Question for the Microwave Guru's-----------

[gyrafoam]

I have a friend whose two year old Dacor OTR Micro. passed away suddenly today. The "LCD" display must be replaced ($300.00) and it ain't gonna happen.

What is the BEST QUALITY OTR Microwave unit currently on the market? I assume there are still only a few such as Sharp, and Sony who build units to be sold under any number of different names. My guess is that Sharp built that Dacor unit. Considering it was hardly used it does not bode too well for Dacor's reputation even if someone else did build it!

So, who is the best and why do you think so?

 

[brisnat81]

Panasonic by a country Mile

Hi Steve,

In Australia, panasonic seems to be one of the few brands that just keeps on keeping on these days.

My mums Panasonic Microwave is approaching 25 years old, and the longevity in the new ones seems to be about as good.

We have 10 5yo panasonics in our work lunchroom. Those things probably clock up 3 hours use per day per microwave, and all of them still are much faster at doing their job than my 3yo LG at home. They're only $350AUD domestic machines but they just dont stop.

I take my lunch in a 600ml Tupperware container, and I can defrost/heat a solid lump of frozen spaghetti or soup in about 4 minutes in these 600watt microwaves. Our 1000Watt LG at home takes almost 15 minutes to defrost/heat the same quantity/type of food.

Every later model Sharp I've seen seems to end up with a faulty LCD display within a couple of years of purchase. It never seems to be terminal, you just lose a line of dots at a time until you can no longer read the display.

Just my opinion.

 

[petek]

Panasonic is a pretty dependeable name to go with I think. For $300 any currency you should be able to find an OTR mw these days the prices on those things have dropped so much.

 

[super32]

Ge

Just my 0.02 cents worth

 

[sudsmaster]

I was a big Panasonic fan until my 1.6 cu ft Genius gave up the ghost in less than a year. It would start to heat but in a few seconds just shut itself off. I figure the magnetron failed. Luckily I got it from Costco and had the receipt so a full refund was no problem. I went back to my older Panasonic (which I'd put out in the patio kitchen), and it's been fine. I think it's about seven years old now. But I still prefered the design of the Panasonic that failed - it had a stainless door, and nice raised tactile buttons, that were easy to see and feel in dim lighting. The older one has one of those membrane keypads that I had to add labels to in order to be able to see which "button" does which.

I also have an older Kenmore microwave. Bigger and heavier than the Panasonics, without the Inverter technology, of course. But in some ways, it's better. For one, it has a rotating metal fan on the side that disperses the microwaves nicely. It's covered by a translucent plastic dome, not that crappy mica stuff. The Kenmore also more accurately determines when things are cooked, using both steam and heat sensing. It can very reliably heat a cup of water to 140, 170 or 200 F. The Panasonics can't do that; it's better just to use timed heating based on experience. I think the Panasonics, like most sensor microwaves, only senses steam. So for covered items it often overheats things.

Costco Business Center has some very nice semi-commercial Amana microwaves these days. One is all stainless, and a high quality stainless too, not that cheap stuff that Hitachi puts out. One drawback, it has a rotary timer, so times less than a minute are kind of a guess. But I think it's $200 or more.

 

[maytagbear]

If I had to get a brand new

(what an unpleasant thought!) microwave, I would get a Whirlpool badged one if I were going OTR.

Consumer Reports in the past few months had a microwave test........

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[Cybrvanr]

Samsung?

Samsung builds microwaves for a variety of different manufacturers. G.E. in particular. Many of their microwaves have a pretty good reputation. I also would not stick my nose up at a professional grade Amana Radar range, although I would pass on the household grade models.

 

[gyrafoam]

My friend will need a SS model to go with the rest of the Dacor stuff. I have suggested she call Dacor and attempt to "brow beat" them into replacing it-----in as much as it is just out of warranty----and barely used at that. NOT something someone would expect from an upscale badged appliance (eyes to ceiling).

I always tell folks to get that extended warranty 'cause nowadays a name means NOTHING!

I have an Amana Micro/Convection oven about 10 years old, knock wood it does just fine---never repaired. But I would not go searching for an Amana replacement if it died.

Interesting, I would never have thought about Panasonic.

Thanks to all for your kind feedback!

 

[gansky1]

Two years old?? I'd be on the phone to Dacor in a minute!

Mark mentioned in the Dacor dishwasher drift on another thread that Dacor was very good to work with so it might not take much browbeating to get a replacement, even if they would just cover the part...

 

[peterh770]

And those Amana Micro/Convection ovens make the most wonderful Macaroni & Cheese!