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Microwave Reviews

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Microwaves Ease of Use.

For the most part, the best microwaves in the budget segment score highly for ease of use. Microwave reviews often comment approvingly on the variety of pre-programmed settings (choose one and forget about it until the beep goes off), the intuitive control panels, and the quick swipe clean-up. The Panasonic NN-H765 is also praised for a turntable capable of holding two dinners (although a few report it slips out of alignment) and a spacious interior that can accommodate (just barely, according to a microwave review) an ham weighing more than 11 pounds. One minor gripe concerns the absence of a quick 30-second button. The Oster OGG61403 earns loud applause for the handle on the door rather than the usual push-button. One microwave review says you must pull the handle hard and fast and another says the unit walks a bit when opening the door. Still, there's no chance that a broken button can keep dinner trapped inside, a predicament that befell one reviewer who owned a different model before purchasing the Oster OGG61403.

Consumers seem happiest with their budget microwaves when the function buttons are self-explanatory. Users say the Oster OGG61403 boasts lots of features and buttons, and mercifully, there 's no programming involved. Microwave reviews say the control panel on the GE JES1142S is user-friendly, with plenty of function-specific settings -- so many perhaps, that some users commenting about this top microwave on Abt say the range of options is more than they need. The auto-cook buttons on the Kenmore 6633 appeal to several reviewers who say food is done to perfection with no assistance from the chef and the controls are easy to figure out, which makes the manual superfluous.

The shortcut keys (e.g., auto defrost and EZ-on) are favorably noted in microwave reviews of the LG LMA1180ST at Best Buy, but users grouse about not being able to add 30 seconds mid-cycle. One consumer carps about the low interior height and another says the unit moves when you hit the button to open the door. The disappointing functionality of the convection-oven on the Haier MWM12001SCG puts off some consumers, according to microwave reviews, as do the requirements for so much open space around the unit that some kitchens are just too small to accommodate it.

Microwaves Noise Level.

Noise is a common but low-grade complaint about discount microwave ovens. Even the top microwaves we researched are targets of at least some grumbling about noisy operation, be it buzzing, popping, or humming. One consumer writes that the Haier MWM12001SCG sounds like an X-ray machine and another considers the noise of the LG LMA1180ST so loud that ear plugs are recommended. The beep emitted at the end of the cook cycle on the Oster OGG 61403 keeps on beeping until the door is opened, and some users' microwave reviews find this particularly irritating. On the other hand, several consumers like the beep in the midst of the defrost cycle on the Kenmore 6633, which is a signal to change-up the food by stirring, rotating, or breaking apart.

Microwaves Durability.

After reading through scores of microwave reviews, we noted that glowing comments about even the top budget microwaves are often tempered by a few reports of life spans shortened for one reason or another. Such failures are particularly irksome to consumers who report having gotten a decade or more of service from a unit bought years ago. Indeed, it seems that a long and productive life is one of the sacrifices you make when buying a budget microwave. The top cheap microwaves occasionally get dinged for problems such as error codes on the display, a heating function that suddenly cuts out, turntables that stop rotating, and electrical circuits (in the house) that trip.

Most of the negative reports we came across, however, concern the Haier MWM12001SCG and the LG LMA1180ST. The bulk of the grievances for the latter refer to limited durability (i.e., well under two years). The Haier MWM12001SCG is criticized for a faulty door mechanism and a convection oven that doesn't get hot enough.

All the discount microwave ovens that we researched come with a one-year warranty.

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Magic Chef MCD990R
Amana AMC5143A
Haier Microwave MWM12001SCG
LG Microwave LMA1180ST
Kenmore TrueCookPlus 6633
GE JES1142SJ Microwave
Panasonic NN-H765 Microwave
Oster OGG61403 Microwave

 

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