the Earth into account, isn't a good company... I didn't watch your whole video yet but will after I wrote this comment.
ive seen this issue more than once and its such a bummer that it seems (without me really having a great understanding of laws around this kinda stuff) that by having a guide on how to fix it, they might really be trying to avoid essentially admitting that they've got a flaw in the design and opening themselves up to legislation or something. Either way, thanks for making a clear video on this, even if i dont own one myself.
It really isn't a flaw in the design. Thermal Fuses are an important safety measure, but over time they do tend to fail. I've had to replace the thermal fuses on my dryer more than once. The issue is that companies are not incentivized to tell you how to fix something so simple. Maybe they're concerned that by telling you how to open up the device they open themselves up to liability. Maybe they just want to be able to sell you another one when this one fails. Whatever the reason, the way in which we view perfectly good things as broken when a small component wears out is a huge problem.
It may be common practice and I really like some Fellow products but honestly if I buy a kettle for that much money I would expect it to last longer than 2 years and that it doesn't use screws that are only there to make it harder to access and repair. I hope this changes with the right to repair laws in the EU and that manufacturers at least move a bit away from these practises.
Had the plastic display film come off a Brewista Smart Scale 2 because it wasn't waterproofed well enough. They offered me a discount on new scales instead of just sending me a $1 replacement film. No idea why someone would buy a flawed product twice.
right to repair not not only reduces waste but it also supports the repair service/parts industry which can contribute to a healthier local economy, it should be mandated, not optional.
The thing about not doing repairs or supplying parts outside of a replacement out of warranty is, it kinda makes you wonder how they get away with it when they actively still make the product. It's ridiculous and scummy.
wow, mine died shortly after 2.5y the same way. powers on, won't heat. so frustrating, fellow support was not of any help. ordering the spare part, going to give it a try. thanks a lot!
Hello David, I had a different issue of temperature going wild. I think the sensor contact might be at fault, IMO. I cleaned out the center contact on mine, and the issue hasn't surfaced yet. I thought about your issue, and it could have been related to the issue I had. Without a proper temperature feedback from the on-kettle sensor, the base unit will continue to apply AC to the heating element and it could trip the thermal fuse inside. Just some guess, but something to think about. Thank you!
David, I do not own a stagg, but good point, I have a simmilar problem, according to manufacturer only a new part could solve ... I highly agree with this right to repair, I researched and there is a chance to fix it with replacement parts from other suppliers. Hopefully I will be able to fix it as well. Thanks for the video!
Brilliant. I always try to fix things before giving up and sending to the dump. That’s why we bought a 50 yr old washer and dryer. Because they were designed to be fixed, not replaced.
The last two kettles I have bought have both failed in a similar manner. They both became unusable due to the lid mechanism ceasing to work. The first was an expensive all stainless steel Magimix which was impossible to get into to fix without demolishing it and the second was a much cheaper Russell Hobbs, where the plastic hinge controlling the lid release snapped off. I grudged paying another £41 ($50) to buy an entire new kettle when the element still worked and all I needed was another plastic hinge so snapped off the broken plastic part and simply flip the lid off with a butter knife now once the kettle has boiled.
The fuse is made by Microtemp, model number is G4a00 184C with Yellow letters. G4 line is for 10A 250v which is 15A 120v. But I couldn’t find the same model. Since the item you installed could be not reliable according to amazon reviews, I recommend Aupo brand.(Aupo BF184 10A)
Also I recommend Klein 1005 crimping tool (or cheaper option : Newacalox multi plier 8 inch). Additionally if you don't have a triangle driver bit but you have 3/32 flat drive bit, it will work just fine. (Craftman Precision multi-bit screwdriver 18 pc set has it and it is only 9 bucks and very useful for other jobs too)
@@imagelee Torx should work too. I opened the base bottom triangle screws with a T-7, three points of contact for a fairly reasonably sized screw is ok.
Fellow also sells replacement kettles for $80. Given the cost of tools and time and potentially dangerous mistakes, most people should just consider buying a replacement kettle.
My kettle has just fused, but it is a European 240 V model. Will the fuse be the same for this kettle please?
I've just took my 240v apart to check the fuse (Its fine) As it wont heat up. The Fuse Reads;
MICROTEMP ZGEAAL G4A00 T 184C
I don't know if you're the same person who wrote up the instructions on the "ifixit" website. Either way, thank you for your comment. After opening my kettle and reading the thermal fuse it came withe - Microtemp G4A00 tf 184C - I couldn't find the same part or the Aupo part, but was able to find a thermal fuse that is 10A 250v tf 184C by searching for the Aupo thermal fuse. Looks like my kettle is up and working again! I did calculate the amperage before hand via the info on the kettle itself. So when I read your comment I knew it would work. I'm new to doing these types of repairs and glad so many people are as passionate to repair their items rather than get rid of them.
Important note : In the video he used crimp connector which is the right way to do it. If you try to solder it you can burn the new thermal fuse. So use crimp connectors or big heatsink on the fuse and be quick with the soldering iron. If you decide to solder it check with multimeter at the end to see if it still good.
I don't think the way this was crimped was safe. The general rule of thumb is to never crimp solid wire as crimps are not designed to work with it.
I would try to provide a mental explanation but it's easier to just try it for yourself, crimp a solid wire and a stranded wire and try to wiggle both of them for a minute. The stranded wire likely won't get loose but I highly doubt that the single wire will still be secure at that point.
If you don't trust a youtube comment, just google it, it's industry standard practice that crimping solid wire is generally a bad idea.
I don't know exactly what they did to connect this initially but from some research there are special crimps which are designed specifically for this purpose, and it might be that they're spot welded (which would not generate enough heat for long enough to trip the thermal fuse), but in almost all instances I have found, the solid leg of the thermal fuse overlaps with the stranded wire in some form.
The risk here is that as the kettle gets jostled around, the crimp will get loose (also boiling water induces enough vibration to cause problems in and of itself, even if this part never moved). A loose connection can cause arcing. Arcing can cause things to heat up. Heat can cause things to melt and burn. So it's a fire hazard.
The only saving grace is that the thermal fuse should blow before anything catches on fire, but buying thermal fuses from amazon is already a risk. If it was a normal fuse, they're already cheap enough to manufacture that buying a name brand is reliable and nobody is out there trying to make a buck selling you a knock-off. When it comes to more expensive components, I would stick to component suppliers where you know what you're getting.
and solder may get brittle and fall apart after repeated heating
Ratcheting ferrule crimp should work for this case, add heat shrink tubing over the connection as common practice. It's a kettle, the wires are tucked inside, should not be too much stress/strain on it for however long life it has left.
How do you remove the fuse? The video doesn't show how to take the old fuse out. Thanks for sharing, I am at 4:17 in the video and stuck so I appreciate your advice.
It looks to me like he cut it out using wire cutters
Thank you! Thank you! I had the same issue and after multiple emails with Fellows they agreed to send me another kettle but I had been searching RUclips for a solution. Now that yours popped up I can try it with my old kettle and I'll know what to do if it happens to the replacement. Seriously, this Right to Repair issue is REAL!
Thanks David! “Right to repair” is one of the big reasons I support Baratza. Being able to fix literally anything on my vario makes it pretty tough to think about getting anything else…
I've had my vario for 10 years because of their repair program and it works better than the day I bought it.
@@DavidLikesCoffee That's fantastic! I know you've mentioned replacing your setup in a previous video. But i think you're gonna have a hard time in replacing the customer care you get from baratza ;) In Lance's recent Timemore post he called the vario with the ditting steel burrs the baby brother to the SSP unimodal :D Vario still going strong :P
I'd love to see them making gooseneck kettle
I don’t even own one of these kettles but I salute you. The world needs more of this kind of fix the damn thing mentality. Awesome work ✌️
How did you open the base?! I see at 1:19 you've gotten it open, but I'm struggling to figure out how to get in. I see the 8 clips, but something seems to be holding on still
"industry standard" - something I've heard many times while watching Louis Rossmann
Louis Rossmann is the hero we all need
Oh my god, threw away my previous Stagg EKG for the EXACT issue and it was just out of warranty. Did some general research to see if I could fix it before tossing it, but couldn't find a solve. Welp - if my EKG Pro ends up having the same issue I'll know how to attempt to fix it this time. Great video - thanks for putting this out.
Thank you so much for this! I've had the same issue with two (two!) Brewista Artisan kettles in 18 months and although their website says it's probably the fuse I wasn't sure exactly how to replace it. Can't wait to try it out.
Edit 2024-04-07: Okay so it turns out the Brewista is not set up the same way. I haven't been able to find a thermal fuse in the kettle body or the base, despite what their website says. I tested most of the components with a mulitmeter and everything seems to be in order except the heating element itself which isn't giving continuity. Since it's impossible to replace separately from the kettle and Brewista don't sell spares I guess I'll make do with my £140 paperweights and just never buy from Brewista again.
(For the record I'm still none the wiser as to why my two kettles failed. I never ran it with less than 500ml of water and there were no big noises, smells, obvious short circuits, or other broken appliances. The base and buttons still work, there's just no heating...)
nice video, it was very thoughtfully done and educational. enjoyed the discussion around right to repair
there are a ton of products that fail this way - my own kettle had this issue. My All-Clad waffle maker did as well. Get the right thermal fuse temp spec, and you should clamp it in place. $5 has saved me several hundred.
Thank you very much for this. I have the same problem and had the same experience with Fellow.
Incredible! I did it and it worked perfectly.
I'm a little anxious about a video about replacing blown fuses, that lacks investigation into why it blew in the first place, and whether the root cause could pose a significant risk to others attempting to follow along. Especially for an appliance like an electric kettle? Could be worth a follow up
Exactly. The main question here is--why did the thermal fuse pop? It's there for a reason, after all--to prevent fires. So the kettle got too hot at that connection--what's going on and why?
sometimes fuses blow randomly, but it would be much better to check the NTC
yeah I wonder about fixing small appliances...... can you inadvertently cause a house fire..... OK, mine was pretty old. Going to home depot or target to get a simple straight forward quick boiling kettle.
Fun fact, for those that find the STAGG pours just a bit too slow, If you look inside there is a little metal piece with holes covering the hole at the bottom of the spout, which further restricts flow. With a mallet and a flat sharp chisel or screwdriver it can be removed easily. It now pours SMOOTHER and just a bit Faster.
I own a 3rd party refurbished Sage coffe machine (brevile) and was really surprised to find that Sage will send me any kart I need and guides. I feel this is going to last some time
well done. Sounds like a pretty poor customer service. Think it's time we also reviewed companies not just by new shiny products - but also by subsequent support and sustainability.
i bought the stove top kettle to avoid this
The right to repair means you have the right to modify your appliance in such a way that it violates the conditions of the global NRTL safety certifications that product companies have to pay tens of thousands in regulatory fees in order to obtain. And in doing so, your average RUclips commenter is thus free to injure or kill people via electrocution or burning down their house. This nuance is lost in all the advocacy around right to repair.
An average safety CB report spans between one to two hundred pages and enumerates all critical safety components and workmanship areas that must not be changed to maintain compliance with the mark. And the continued use of the safety mark requires regular paid audits to the factory that actually builds the product in order to ensure critical components have not changed and the critical areas of workmanship have not changed.
All this must be in place so the consumer can buy a new gadget and trust that it will not possibly kill them or their family. By all means, repair your own device. But consider all this the next time you throw shade at some new company who for some reason does not endorse rubes to go into their mains-connected appliance to muck about with it themselves.
You do not mention why the thermal fuse blew.
Right to repair is MONUMENTALLY important. For literally everyone on the planet.
This may turn into a rant, but this is an example of why I get really ticked about the snobbery in the coffee and cooking communities, people gatekeeping and telling newbies just to "Spend the money. You have to pay for quality." Well, obviously quality is not a priority anymore. These new start-ups and luxury companies exist to grift people. Appliances are getting pricier, more complex and less dependable. It's a real problem. Pollution is rampant already, and businesses shouldn't produce disposable trash. A company only deserves continued business for having reliable products and services, not because of design features, looks or branding.
This 100%, and for some reason so many are willing to throw in with the "big names" like Fellow when the quality just doesn't match the hype... It's unfortunate. Fellow has some good ideas and could be well positioned as a quality leader, especially for the prices they're charging, and yet here we are. You'll see companies like Brewista at brewer's cup world competitions, their products having very good quality, but they get zero hype for some reason. Marketing is so bizarre to me.
You're right, but components will break. On cheap and on expensive stuff.
Every now and then something will break. Statistically.
Yeah for $165 it really needs to last longer.
Yeah don't go on a niche Reddit community. You could give them a budget and they'll say "uhhm but this one is 3x the price but it's infinitely better"
@@jacobs1047 It's tricky. They're not always wrong. Sometimes buying cheap will end up costing you more and you may have your baseline cost set too low. Or they're very aware that missing a particular feature will really hold you back. Buying a blade grinder instead of at least a burr grinder would be a huge mistake, e.g. But yeah... too often they'll take you from beginner quality prices into professional quality prices, skipping the middle... and when you're new you just don't know any better.
Wow I've never heard a customer service story that screamed planned obsolescence louder than this. Breaks just out side the warranty period, the company is sure the only thing you can do is replace it, yet the only thing wrong with it was that a fuse blew.
Cough consumer electronics Cough
Cough professional equipment Cough
Cough automaker Cough
This is not news.
We do have people fighting for it, and some win lately. They are small win but that's a good start.
have you ever heard of apple?
For all my ranting about Fellow, I should add that I super appreciate videos like this one. Brands and product quality totally aside, videos about self-repair and Right to Repair are invaluable. So whatever one may think of this kettle or this brand, thank you for taking the time to discuss diagnosing issues with consumer products and managing the fix.
Fellow is such an embarrassment as a company. I hope their niche gets taken away from them.
I think you are way too kind with a company that took the decision to use triangle head screws to prevent most people from trying to repair their product. To me this is simply evil, just like the oval head screws on Nespresso machines.
Thumbs up for the iFixit bits that help with both of these evil head screws :)
I almost included a segment with all the "unrepairable" things I've fixed recently with the iFixit bits. Would have been a very long video if I had kept it in 😅
triangle screwdrivers are not hard to find, also most of the time they aren't in with any real amount of force needed to remove it. so generally a flat head screwdriver will do the job.
@@justinbouchard Of course they are not hard to find, once you start searching for them, and decide to spend the money.
But they add one more barrier that stops the merely curious people from just having a look themselves, or from sharing pics with someone else who could give advice.
In this day and age, anyone working in manufacturing appliances must know how bad the generated waste can be. The decision to go with about any kind of "security" screws is ethically indefensible.
@@jmsaffroy dude, any "curious" person would go to the dollar store, or do a quick google search and find out that you can fit a flathead in there........
unless that thing was glued together it's not anti repair.
@@justinbouchard or theyd go to their drawer where they most likely have a flat head or phillips head.
Well done video! I don't have one of these kettles, but i watched this as I am considering a purchase and wanted to know about reliability. I was surprised at the Baratza reference at the end. I have owned my Baratza Virtuoso grinder since it was first released about 20 years ago. Baratza is a great company for providing parts AND KNOWLEDGE for DIY repairs. All companies should model themselves after Baratza.
A while back, I felt envious of not being able to spend the money on this kettle, but my simple Hario gooseneck kettle, that is heated on the stove hasn't got anything to go wrong and allows me to make beautiful coffee
Why you say it’s well made? Broken in 2 years.The company says that’s not repairable. 165$ and the cost was 1 dollar and it is not repairable. That’s why 99% of true coffee lovers don’t care of having a simple Chinese ,as this is, 30-50 dollars kettle. I personally don’t care about the temperature screen cause I need boiling water every time. So when the thermostat close the circuit I use the water.
Fellow is just insanely good at marketing and building good will about their brand despite long term performance.
The fact the problem was a fuse, a part that is supposed to be consumable, and it was not user serviceable. This should be criminal.
Right to Repair, championed by tech and farmers impacts all of us. Coffee lovers, cars, and nearly everything in our lives is turning into services or similar monetizated bullshit that our father's fathers would've been able to do easily.
Seeing those triangle head screws makes me sick... If going against right to repair wasn't blatant enough
Great video. Saved me a TON of money. Thank you!
Just completed this on my own "broken" Fellow Stagg EKG. Super easy. You definitely need a crimping tool and you definitely need crimp connectors. All told the repair cost me under CAD $50 including the CAD $35 Klein wire stripper and crimp tool (which I needed for wiring outlets and light fixtures anyways).
Good video. But can you cover how you decided the fuse was the problem in the first place?
The rest of the electronics seemed to be working, beyond that it was a guess that was worth spending a few dollars on for a box of fuses. If you have a multimeter, I linked a great video on fault tracing electric kettles
The Bonavita kettles work on the stagg base, and versa vice.
Great video!
I had a Bonavita that had a base plastic part that for messed up.
I reached out to them for a replacement part being that it was 3 screws and one plastic part. They said sorry, sucks to be you. But a new one.
I like Bonavita and Brewista. Fellow has never lived up to my expectations for build quality and functionality. Great marketing, some nice ideas, but the execution just hasn't been there for me.
really? Can stagg fellow kettle use a brewista base as well?
Nice keyboard :D
Fellow does amazing marketing, but none of their products have met my expectations.
Indeed. I’m very disappointed with their withdrawal of support for Stagg EKG+. App has been taken down at this point. Mine came with a bad lid as well, that I replaced at my own expense. I was looking for a new scale and thought Fellow had a cool new one coming out, then I remembered their support and bought an Acaia Perl S.
Definitely seems like a bunch of overpriced crap. Similar to Gucci and Louis Vuitton of the kettle world. Designer luxury brand status symbols.
Well in the tea world nothing quite like the corvo exists. No plastic inside anywhere, good temp control and not a stupid gooseneck. I'm all ears for other options
I can understand why manufacturers don't want to provide electrical repair parts to consumers. They have no way of knowing if the consumer is anywhere near qualified to work on electrical equipment. If they provide a part to an unqualified person and that person's work causes a fire, the manufacturer may be held liable. Even if they can successfully defend against a lawsuit, it's still going to be costly. They'd rather lose a customer than face that.
My Stagg sputters and runs wild when it boils. I wonder if the issue is with the temp probe either in the kettle or in the base. Anyone fixed this before?
Unfortunately I have the same issue. Some days it does this other days not.... until recently it's been happening every day. I have to fill it half way to avoid it boiling over or boil the water with the lid off. I reached out to fellow and they told me I had to replace it as it was out of warranty. Sure I'll hand over another 220$ for a kettle that will last 2 years while my parents $15 kettle still going after 10 years.
@@zdaher my dad opened it and did a tonne pf tests. Couldnt locate the fault. Its very simple under the hood. Very strange and frankly extremely frustrating. Its cemented my view that anything Fellow is absolute garbage. Unsure what to get instead.
@@ahpadt I'm in the same boat of what to get next. It is the best looking kettle on the market but forking out $220 every 2 years is a joke.
I think I need to replace the thermometer 😢 Any thoughts on this?
At some point I started noticing small deviation. E.g. I've set it to 95 but it would go to 96 (when I remove the cattle and place it back). Over a couple of months it become worse and now it's critical since you can set whatever temperature and it will reach 100 (saying it's 83 even or something) and boil the water with its full power 😭 So I cannot even leave it and have to watch and switch it off to be safe.
My hario thermometer broke. Very weak piece of equipment. I figured, I'll buy a new one instead of buying the outrageously expensive EKG. I noticed that the thermometer costs 70 euros (you actually also get a lid in which you can insert it). As you may have expected, my lid is intact and it seems impossible to buy the thermometer only. I bought a 10 EUR thermometer on Amazon that I can insert into the lid that I still have. Problem solved. It's unreal how expensive things can become in the coffee world.
Gotta say I was surprised of how easy it was to fix it, im no handy person at all, but i was able to follow along and not its working!!!!
Thanks for making this video, otherwise the kettle would be just another fixable item in the trash!!!!
I read too many complaints about failing heating plate, so I’m ought the stainless steel polished steel kettle. Then I got it and it is tiny…too tiny to properly center on my gas stove without setting to low, and waiting 20 minutes for water to boil…then I thought, Oh an indication plate-but guess what, in order for a metal to work on an induction heater, the metal must be magnetic-but though stainless steel, this metal that Fellow uses is not the right kind-it has an additional element which makes it non-metal. So now what? Spend 150.00 on a hob that many complain about, all the time? Well, I’m sorry but this product is Vheap-read CHINA!! My attachment to coffee and all-things-pretty slapped me in the face… Do any of you use induction plates for your Fellow Stagg EKG kettles? if so, please let me know. I already tossed a magnetic thermometer against my kettle and it isn’t magnetic-meaning an induction plate cannot be used…Appreciate any comments. Tashi Delek.
Same thing has happened to my kettle but I don't have the tools or the expertise with fuses to fix the thing. If anyone wants a lovely but broken Fellow Stagg and lives in or near Manhattan reply to this and you are welcome to mine. Like David, I am annoyed at the many things that don't last, especially when they are high end. I do not want to add my kettle to already overflowing landfill and would love to give it to someone handy enough to fix it.
I just don't get why Fellow won't suggest this as a troubleshooting and self repair option... regardless of all the other valid points as to why not trying to fix a $165+ kettle with a simple $1 fuse, it would likely save the company money on thousands of unnecessary warranty replacements every year (not to mention reduced waste from throwing out perfectly good tech).
Any electrical appliance not working, first thing to look for is the fuse.
Most of these appliances should be sold with backup fuses in any case.
Thank you, David, for being a friend to your fellow human beings and a friend our Mother Earth! You did good!
Fellow: "We have a repair guide buit it's only available in GameBoy Printer format so....."
This guy: Send me the file
My fellow has the same problem (shows the set temp, but wouldn’t heat), but only after I wipe down the base. Apparently, something gets damp. It works again after I either let it sit and dry out on its own or use a blow dryer for a quicker fix. Hope this helps.
So useful! I have a broken Oxo similar-kettle (my second), and I think they're less helpful than Fellow. Perhaps it has the same issue, and can be fixed easily.
why is there an electronic board inside something that basically boils water? Such a ridiculous waste.....if I want non-boiled water I can microwave it to "warm". My 15 yo GE kettle finally blew. I might try to fix it, because not only are these new kettles overly complicated and expensive they are also huge. Who needs to boil 1.7 liters of water for a cup of tea? Counter space waster.
A kettle that costs $165 dollars on it's own is ridiculous. Putting in a fuse that cannot be easily exchanged is outrageous. I don't think I have ever seen a kettle with a fuse and the ones I had in my life, lasted 10 years easily.
So this is overpriced rubbish :D
I found one today at a garage sale for $2.00 Some oldsters were downsizing and were clearing out their house. I brought it home and all the features worked 🤟🏼
It looks like in one shot you had the base taken apart too? Perhaps you can share a video on that
0:54 - Not its fucking not. It's BS that any company refuses to honour a warranty just outside of the '2 years' and they should be ashamed of themselves. Here in Australia, we are protected by consumer laws that state any warranty period is, and should be honoured for the reasonably expected life span of the product, not an arbitrary 1 or 2 years. I had trouble with my EKG outside of 2 years, and after a little bit nudging, got a brand new replacement (same with a Sony TV recently too). Know your rights, especially if you are in Aus.
This is best anti-ad I’ve seen, even though it’s not perhaps intended, but I won’t buy any fellow product because of this
Maybe im being impatient or the algorithms are against me, but i cant find a repair guide for the piezo buzzer on electric kettles. All repairs are for the boil. I did find a video showing how to disable the speaker, which isnt the ideal outcome.
Mine is loud and distorted. Id love to replace it with something that sounds loud enough to get my attention but clean sounding. Maybe it just needs to be replaced? Im sure it didn't sound like that when new. But improving the soind would be a luxurious upgrade that I'd LOVE to learn.
(I'm a handy person with basic soldering skills... and also speakers that sound broken are bad for my mental health.)
2 years?!
I have had a cheap Walmart one that I got on sale for $25 for 4 years. Will happily spend another $30 to get another one when this one fails.
The stuff that is $100-200 is asinine. The scales that cost $100 are nearly identical to the ones that cost $30.
Sure, a $1000 grinder is superior to a $40 grinder, but honestly probably not one that costs $400.
The coffee industry is absurdly elitist while the people who are the ones growing the stuff are being taken advantage of even with fair trade practices.
David - I'm considering buying a Fellow Stagg EKG. I want to heat just 12oz of water at a time. Can you tell me if this meets the minimum fill amount? I don't want to waste heating more water than I need to. Thanks!
I’m here for a different reason. How did you keep the white lid so perfectly white? It didn’t take long for mine to turn yellow :(
Thank you David and other commenters! I had a Bonavita variable temp sitting in my back closet for 2 years that had the same issue of not heating that was out of the warranty period. Despite not being the same model, I thought the same fix might work and it did! I didn't have any of the tools or parts initially and buying them all was well worth the investment. I had given up hope long ago of fixing it, but now it's not just an expensive paperweight anymore!
Yikes, imaging paying $165 USD for a kettle and the customer service is next to useless. No idea why this comapny chargers such a premium for their products but definitely not buying anything from them in the future. Was definitely considering this kettle, but not anymore.
Corporations, FELLOW included, are only focused on profits, not customer service, nor honoring the consumer that makes a purchase. They could be better as far as repairs and service, but they choose not to do that.
165.00 is too much for a disposable device. So no thanks Fellow. You want all the prestige of a premium coffee brand, but none of the reliability or burden.
"Can it be fixed?" - "No, buy a new one!"
There should be some sort of punishment for companies that suggest buying new products and don't offer repair and recycle programmes. Given how far they've been overreaching and believe that they still own products we buy, why not have them handle all the maintenance, repairing, and disposal?
Nice video! Can you share with us the thermal fuse temp rating? I also have the same kettle and in case it happens to mine, I can buy the right fuse to start with. Thank you!
I went ahead and linked the fuses in the description, the ones I used had thermal cutoff at 184C
I got mine 2 weeks ago and it stopped heating just now 😅, I’m trying the same 24 hour method, if not I’m gonna have to do it myself
Planned obsolescence sucks. We need the right to repair. Our planet is already at a very critical stage due to all forms waste and pollution.
Also: if I need to replace a kettle that costs almost 200$ every 2 years I’d probably replace it with a „stupid“ oldschool stovetop kettle that will last at least 10 years and cost a fraction of that.
My first fellow kettle broke just after warranty and they told me to buy a base which were back ordered 6 months due to Covid. Then I remembered I got it from Costco so I took that sucker back for a full refund. I wonder if this was a batch issue as in kettles before a certain date are more susceptible to failure. Great repair vid 👌🏼
Thank you! I got this one around Jan 2020. Sadly the nearest Costco to me right now is super out of the way 😭
Fellow should have used a resettable thermal fuse, it is common that people by accident run the kettle dry. If you didn't run the kettle dry and it failed then the thermal fuse is undersigned and not suitable for the lifespan of the kettle.
To some it up, piss poor engineering for a $165 kettle!
I’ve had to make this repair a few times on my kettle. However, the Line side of the heater wire has gotten overheated over time that it needs replacing. Do you or anyone on here have a part number for the heat resistant wire?
Life saver! I already had one fail and spent $75 to get a new kettle (base was fine and they sell/sold just the kettle). I think this one is almost ready to fail based upon its occasional inability to heat water consistently, requiring the occasional off/on toggle. Last time I definitely thought it was the controller inside the base which I was unable to find a replacement for (made by some company in the UK). I'm set for the next failure(s), thanks!
Right to repair is one of the reasons I try to not buy too many “smart” products I have a stovetop kettle and a manual coffee grinder. I don’t want everything to be smart and electric
One of the reasons I have bought an Eureka and a Sanremo. Their customer service + availability of parts makes it so much better to repair!
Glad I live in the EU - where customers are protected and not fobbed off
i have a problem with their shitty button getting stuck holy shit the most basic function of a button and they somehow fail
Does anyone here have an issue with their kettle getting super loud while heating up? Almost whistling
I reached out to customer service and they recommended descaling so I did with vinegar and it does the same.
Can you share link to the fuse and crimp :/ this should have been included without a doubt to make thing easier
Does ayone has the same issue, and found out it isn't the Theraml Fuse?
Fellow want me to buy a new base, to solve the issue, but i can't find what might be wrong in it.
Ive had a Bonavita for over ten years before it died, I have the Fellow now but they seem to be more style than substance and seem to be cheaply made.
Honestly the fuse did it’s job and kept the heating element from getting dangerously hot. Why it can’t be offered as a replacement part / repair service is another story.
@@DavidLikesCoffee it’s good to know how to fix it, it’s just a bit sad in the repair department and as time goes on the quality of things doesn’t seem to be there.
I have the same problem with my Brewista Kettle(not the artisan). It has the same screws on the bottom of the base. I’m going to open it and see if it has the same fuse.
All China. Most or all from the same parts bin. Only difference is the name and the price.
In design nowadays it's a key part of the process to design for the future. I hate when companies are seen as having a "good design" but miss this key factor. I study design and I alway try to create products that actually take into account how they impact the earth after the customer has bought the item. Also thinking about what happens when the product is not repairable anymore and how we can recycle it is super important. I think a design that doens't take that keyfactor, the Earth into account, isn't a good company...
I didn't watch your whole video yet but will after I wrote this comment.
ive seen this issue more than once and its such a bummer that it seems (without me really having a great understanding of laws around this kinda stuff) that by having a guide on how to fix it, they might really be trying to avoid essentially admitting that they've got a flaw in the design and opening themselves up to legislation or something.
Either way, thanks for making a clear video on this, even if i dont own one myself.
I was surprised there wasn’t a video already (at least that I could find) since this seems to be an issue that pops up quite a bit.
It really isn't a flaw in the design. Thermal Fuses are an important safety measure, but over time they do tend to fail. I've had to replace the thermal fuses on my dryer more than once.
The issue is that companies are not incentivized to tell you how to fix something so simple. Maybe they're concerned that by telling you how to open up the device they open themselves up to liability. Maybe they just want to be able to sell you another one when this one fails. Whatever the reason, the way in which we view perfectly good things as broken when a small component wears out is a huge problem.
FFS that they couldn't even suggest "check the fuse" is just embarrassing bad
Hmm, I thought about buying this kettle. Now I don't know.
It may be common practice and I really like some Fellow products but honestly if I buy a kettle for that much money I would expect it to last longer than 2 years and that it doesn't use screws that are only there to make it harder to access and repair. I hope this changes with the right to repair laws in the EU and that manufacturers at least move a bit away from these practises.
Had the plastic display film come off a Brewista Smart Scale 2 because it wasn't waterproofed well enough. They offered me a discount on new scales instead of just sending me a $1 replacement film. No idea why someone would buy a flawed product twice.
right to repair not not only reduces waste but it also supports the repair service/parts industry which can contribute to a healthier local economy, it should be mandated, not optional.
Quite disappointing that a thermal fuse is the source of the issue… which should be easily swapped out.
The thing about not doing repairs or supplying parts outside of a replacement out of warranty is, it kinda makes you wonder how they get away with it when they actively still make the product. It's ridiculous and scummy.
wow, mine died shortly after 2.5y the same way. powers on, won't heat. so frustrating, fellow support was not of any help. ordering the spare part, going to give it a try. thanks a lot!
Hello David, I had a different issue of temperature going wild. I think the sensor contact might be at fault, IMO. I cleaned out the center contact on mine, and the issue hasn't surfaced yet. I thought about your issue, and it could have been related to the issue I had. Without a proper temperature feedback from the on-kettle sensor, the base unit will continue to apply AC to the heating element and it could trip the thermal fuse inside. Just some guess, but something to think about. Thank you!
any update ? do u fix it?
David, I do not own a stagg, but good point, I have a simmilar problem, according to manufacturer only a new part could solve ... I highly agree with this right to repair, I researched and there is a chance to fix it with replacement parts from other suppliers. Hopefully I will be able to fix it as well. Thanks for the video!
Brilliant. I always try to fix things before giving up and sending to the dump. That’s why we bought a 50 yr old washer and dryer. Because they were designed to be fixed, not replaced.
The last two kettles I have bought have both failed in a similar manner. They both became unusable due to the lid mechanism ceasing to work. The first was an expensive all stainless steel Magimix which was impossible to get into to fix without demolishing it and the second was a much cheaper Russell Hobbs, where the plastic hinge controlling the lid release snapped off. I grudged paying another £41 ($50) to buy an entire new kettle when the element still worked and all I needed was another plastic hinge so snapped off the broken plastic part and simply flip the lid off with a butter knife now once the kettle has boiled.
ridiculous for a 165$ kettle...
I don't have this problem with the kettle yet but I am happy to know about this if it ever does have issues. Thanks for sharing.
so my new one is got white scaley shit , how does one clean this i washed in out
$165 for THAT? lol.
Nice fix though.