A tale of two kettles. The Japanese-made version is a coffee shop workhorse that'll outlast your grinder. The Chinese-made one? Well, that's where things get dicey.
- •The Good: Users report 8 years of daily abuse with Japanese models, simple construction means fewer failure points, and one reviewer said theirs survived moves across continents while maintaining perfect pour control
- •The Bad: Multiple reports of rust developing along interior seams within weeks on Chinese-made versions, handles breaking off due to weak spot welds, and no whistle means you might boil it dry if you're not paying attention
- •The Ugly: Quality control has become a lottery - you don't know which version you're getting until it arrives, and that 90-day warranty is laughably short for something marketed to coffee obsessives
Bottom line: If you get lucky with a Japan-made model, it's a solid 8.5 that'll serve you faithfully. But with the manufacturing roulette and increasing reports of early rust, I can't score it higher than decent-if-babied territory. The community is split because Hario is splitting their own reputation.