I've had a Panasonic Genius Prestige inverter microwave for over 13 years now. I like it, but it does have its quirks.
I also have a Kenmore Elite microwave of about the same size and power (1300 watts)
The comparison: The Kenmore can cook more evenly on full power, perhaps by virtue of its rotating side mounter wave diverter. The Panasonic tends to heat things from the bottom more. I use the inverter defrost function on the Panasonic a lot, mostly to warm up leftovers like pizza or rolls. I find it works very well for that. By trial and error I've found that setting it to .1 lb works well for single servings, say a pizza slice. Longer for more liquid holding stuff and larger portions.
Mostly I use the Panasonic over the Kenmore, partly because the Panasonic is in a more convenient location, but also due to the aforementioned defrost mode. I do prefer the Kenmore for popcorn (does this fantastic) and sometimes for heating beverages.
I specifically got the Panasonic with the stainless look front and the tactile buttons. I prefer them to those damn membrane keypads. The Kenmore has a sort of odd rotary control, with which you select various food settings as well as timings (in muliples of 10 seconds). It's a little tricky sometimes because when the control is pushed inwards, the oven starts up. Sometimes when spinning it one can push it accidentally, so a light and deft touch is required. Perhaps it just needs a stronger spring.
Sometimes I use both - the panasonic to heat up leftovers and the Kenmore to reheat a hot beverage. But mostly it's the Panasonic.
As far as the Inverter technology goes, it's my impression that it really has only three or four inverter power levels: full, 2/3, 1/2, and 1/3. The levels in between (from one to ten) are achieved by quietly cycling the power. You can't heat it unless you listen very closely in a very quiet room, but it happens. And the power indicator on the display can be a little deceptive: for example the inverter defrost mode says it's a 1/3 power, but it will cook things much faster than simply selecting the 1/3 power mode for the same amount of time as the defrost. So it must be doing something fancy with power cycling for defrost.
As far as quality goes, I think the Panasonic is well made enough, although the Kenmore is sort of built like a tank and may well last longer. It's a lot heavier, and not only due to the magnetic transformer vs. the inverter power supply on the Panasonic. The sheet metal is thicker, as well.
I also have a Kenmore Elite microwave of about the same size and power (1300 watts)
The comparison: The Kenmore can cook more evenly on full power, perhaps by virtue of its rotating side mounter wave diverter. The Panasonic tends to heat things from the bottom more. I use the inverter defrost function on the Panasonic a lot, mostly to warm up leftovers like pizza or rolls. I find it works very well for that. By trial and error I've found that setting it to .1 lb works well for single servings, say a pizza slice. Longer for more liquid holding stuff and larger portions.
Mostly I use the Panasonic over the Kenmore, partly because the Panasonic is in a more convenient location, but also due to the aforementioned defrost mode. I do prefer the Kenmore for popcorn (does this fantastic) and sometimes for heating beverages.
I specifically got the Panasonic with the stainless look front and the tactile buttons. I prefer them to those damn membrane keypads. The Kenmore has a sort of odd rotary control, with which you select various food settings as well as timings (in muliples of 10 seconds). It's a little tricky sometimes because when the control is pushed inwards, the oven starts up. Sometimes when spinning it one can push it accidentally, so a light and deft touch is required. Perhaps it just needs a stronger spring.
Sometimes I use both - the panasonic to heat up leftovers and the Kenmore to reheat a hot beverage. But mostly it's the Panasonic.
As far as the Inverter technology goes, it's my impression that it really has only three or four inverter power levels: full, 2/3, 1/2, and 1/3. The levels in between (from one to ten) are achieved by quietly cycling the power. You can't heat it unless you listen very closely in a very quiet room, but it happens. And the power indicator on the display can be a little deceptive: for example the inverter defrost mode says it's a 1/3 power, but it will cook things much faster than simply selecting the 1/3 power mode for the same amount of time as the defrost. So it must be doing something fancy with power cycling for defrost.
As far as quality goes, I think the Panasonic is well made enough, although the Kenmore is sort of built like a tank and may well last longer. It's a lot heavier, and not only due to the magnetic transformer vs. the inverter power supply on the Panasonic. The sheet metal is thicker, as well.
