Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm British, so I drink a lot of tea. Real tea. Builder's tea. Not the nasty Lipton stuff scraped from the warehouse floor that passes as tea in the US, and certainly not arty-farty Chinese blends that may be great for aligning the ying or the chakras or whatever it's supposed to do, but tastes like hot water. Anyone who drinks real tea knows that you need boiling water, which is not "quite hot" water or water that has been through a coffee machine, and the kettle needs to come to the boil quickly. If you drink a lot of tea the kettle is going to be out on the kitchen counter-top, and you want to know how much water is in it. Win, win, win. This boils water as quickly as any kettle will on 110V. It is a very attractive glass and steel design, as these things go, with no superfluous flourishes. The base can store some unused cable. And its being glass means you can see at a glance how full it is. My last kettle was a Seimens Porsche design model (not available in the US) and the Breville is better in every respect, including looks. I want for nothing else in the kettle, and I'm looking at this as I plan to buy another as a housewarming present. But I am moved to write in alarm at those people who want a bell. A bell? For the love of all that is holy, no! It has no bell. It just turns off. And thank Breville for that. What I need like a hole in the head is yet another thing in my kitchen that shrilly announces the completion of some task, and which cannot be silenced without pressing some (often tiny) button. I have long wondered who the people are that want this, and reading some of the reviews here, now I know. In fact, when the Breville eventually dies, I now know that I will need to scrutinize reviews carefully to find alarm-less silent kettles. One last word: I got the Amazon factory refurb and saved the $15. The kettle itself was still in the wrapper, but the box - which I immediately threw away - had some minor tears and scuffs. For a box going straight in the trash, I'll take $15.