nope, not tinfoil hat related

I have an aging countertop microwave and am looking to replace it

Wondering if anyone has any experience with Toshiba as a brand of microwaves - they previously made very good gear and wondering if its still the same

thanks

I bought a Toshiba when I moved up here about six years ago when I decided I should replace my thirty year old Kenmore. Works fine, except I find that lower power isn’t that low. It seems to be hot, hot hot and extra hot.

My over the oven just died, 30” x 15”. Don’t mean to hijack your thread, not even sure how to remove it.

I’ll google it.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sourdough44,

I don’t know if it’s still true, but in the past Panasonic exclusively had microwaves with “inverter technology“. That provided true intermediate power control, rather than alternating full-on/full-off intervals.

But Panasonic didn’t offer a model small enough for my cabinet space, so I have no actual experience with that brand.

This outfit likes Toshiba microwaves:

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/b...ves,review-6316.html

I can't speak to the Toshiba, but I bought this Breville countertop model a couple years ago and have been very happy with it.

https://www.amazon.com/Brevill...B?ref_=pb_hm_dp&th=1

I have a Sharp. Ten years old and going strong.

Panasonic are the best going.

I have a toshiba, been fine. these are literally throw away appliances. go for a brand you have heard of.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
I don’t know if it’s still true, but in the past Panasonic exclusively had microwaves with “inverter technology“. That provided true intermediate power control, rather than alternating full-on/full-off intervals.

But Panasonic didn’t offer a model small enough for my cabinet space, so I have no actual experience with that brand.

They are great brands and usually were installed on yachts because running off of generator didn't cause them issues like other microwaves. I manage a 2007 yacht that still has the original Panasonic microwave that still works great.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
I have a Sharp. Ten years old and going strong.

I also have a Sharp. Thirty-nine years old, still works. I might have to mention it in my will.

I have a Panasonic countertop, thirty years old, still working fine.

Over the range is Whirlpool, good unit, cost-effective.

PSA, sort of.

I worked at Sears in the Service Department almost 40 years ago, and when countertop microwaves were the rage. Underhood were available, but costlier.

Anyway, we would sometimes get a "dead" microwave brought in. In a lot of the older models, there was an inline fuse on a power lead, that would sometimes fail. Most of the "dead" microwaves were revived by replacing the fuse.

So if you you have an older unit and it quits, remove the outer case and look for a fuse before throwing the unit away.

Hope this helps some of y'all.

I have a Breville in a microwave shelf above the counter that matches my appliance handles well and also has two large knobs for operation instead of a thousand buttons. I HATE BUTTONS. Crank it and go!

Love it:

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
I don’t know if it’s still true, but in the past Panasonic exclusively had microwaves with “inverter technology“. That provided true intermediate power control, rather than alternating full-on/full-off intervals.

But Panasonic didn’t offer a model small enough for my cabinet space, so I have no actual experience with that brand.

I can vouch for Panasonic Microwaves. I have a Model# NN-SD797S 1.6 cu. ft. Microwave that's been in VERY regular (20x times per day?) service for over 11 years.

The Inverter technology/feature really does provide true variable power and as a result, very even cooking/heating. We soften Butter on 30, Defrost on 50, and reheat on 80 with outstanding results! We also warm sauces, cheese dips, etc on 70, or maybe 60 depending on the thickness/consistency. With our previous On/Off power cycling microwave this would result in it boiling around the edges while the center would typically remain cold. Defrosting performance is MUCH better as well. For our uses, Defrosting is generally done for bread, however in the rare case(s) when we need to defrost frozen meat, it doesn't get cooked around the edges as it would with our non-inverter microwave. I can highly recommend the Panasonic!

Another vote for Panasonic We had one for years to replace a Whirlpool that was made in 1987 in about 2000, and had it built in over the oven in 2009. It cratered finally and we replaced it with an almost identical Panasonic (it used the same trim ring which cost more than the microwave) and it has been flawless. It defrosts well, has mostly dial controls (a few buttons) and only one quirk - after a power outage it switches to metric from english and vice versa. Best fix to switch it is flipping the breaker.

quote:

Originally posted by PPinesRon:

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs: I have a Sharp. Ten years old and going strong.

I also have a Sharp. Thirty-nine years old, still works. I might have to mention it in my will.

I have a Sharp as well. My now-six-years-old Sharp Model # SMC2242DS replaced a precursor that lasted over forty years, died in a food fire caused by some inatentive cook so technically, at least, it never failed to do what it was supposed to do. I looked at many brands only to go back to what I was used to. I do not like the control panel as much as I liked on the old one, but the new one has many additional features like auto-defrost, warming, settings for specific often-used foods all of which work better than the ones I came up with on the previous.

I am not at all certain that all countertop microwaves are built in the same factory in Taiwan (or wherever) where they only get branded at the end of the assembly line.

For many years Panasonic exclusively had “inverter technology” for microwave ovens. But apparently the patent has expired, or Panasonic has decided to license it to other manufacturers. Toshiba, at least, also claims “inverter technology”:
https://a.co/d/8Ol2KAV

As I mentioned above, inverter technology enables true variable power control.

Panasonic.

quote:

Originally posted by shovelhead:
Panasonic.

That’s really helpful.