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I love making tea! I've been planning on getting my first kettle this year, I like the Windsor Quick Boil. I like the old-timey design, and I really hate the look of that typical black plastic on lots of modern kettles.

I've had a Revere kettle all my life & never plan to change. they are the best. i did once also have the Michael Graves and the damned bird melted.

i have a tea kettle that i have an unreasonable amount of love for.
Similar to this one by Oggi: http://www.cooking.com.edgesuite.net/images/products/Enlarge/743497e.jpg Only mine is yellow enamel and has a white handle. It's likely mine is Oggi too but I got it at Filene's just before they became Macy's and there were no markings on it. God I love that kettle.

Stove-top kettles may be prettier, but I'm electric all the way. They're MUCH faster.

if you actually drink tea 6 times a day i have to second the electric kettle all the way--every British person I know uses them as well....

The le creuset kettles are pretty terrific (and colorful).

As a tea drinker, I have to concur that the electric kettle is the only way to go. Efficient, quick and very continental.

Designed by architect Joey Roth who is only producing 300 of them, his is probably the least practical and the most over-engineered tea kettle I've ever seen, but I had to have it anyway!
http://www.withoutstyle.com/2007/11/26/well-tip-me-over-and-pour-me-out/

I love tea kettles. I have an Oxo Uplift in Red. It's one the best gifts I've received.

I've had my Revere kettle since I went to university, and it still works perfectly and looks great 17 years later.

As far as electric vs stovetop boiling times go, I can't really speak to the former because I've never owned an electric kettle. But I have found that, by putting just as much water in the kettle as I need and no more, and by using a gas stove, I can have water for tea in 3-4 minutes. Isn't tea drinking supposed to be a zen exercise? Can't we wait that long? ;)

Oh, I can't believe you forgot this clear glass kettle:
http://www.adagio.com/teaware/water_kettle.html

I love mine, and have given several as gifts to friends and family who ooo'ed and ahh'ed over it. Also, it's fast. And if you prefer to pour almost-but-not-quite-boiling water on your tea, it's the way to go.

Also, preeeeeetty!

I have my mom's Revere--it's lasted over fifty years and still boiling hot and whistling strong!
No matter how many new, cute kettles I try, nothing measures up.

Another frequent tea drinker here. I have this electric kettle and love the way it looks and how fast it is.

We don't have enough space in our kitchen for another countertop appliance, so we rely on stove-top kettles. After a two year standoff between my Revere and my husband's IKEA, the Revere finally won. The handle gets too hot when put on a gas stove, but now that we have an electric stove, everything is fine.

I was willing to continue the standoff no matter what. I love my Revere - practical, elegant, compact.

Here's another vote for electric kettles. It boils water so much more quickly than the stove-top varieties. Oddly enough, I hadn't even heard of them until I moved to England a number of years ago. EVERYone over there has an electric kettle. If that isn't a positive endorsement, I don't know what is!

I second bubble's endorsement of the Braun. My in-laws fell in love with mine when they visited. They're serious tea-drinkers. My mother-in-law wanted to get one for herself when she returned home, but her husband complained and said he would never use it. Then he surprised her with one for Christmas.

You really don't want the Bodum Osiris. I have one now, and it's uncomfortable to pour and difficult/painful to clean because of all its crannies and sharp edges. One of these days it'll get replaced, probably with the OXO.

Since counter space and outlets are in short supply in my kitchen, an electric teakettle isn't a good option. I use a hand-me-down copper kettle that my mom gave me. It has aged quite nicely, acquiring the sort of patina you'd expect to see on a Herzog & de Meuron museum. And it's fast, too!
http://www.surlatable.com/product/id/129186.do

Um, and there it is at the top of the post!

I have had the Chantal for a while. The handle and the lever with which to open the spout both get super hot. The inside of the lid gets rusty. Also, the whistle is so loud, your next door neighbors will know when your water is boiling.

Just saying that the kettles with the plastic handles and self opening spouts may be the way to go. Or the electric kettles-those are very nice, too.

I have the OXO tea kettle and it gets used every day. Its fantastic. I prefer to boil on the stove. Its the first thing I do when I wake up and I use the time until it boils to wake up (check email, open the drapes, do the dishes from the night before).

I don't see the point to kettles. What do they do that a small covered saucepan won't? Add clutter? Yes.

I loved my old Russell Hobbs tea kettle... then, it stopped working, and we were told it would be too expensive to fix, so we went out to try and replace... problem is, they "updated" the design, from a sober traditional look to one that resembles Minnie Mouse. I really loathe the new Russell Hobbs -- silly without being amusing -- and miss the old.

These days, I like the Eva tea kettle, but I also still love the original harmonica tea kettle, the Richard Sapper
http://www.retromodern.com/item_detail.asp?1343

I also use an electric kettle--so quick, and I'd guess more energy efficient.

"I don't see the point to kettles. What do they do that a small covered saucepan won't?"

They whistle. Trust me, this is a crucial feature when you're as forgetful as I am. I've blackened many a saucepan in my time.

We've had the stainless Chantal for some time now--it's absolutely lovely in its simplicity & design. Haven't had any problems with rust like the person above but it does get super hot & one can't touch the handle without using a mitt. I can't help thinking that such an expensive teapot should be designed more practically & that one should be able to hold the handle without burning oneself! I do however love the harmonica sound--it's loud but rather musical & so pleasant.

I have an absolutely plain one from the hardware store. Looks like the Revere but more plain. I think this is the best design there is. Streamlined, simple, functional. The handle doesn't get hot and the steam doesn't burn you when you pour, unlike all the other kettles.

I, too, am a devotee of the electric kettle. If you drink tea all day long, it's the fastest and most efficient way to go. I have a Russell Hobbs (the old model, monika1, from before they were acquired by Salton, the company that ruined the original design) and I just can't live without it.

I have the small stainless chantal and picked it up for less than half price at the outlet. I have considered an electric kettle but are they all made of plastic? Water boils pretty quickly over gas, but if I had an electric range I might switch.

We recently splurged on the Windsor kettle and love it! It really does boil quickly, so be careful! We got the model with the coil.

I have the Chantay and I love it. My current stainless is my 2nd one. I'm a sucker for the harmonica, which I don't find to be overly loud. Mine came with a cozy that fits over the handle to protect from the hotness.