The Pykal Whistling Steel Camping Kettle is my idea of visual perfection in a kettle. It’s made out of stainless steel and looks the absolute business. It even includes a couple of tea infusers which you can fill with tea leaves and drop into the boiling water to act as a teapot as well! Zettle’s equipment does come out a little more expensive than Square’s, which could be enough to sway some people. But the best way to work out which platform has the best value for money is to think about your own business operations. The folding handle of the iBasingo is actually semicircular and attached over the top filling aperture of the kettle. I personally prefer the side handle of the MSR as I found it easier to pour, but this is personal preference. The kettle spout includes a whistling cover and it gives a mighty shriek when the water is boiling. There’s no ignoring this bad boy! We did find that the cover took a bit of effort to open using the thumb lever system, and this did get quite hot to the touch. Not ideal, and we must say that the button release of the Pykal is better in this regard.

Zettle does not bowl us over in this category – but then, neither does Square. In fact, this is the latter's lowest-performing section. MSR make some of the best camping gear available, from tents to stoves. Their fantastic Titan Titanium camping kettle might not look like much and be more expensive then some of the full electric kettles we’ve reviewed, but it will last a lifetime and will never let you down. So what’s so good about it I hear you cry? The mains cord and heating element are held within a separate base unit which glows softly blue when power is applied and looks great. Once the kettle is boiled, the kettle switches off automatically and the jug can be removed from the electric supply – this means it’s extremely safe. The perfect way to ensure you can enjoy the benefits of a decent cuppa during your carp or coarse fishing session, this square kettle from the creative minds at Ridgemonkey is a bankside essential for any angler. Our tester particularly liked being able to compare average spend and visits from loyalty vs non-loyalty customers, so they could analyse where their incentives were going wrong and push the more successful programs.All of the touch points are also well executed, from the comfortable handle that stays cool to the touch to the soft open lid and non-drip spout. It also comes with a polishing cloth included to buff away any fingerprints its stainless steel body might collect.This kettle also offers the ability to heat water to five different temperatures – 40, 75, 85, 95 and 100°C – which is great if you’re a coffee or herbal tea aficionado who knows the exact best degree centigrade for your brew. Pairing either card reader with its respective app is really intuitive. Just follow the simple directions on the app, and you can get set up within under five minutes. The base contains a hidden electric element which draws around 1kW of power. Boiling time is correspondingly slower than more power-hungry camping kettles, but it still comes in at under 5 minutes for the full kettle. It’s worth pointing out that the Quest kettle will automatically trip switch off once the water is boiling. Top of our must-have list is that it’s easy is it to hold, fill and pour. If you often refill a kettle as soon as it has boiled, choose one with a flip-top lid you don’t have to take off manually. This is really important to avoid the risk of scalding yourself on steam when you open it.

Simply press the lever on the base to switch between heat settings and a digital beep will alert you when the temperature is reached and the kettle will automatically shut off. (A long press of the base lever also turns off the beep if you prefer to start your mornings in silence).Russell Hobbs are not known for making dedicated camping gear, and this little gem is no exception. However, the Russell Hobbs Compact Electric Kettle fulfills all the key features we consider essential. It also does this by looking extremely elegant in brushed stainless steel and using a premium glass jug body. The downside for all this style is a higher than average price point. We think it’s well worth it though. Still, there are a few brands out there that will be more-suited to certain types of small business users. For example, Lightspeed. We’d definitely suggest a cordless model on 360˚ swivel base, for ease of use. A cord store will keep things tidy on a worktop, and an easy-to-view water indicator is handy. Firstly the size – it measures only 16 x 22 x 20 cm but holds 1 litre of water which is about 1.75 pints – more than enough for four standard mugs of tea! That small size means it can also easily be stored away in a campervan cupboard or camping box.

This area is all about scaling and so it's an important feature if you want to grow your business and audience base. Continuing the trend, Zettle scores much more poorly here than Square to achieve eighth position overall in our ranking (versus Square's first place). Aluminium is a great alternative to titanium as long as it is anodized. The strength-to-weight ratio is still excellent (although not quite as good), but it is considerably cheaper. As a rule, you will pay roughly half the price of titanium for the same capacity.

Final verdict

Power consumption is designed to be low at 2.2kW which means that there is very little chance of triggering the electric hookup tripswitch. Hairdresser businesses, as an example, can use insights about their customers and what they bought to intelligently promote your hair care products. Neither Square nor Zettle excel in this area. Pricing is obviously a big factor for SMEs. Today's cost of living crisis means entrepreneurs need to find ways to save money where they can. But cheaper does not always mean more cost-efficient. We also looked at the hidden fees, and what you get for your money such as the number of integrations available and the revenue streams.