Polling; put the kettle on...

Time to get a new kettle. Was telling my colleagues about the horror story of the ants and they told me that this happened because the ants like to "取暖". (Did I get my "qu" right?) But, won't they get electrocuted by staying within the electrical base of the kettle?? Whole colony, you know? My current model, with the base:


So they said maybe I should look at other types of kettles that are directly hooked to the wire. But I thought this would be ley chey, must unplug to refill water, then plug in and boil.


Or perhaps the retro type that you put over the fire and boil? Whistler kettle???


That aside, should I opt for the stainless steel one instead? Cos the white one I have gets dirty, and there'll be dark stains at the base of the boiler after a while, presumably that of rust residue or whatever. I have to boil limes in it from time to time, to get rid of these grime.


While surfing the net for ideas, came across a couple of cool ones. This one:


"This Alessi Classic Kettle is undoubtably The 'Designer Kettle'. It was designed by Richard Sapper in 1982. The Magestic Kettle with singing whistle was inspired by the steamers and barges that ply the Rhine.

This water kettle is charaterized by the brass whistle which houses two pitch-pipes in the keys of E and B! The kettle boils, and as the steam passes through the whistle, it plays a Harmonica style alert.

Other features include a sprung mechanism to open the spout to fill or pour. The heavy weight Stainless Steel construction, with a sandwiched copper base, ensures good heat transmission and is perfect for use on Gas, Electric or Ceramic Hobs including Agas.

A Steel bottomed version - for induction type hobs is also available to order - 2 litre priced at £125."

And I always thought anything by Philippe Starck would be IT:


"Not all of Philippe Starck's designs were so successful. This kettle, launched in 1990, is the favorite design fiasco of Alessi CEO Alberto Alessi. The cone-shaped shaft pierces the body of the kettle, serving as both its handle and spout. The complex mechanism needed to redirect the steam proved unreliable, leading Alessi to pull it from the market in 1997. Says Alessi, "You shouldn't need an instruction manual to operate a kettle."

Gosh, it is not too difficult to use a kettle. But it sure ain't easy deciding which type to buy! I can't decide whether to keep to my current model type. What do you recommend?