Smeg offers retro, style-forward kettles designed to be colorful statement pieces on your countertop, prioritizing a vintage aesthetic with reliable performance. In contrast, Fellow creates minimalist, high-performance brewing tools with features like precision gooseneck spouts and to-the-degree temperature control, designed for the perfect cup of coffee or tea.
Let's compare everything you need to know to choose the right kettle for your kitchen and brewing style.
Smeg: The Retro Statement Piece
Smeg is an Italian brand celebrated for its 1950s-inspired appliances that infuse personality and color into the kitchen. While famous for their iconic refrigerators, their small appliances, including kettles, carry the same design DNA. A Smeg kettle is for someone who views their appliances as part of their home decor and wants a high-quality, eye-catching product that reliably boils water.
- Product mix: A full line of small and large kitchen appliances, including kettles, toasters, coffee makers, blenders, and refrigerators, allowing for a cohesive, retro kitchen aesthetic.
- Style/vibe: Distinctively retro and vintage with rounded silhouettes, polished chrome accents, and a wide array of bold and pastel colors like cream, red, pastel blue, and pink.
- Price point: Premium, with kettles typically priced from $150 to $250. Models with variable temperature can be on the higher end of that range.
- Quality: Made with a durable stainless steel body, these kettles feel substantial and are built for longevity. The focus is on combining a vibrant look with solid, everyday performance.
- Capacity/Sizing: Generally offers larger capacities between 1.5L and 1.7L (about 7 cups), making them well-suited for families, entertaining, or general-purpose kitchen tasks.
- Features: Standard models offer simple on/off functionality with auto shut-off. More advanced versions provide variable temperature settings, but the brand’s main selling point remains its iconic design.
Smeg is the ideal choice for those who value aesthetics as much as function and want a durable, large-capacity kettle to serve as a visual centerpiece in their kitchen.
Shop Smeg: smeg.com
Fellow: The Precision Brewing Tool
Fellow creates thoughtfully designed products for the specialty coffee and tea enthusiast. Their equipment is engineered to enhance the brewing process, focusing on precision, control, and a clean, modern aesthetic. The brand's Stagg EKG kettle is a favorite among home baristas for its blend of minimalist style and exacting performance features.
- Product mix: Hyper-focused on coffee and tea brewing gear, including electric kettles, pour-over drippers, French presses, grinders, and drinking mugs.
- Style/vibe: Sleek, minimalist, and modern. Their products feature matte finishes, clean lines, and an understated elegance that complements contemporary kitchens.
- Price point: Premium, ranging from $150 to $250. The price reflects the advanced technology, precision engineering, and high-grade materials.
- Quality: High-grade stainless steel construction with a thoughtfully weighted, ergonomic handle for balance and control. Materials are chosen for performance and durability.
- Capacity/Sizing: Smaller capacities, usually from 0.9L to 1.2L. This size is intentionally designed to be nimble and precise for brewing methods like pour-over coffee.
- Features: This is where Fellow excels. Kettles include to-the-degree variable temperature control, an LCD screen, a built-in brew stopwatch, a temperature hold function, and a precision-pour gooseneck spout.
Fellow kettles are purpose-built for coffee and tea aficionados who require absolute control over their brewing variables and appreciate a refined, modern design.
Shop Fellow: fellow.co
Smeg vs. Fellow Kettle Comparison
Price Comparison
Both Smeg and Fellow position their kettles in the premium $150–$250 price range. While the cost is similar, what you get for your money is quite different. With Smeg, a significant portion of the cost is for the iconic Italian design, distinctive branding, and wide range of color options. It's a luxury piece built on aesthetic appeal.
With Fellow, the cost is driven by technology and performance-oriented design. The price covers the precision heating element, digital interface, specific engineering for the gooseneck spout, and high-grade materials built for the rigorous demands of specialty brewing. The better value depends entirely on your priority: world-class design or world-class brewing control.
Style & Aesthetic
The visual difference between these two brands is stark. Smeg is all about nostalgia and flair. Its curvy, 1950s-inspired bodies and vibrant colors are designed to be noticed and add a playful, retro element to a kitchen. It fits perfectly in traditional, eclectic, or farmhouse-style kitchens that embrace pops of color.
Fellow champions modern minimalism. Its kettles have sharp silhouettes, subtle branding, and sophisticated matte black, white, or warm metallic finishes. A Fellow kettle is designed to blend seamlessly into a modern, Scandinavian, or minimalist kitchen, signaling a focus on function and taste rather than loud design.
Quality & Materials
Both brands deliver exceptional quality. A Smeg kettle is built with a sturdy stainless steel body, a solid base, and a satisfying classic "click" when switched on. They are praised for their durability and reliable, long-term performance for boiling water.
A Fellow kettle also uses high-grade stainless steel but adds design choices specifically for usability. This includes an ergonomic, counterbalanced handle that makes a full kettle feel light and easy to control during a slow pour. The build quality is focused on both longevity and the tactile experience of using the kettle as a tool.
Features & Performance
This is the most significant point of difference. A standard Smeg kettle does one job excellently: it boils water quickly and shuts off automatically. Variable temperature models are available, but they offer presets rather than granular control.
The Fellow Stagg EKG is a brewer’s toolkit in one device. You can set the water temperature to the exact degree you need, which is critical for extracting the best flavor from different coffee beans or tea leaves. Its gooseneck spout provides ultimate control over pouring speed and direction, a requirement for pour-over coffee. It also includes a hold function to maintain temperature and a timer to track your brew. For performance, Fellow is in a different league.
Capacity & Sizing
Your household size and primary use case will determine which capacity is better for you. Smeg’s generous 1.7L capacity can serve hot water for a whole family’s tea or multiple bowls of oatmeal at once. It's a multitasking kitchen workhorse.
Fellow’s smaller 0.9L capacity is a feature, not a bug. It's the perfect volume for brewing one to two cups of pour-over coffee, and the smaller size makes it lighter and easier to handle for the required precise, steady pour. If you rarely brew for a crowd and prioritize control, the smaller size is superior.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both brands produce excellent kettles, but they serve two very different customers. The right choice depends entirely on your needs and kitchen style.
Choose Smeg if:
- Your kitchen has a retro, vintage, or farmhouse aesthetic and you want an appliance that complements it.
- You want a pop of color on your countertop and view your kettle as a piece of decor.
- You primarily need to boil water for tea, French press, or instant meals.
- You need a larger capacity to serve multiple people at once.
Choose Fellow if:
- You are a serious coffee or tea enthusiast who enjoys brewing methods like pour-over or AeroPress.
- You demand precise, to-the-degree temperature control for perfect extraction.
- Your kitchen aesthetic is modern, minimalist, or contemporary.
- You value performance features like a gooseneck spout, built-in timer, and ergonomic handling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Smeg or Fellow cheaper?
Both Smeg and Fellow kettles are in a similar premium price bracket, typically between $150 and $250. Neither is a budget option, Smeg's cost is tied to its Italian design and aesthetic, while Fellow's is based on its precision brewing technology and performance features.
Which kettle has better temperature control?
Fellow has vastly superior temperature control. The Fellow Stagg EKG allows you to set a precise temperature to the degree and hold it there, which is crucial for specialty coffee and tea. While some Smeg models offer variable temperature, they typically use presets rather than single-degree increments.
Which kettle is better for pour-over coffee?
The Fellow kettle is unquestionably better for pour-over coffee. Its gooseneck spout is specifically designed for the slow, controlled pour required, and its precise temperature settings allow you to dial in your brew perfectly.
Are Smeg kettles good quality?
Yes, Smeg kettles are made with high-quality materials like stainless steel and are known for being durable and reliable for daily use. Their reputation is built on combining long-lasting performance with their signature retro style.
Why are Fellow kettles so expensive?
Fellow kettles are expensive due to their specialized engineering for coffee brewing. This includes the precise heating element, LCD display, ergonomic design for a balanced pour, and high-grade materials needed to provide a high-performance brewing tool, not just an appliance for boiling water.
Which kettle has a larger capacity?
Smeg kettles offer a larger capacity, typically 1.7L (around 7 cups), making them better suited for families or serving guests. Fellow kettles have a smaller 0.9L capacity designed for precision brewing for one or two people.
What style kitchen does a Smeg kettle fit best?
A Smeg kettle is a perfect fit for retro, eclectic, traditional, or farmhouse kitchens. Its bold design and unique color options make it a deliberate decorative choice that adds personality and a vintage touch to the space.
Which brand offers more color options?
Smeg offers a much wider and more vibrant range of colors. The brand is famous for a broad palette of pastel and bold colors, including pink, mint green, red, and cream, while Fellow sticks to a more limited, minimalist palette of matte black, white, and metallics.
At Interior Insider, we're dedicated to curating the best in home decor, interior design, and home essentials to help you discover brands we think you'll love. Every brand we feature is independently selected by our editorial team based on quality, design, and craftsmanship. When you make a purchase through our links, Interior Insider may earn a commission - which helps support our small team and allows us to continue bringing you inspiration and expert advice for creating your perfect space.
Looking for more inspiration? Explore our curated design guides to find your next favorite piece.
