Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

UPDATE 7/2022: I just noticed this review I wrote was now 5 years old and this model IS still being sold. So I thought I’d note this unit is still going strong. Used several times daily for over 5 years without a single hitch. Other than the need to wipe it down when someone forgets to cover a bowl of spaghetti. But alas, they haven’t seem to have invented the self-cleaning microwave yet so it looks like I’ll be using this one until they do. ORIGINAL REVIEW 6/2017: I waited for nearly a year of use before posting this review. And having briefly re-reviewed a few of the lower ratings/comments, I can say I have not experienced any of the specific complaints reported (i.e. door button sticking, poor door fit, wi-fi interference (although that has a lot of variables), etc.) What I can say is that this microwave is big and powerful. I remember pulling the turntable glass out of the box during unpacking and saying "holy cow, I could nuke a whole cow" on this. At just over 16" in diameter, what you can cook is 2-3 bowls of frozen vegetables at the same time. While the unit is certainly one of the larger non-commercial microwaves I've seen, the large cooking area appears to come more from efficiencies in Panasonic's design. In other words, more cooking area out of the same footprint of a microwave of this size from a few years ago. When I was first evaluating this purchase I wasn't sure if the "Microwave Inverter" technology, now unique to Panasonic due to licensing/patents, was gimmick or not. But now I don't believe it is (despite at least one non-Amazon/independent buying guide that tried to claim otherwise). This unit doesn't "pulse" on and off during the cooking cycle like other microwaves I've used. It's more like the described "steady stream of power" which definitely reduces cooking time and makes trips to the kitchen faster. However, you do have to be aware that similar to switching from a standard toaster oven to a convection toaster oven, cooking times need to be reduced or your food will truly be "nuclear" (ok, overheated). The inverter technology also appears to improve defrost mode in my experience. If you flip the food as instructed, it generally avoids partially cooking the edges of food like other non-inverter units I've used over the years. The only thing (or two) I personally didn't love about this unit was the power function on the controls. I'm used to hitting "power" and then a number. This unit starts at power 10 and you have to hit the power button 1-9 times to reduce it to the level you want. Admittedly, part of my aggravation is having had "power #" a habit long ago formed. But I actually find it less efficient this way. Also, I feel I should comment that the "cheat sheet" for the smart cooking modes is on the inside of the door on the bottom, conveniently printed for those of us that like to keep a magnifying glass velcro'd to the side of our kitchen appliances. I don't know why manufacturers think this is a good placement or print size but this issue is not unique to Panasonic. I guess my disappointment is that after buying a microwave several years newer than my previous, the leap in generation fails to provide any leap in improvement in the capability of the timer/display and keypad controls. Simply allowing you to scroll through the cooking options to appear on the display by hitting each number. (i.e. hitting "Sensor Cook" and then 1 would display "Frozen dinner", then 2 would display "Popcorn", etc.) would be a welcome improvement on the printed microscopic label approach. However, I can't honest say these cons outweigh the pros and I feel this is a very good unit overall. I'm not sure how often the models change over time, so this review may not be relevant for very long. But in general, I wouldn't hesitate to consider the Panasonic brand and their unique "Microwave Inverter" technology again if I had to. (Hopefully at least 9-15 years from now. ;-) ) Happy nuking!