Hanstrom Saxan 4-in-1

The Saxan is Hanstrom's current square-spout 4-in-1 and the replacement for the older Hanstrom Square, which had drifted off the brand's own site. It is a 4-in-1 in the full sense: filtered steaming-hot water on a touchscreen-controlled boiler, a separate filtered cold drinking channel, and standard hot and cold, all from a square D-shape spout that suits an industrial-styled kitchen. The 2.4L boiler is compact, good for a smaller kitchen, and gives five to six cups before it reheats.

The appeal is price and control. Hanstrom lists the Saxan at £569 but sells it at £399, which undercuts most premium 4-in-1s, and the touchscreen presets at 75, 85, 90 and 95°C are genuinely useful if you make green tea or coffee at specific temperatures. The carbon-and-phosphate filter adds limescale protection beyond plain carbon.

The caveats are the familiar challenger-brand ones. The dispense is steaming hot, topping out around 98°C rather than a true 100°C. The warranty is split: two years on the tap but only one on the boiler, the part most likely to fail, with three years available only as a paid extension. And the permanent-sale pricing means the £569 RRP is a soft anchor rather than a real price. Buy it for the square design, the temperature presets and the keen real-world price, not for a rolling boil or a long boiler warranty.