<p>Our microwave broke. Again. I’ve searched consumer reports and it’s highly rated, but I’m getting tired of buying them every few years. It’s a Panasonic Prestige 2.2 cuft invertor. They have it at Sam’s club for $159 which seems pretty reasonable to me. I really hate getting the warranty but might since they break so often.</p>
<p>Anybody have good advice on which microwave I should buy that’s going to last me more than a couple of years. It gets heavy use and I need a big one.</p>
<p>I didn’t know microwaves ever broke. I had two in my life, both GE, the first one I got was still working when we moved after 10 years. The second is still working after 17 years.</p>
<p>I second GE. We had one in our old house that was going strong at 18 when we moved.</p>
<p>The one I’m using is a Sharp that belonged to my grandmother. It’s at least 20 years old. My SIL just had to replace hers after 20 years-it was a Magic Chef. I don’t about SIL, but mine is used heavily.</p>
<p>I second sseamom - in my experience, Sharp MWs are indestructible. We gave away our old one because it was too big for the space in the new place, and a new, smaller Sharp was bought to replace it. That was 16 years ago. Now I can’t wait for this ugly, yellow, screechy Sharp to croak, but it keeps microwaving and microwaving… :)</p>
<p>[Microwave</a> buying guide - CNET Reviews](<a href=“How to buy a microwave - CNET”>How to buy a microwave - CNET)</p>
<p>I would give two pieces of advice:</p>
<p>First, consider that the problem may be in your household wiring. It is rare to see any single type of household appliance fail that frequently, but if there something influencing the power to that device then it may fail no matter what you have.</p>
<p>Second, do not buy electronics from Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club and expect durability. I have no direct experience with their appliances but I know that their demands with regards to home electronics have substantial impacts on lifespan. GE and Sharp are both good brands, but the compromises demanded by Wal-Mart make any brand questionable when bought from those stores.</p>
<p>I tried to buy a GE. I really did. But couldn’t find one that was bigger than 1.2 cuft. The panasonic one is 2.2 cuft and 1250 watts. For $159. I figured out that my last one lasted five years which doesn’t seem like a lot but for the price it is pretty cheap. The GE is 1.0 cut and 800 watts for $282. Sorry. Just couldn’t do it.</p>
<p>Now my question is this: the instructions say don’t place it near a stove. Please define “near” for me. The perfect spot for it in my kitchen is in the corner near the stove. So…how “near” is near?</p>
<p>We had a Panasonic Inverter microwave that lasted about 2 years. In reading reliability reviews after it failed, I don’t think Panasonic has the continuous power feature down for reliability. It varies the power output as needed rather than just cycling on and off like other microwaves. We replaced it with a Sharp. It’s only been about 2 years for the Sharp so far, so can’t say it will last longer but expect it will.</p>
<p>We’ve been in this house 20 years, and about 6 years ago we installed our THIRD over-the-stove microwave/hood. I’m hoping this GE lasts longer because we’ve recently invested in minor parts (handle, turntable). They seem short-lived, but we do A LOT of microwaving.</p>
<p>OP, read this earlier thread on microwaves:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1361887-need-new-microwave.html?highlight=panasonic[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1361887-need-new-microwave.html?highlight=panasonic</a></p>
<p>I bought Panasonics from Sams Club <em>twice</em> mainly because of the inverter technology, and they both failed - one after some time, and the second very soon. I was saved by the extended warranty.</p>
<p>My parents bought a MW around 1975. I finally threw it away around 1995 because I was afraid it might leak MW’s. The replacement one I bought still works. Maybe I should worry about it leaking MW’s after all these years. I bought another MW into work about 10 years ago. It is still going strong, and that is with everyone using it every day.</p>
<p>I’m surprised you have had so many problems.</p>