1980 Russell Hobbs Chelsea Teamaker 7106

Russell Hobbs manufactured the Chelsea Teamaker model 7106 in about 1980. This is a remarkably compact design in stark contrast to the monstrously huge Goblins. The shallow kettle fits snugly behind the smart, simple fascia.

The Chelsea is lit by a 30w striplite, a comparatively expensive component to replace. My correspondant John Atack comments that as with all striplites the trick is to ensure that the lamp is installed with the filament down, suspended from its mounting in the glass, for maximum life. This is easy with the teamaker, he assures us, as the plastic lampshade acts as a diffuser and a clear bulb can be used. If an opaque striplite is used you have to squint along the tube through the bit of clear glass to check where the filament is.

This model didn’t require a teapot at all. A float containing the tea rested on the surface of the cold water. As the water boiled it bubbled over the surface of the float, beginning the infusion process and causing the float to sink gradually to the bottom of the kettle. When the float settled at the bottom of the kettle a magnet in it triggered the switching off of the heating element.

The main benefit of the 7106 is that you do not have to raise the light to alter the time and alarm settings, (you need to do this on the 7107).