New Whirlpool made Slim line microwaves

[bradfordwhite]

Have not seen these over-the-range microwaves before.

Was at Menards today and they had this and two other alternative branded cousins all in a row. Kitchenaid, Whirlpool and Criterion.

I'm not sure the point of it but ...

All the hassles and expense of installing a full size o-t-r microwave without all the usability of said.

I mean if you want a small microwave you can get them at Target for like $50 and they take up even less space.

https://www.whirlpool.com/kitchen/cooking/microwaves/over-the-range/p.1.1-cu.-ft.-low-profile-microwave-hood-combination.wml55011hs.html?cmp=whp%3Awp_mda%7C01%7C00412%7Czz%7Csh%7Ct02%7Cp10%7Czz%7Cv02_whp_ppc%3Aga%3Aps%3Atxt%3Atxt%3Acpc%3Ashop_smartshop_te

 

[mattl]

These have been around for years.  Good solution for those with range hoods and no space for a conventional OTR microwave.

 

[countryguy]

I installed the KitchenAid slim line microwave last Nov. and I love it. I previously had a full size GE OTR with exhaust fan. I had the GE for 20 years. It worked great but the 2 things I did not like about it were the noise from the exhaust fan and the height of the microwave. It came down so low that it was difficult to see what was in pots that were on the rear of the stove. In the attached pic it would have come down to the bottom of the cabinet next to it. This new slim line microwave is the perfect solution. The inside capacity of the microwave is only slightly smaller than my GE and I don't miss the larger size at all. All the dishes that I use in a microwave fit just fine including my rice cooker. The exhaust fan is much quieter and more powerful than the one on the GE which is also what I wanted. My kitchen does not have a lot of counter space so purchasing another smaller microwave makes no sense whatsoever. You may not understand the purpose of these microwaves but to me, it makes perfect sense!

Gary

 

[foraloysius]

That looks great Gary. And such a plus it’s not so noisy as the old one.

 

[ozzie908]

So wanted one

When I had a new kitchen but for some reason completely unavailable over here!! Would have saved a lot of space.

 

[kb0nes]

I considered one of these for my kitchen to try to gain back some of the vertical room over my range cooktop. I've had a full size microwave over the range for years and with a low cabinet there is little clearance over a large stockpot. The vent hood in the KitchenAid microwave makes way too much noise for the little air it exhausts too ruining that function also.

Ultimately I ended up buying a good quality vent hood and I'm going to get a freestanding microwave to place elsewhere. While it seems like a great place to stick the microwave, I'd never consider another over the range unit again.

 

[countryguy]

Thank you Louis. The only negative I have found with the microwave is that the end of cycle signal can barely be heard even when there is nothing running, or on the stove, etc.

 

[lovestowash]

4 years now...

I have had the Whirlpool version, due to minimal clearance like Gary above...previous owners had a full size, which hung way to close to the range...only issue I have had has been the lights, which seem to only last about 6 months, and aren't the easiest to replace...so I bought a light strip, and attached to the back of the unit, much better...interior height is 7", sufficient for a covered French White casserole.

George