Panasonic NN-H965WF, 2.2cuft 1250 Watt Sensor Microwave Oven, White

Full Overview

Panasonic NN-H965WF Luxury full-size 2.2 cu.ft. 1250 Watt, Easy-to-use Button Control, Multi-Lingual Menu Action Screen, One-Touch Sensor Cooking (19 Categories), One-Touch Sensor Reheat, Inverter Turbo Defrost, Keep Warm , Popcorn Key, Quick Minute, More/Less Control (White)

Technical Details

- 1250-watt full-sized microwave oven with 2-1/5-cubic-foot capacity
- 16-1/2-inch turntable for even heating; 1-touch sensor cooking; keep warm
- Inverter Turbo Defrost; 10 power levels; menu-action screen with function key
- 5 multi-stage cooking options; popcorn key; Quick Minute; delay start; timer
- Please note: upper-left corner of door has a small indentation to allow door to open smoothly

After several years of fantastic service, our GE microwave caught fire. (Upon further research we found we were lucky it had not done so sooner, but it cooked to perfection while it worked.) I read reviews for the Panasonic NN-H965WF 2.2 cu. ft. microwave and decided to purchase it. I was really looking forward to having a large oven. However, I have been very disappointed in its performance. First, it takes much longer to cook foods,or even heat water, for that matter, than any other microwave we have owned. Also, the auto popcorn setting either undercooks or burns the popcorn. The auto sensor cooking does a poor job. In short, I have used cheap microwaves of much less power in offices and other places that out perform this machine. Also, placing the glass plate correctly in position can take a bit of time. By "time" I mean seconds, but much longer than I have ever experienced with other machines and when one is trying to cook in a hurry, having to fuss with the plate is irritating. And speaking of time, the clock and other readings are not very clear. The background with the unlit portions of the digital read-out shows so brightly that there is not much contrast between it and the lit numbers. In short, I wish I had purchased a different microwave and would not recommend this one to a perspective buyer.

I did quite a lot of research before purchasing a new microwave. I knew what I wanted as far as wattage, size, etc. I've had this one for ten months now and I still love it! Very spacious for large dishes, defrosts better than any I've had(doesn't "cook" the food). Haven't had one single problem. Would definitely recommend this item!

Purchased August 20, 2006. Failed within 19 months (March 2008). It makes an electrical arcing sound (similar to a Jacob's Ladder, often seen in cheesy Sci-Fi flicks) and emits a burning smell from an unknown source, and shuts itself off before even 10 seconds pass of cooking on high. No foreign metal has been placed inside, instructions have been followed to the letter, and very little shaking has been done to it.

Putting the sensor reheat/sensor cook (a must) together with the good reviews at the time, I bought it.

Unfortunately it seems not enough work was put into solidifying the electrical system, due to what essentially was a fire in my case, and I suspect exactly the same for reviewer VLG "VLG" (Enid, OK).

Due to my experience, VLG's review (fire), John H. Stoufer's review (died), and Deb's comment on said review (2 in less than 3 years), I would advise AGAINST purchasing this model, as all units seem built to fail within 2 years.

Our twelve-year-old Kenmore finally died. After a lot of research, we finally decided on this brand and model.

Pros:
This is a large oven. Anything that doesn't fit probably should not be cooked in a microwave anyway. It is a powerful oven. Things that took 90 seconds in our old oven only take 60 seconds in this one. Function programming allows you to turn the clock on/off and the beeper on/off (see Cons). Operating noise is very low. Full-power cooking requires only setting cook time and pressing start. The "Sensor Reheat" function works well as long as your food is not covered (and anything with tomato products or beans probably should be covered).

Cons:
Our biggest complaint is the noise it creates when closing the door. This produces a very loud, tinny clang that can be heard all through the house.

Although it is a large oven, it is lightweight and quite often pushing the door release will slide the entire oven backwards.

Changing the power level requires pressing the power level button multiple times - e.g., defrosting at 30% level requires pushing the power level eight times. Our old oven required only two - power level and 3 on the keypad.

Likewise, setting nine minutes on the "Quick Min" function requires pushing the "Quick Min" button nine times and then pressing start. Our old oven required only pushing "Quick Cook" and 9 on the keypad (without having to press start).

The keypad had no tactile feel. If you turn off the beep function, you need to pay close attention to the display to make sure the key you pressed actually activated. Turning off the beep function also turns off the end-of-cycle beep. Since the end-of-cycle beep is not nearly as loud and irritating as our old oven, we chose to leave this function "on."

Conclusion:
Although not perfect, we are satisfied overall after using this unit for two months. Based on a number of other reviews, we did purchase the extended warranty.

After owning the microwave for a scant 4 months, the latch interlock that permits it to close has failed. It won't latch, and therefore won't start. Our warranty is up, and we have a useless piece of junk. It seems underpowered as well, and the different presets seem difficult to use compared to our old microwave that lasted 10 years. Where is the quality?

I have only owned this oven for a few days so it is probably too early to give a definitive review, especially since reviews of other Panasonic microwaves have indicated problems with some of them after a few weeks or months. Nonetheless, I am very pleased with my purchase so far, including the speed with which I received it (within a week of ordering). It is a big oven and does require more counter space but it is attractive-looking and the extra space is in the interior where you can cook almost anything of any size. It is not heavy and I can move it easily if necessary; it has great features--the sensor heating, the various options which let the machine do the thinking or let you do it if you prefer. It defrosts perfectly and cooks evenly; it is easy to use. I have not tried the popcorn option yet but expect it to be excellent. Because it is a big oven, it would probably be best to have it on it's own electric circuit, especially if you are likely to be using other appliances at the same time. I do not have a separate circuit and have had no problems so far, but I generally use it alone or with things like can openers that are not heavy electric drains. Overall, I am very happy with my choice.

We bought this microwave at Bestbuy after doing some research into what's a dependable model. We paid $165 on June 30. Today is Aug 12, and the microwave broke already! We don't abuse our appliances and are basically gentle users. Today I tried to heat up some frozen bread for 10 sec, and it goes on for 1 sec and turns off by itself. The turntable no longer turns. I tried all the other features, and the same thing happens - it turns on for a sec or 2, and then lights out. What a piece of junk! How can they sell an appliance that lasts less than 6 weeks??????????

its a great microwave , i use it every day , its a nice large microwave oven, it fits every thing you put in it . it heats evenly unlike other microwaves, great defrosting feature very fast , its makes the best popcorn, it makes a full bag automaticaly, unlike other microwaves that dont pop all of the corn, all in all its the best out there,

It's VERY nice looking. It's HUGE. (You can fit a turkey in there!) It's, also, occasionally blowing the fuse in our break room. Be careful to use the popcorn button, or turn the heat down to 7. If not, you're going to burn your popcorn.

Purchased in Oct 2005 and it died Dec 2006. Shouldn't have to replace every year.