After 38 years, our Amanda Radar Range has given up on life. It had seemed to not be heating up evenly, still manageable, but this morning it stop in mid stream and wouldn’t restart.

We had resolved to start looking at a new replacement, so now the need becomes more immediate.

What are y’all’S recommendations? We’re in the buy once/cry once camp, so something above run of the mill or even commercial?

The model we have has a rather large cooking space. (I even can use it as a dough proofing box with a large bowl or even a 6 quart container).
That would be a desirable feature for me.

I haven't been impressed with the longevity/durability of any brand or model of microwave I've purchased in the past couple decades, even the so-called higher-end ones.

The days of any microwave (even a "buy once cry once" microwave) lasting 3+ decades appear to be long gone.

Across the brands and models, they seem to have essentially become disposable, much like other kitchen appliances like toasters and other electronics like TVs. Buy one that has the features you like, and understand that you're going to have to toss it and buy another within about 10 years.

Our Sharp Carousel died in 2020 after over 30 years of faithful service, it didn't stop working, just the LED display panel finally lost its last few segments, it had been slowly giving up for a decade or so. Of course, we replaced it with another Carousel, model ZSMC2242DS. This unit is almost identical to our old friend, a few cosmetic differences, and slightly different controls. Seems solid enough based on pretty much every day use for over a year now.

Stay away from GE branded ones. If you do definitely get a extended warranty on it, one time that those are a worthwhile purchase speaking from experience.

I bought a Sharp in June. Hope to have a better experience with it.

Amana still sells Radaranges and builds at least some of them at the Middle Amana plant here in Iowa. My nephew works there and he says the production lines are still in use. Not sure which models they make there but there was always a lot of pride in workmanship when I worked there many years ago. I would look for a Made in the USA sticker on them to be sure. The company is now owned by Whirlpool which also builds KitchenAid.

My Panasonic has been excellent.

Panasonic with Genius sensor is the one I recommend.

While our Frigidaire Gallery has been fine, the rest of the Frigidaire appliances that came with the house have under-impressed or had issues.
So, Frigidaire gets put in the avoid category for me.

Whirlpool & KitchenAid seem to be some of the frequently recommended brands when appliance threads pop up, not sure on the microwave side, though.

Panasonic makes really good, albeit not cheap, microwaves.

The "buy once/cry once" strategy might not be the best idea when it comes to microwave ovens. If nothing else their life is limited by the magnetron (which generates the microwaves), and like any vacuum tube has a limited lifespan.

That alone would explain why these appliances tend to be built with mediocre, disposable quality since they have to replaced every 7 or 8 years anyway.

Our microwave is 10+ years old, and I have to factor in significant extra time for thorough cooking.

If you have a Sams or Costco membership check with them, if you buy it at Costco, putting it on the Costco visa doubles the warranty.

https://www.costco.com/microwaves.html?&reloaded=true

quote:

If you have a Sams or Costco membership check with them, if you buy it at Costco, putting it on the Costco visa doubles the warranty.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
Warranties on these things suck. When my Panasonic quit I had to mail it 300 miles away. It took a call to the VP at Panasonic to reimburse the 75 dollar shipping charge. They did not charge for the new dent. I could have thrown it away and come out ahead as it took up a bunch of my time.

We bought LG appliances for our kitchen. Worse mistake we ever made. They are junk and ours weren't cheap.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

If you have a Sams or Costco membership check with them, if you buy it at Costco, putting it on the Costco visa doubles the warranty.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
Warranties on these things suck. When my Panasonic quit I had to mail it 300 miles away. It took a call to the VP at Panasonic to reimburse the 75 dollar shipping charge. They did not charge for the new dent. I could have thrown it away and come out ahead as it took up a bunch of my time.

Always buy them with AMEX or if at Costco with Costco Card, you get better service on the warranty...

My house was built in 2003. The OEM Maytag microwave went Tango-Uniform in 2019. I bought a replacement Maytag from Lowes and am completely satisfied with it. Came with a 10-year warranty, so I figure I would have gotten my money's worth if it lasts that long. I believe the model number is MMV4206FW, which I'm sure has been replaced by now with a newer model. Hope that helps!!

I like the Inverter feature of my Panasonic.

AFAIK, Panasonic is the only brand that has this.

When I remodeled my kitchen 30+ years ago, I purchased a Tappan microwave. It is still going strong. I don't know if Tappan is still in business.

quote:

Originally posted by rackrack:
I like the Inverter feature of my Panasonic.

AFAIK, Panasonic is the only brand that has this.

Me too. The “inverter” technology provides true continuous variable power. Unfortunately for me, Panasonic doesn’t offer a model that will fit in the built-in microwave cabinet of my kitchen. At least the last time I looked.

Update: we had an opportunity to look locally this afternoon and found a Whirlpool model that my we both liked. Good power rating and a deep/larger oven. We’ll have to get used to a turntable.

My wife looked at alternatives and other pricing, we might have been able to save $30.00, against the convenience of having a replacement in hand.
The dealer said he has stock on order for months and has a very minimal inventory in other appliances.

Our Panasonic is going on 20 plus years.