Customer Reviews Breville SK500XL the Ikon Electric Kettle™

I’ve had this kettle for over two years. I can’t complain about the speed that it boils water. It’s very fast, however, it’s not cool to the touch and I’ve burned my hand on it several times by accidentally brushing against the stainless steel as opposed to the plastic tea kettles I’ve owned in the past. The light indicator stopped working after about a year. It looks good on my kitchen counter, but I expected better quality for the price I paid for it.

So far so good. This has been a great addition to the kitchen, I use it several time a day. It gets quite hot and you will quickly learn not to touch the stainless steel surface. So warn visitors. I think it's a decent trade-off considering that your water will not touch any plastic while being heated.

I waited too long to buy this gorgeous, efficient tea kettle. Water is heated faster than on the stove, and in a larger quantity enabling me to brew an extra thermos of tea for the afternoon at the same time as my morning pot. The sleek design is a major plus for me.

We appreciate the space this kettle saves, as the base is compact, and when at rest, the kettle and base appear as one. Style points are in the eye of the beholder, thus 4 stars from us. if the handle had been a bit less obtrusive, it would have rated a 5. More importantly, the Breville heats a full kettle of water in around 7.5 minutes, fast enough for us. The blue led assures us it's working, and the water is at a true bubbling boil at auto shutoff. The fill markings are clear, but as is usual, the condensation in the fill window can make things a bit difficult to see at certain angles. Lean in a bit, and all is fine. The spout does not drip, another plus. So far, so good. Recommended.

Like five out of the six reviewers of this kettle, I think it is a great product. The very best part is that it does not leak which is what has happened with every plastic kettle that we have tried.

Born and raised in the UK I am a serious hot tea drinker and a kettle is critical to my well being. This one fits the bill beautifully: good looking, comfortable to use and quick to boil. A great product!

I love this tea kettle. The only thing I would change -- because I am single -- is to make a smaller version. It's useful for cooking when hot water is required and I used it daily to make drip coffee using a Melita cone & filter. It's quick to boil and easy to use. If you like tea, even a better purchase. (I have high humidity in my home, so this eliminates the steam from a traditional tea kettle.)

I've had this kettle for about 2 years and I've never had the filmy water problem the other reviewer mentioned. I always use Brita-filtered water and make sure the pour any extra water out and leave the lid open for whatever moisture is left to evaporate. I think this kettle works great. It is very fast (boiling water in about 4 minutes) and has a smart design on the plug end to protect the wires. I highly recommend this for anyone who uses a french press or makes hot tea on a regular basis.

If you are looking for a well built tea kettle this is the one. It is very sturdy, heats up water like a dream and is easy to clean. The only issues I have is that while I like the stainless look, it does get hotter than plastic. I have very hard water where I am so calcium build up is annoying, but a little vinegar seems to take care of that.

Very nice looking kettle and although as we live in a hard water area some spots are appearing on the outside of the kettle which seem quite hard to remove. Speed of heating is perhaps not as fast as some earlier kettles we have owned - but still very good. The illuminated level gauge is very pretty but, of course, only works when the kettle is plugged in. So it does not help when filling the kettle to see the water level. The gauge is a little awkward to see because it is behind the handle. However, this is a small issue. Would happily recommend.

Great kettle. Nice design, durable, water heats up very quickly with a pleasant single bell chime. The only thing I would have liked is if it was available in a smaller size.

Firstly, in response to Peg R's comment about a smaller model, the benefit of a jug kettle is that you can boil as much or as little water as required. Secondly, I am on my second Breville Ikon kettle. The first one died after about 15 months, just after the blue back light went out. I contacted Breville dozens of times but never got a response. Shame on you, Breville. I work in customer service - it is not rocket science! Pick up the phone! Reply to that e-mail! So I stupidly bought another one. This time it only took five months for the blue back light to quit. At least it still makes cold water boiling hot, which is what it is supposed to do! I doubt that I would buy another Breville kettle if or when this one finally gives up the ghost.

Lasted a few months. Contacted Breville a few times but, all they told me was how to remove residue with water and vinegar every time (even after I told them scaling was not my may concern. My main problem was rusty looking yuck black stuff accumulating around the rim.I did like the simple design. Threw it away and bought a Cuisinart.

I am very disappointed with this kettle. I liked the functionality of the kettle, however, the quality of the boiled water was disgusting, at best. I only used bottled water and it always generated a white, cloudy, filmy substance inside. It looked like a grease slick on the top of my tea in every cup. I did the vinegar wash as suggested, but it never corrected the problem. Thought it was just a defective pot. Returned it and got another one. The new pot did the same thing. Absolutely disgusting. I will never buy another Breville tea kettle. Highly recommend not purchasing this tea kettle, unless of course, the grease slick and white cloudy water doesn’t bother you.

Everything you want in an electric kettle: boils water super fast, easy to fill, easy to clean inside and out, easy to pour, and easy on the eyes! Had the smaller model for 8 years and it still works perfectly (wish Breville still made that size). Moved that one to the RV. I compared this kettle to the new Chantal model and found the Breville ikon boiled faster, had a heavier duty base and heavier duty stainless body. Returned the Chantal but kept this one.

Previously owned Chef's Choice kettles (3 dead, 1 within warranty). They worked till they died. Wanted to replace with either something cheap (no faith in long life) or really cool (my favorite seemed to have a 50/50 chance of being wrong or spectacular death). Gave up after reading reviews and bought this. Have learned to love it - easier to fill, easy viewing of water level, quick boil, easy clean. This one feels like it was built to use and last.

I love this electric kettle. We have many Breville products in our kitchen and they all perform beautifully. This kettle is sleek and efficient, the water boils in less than 3 minutes. It has a nice light up measurement along the side of the kettle. I really love this product!

I have had this kettle for about three years now and it has started to wear out on me. The kettle when you put on the base is somehow not connecting when you switch it on. I have to jiggle it around to get the light to come on to know its starting to boil the water. I have kept up the maintenance on the inside as far as water scale etc but it's time for a new one. I have no problem replacing with the same again.

Love my new kettle. Heats up quickly. Has funky internal lighting and makes a fun, quiet sound when finished heating.

This electric kettle is nice to look at and easy to use. It's so well balanced and pours so easily, I fortunately don't need to be totally awake to use it. That's good, as I use it every morning for my french press coffee. There may be cheaper kettles but be sure they are balanced and easily poured, like this one.

I bought the one had before (I forget the brand) but the updated issue was junk and it wouldn't turn on and I had to take it back so I took a chance on this one. Well, I'm sitting here drinking my coffee and maybe I should have cleaned the pot a bit more (I boiled one pot first and threw it out like the directions said to do) and my coffee tastes a little strange but then again I've a cold. At any rate we were scared that it might be loud which we really didn't want. But not only is it quiet but it has a charming little bell that goes off when it's ready. How nice. And it looks terrific. I assume the taste will clear up, it is stainless steel inside. I'm satisfied.

I love most Breville's products. This electric tea kettle is no exception. It's easy to use and quick to boil the water. The only thing I will say is if you have young children at home, be sure that they're away from the kettle when its boiling. It gets very hot outside of the kettle.

I bought this for a shower gift for my daughter after she placed it on her registry. She loves it! The water heats rapidly, and it frees a stove burner for another use.

The Breville tea kettle is a functional necessity in my kitchen - one that I cannot do without. I heat all water sources in this pot for pasta, tea, soups etc. It is a reliable product and I highly recommend it.

Loved this kettle at first but it ceased to go off automatically. Fire hazard as the water boils away and is left to burn out or catch on fire. Won't buy another one.