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danemodsandy

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 6, 2006
Messages
8,180
Location
The Bramford, Apt. 7-E
Courtesy - and I mean courtesy - of the ever-thoughtful Ben (swestoyz), I have a new goodie. Ben found it as a List O'Craig freebie, and thought of me.

It's an Amana Radarange RS-60 microwave, from 1985, made when Amana was transitioning from the heavy chrome and stainless of earlier models to more cost-effective materials. I was in the biz at that time, and I well remember how controversial the move was - some people didn't like the change, but it did make Radaranges more competitive. By '85, the marketplace was flooded with microwaves at all price points, so Amana's product was beginning to look overpriced; they really did have to do something.

It is a fantastic find on Ben's part. It has the manual, the warranty certificate, the warranty return card, and the Introduction to Microwave Cooking cookbook. It also has the oven rack. The only thing the giver didn't include was the temp probe, which will turn up (if anyone has a spare, I'm interested). It was very reasonably clean for a 25-year-old appliance, too. I did have to do a detail cleaning to get schmutz out of the cracks and crevices, but it was nothing compared to what I've been through on some other appliances. It looked to me more like an appliance owned by older folks who couldn't see as well as they used to, instead of an abused or neglected one.

I am going to have to put it on top of the fridge, because it's nearly 14 inches tall, and my wall cabinets are only 13 inches above the countertop. I'm going to have to find some kind of adapter to plug it in; it has a right-angle, three-pronged grounded 110V plug, and it's going to have to share the outlet plate where the fridge is plugged in. Since the fridge has the same kind of plug, its cord blocks the outlet where the microwave will have to plug in.

Very nice appliance in very good shape. Even the stirrer cover/light lens cleaned up easily, and I've seen some Amanas where that part was nothing short of nas-tee. It's not the RR-4D Radarange of my dreams (sigh!) but it's a very, very nice mo-sheen. It's 650 watts, very powerful for the time.

Praise Ben from whom all appliance blessings flow! Here's a pic Ben took in as-found condition; I'll post updated pics later.

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Pics After Cleaning and Detailling:

Here's a shot of the Radarange after cleaning. It's sitting on top of one of my Spring projects, a Lane bar cabinet that will eventually house a TV and DVD recorder after its vilely abused finish is totally stripped and redone:

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My great grandmother.

Had an Amana of this design but hers had 2 knobs. The top one set the time, and I have no idea what the bottom one does. The timer's readout is digital. I always liked it and wouldn't mind getting one eventually. Last I saw, it was still in my great grandmother's house being used by my great aunt and uncle who now live there.

Why don't they build them like this anymore? Not much power, but they can PERFORM!
Dave
 
Not Much Power

The Amana did a wonderful job of cooking without incinerating. The slide control for power levels on earlier models made adjusting the intensity easy. I find the 1,100 watt models too hard to control for even reheating and cooking. I long for the old Amana back. It was a rock solid performer for 30 years, changed out for a smaller unit to fit in the cabinet opening.
 
"Why don't they build them like this anymore?"

Possible answers (multiple guess, er, choice):

A. No one is willing to spent more than $30 for a new microwave.

B. Lousy quality means frequent replacement that the microwave oven going.

C. Frequent microwave oven replacment helps the Wal-Mart and Target bottom lines.

D. All of the above.

My personal answer would be "D"
 
Nice oven. In some ways, while it may be heresy here, I think I may like this more than older Radarange models--it doesn't quite dominate as much as all that shiny metal, and the look that is either "industrial" or "mad scientist". All of which can be charming, but it doesn't quite seem right for my kitchen.
 
I Will Say...

...That if it was necessary for Amana to move away from stainless interiors and chrome door frames, etc., they did a helluva job with the new materials they used. The painted interior of this machine shows no wear or chips. The floor of the oven cavity appears to be Pyroceram, instead of the cheap polysulfone plastic used in lesser machines. The unit essentially looks brand-new after its cleaning, which I think is a real tribute to how well Amana maintained its quality standard in the face of necessary change. 1985 feels like it was last week to me, but let's face it - it was twenty-five years ago, and anything not well-made doesn't hold up that long.
 
My aunt had one of the first ones out there, about 1975ish, a BIG unit, small but deep interior, and a screened window you couldn't see thru, she paid a little over $500.00 back then...that unit lasted a long time...

If it doesn't say "AMANA", it's not a RADARANGE!
 
This Is Interesting:

Here's a pic of the current full-size Radarange with Touchmatic. It looks to me like someone appreciates the styling of the older models. The price is crazy low by the standards of the old days - $229 is the MSRP for a painted finish in black or white; $249 gets you stainless. It's easy to see they're not paying anyone in Amana to make these...

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Ooops, My Test Has a Mistake

"B. Lousy quality means frequent replacement that the microwave oven going."

Should read: "B. Lousy quality means frequent replacements which keep the microwave oven industry going."

Given my mistake above, I have to think it's a good thing I don't write something important. Like owner's manuals for nuclear reactors.
 
Me likey!

.
Good thing (for you) you weren't in your Speedos or birthday suit when taking those pics!

Vintage manuals, eh?

What a great find and a great kindness in Ben. What a guy!
 
Funhouse Mirror!

"Good thing (for you) you weren't in your Speedos or birthday suit when taking those pics!"

Let me hasten to say that reflection is distorted!

I have my good points and my bad ones, but I do not look like a walking avocado.
 
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