In the market for a microwave

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deepred

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#302364 17-Nov-2022 22:00

Now that I'm finally about to start my first ever career (as opposed to all the dead-end jobs I've had in the past), I'll be buying a microwave soon, probably in the 25-28L size range.

I had a look at KMart's Anko microwaves, but the reviews over at ProductReview.com.au imply they're uneven at best and cheap & nasty at worst. Has anyone had experiences with the Living & Co microwaves from The Warehouse?

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#2997643 17-Nov-2022 22:37

I would suggest that you wait for a sale and buy a better brand.

I bought this from Noel Leeming for $270 a few weeks back.

https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/p/panasonic-32l-inverter-microwave---white/N164455.html

rscole86

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#2997702 18-Nov-2022 06:20

I would also recommend you save up as little and go for a better brand.
I've had a bottom of the line model before and they just don't compare IMO (we are talking 15+yrs ago).

Go through the productreview website find a few models you like the look of and see if they're available here.

Eva888

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#2997712 18-Nov-2022 07:05

I love my Sharp dual microwave/convection oven. Great for heating up pastries, rolls and I can roast a small chicken in around 35 minutes. Also does grilled cheese. Wait for them to go on sale. I got mine at Briscoes and will replace with similar when it dies because of its dual functionality.

Congratulations on your new career, it must be very exciting for you.

MurrayM

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#2997796 18-Nov-2022 09:16

deepred:

Has anyone had experiences with the Living & Co microwaves from The Warehouse?

Yeah I bought a Living & Co microwave from The Warehouse a couple of years ago. I haven't had any problems with it and it does the job I want it for (mostly cooking my porridge in the morning, hot dogs for lunch and re-heating left-overs. Doesn't have all the bells and whistles that I'm sure more expensive brands have, but for what I use it for it does the job well.

johno1234

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#2997801 18-Nov-2022 09:26

I like the turntable-free Panasonic we have. Just a simpler device without the turntable. I actually use the thaw-by-weight and re-heat by weight options too.

richms

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#2997812 18-Nov-2022 09:54

Do not rate the brevilles any higher than the cheap ones. I got one on sale at briscoes because it was red and its just as uneven as my kmart $80 one that I got for the garage. Panasonic FTW for microwaves.

Richard rich.ms

jonathan18

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#2997822 18-Nov-2022 10:01

I love the way that every microwave thread on GZ brings out members' loyalty to particular brands!

First up, I think it's always worth paying more for an inverter model - it really does make them that much more useful.

As for brands, I've been through both Sharps and Panasonics. The lack of a fast start button (instant 30 seconds) on the Panasonics is enough to rule them out for me, and the Sharps we've owned have never seemed to have lasted that long, which is why I'd not buy them again.

I'd rate the current LG we have as superior to any Sharp or Panasonic we've owned previously.

But all this is moot if the OP's intended budget rules out these kinds of machines.

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trig42

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#2997827 18-Nov-2022 10:16

It depends what you want your microwave to do?

We changed from a Panasonic Inverter (which was fine) to a Kmart Anko when we redid our kitchen as the Anko was the smallest unit we could find (it had to fit in an appliance garage on the bench) and it was like, $70.

Only issue we've had with the Anko is the interior light has blown. No biggie.

Pretty much all we ever do is the instant 30 seconds button for as many 30 second bursts as we need it to. All we use a Microwave for is reheating.

Personally, don't see the point in spending hundreds on a microwave.

alasta

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#2997832 18-Nov-2022 10:34

My LG is over ten years old and still going strong. I think I only paid about $250 for it originally.

jonathan18

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#2997840 18-Nov-2022 10:51

trig42:

Personally, don't see the point in spending hundreds on a microwave.

Sure, it totally depends on what your user case is.

If it's for occasional use and/or really basic stuff like heating a cup of coffee then a cheap one is probably fine.

If you want to use it for things like softening butter or melting chocolate, then paying more for an inverter model is a logical choice.

More expensive ones have sensors or programming for particular purposes - again, for some this is worth paying extra.

And then there's reliability and quality, or at least the perception of these factors.

Interestingly, looking at Consumer's appliance reliability survey, Anko comes second ('good') for reliability and 'average' for satisfaction; Samsung is the only one with 'excellent' reliability (but 'average' satisfaction), and LG is the only one with 'excellent' for satisfaction (and 'average' for reliability).

jonathan18

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#2997842 18-Nov-2022 10:55

The brands of the recommended models of Consumer's microwave tests are:

77% - LG , LG , Samsung

76% - Anko, LG, Samsung, Samsung

75% - LG, Panasonic

timmmay

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#2997925 18-Nov-2022 11:56

Not a fan of Panasonic for anything. The microwave light failed just out of warranty, and you can't turn off the annoying beep like we could with our previous brand.

neb

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#2998181 18-Nov-2022 17:57

deepred:
Has anyone had experiences with the Living & Co microwaves from The Warehouse?

Like many of other pseudo-brands that the Warehouse carries, Living and Co isn't a particular line but just a label stuck onto whatever came out of the container from Shenzhen this week. You could get two Living and Co microwaves a few months apart and find they're completely different products.

Having said that, the $69 Warehouse microwave I got more than ten years ago, mostly because it was the only one around at the time that had dials rather than annoying ZX80 keypads, has outlasted $500-1000 brand-name microwaves that friends and family have got.

mattwnz

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#2998258 18-Nov-2022 23:15

timmmay:
Not a fan of Panasonic for anything. The microwave light failed just out of warranty, and you can't turn off the annoying beep like we could with our previous brand.

This reminds me of the last Panasonic we purchased. It was a stainless 32L one and when we opened the door, no light came on. It only lit when cooking. We thought this was a fault but apparently it was a feature of this model. No other Panasonic or microwave we have had did this. We now have Samsung and the light inside when cooking is so dim that you can’t see it cooking without turning off all the lighting in the room. Both cooked fine though and reliable.

Eva888

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#2998291 19-Nov-2022 08:52

neb:
deepred:
Has anyone had experiences with the Living & Co microwaves from The Warehouse?

Like many of other pseudo-brands that the Warehouse carries, Living and Co isn't a particular line but just a label stuck onto whatever came out of the container from Shenzhen this week. You could get two Living and Co microwaves a few months apart and find they're completely different products.

Having said that, the $69 Warehouse microwave I got more than ten years ago, mostly because it was the only one around at the time that had dials rather than annoying ZX80 keypads, has outlasted $500-1000 brand-name microwaves that friends and family have got.

Dials are so much easier to use. My Sharp Grill combo has one fast spinning dial that would race through the minutes or set programmes. I note their latest model of mine have removed this best feature and sadly replaced it with a keypad which will make me think twice about ever repurchasing.

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