Chefman Fast-Boil 1.8L Electric Kettle (RJ11-18-PL)
By Chefman · Electric Kettles · Kitchen & Cooking
- 1.8L borosilicate glass capacity
- 1500W heating element boils in about 3 minutes
- Cordless 360-degree swivel base
- Automatic shutoff and boil-dry protection
- Lift-out lid with stainless-steel filter
Price not listed
- ChefmanView at Chefman
- Best BuyView at Best Buy
- eBay (used) eBay: used, open-box, refurbishedView at eBay (used)
- eBayView at eBay
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Summary
A budget 1.8 L glass kettle rated 1500 W that boils and shuts itself off, sold direct by Chefman. It is for people who only need hot water; check before buying that you can live without temperature control, keep-warm and a dishwasher-safe body.
Strengths
- Large 1.8 L capacity for a budget kettle.
- Boil-dry protection and automatic shutoff cover the safety basics.
- cETL approved and backed by a 1-year limited warranty.
- Cordless 360° base with cord storage under it.
- Removable lift-out lid and a stainless-steel spout filter.
Weaknesses
- No temperature control and no keep-warm; it only boils and shuts off.
- Hand wash only: never dishwasher, never immerse the base.
- Chefman’s “as little as 3 minutes” claim has no independent timing behind it.
- The spout filter is not meant to be removed, so cleaning it is fiddly.
- Boil-dry protection forces a full cool-down before you can boil again.
Verified specifications
| Model and SKU | RJ11-18-PL; UPC 810087846701. |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 1.8 L maximum; the manual marks a 0.5 L minimum line. |
| Power | 1500 W at 120 V. |
| Claimed boil time | “as little as 3 minutes” (Chefman’s own figure, not independently timed). |
| Body | borosilicate glass with stainless-steel accents, a stainless-steel spout filter and a stay-cool handle. |
| Lid | fully removable lift-out lid; the tea-infuser sibling clips a separate infuser to the lid. |
| Base | cordless kettle on a 360° swivel power base with wrap-around cord storage underneath. |
| Indicators | blue LED lights while heating. |
| Shutoff | automatic power-off on boil plus boil-dry protection that keeps the unit off until it has cooled. |
| Certification | cETL approved. |
| Cleaning | hand wash only, not dishwasher safe; the base must not be immersed. |
| Warranty | limited 1-year from RJ Brands (Chefman). |
| Dimensions | 8.75 × 6.24 × 9.45 in (22.22 × 15.84 × 24 cm); 2.3 lb (1.04 kg). |
Full research notes and sources
What it does and doesn’t do
This is a boil-only appliance. It holds 1.8 L at most, with a 0.5 L minimum line in the manual, and its 1500 W element runs on 120 V. There is no temperature control and no keep-warm mode anywhere on the product page or in the manual, so it is not a precision tea or coffee tool. A press-down switch starts it, blue LEDs light while it heats, and it powers off automatically at a boil; switching it off yourself stops the heating.
Cleaning, scale and upkeep
Chefman’s manual keeps maintenance simple but strict. Unplug and let it cool, wash the interior by hand with soapy water, and wipe the exterior and base with a damp cloth. Never immerse or dishwash the kettle or base, and rinse the spout filter under hot water without taking it out. Mineral scale comes off by boiling white vinegar to about 1/2 inch over the base, repeating until the deposits clear, then rinsing well. Reheating the same pot of tea can leave a bronze-colored stain that a vinegar-and-water boil removes. There are no filters or parts to reorder; the running cost is electricity plus vinegar or a descaler.
The boil-time claim
Chefman says the kettle boils “in as little as 3 minutes,” but no independent test of this exact model was found, and several major test outlets were unreachable when this was checked. The closest independent signal, CNET’s kettle roundup, calls a Chefman kettle a fantastic value at less than $30 while noting it was “one of the slower kettles” — but CNET never names the model and describes a pour-through lid that does not match this kettle’s removable lift-out lid, so it cannot confirm anything about RJ11-18-PL. Treat the 3-minute figure as the manufacturer’s best case.
Which model this is
RJ11-18-PL is one SKU in a wider 1.8 L “RJ11-18” family. Chefman’s own site search returns sibling SKUs including RJ11-18-PL-TI, RJ11-18-SS, RJ11-18-AM, RJ11-18-CTI, RJ11-18-CTI-V3 and RJ11-18-SCTI-HP, plus a separate tea-infuser handle. The -TI and tea-infuser versions add an infuser that clips to the lid; the others are color or finish variants. One gotcha: the user guide linked from this product page is actually the manual for the RJ11-18-PL-TI infuser variant, so its lid instructions may not match the base SKU. The page and the storefront also disagree on weight: 2.3 lb product weight against 2.81 lb shipping weight.
Is it worth it?
At $27.99 direct from Chefman (October 2026), it is a reasonable buy if all you need is a large glass kettle that boils water and shuts itself off. You are paying for capacity and simplicity, not temperature control, keep-warm or a measured performance record, and there is no owner or test evidence here to justify paying a premium over other basic glass kettles. If you want variable temperature or precise brewing, look elsewhere.
Sources
Manufacturer:
- Chefman Fast-Boil 1.8L Electric Kettle (RJ11-18-PL) product page
- Chefman Fast-Boil 1.8L Electric Kettle product data
- Chefman RJ11-18-PL-TI user guide (PDF)
- Chefman limited warranty terms (PDF)
- Chefman site search for the RJ11-18 family
Independent reviews:
Owner reports:
- No exact-model owner reports were found.
