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Tefal Quick Cup

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  • 12-11-2007 3:57pm
    #1
    10-10-20
    Registered Users Posts: 6,761 ✭✭✭


    I grabbed a Tefal QuickCup yesterday as I had been looking for a replacement to my kettle, so I had the opportunity to test both of them, side by side.
    The quick-cup is an on-demand water heater, unlike a kettle which tends to boil a lot more than just the cup that you need. Kettles are also lossy in terms of heat, when you heat your water you loose heat through the sides and spout and the water cools quite quickly so that you may need to reboil it before pouring.

    My kettle is rated at 3000W, but draws 2800W and the QuickCup at 2800W but draws 2600W.

    In terms of performance, the kettle boils '2-cups' in 1.5 mins, and the QuickCup is finished in 20 seconds.
    This works out at 70W of actual power consumed in a single boil for the kettle and 14.4W for the QuickCup.

    Working out an approximate rate of use per week, I reckon we use the kettle 36 times (conservative estimate) and the costs work out like this:
    Kettle QuickCup
    0.07 0.014 (watts per boil)
    2.52 0.504 (watts per week)
    19.656 3.9312 (€ cost per year @ €0.15 per unit)
    131.04 26.208 (kW/ year)
    78.6 15.7 (Kg Carbon Dioxide p/a)

    Drawbacks: The quick-cup's water output is not at boiling point, but appears to be approx 90 degrees, so my cup needs warming firstly!
    Positives: It comes with a water filter, but it's not required for the correct operation of the unit. It's fast and efficient. Payback is approx 4 years, assuming it lasts that long!


Comments

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    #2
    loyatemu
    Registered Users Posts: 14,790 ✭✭✭✭loyatemu


    i was looking at this as a potential Xmas present but the reviews on Amazon are largely negative. Water insufficiently hot for tea seems to be the main complaint, and build quality doesn't seem to be great either.

    If someone could produce a device that also supplies chilled filtered water they could be onto a winner.


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    #3
    10-10-20
    Registered Users Posts: 6,761 ✭✭✭10-10-20


    I noticed the temperature issue alright and stuck a thermal probe into a beaker last night.
    Water is coming out at 87 degrees. That's a fair whack off what a kettle outputs at...


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    #4
    bushy...
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,467 ✭✭✭bushy...


    You get a few undersink heaters abroad working the same way , just heat what you need as it passes through, like an electric shower. If the main heating is on they don't trip in.


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    #5
    Del2005
    Registered Users Posts: 18,915 ✭✭✭✭Del2005


    bushy... wrote: »
    You get a few undersink heaters abroad working the same way , just heat what you need as it passes through, like an electric shower. If the main heating is on they don't trip in.

    What temp are you running your heating at if you can make tea with it??


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    #6
    air
    Registered Users Posts: 2,822 ✭✭✭air


    @Del2005 - In fairness he never said he was making tea with it ;)
    It's pretty straight forward really, the on demand water heater he's talking about probably takes it's feed from the hot water supply & then heats the water to the set output temp - probably 60 degrees or so, if the incoming water is at or above that temp it wouldn't cut in.

    OP, Quick cup sounds like a great idea, you should be using watt hour and kilowatt hour in your calc's above though, watts are just a measure of instantaneous power, not energy.
    It's a pity it doesnt have a thermoswitch allowing you to vary the output temp of the water, wouldnt take much to make it adjustable.


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    #7
    ev612337
    Registered Users Posts: 75 ✭✭ev612337


    I bought one of these as my wife suffers with Rheumatoid Arthritis and lifting a kettle full of boiling water was a challenge etc.

    Sadly, it's been a joke. The unit has never produced water hot enough for tea from new. I've never measured the temp as other posters have, but I'm sure the result would be < 90oC if I did. Most recently the unit has gone to producing luke warm water and now finally, does not heat at all! It's water source is our reverse osmosis tap, so hard water or other mineral content in the water can't be contributing factors.

    For a product at this price point, it's a BIG disappointment.


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    #8
    Alun
    Registered Users Posts: 21,432 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    My guess is that would probably be quite suitable for making tea 'continental style' where they just dangle a teabag in a glass of hot (not boiling) water for a few seconds and then take it out, and drink it generally as-is, i.e. with no milk. You probably wouldn't want the water boiling in that case. Not surprising seeing as Tefal is a French company.

    It wouldn't, as others have noted, be suitable for making tea like we and the Brits generally make it.


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    #9
    ev612337
    Registered Users Posts: 75 ✭✭ev612337


    I dont think this is a reasonable stance by Tefal, if the product is not intended to boil water, then they should not sell it in a market where everyone usually boils water to infuse tea etc.

    In my case, the temp dropped by the day until now it won't heat at all!


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    #10
    2 stroke
    Registered Users Posts: 2,921 ✭✭✭2 stroke


    Alun wrote: »
    My guess is that would probably be quite suitable for making tea 'continental style' where they just dangle a teabag in a glass of hot (not boiling) water for a few seconds and then take it out, and drink it generally as-is, i.e. with no milk. You probably wouldn't want the water boiling in that case. Not surprising seeing as Tefal is a French company.

    It wouldn't, as others have noted, be suitable for making tea like we and the Brits generally make it.

    I think this post hits the nail on the head. While was in paris a few weeks ago I complained the tea was cold. The waitress drew off a glass of water from the burco and held her finger in the water and proceded to tell me that the temperature of the water was perfect.


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    #11
    boomshackala
    Closed Accounts Posts: 160 ✭✭boomshackala


    I got one too and am very happy with it so far, but I only drink coffee with no milk so I actually prefer water thats not actually boiling.


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    #12
    niceirishfella
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,538 ✭✭✭niceirishfella


    I got one - paid €89 for it , works ok - but like all the other posters.........waters not hot enough and the water tank is a
    tad too small.


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