Breville IQ Kettle BKE820XL.

The Gavler Review.

Breville IQ Kettle (BKE820XL) Review: The Premium Everyday Kettle

The Breville IQ Kettle (BKE820XL) is a premium everyday electric kettle with five tea and coffee presets and a lid designed not to splash. It is rank 3 on Gavler's Best Electric Kettles list with a score of 8.8/10. It tests well, but it costs more than a Cuisinart that does most of the same things, and one lab reported a lid latch that did not always work.

What it is

Breville describes a 7-cup kettle in brushed stainless steel with a cordless 360-degree base, a Soft Top lid that "gently releases steam and eliminates splashing," and five varietal settings: black, green, white and oolong tea, and French press coffee. It holds the selected temperature for 20 minutes, and Breville lists dimensions of 7.2 by 9.1 by 9.8 inches and a price of $179.95. Gavler's data shows an Amazon price near $140.

Capacity is reported inconsistently: Forbes says 1.7 L, Gavler's data says 1.8 L, and Breville's page says 7 cups. Wattage is not on Breville's page, so we do not state a figure here.

In use

Reviewed's testers found that it "pulled ahead of the pack in every one of our tests." Forbes Vetted's Camryn Rabideau named it the "best all-around option," and Gavler's vetted data carries her line that it is "ideal for everyday use, thanks to its simple operation and quick boiling time."

Forbes put numbers on it. Three cups boiled in 2 minutes 30 seconds, but "when filled to capacity, the Breville IQ Kettle does take a bit longer—just under 8 minutes." Presets were "typically within 2 degrees of the setting." TechGearLab, testing 500 mL, recorded 2.9 minutes, found the green tea preset only 0.6 degrees off, and found the coffee preset averaged "nearly 5" degrees below its target of 200. On noise, Forbes said it is "not noticeable enough to interrupt your daily activities or wake up a sleeping kid," though Gavler's data also records Forbes noting some noise mid-boil.

Strengths

• Presets that work. The tea settings are accurate, per both labs.
• Soft Top lid. It is the one feature that sets it apart from the Cuisinart.
• Keep-warm. Twenty minutes is confirmed by Breville, Forbes and Yahoo.
• Cool base and handle. Yahoo's reviewer noted the body gets hot but the handle and base stay cool.

Trade-offs and who should skip it

Price comes first. Reviewed lists "Expensive" as the drawback and says the Breville edged out the Cuisinart by only 0.001 points. It describes the Cuisinart as "substantially cheaper" while "still having all the same bells and whistles."

TechGearLab found a lid problem: the release needed "multiple presses to engage successfully," working on the first press about 30 percent of the time. It suspected the soft-open mechanism. Gavler's earlier data also cited TechGearLab for mushy buttons, but the page we re-read says the buttons are "large, clear, and have a good feel," so we are not repeating that claim and have flagged the conflict.

Finally, there is no custom temperature. Forbes recommends skipping it if you want a fully variable model for pour-over. Full-kettle boil time is long, and Breville's own page does not list preset temperatures.

How it compares

The Cuisinart PerfecTemp CPK-17P1 (rank 1) is the better buy for price-sensitive households. The Fellow Stagg EKG Pro (rank 2) is the one to choose for pour-over precision. The Ninja KT200 (rank 5) offers a live temperature display on a similar jug.

The Gavler verdict

8.8 out of 10. A strong, accurate household kettle whose real competition is a cheaper kettle. Buy it for the Soft Top lid and Breville's build, and compare it on our Best Electric Kettles list first.

Common Questions

Is the Breville IQ Kettle worth it?

Reviewers rate it highly, but Reviewed notes that the cheaper Cuisinart PerfecTemp offers similar features for substantially less. It makes sense if you want the Soft Top lid and Breville's build.

What temperatures does the Breville IQ Kettle offer?

Forbes and Yahoo list green tea at 175 degrees F, white at 185, oolong at 195, French press at 200 and black at 212. Breville's page names the five presets but does not print the temperatures.

How long does the IQ Kettle take to boil?

Forbes timed 3 cups at 2 minutes 30 seconds and a full kettle at just under 8 minutes. TechGearLab timed 500 mL at 2.9 minutes. Times depend heavily on volume.

How long does it keep water warm?

Breville, Forbes and Yahoo all report a 20-minute keep-warm function.

Can I set my own temperature?

No. One More Steep notes there is no option to select your own temperatures, and Forbes suggests skipping it if you want a fully variable model for pour-over.