I need a new microwave and some advice

I bought one from John Lewis couple of years ago it went wrong after 2 weeks. They said send it back for repair...er NO ! They changed it for a new one after some determination my me. I since bought a Sharp one which is very good except the interior light is useless when the door is closed and it's in operation you can't see inside at all.

Before I retired I occasionally used a microwave at work and there were a few different models in the staff room. I found some impossible to operate. My microwave is 36 years old. It is simple to operate with 7 power levels and a clearly graduated timer dial and still works fine so I've obviously been lucky. Part of the door frame has a crack which worried me when it first happened but it doesn't seem to have affected its operation. It is 750W so some ready meals need more time than indicated on the packs but I just add a bit to make sure things are fully heated through. I find the machines with touch pads confusing! Hopefully mine will see me out!

Menopauselbitch

You want one with the biggest litre and at least a 1,000 watts. The ones with no turntable are better.

May I ask why? (without causing a hot flush...

Not only do I have very limited space but I am on my own so don't need lots of litres. Also, the higher the wattage, the more difficult it is to give a small amount of heating when required. It would be like trying to light a cigarette with a blowtorch.

I thought turntables were introduced because otherwise the food tended to cook unevenly across its surface.

Jojo1950

Take a look at an AirFryer.
Much better than a microwave.
💐

JoJo, why would I want to fry my Shredded Wheat? I really have no use for an air fryer. The rare times I want to fry something, I have a gas hob and several frying pans

Redrobin51

Ours is a Russell Hobbs and has dials. It is simple to use and can be set in 10 second increments. Like on3 of the other posters points out you have to turn th4 dial one way and the other to get minute timing but you soon get used to that.

RedRobin, 10secs is better than 60 minimum. Can you message me the model number so I can look into it please?

4allweknow

Take time and have a look in home equipment stores, eg John Lewis, B & Q, Currys, supermarkets, anywhere round and about. The choice is massive. I shop in John Lewis for electrical goods, take details of their own labelled items and then look on line and usually find the exact same model under another manufacturers label and much cheaper.

No John Lewis around here, but I did eyeball the ones in Asda. Nothing that looked suitable for my needs. I spent ages in Argos with a young lady helping me go through the electronic catalogue (which didn't seem to like my finger!) That led to to this request for advice.

Sago

I have one like the one in the picture in our holiday let, nobody should have to look at instructions to reheat a pie!
It has simple dials and no ridiculous features it’s just power and time!

Sago, it looks just like my old one, except mine is black! So simple.

My first ever microwave (back in the early 1990s) had a grill/browner. I never used it.

Personally I prefer a turntable, I've had both types. I also prefer push buttons because then I don't have to get my glasses to read the dial.

We had to replace ours last year and I don’t like the replacement. The door glass is so dark that you can’t see what’s happening inside. Hence, we have porridge volcanoes!

I got my last one in Tesco, it's unbranded and very basic, but I've had it for five years so far.

I didn't like my Russell Hobbs
I was pleased when it "went home" and i could throw it out.

The door- it sounded so loud!

Ours is a Russell Hobbs and has dials. It is simple to use and can be set in 10 second increments. Like on3 of the other posters points out you have to turn th4 dial one way and the other to get minute timing but you soon get used to that.

A Siemens built in one was in our new build house, ten years ago. It’s still working fine, but it wouldn’t have been my choice. It is opened by a black pad you press, and as a previous poster said, this needs a fair bit of pressure, which is sometimes difficult for me these days. The settings are also chosen by pressing black pads. The whole front is black apart from a glass window on the door. The slightest touch shows fingerprints. There’s a knob for setting the time, which is a bit on the
‘ slack ‘ side, and doesn’t always ‘ catch ‘ every second as you reverse turn it to lessen the time. If it wasn’t fitted, I think I might have changed it by now.

You want one with the biggest litre and at least a 1,000 watts. The ones with no turntable are better.

Take a look at an AirFryer.
Much better than a microwave.
💐

Take time and have a look in home equipment stores, eg John Lewis, B & Q, Currys, supermarkets, anywhere round and about. The choice is massive. I shop in John Lewis for electrical goods, take details of their own labelled items and then look on line and usually find the exact same model under another manufacturers label and much cheaper.

I would recommend a flatbed microwave that’s also a combi oven and defo with a stainless steel interior. Of course it will take you time to get used to a more modern microwave but if you stick at it it’ll be worth it in the end.

After reading this I realised how awkward my microwave is.
I bought it from lidls about 3 months ago , it was cheap 70 watt with a turntable.
The wattage is a problem to me as I use the microwave daily and m.and s meals are our go to for lunch.
And I have to work out the timing plus having a dial I can't heat up milt for my husbands breakfast as he likes it like warm.
The dial is in minutes and I really need 15 seconds approx.
So after reading through the posts I have made life easier and purchased a Sharp microwave flatbed with digital controls. The price was really good and its black to suit my kitchen which is a bonus.

We have a combi and it is great - a Samsung. I would never return to one with a turntable
You can also get one with an airfryer combined.

I got one for my mother and it had lovely stainless steel interior and a light that came on when the door was opened not just when it was working. Cant remember the make!

My microwave gave up the ghost so I looked online for a cheap easy to use one similar to my old one. The cheapest one I could find at the time was on sale called a Coso. It doesn't use a turntable so makes for more usable space inside without making it super big. It said it's a microwave, grill and convection oven and I thought well I'm pretty technical minded with computers etc so I should be fine. Well the instruction manual that comes with it is lke a volume of the encyclopeadia Brittanica, the light on the digital display are really fine so almost impossible to read and so far I've worked out how to use the microwave, but I can't manage any of the rest of it. So the only advice I can give is don't be sucked by an all bells and whistles modern machine regardless of the price, stick to the basics and good luck.

I replace our microwave every 10yrs and buy a new one.
My preference is to buy digital and the inside to comfortably take a dinner plate. Our microwaves have always been Panasonic. They’ve all worked really well - no complaints

I wanted one with dials and not a digital display and found one in Tesco. It’s a make never heard of, Haden, we have had it two years and it works very well and cheap as chips.

I often get my kitchen electrical goods from Asda. Always seasonably priced. I can see them all on show which is the way I prefer to shop. I like to see for myself rather than look at a small picture of something online.
Recently bought an air fryer £40. Delighted with it. Much prefer it to a microwave.

Touch pads are much more reliable these days, and the settings are infinite and precise. As someone else mentioned, go for a flat bed (no turntable) much easier to clean. Stainless steel interiors are also easier to clean, and no paint to peel off. I have a Neff, 8 years old and good as new.