Microwave oven just died last night and I am wondering what OzBargainers suggest for a replacement. I'm after a mid size to large model, but more importantly has to be reliable. I'm in Sydney so anyone advising current deals would be appreciated.
Thoughts?
Not all Micorwaves are created equal. If you barely use it or just for the ocasional re-heat etc then yeah get the cheapest from Kmart. However if you use it fairly regularly, I find Panasonic Inverters to be very good. They're almost always on special somewhere.
Cheap Brands have a tendency to take longer (even at same Watt rating), uneven heat distribution so half your food is cold while the other half is boiling hot, may be leakage (I have no evidence of that but it's possible).
I'm a tightarse like the any OZB on here but there are things I don't skimp on. Vacuum Cleaner being one of them, Microwave the other and pots/pans. Keep in mind you can pick up a panasonic for around $250.
I used to recommend Panasonic, but no longer.
We had a Sharp convection for 15 years. It broke 4 years ago and we bought a $1000 Panasonic that died tonight. I looked up the error code online and it's probably the magnetron. The Sharp was brilliant. The Panasonic has been a disappointment in several ways from day one.
First, poor build quality. We had to return it/them three times before we'd even used it/them. Unit one the case wasn't screwed on correctly and the door release button was falling off. The second one the door button also fell off when pressed. The third one had a huge dent like someone had kicked it in the side with steel capped boots. The fourth one, its door button also fell off, but after all four having the same problem, obviously it was a design fault - so I gave up at replacement #4.
We rented and the landlord refused to spray for cockroaches. They never could enter the Sharp microwave. We used to keep food like bread inside it to keep them out of it. But they were always inside the Panasonic.
Third, the Panasonic buttons and dials are very easily scratched.
The Sharp had a glass turntable. The Panasonic is ceramic. It's impossible to keep clean and very ugly with all the food residue.
The stainless racks in the Panasonic have these little rubber/silicon feet. It doesn't take long for the rack wire feet to push their way through the soft feet. I was quoted some absolutely ridiculous price for new ones. We found some DECENT racks in an op shop with ceramic feet instead.
Obviously you can't judge a brand today, because the microwave you bought lasted 15 years. But I certainly won't be buying Panasonic again. Only four years from a $1000 microwave is just ridiculous. Next one will be back to a Sharp again.
We have a 2 year old Panasonic for which we paid around a third of the price you're saying you spent on yours, and our experience couldn't be any more different to what you describe.
Thinking we didn't really use it much, and could live without a microwave, when someone else needed a microwave more than we thought we did, we gave it away. We realised before long that it was a mistake, and when a Panasonic Inverter turned up in an op shop in well-cared for condition I picked it up for around $15. When it eventually died, we'd been so impressed with its performance (after having had a few others) that it was the only one we were prepared to consider.
The new one has performed as expected and never skipped a beat. The GLASS turntable does what a turntable is supposed to do and is easy to clean. It has NO buttons and dials that can be scratched, and there's no way for vermin to get inside of it. As for metal racks??? I'm guessing you're actually talking about a convection microwave? Probably a bit beyond what the OP is asking about.
At a third of the price, it's probably not a convection. And we've only had ours 4 years. So we'll see - once it gets closer to 4. :-p
I realised convection is probably not what they were after. But since both the Sharp and Panasonic were convection, it kind of cancelled out. So I thought I'd share the experience anyway.
Anyway, it caused you to also give your experience. :-)
I have always promoted Panasonic. But the number of units I had to return - particularly the one with its cover not fitted correctly (dangerous for radiation leakage)… well, I just wish now I'd repaired our Sharp instead of blowing $1000 four years ago. The only reason I didn't was the Sharp cost about $350 - and a new magnetron was a couple of hundred. I could have replaced that myself. But if it had turned out to be more than that, it would have been a waste.
Oh and for the OP… I know someone else mentioned Kmart, but a few years ago they chose to turn themselves into a $2 junk shop (without the $2 price, LOL!).
According to this thread, Kmart has a $45 20L:
http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/102905
Maybe consider someone like Kogan instead, whose business lives or dies by his reputation, rather than relying on ads showing adult women jumping on trampolines like preschoolers:
http://www.kogan.com/au/buy/25l-convection-microwave-oven/
Yeah, I know it's twice the price. :-( But for only a little more you get a convection. A magnetron alone costs more than $99.
I've had products from all brands fail on me.
Therefore we should just cook on a fire instead? ;)
Things just aren't made like they used to be, there is rarely anything you can buy with confidence, and if it does exist, it will probably be replaced in a few years with a model that isn't that good.
Yeah, I'm sick of it. Appliances, tools, clothes, shoes, cars, pushbikes… everything is just a mountain of imported junk heading to landfill now.
realfamilyman: I don't follow your argument. Kmart are so cheap that it is junk, yet not cheap enough? At the price point even if it lasted only 1 year you are miles ahead.
If you want convection obviously that is a different product.
As to the function of the microwave - they all work exactly the same. The only difference is 'inverter' systesm which run at lesser power rather than turning on/off constantly.
Of course if you are buying it as furniture then pick whatever matches your taste and you are happy to pay for.
PS: LG microwaves also have a curved inside to help cleaning, and are not much more expensive than KMart.
realfamilyman - That's the typical outcry these days (they don't make them like they used to) but there's a lot more to it than that.
Firstly, these types of goods are cheaper than they were 20 years ago. Considering what we used to pay for electrical goods back then, add inflation and you should be paying 3-4 times more than what everyone is paying these days. So effectively you're getting better value for money.
Planned Obsolescence is something that's been going on for decades and all manufacturers do it. The interesting new phenomena is 'Psychological Obsolescence' where irrespective of condition and function, people decide to upgrade simply because a 'newer' model is out or to keep up with the crowd, or for whatever psychological reason. Therefore there's really no need for products to last that long because they will simply end up being expensive junk. This was they're mostly cheap junk.
Of course not great for the environment but that's another issue.
I don't follow your argument. Kmart are so cheap that it is junk, yet not cheap enough?
Sorry, you lost me. But yes, there's no doubt Kmart sells junk (their own brands anyway). I posted in another thread about their back-to-school materials. The lead in all the pencils was broken - so as you sharpened it the lead continuously fell out. The compass was made of soft plastic (which you could not tell until after you opened it) - it just bent as you tried to draw circles. The rubbers quickly melted away as you rubbed out writing.
Also my wife bought three different pairs of shoes. They all came unglued within a couple of days. (One or two pairs within minutes on her feet!) Their 100% cotton men's shirts feel like tent nylon and are very thin. And the list goes on.
But Kmart not cheap enough? Hardly. Oh - I get it now… You thought when I said "without the $2 price" I was complaining they charge too much. That's kind of right I guess, but what I meant was they should go the other way - provide better products and take their prices up - not keep attempting to be a $2 shop selling rubbish so they can lower prices further.
I actually looked at the Kmart microwave yesterday, in case it was worth buying, while I order parts to repair our convection. I realised 20L is very small (for us). It probably wouldn't even fit the Pyrex glass containers we freeze food in, to defrost them. I'll probably just ask for one on Freecycle, then re-offer it later once our own is fixed.
Thanks everyone, seem like there is no consensus for a "go to" brand or model.
I previously had a Sharp Carousel and I am a bit indifferent to it however I just realised that I've had it for about ten years so it's probably given me good service. Only trouble is that it has had bits fail on the way, such as the light going on and off intermittently and the display becoming scrambled through missing columns and rows. Turned me off a bit.
I had a quick look at Choice magazine and their "test" had three brands domination the top ten - Panasonic, Sharp and LG. I've had no experience with LG microwaves, has anyone used them? The Koreans are arguably dominating mobiles and TVs are they taking the microwave oven mantle as well :-)
The light going on and off is probably from the bulb not being screwed in tight enough at the factory and vibrating loose.
The display loosing segments is common. It's usually from what is called "dry joints" in the solder connections on the rear of the display module. A quick reheat on each pin with a soldering iron fixes that, if you know someone with a soldering iron.
I've had no experience with LG either. Except that years ago it used to be "Goldstar". I'm not sure why they changed the name, but Goldstar had a terrible reputation. Perhaps that was one reason for the name change. Because they are generally better now.
I would still lean towards Sharp. (I really wish I hadn't tossed our Sharp convection.)
Sorry - came back to mention - if someone tries fixing a microwave, be aware they can KILL you even when turned off - and weeks (perhaps months) later. There is a very large capacitor that stores energy that should be discharged first.
You're going to get good and bad in any brand. Even the most reliable brands will occasionally produce an item which is below their usual standard, for one reason or another. Get it replaced and have several years of trouble-free service.
I'd highly recommend you find models you're interested in, then check for online reviews. Choice articles only really concentrate on one aspect, not the whole appliance, and only test a small group.
We've had 2 sharp microwaves, and both packed up within a couple of years. Others are obviously happy with them.
Friends who have had LG products have found that when they pack up only a few years (3 or 4) after purchase, that the company is no longer producing the components for them.
To be honest I would pick up the basic model from kmart. I think they are $45 for 20L and $80 for 30L. Hard to say if a more expensive unit will last longer and it will work just as well.