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I've owned an electric kettle for over a decade.

They aren't ubiquitous here, but go into any Walmart or Target and you'll find them there.

The real reason they aren't ubiquitous in America is the majority of Americans aren't daily tea drinkers and most (notice pedants I said most and not all) American coffee drinker use drip coffee machines or Keurigs instead of a French press, so for most Americans there simply isn't a regularly enough need for hot water so as to justify an electric kettle.

That's it. That's the whole reason.

Spoiler, its because we dont drink as much tea. Tea drinkers do own kettles in the US.

Why bother when I have a coffee machine for coffee, a microwave for everything else, and a nearby harbor for tea?

Regular tea drinkers do. Otherwise, they aren't useful.

Light tea drinkers don't have a use for them because for single cups now and then, you're better off nuking the water to temp.

Hell, I have a cup almost every day, and that's still not worth having another thing on the counter for.

The U.S. is more into coffee than tea overall. But I know plenty of people that drink tea often enough to merit having one and using it.

I had a kettle for over a decade before I moved to the UK and got a fancier one. It might be faster here, but I never timed it and it wasn't a big factor for me.

I use one to make coffee in my French press.

Because our power is 110 volts and it takes forever.

Been using mine every day lately for my Aeropress.

I use mine to pre boil water sometimes. It's also great for making coffee as well as tea.

I have an hotwater dispenser for tea, it always heats up the exact amount of water, cup of tea in less than 30 sec.

We do, though. Every morning.

I'm a tea drinker and have been looking for a good pot that's easy to clean for ages. I have hard water, which leaves a lot of residue behind. And I would like to avoid chinese manufacturing. Currently I just boil water in a small sauce pot on the stove, which doesn't have the ability to stop heating at certain temps needed for certain loose leaf teas.