Ellsi Matte Black Boiling Tap

Is the Ellsi Matte Black Boiling Tap worth buying?

Yes, the Ellsi Matte Black Boiling Tap is worth buying if you want a finished 3-in-1 kit for under £200 and 98°C is close enough to a boil for you. At £194.98 you get the tap, a 2.4-litre boiler and an activated-carbon filter in one box, and 124 buyers rate it 3.9. Nothing at this price pours a true 100°C, so the fair question is what the money buys: the second-largest tank in its price band and a matte finish that does not show every splash.

It is the wrong buy if you want a rolling boil for delicate tea, because 98°C is 2°C short of one. It is also the wrong buy if you want chilled filtered drinking water from the same tap, since the cartridge here protects the boiler rather than feeding a drinking-water outlet. Both of those jobs take you up to a QETTLE.

What does 2.4 litres of boiler actually mean?

Divide the price by the tank and the Ellsi costs £81.24 for every litre of boiling water it holds: £194.98 across 2.4 litres. That is the lowest figure of any complete kit in this class, and it is the number worth carrying in your head when you compare. A 2.5-litre tap at £339 works out at £135.60 a litre, and a 2-litre tap at £400 at £200 a litre.

In the kitchen, 2.4 litres is roughly 8 mugs before the boiler has to catch up, which covers a round of tea for four people or a large pan of pasta water. The element sits in a stainless tank under the sink and holds its heat, so recovery is a short pause rather than a wait for a kettle to rumble. The filter is rated for water up to 500 ppm of dissolved solids, so it still works in most hard-water areas, which is where scale normally kills a tank.

What comes in the box and what is it like to live with?

Three parts arrive: the tap, the boiler and the filter, plus the handle and the fittings. The kit measures 35 cm long, 45 cm wide and 30 cm high, so clear the cabinet floor and check for a socket before it lands. Everything runs off one hole in the worktop, with the boiler and cartridge housing tucked underneath.

The tap is the heaviest single piece at 9 kg, and that is the number to respect on fitting day: hold it upright while the tails are tightened instead of letting it hang on the worktop edge. The spout swivels a full 360° and carries a hydro-aerator on the hot and cold side, which softens the flow for washing up. Water and electricity run in separate channels and the boiling handle is insulated, so the spout stays cool to the touch.

Where does the Ellsi Matte Black Boiling Tap fall short?

The water tops out at 98°C and a proper tea drinker will notice. That 2°C is the only reason this kit costs £205.02 less than a true-boiling rival, so it is a fair trade rather than a fault. Second, the matte body adds weight: 9 kg against 7.87 kg for the same tap in polished chrome, which is 1.13 kg more to hold steady under a sink.

The other limit is the track record. A 3.9 average from 124 buyers is solid rather than glowing, and it sits well below the 4.6 that the QETTLE taps collect. There is also no separate filtered drinking-water outlet, only the cartridge that keeps scale out of the tank. If either of those matters more to you than the price, look further up this page.

How does it compare with the QETTLE 3-in-1 and the YAMATARO 4 in 1?

The QETTLE 3-in-1 asks £400, which is £205.02 more, and gives you a true 100°C at the spout from a 2-litre tank instead of 98°C from 2.4 litres. Buy the Ellsi when the kit has to come in under £200 and the price settles the decision; buy the QETTLE when boiling water that actually boils is the whole point. Both take a single worktop hole and both ship with a filter.

The YAMATARO 4 in 1 Boiling Tap is the middle answer at £339, £144.02 more, and it adds filtered cold drinking water alongside a 2.5-litre boiler. It also stops at 98°C, so the extra money buys the fourth function and the bigger tank rather than more heat. Choose it if you want chilled filtered water at the sink without reaching £400; choose the Ellsi at £194.98 if boiling and ordinary hot and cold are all you need, and keep the £144.02.