Others say...

"Excellent"
Physically beautiful with some nice touches. Water level indicator lights up with a white LED which also backlights the flip power switch. (An LED will last forever.) When the water has reachd a boil, the kettle switches off while ringing a little bell -- good signalling. It holds a lot and you might think this would make it awkward to pour but it does not because the spout pours from the bottom of the kettle first. So you only need to expend a little lifting and tilting effort to pour. I prefer the large capacity so I don't have to refill as often. There is a screen inside to filter out particulates and precipated scale. It could be a finer mesh. This is my only complaint. However, it is made from perforated stainless sheet metal and will be much more durable than a fine screen. It is removable so you can clean it. Lastly, it boils water faster than any of the other electric kettles I've owned (Braun & Cusinart). To be fair I had these other brands for years so maybe they are a little tired. Buy it! Enjoy it! (BTW, to clean built-up scale, mix half white vinegar and half water and boil. It will be gone. Pour out the water and boil two more pot fulls to clean away the vinegar residue.)

"Elegant Functionality"
We have been using the Breville Ikon for about 18 months now, so consider this as more of a long term review than just an 'out of the box' experience.

This unit receives almost daily use and sometimes twice a day and there has never been any type of problem or malfunction. Okay, so its only job is to boil water, but it does so quickly, has a clearly audible yet inoffensive chime when ready and shuts itself off. No need to worry about leaving a kettle on the stove to boil itself dry and, unlike one reviewer's concerns, it is easy to see the water level on the side meter. (Actually, while I appreciate the details in the three-star review, I cannot say that I am in agreement with any of the key concerns expressed. Maybe I am too easily pleased or perhaps they are overly critical?)

Also, I like the induction heating element that keeps the 120V electricity in the base, isolated from the metal kettle full of water! Some things are better off not coming together, like electricity and water!

Again, boiling water is not rocket science and one might question whether it makes sense to spend this much on a device that only does that. If, on the other hand, you like making tea or French-press coffee with precisely boiling water for the best flavor, Ikon will deliver it every time with style!

"Great Unit"
I can't imagine a better kettle. I like the handle and the spout as well as the little lid handle that is an "O" that you can pull open with one finger. I recommend this highly.

"Love that didn't last"
Breville has won many design awards of which it should be proud. Who wouldn't prefer the sleek beauties of the sort Breville makes to the clunky plastic vessels that proliferate like so many action figures gone to graveyards. But function matters, especially at the SK550XL pricetag. And that's where this relationship faltered. First the good points:
1. Beautiful kettle design: sleek, with great spout that doesn't drip (or leak as other some kettles apparently do). The stainless steel body is of good quality and reasonably heavy gauge.
2. The plug design is clever and convenient. All appliances should adopt this style (ergonomic size with hole in the middle for easy grasping).
3. Swivel base that glides with grace (a style many other mfrs seem to be using too).
Now the bad:
1. The stainless steel base inside the pot is a separate piece with two problems: a small gap between the rim of the base and the pot wall allows water to collect, so that the pot's never completely dry. Since any future water is boiled, the worry about bacteria is probably less of an issue than the simple fact that water collecting in invisible places allows crud to collect and shorten the life of the pot.
2. The base is made of an inferior metal. Within two uses, spotting had developed. After perhaps a dozen uses, the spotting is permanent (I use both bottled and tap water; our tap water is good: neither hard nor soft).
3. The water level window is designed such that the window well never dries out. The condensation makes reading the water level difficult.
4. The bell advertised as a feature is almost inaudible. If you're not standing near the kettle, you won't hear it. But then, in all fairness, this pot boils in under 2 minutes (for one cuppa), so wandering too far away isn't necessary.
5. The lid is mostly plastic. Only the very outer rim is stainless steel. At an $80 list price, the lid should be glass (or fully stainless).
6. The handle design and material (rubber-coated) make removing the lid difficult in the best of times, but altogether frustrating in any instance where extreme care isn't taken in how the lid is positioned before lifting out. I've used the pot about 12 times and have about 10 small nicks at both ends of the inside handle where the lid almost always hits despite extra care.

So, on balance, for $80 these aren't good problems to have. At half that price, I probably would have kept the kettle and groused a bit. This is one beautiful kettle whose form deserves much better function (which I take to mean quality design and materials, along with excellent performance).

"Exactly what I wanted"
I wanted a metal electric kettle, and I was hoping for one that was attractive if possible. It's been very good. It boils quickly, has a nice little chime when it's done, and is quite stylish on the counter. The handle stays cool and it's easy to pour. The kettle itself gets hot but it is metal, after all, and stovetop kettles get hot too, so I don't view that as a drawback. I'm very pleased.