This won’t be a typical product review, as there may appear to be a couple contradictions and paradoxical statements. So I’ll begin with my product requirements which included being: robust, reliable and maintainable.
I had another microwave begin to fail after a few years of use. The paint was being eroded by the rotating plate bearing inside. Before that a touchpad fried and the door would stick shut when the button was pushed. Time to do an honest self-survey on what I’ve been using this oven for in the last couple years. I have warmed leftovers, cooked frozen dinners, burritos, hot dogs, canned vegetables and popcorn. So keep this in mind if you are one who microwaves Chateaubriand, Swordfish or Scallops as this may not satisfy those requirements.
The best way to eliminate the sticking door would be to eliminate the push button release. This oven has a ‘Grab and Go’ handle which is just like the door on your fridge and range where you grab and pull the door open. Simple and had me question why I thought the push button approach was better or even necessary.
Next is the rotating plate. At fast food restaurants and convenience stores, I noticed their microwaves did not have this feature. The solution was to rotate the microwave antenna via a device called a stirrer. This is encased out of harm’s way in the cabinet and allows for an easier to clean surface with fewer moving parts. I have found that with some items (frozen dinners) I need to do the 90 degree turn, half way through the cook time.
Next was the feature laden touch pad. I have to confess that I have no idea what most of those functions are since my use of the microwave was primarily limited to the functions listed above. There were enough icons, characters, colors and buttons on my microwave oven, to make the bridge of Star Trek’s Enterprise look barren and stark in comparison. Thank goodness I was never tested on the use of any of those functions. So this oven won’t work for you if you actually use defrost, with an 80% power setting for 3 minutes and 42 seconds, then full power for 1 minute and 23 seconds, with a two minute interruption/rest period. Again, I have no idea how to program anything to do that.
So what have we here? A single knob. Look at the picture of this oven, I said look at it. No digital touchpad or motion detectors, just a knob with a red lighted, arc of time which goes up to six minutes. Simple. What about the other oven in your house? Digital? Touchpad? Nope, there’s just a knob which has worked fine for decades without fail. Apparently delicate touchpad devices are allergic to heat which is typically produced near ovens. Let me explain how this one works in painful detail. Turn the knob clockwise until you reach your desired time to the nearest 15 seconds up to three minutes, and nearest 30 seconds after that to the max time of 6 minutes. Oops, did you turn too far? That’s OK, just turn the knob counter-clockwise and the illuminated numbers will decrease to the desired setting. Well that’s it for the control. Simple, just like me.
A word about the warranty. The warranty is only for commercial applications (repeat: Commercial) and I have this oven in my home. As a betting man, I’m thinking this oven will work just fine since my other ovens were well out of warranty before they failed. This is a risk one must assume with this particular product if you are using it in a residential environment.
Why Five Stars with less features and no warranty (Commercial applications have 1 year parts and labor, 2-3 years for the magnetron)? Because it met my initial requirements of being robust, reliable and maintainable (parts support, if needed). It comes in a corrosion defying, gleaming stainless steel cabinet, with a smooth and simple interior, which is easy to clean. The fan runs for about 30 seconds after each use, presumably to cool the magnetron and extend the life of this system. There is an interior light, activated when you open the door. You can interrupt the cook cycle anytime the door is opened, and it will automatically resume when the door is closed. All this, and a price point which seems low for a commercial grade appliance, made this a satisfying purchase for me.
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Honest Review of Amana 1000W Commercial Microwave Oven
Manny Reyes
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Item was shipped damaged
Item was shipped damaged. Never buy from KATOM! If I could give zero stars, I would. They’re a terrible company to work with.
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INDUSTRIAS FRIGUS THERME, SA DE CV
Muy satisfechos con el producto, se utiliza diariamente en el área de Comedor y es muy eficiente.
Reviewed in Mexico on November 14, 2023