[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

The cooking time is not an issue for me. If the item I'm cooking isn't hot enough by the end of the cooking cycle I originally set the microwave for, I just run the same item another minute or so. Nine times out of ten that does the trick.

BTW, I purchased this particular B&D microwave because of the price point (well under $100) and because it is much smaller and lighter (25 pounds) than the one I had. As it is, I needed some help to discard the old Sharp microwave due to its size and weight (due to a bad fall I had several years ago, I am somewhat unsteady on my feet, so I don't trust myself carrying anything that heavy anymore) and to install the new one (even at 25 pounds, it is still heavy enough to throw me off balance all too easily).

Your Korean-made GE microwave is doing well after 18 years. My Sharp microwave was in terrible shape when I finally got rid of it; the paint was flaking off the cavity, which may explain why the microwave was throwing sparks shortly before I ordered the new one. The old one would probably still be working today had it not been for that problem, although there were other small things going wrong with it by that time as well, such as the end-of-cycle signal having become so weak as to be inaudible; this signal also alerted the user when any button on the keypad was pressed, and of course I could barely hear that signal either.

The sparks I saw when the Sharp microwave was running were an unmistakable sign the machine was very close to the end of its useful life; had I continued to use it in this condition it could well have started a fire, if the microwave did not blow a fuse first. I live in an apartment, so I have to watch these things very carefully, for obvious reasons.



I have no idea, however, how or why the paint started falling off the inside of the cavity. I did not in any way, at any time, abuse the microwave ( e. g. slamming dishes, etc. into it), so this is truly a mystery to me. I am at a loss to explain why this even started in the first place.

It's amazing how inexpensive they can build an item today! I bought a Panasonic microwave oven in 1986. It was $269 back then. It's a 650 watt and it seemed to do every thing I needed. It was used daily until 2003 when I moved into my present home. I still have it in my warehouse.