"Large inside, cooks well, some very nice features..." 2010-01-31
By Mark V. (Harrisburg, PA USA)
We needed a replacement for our old Sharp microwave, which died after about 8 years of fairly heavy use. I looked for a Sharp, but they're hard to find in stores around here, so I began looking at other brands. I was impressed by the reviews of this Panasonic model on Amazon and other sites, and Amazon's price was right, not to mention free shipping!



The first oven we received was damaged in transit--the box was partly opened and the front of the oven was scratched. Gotta hand it to Amazon, one short trip to the site, and I had a return label and another oven on the way! All I had to do was drop the return off at our local UPS store which was right on the way home. In 2 days we had another oven. Waaaaay better than standing in return line at Walmart!!!



I really like the oven. It does seem a bit louder when cooking than our Sharp, but not so much that it's a problem. (Our kitchen isn't exactly the Fortress of Solitude around mealtimes anyway.)



I would prefer a few more one-touch selections, like beverage reheat. There are one-touch buttons for popcorn, sensor reheat, and sensor defrost. You get additional selections by pushing these buttons more than once. For example, the popcorn button cycles through 3.75, 3.0, and 1.75 ounce bag selections. You do have to press start for these, so I guess they're not truly "one-touch."



The sensor reheat also cycles through several food types which are displayed above the keypad. However, some of these descriptions "scroll" from right to left through the digital display, which can take an extra second or two to read.



We mostly end up just keying in a time, a cook level, and pressing Start.



The oven's power is good, and we've shortened our cook times slightly compared to our old 1100-watt oven. The turntable is large and works great--no problem turning a heavy casserole dish while reheating. The oven seems huge inside but is not overly large outside.



The very best feature of this oven is that the reduced power levels--the cooking power actually reduces to the set level, and the microwave element stays on the whole time. Much better than our old oven--when you set a lower level on that, the microwave element would keep running at full power, but just shut off for several seconds periodically, often resulting in hot and overcooked areas. Not a problem with the Panasonic.



So far, so good--we'll see how it holds up!

"Does the job...." 2010-01-11
By Slippers (Central New Jersey)
I have owned this microwave for fourteen months and use it twice daily. It does what it is supposed to do. Cleans up nicely, accommodates even large size bowls/dishes. The only negative I have to report, and it's a biggie, is that after about 12 months, sometimes the door "sticks" when you push the door release button, nothing happens and the door will NOT open. You have to press on the door release button AND pull at the door from the top at the same time in order to force it open. But, of course, it is out of warranty now and to pay shipping/handling to return it for service would cost almost half as much as a whole new unit would cost so I'll just use it as is until it no longer performs and then I'll replace it. I will NOT buy another Panasonic brand which disappoints me as I have had such good experience with this brand of television.

"Do not buy this microwave - you'll be sorry!" 2009-12-29
By Tamara Bonnett-Admi (MD)
Do not buy this microwave oven. I am an educated consumer who did a ton of research before purchasing this microwave. I was replacing a Kenmore microwave that had lasted about 9 years and which I was very pleased with but just stopped working one day. This microwave is TERRIBLE. I don't know if we have a defective one or not, but:

1. It doesn't heat things up fast at all. I almost always have to cook something twice as long as I did in the old microwave to get things to heat up.

2. It doesn't heat evenly.

3. We have owned it only 3 months (purchased 9/27/09) and last week, when cooking some veggies in it, we stopped the microwave in the middle to stir the veggies and noted that the glass tray had cracked in half. Out of nowhere. I spoke to a customer service rep at Panasonic and to a supervisor, and they claim that the tray is not under warranty. It is CLEARLY a problem with how it is manufactured - the glass tray in our other microwave lasted for 9 years (and is still fine...) but since it's an accessory, it's not under warranty. They want me to purchase a new one at $24. I may just purchase an entirely new microwave - NOT FROM PANASONIC - as I am so unhappy with this purchase.



I read the reviews. I normally trust them. But beware with this one. It is a shoddily made product, it doesn't heat well and after less than 3 months, it already requires a repair. You can do much better! Also note that I only gave it one start b/c I had to - you have no option to give it no stars, which is what it is deserves! And finally, note that Amazon was perfect - just not Panasonic. Amazon sent it quickly and packaged well. As always, I am pleased with purchasing from them.

"Good While It Lasted" 2009-12-26
By P. Westbrook (Fairview, TX United States)
My first microwave lasted for 23 years. I bought this Panasonic to replace it and this one only lasted for 3 years and 6 months. Worked well but then just completely died yesterday. Seems like reliability is an issue for many of the manufacturers.

"My first "real" microwave" 2009-12-07
By Melinda Morton (Greensboro, NC)
For the past 30 years I've had a microwave oven that was integral to my Thermador oven. It was slow and my kids said it wasn't a real microwave. So my new Panasonic came into my life when the old one bit the dust. It is great although it has so many options I haven't learned them all. I like the reheat function which handles leftovers without drying them out or overcooking. Wish it took up a bit less counter space but other than that I'm happy.


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