sd wrote:
>
> In article >,
> "Moldy Moldy Man" > wrote:
>
> > We will be using the appliance for mostly
> > reheating, heating water for drinks, occassional popcorn, I aslo use it to
> > steam veggies frequently.
>
> Just about any microwave will handle that. I would think about whether
> you want the microwave to handle more than reheating (there are several
> microwave/convection ovens out there now and even some
> microwave/oven/toaster combos), how much room you want to give to the
> oven (though after a RadarRange almost anything will be smaller!), what
> kind of finish (white, black, stainless steel, etc.), and how many
> buttons you want on it.
>
> I've heard good things about Panasonics and Samsungs. I've had good
> experience with Kenmore (don't know who made that one for them) and a
> recent Sharp (nice performer, but lots of annoying habits).
>
> And I've had my own RadarRange which is now going on 23 years of
> daily/multi-daily use. But I don't think it's possible to buy another
> microwave which will last a quarter-century. That's a shame....

I had a little Hotpoint (with analog controls!) that ran happily for
almost 15 years. It was, however, a bit underpowered (the small ones
were back in 1982), and I jumped at the chance to get a new Panasonic
with nifty features like multiple power levels and programmable buttons
at a going-out-of-business sale around 1996.

While the basic operation of the Panasonic is fine, it has two annoying
defects: the door latch and the interior finish. The latch is plastic
(I guess they all are these days) and never has been well-aligned, so
that punching the button doesn't always open it. (But it always closes
securely.) I have to yank on it from the bottom to get it open.

The interior finish has been the biggest problem, albeit a cosmetic
one. It seems that this design doesn't vent the condensation all that
well, and over the years, the inside has rusted and the enamel finish
has peeled. Looks gross, is impossible to clean, but it still works.

I think my next one will be smaller and have plastic inside.