Panasonic NN-H965BF Luxury Full-Size 2.2-Cubic-Foot 1,250-Watt Microwave Oven, Black
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Panasonic NN-H965BF Luxury Full-Size 2.2-Cubic-Foot 1,250-Watt Microwave Oven, Black
Customer Review: Died after 28 months
Summary: 2 Stars
We owned this microwave for 28 months when it stopped working (it would run for just a few seconds before turning off, while expelling a horrible smell of burned semiconductors). I pulled the cabinet off to investigate the problem (needed a torx security bit to do this) - if you attempt this, don't forget to unplug the microwave first. I very cautiosly plugged the microwave back in (keeping my distance from the exposed electronics while wearing safety glasses), and started it... the inverter (p/n F606Y6G00CP) was smoking and melting part of it's plastic housing. I have opted to scrap the microwave versus trying to replace this $75+ part.
Before buying this microwave I would recommend googling "panasonic inverter problem". As far as I can tell, these Panasonic ovens have a chronic quality problem. The science behind the inverter results in a lighter microwave oven, meaning cheaper to produce and ship. My recommendation is to avoid this oven even though the feature set seems compelling, and reviewers (mostly who just bought the oven) are giving it high ratings.
On the plus size, we loved the large size and the high wattage rating - foods cooked quicker in this microwave than our previous 1000 watt oven. We used the sensor cooking for 3.5 oz popcorn bags, and it worked fairly well, leaving only 20 or so old maids in the bag (however my advice is to follow the directions on the popcorn bag instead of using the sensor cooking - keep track of how many seconds are really needed, then just key that in for future bags). Also, the turbo defrost did a decent job in defrosting hamburger evenly and quickly.
This microwave did disrupt our Wi-Fi (802.11g) network. We frequently stream video wirelessly and the microwave would disrupt the signal, pausing the streaming. The scarey thing is my wife and I could stand together in front of the microwave, blocking the disruption (one of us alone apparently doesn't offer enough resistance to whatever signals the microwave is emitting).
As much as I liked this microwave, I would not buy another Panasonic with inverter technology. I cannot give a product that has known reliability issues more than 2 stars (and am probably generous there). I hope others who have bought this microwave have better luck than we had.
Customer Review: Good cooker, but irritating
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this 6 months ago to replace a ten-year-old GE 1000W microwave. I have it installed in the same cabinet opening as the old GE, but with a different third party grillwork.
Plusses:
The oven cavity is gigantic.
It has lots more functions than I have used and probably more than I will ever use. I bought it for the size and color.
It boils water and cooks/heats thing substantially faster than my old GE. The defrost seems to be more even, but this is not a major change from my old GE.
Minuses:
The timer/done beeper is not loud enough. If I have the stove exhaust fan running on low, I cannot hear the beeper unless I am listening intently for it. If nothing is running in the kitchen, I can hear it at a much lower volume level than the old GE. The beeper does NOT repeat with reminders unless you turn the option on in the functions menu.
This microwave is electronically noisy. It kills my wireless WIFI connection whereas the old GE barely slowed it down. It also causes a noticable garbling of cordless phone calls. Again the GE did not do this. I don't know if the GE was abnormally good or if the Panasonic is abnormally bad, but the transition was downhill.
If I try to do anything complicated, the microwave prompts me through it with scrolling pormpts on a display that is too small for the purpose. The information is there, but it is a slow process. I would have prefered more info on the decal inside the oven so I didn't have to wait while things scroll by 6 letters at a time. The fact -- that there is help -- is good.
The exterior of the oven door is a high-gloss, soft plastic. The softness makes it easy to get small scratches on it. The high-gloss makes it easy to see them.
ENJOY YOUR MEAL
Customer Review: Great So Far!
Summary: 5 Stars
We purchased this nice microwave about a month ago to replace our 20 year old microwave from my college years. It never died, but was small and not very powerful. This Panasonic is certainly not small. It is huge. Be sure to measure where you want it. We'd redone our kitchen and had a microwave cabinet built. We'd considered a built-in, but the cost differential is huge so we settled for the largest unit we could find to fit in the space.
This unit has many pros, and a few cons:
Pros: Huge, if you have the space, you can cook whatever you want. Powerful!! The inverter technology is amazing, you really can defrost a frozen piece of meat without cooking it even a bit. The push buttons are pretty intuitive. The popcorn settings are perfect!
Cons: It interferes with the WiFi when running at full strength. The sensor cooking settings are not good enough to trust.
Of course I have read that this unit is prone to an early demise. Lets hope that is not the case for us. However, if you review all the microwaves you might consider buying, you will see that most are prone to breaking prematurely. Given the low price, high power, and huge size, this is a good buy. If it last 5 years, I will consider worth the price. If it breaks sooner, I will try to update here. And I will be dissapointed too!
Customer Review: Happy with purchase
Summary: 5 Stars
Bought this to replace a 12 YO microwave. Was looking for a "large" simple to use replacement. It need to be simple as my wife is techno challenged :).
We looked the old Microwave and you used the touch pad to enter the time and pressed start. It also has a Minute plus, press it for a minute touch it again for another minute.
This fit the bill. Others I looked at appeared to be more complicated and had functions that we rarely or never use.
Another plus this oven was almost exactly the size of my old one so it fit into the built in space and allowed me to use the old "frame".
It is taking a little bit of time to get use to the timing. THe old microware took about 3 minutes to biol a cip of water., this one less than
2.5 minutes. Have burnt a couple of bags of popcorn, the old took 2.6 minutes this one still burns at 2 minutes.
I saw this at a local store for $20 more plus tax. Shipping was free, which was a big surprise, given the size of this. Also was not charged tax.
So with this unit having the features I wanted, free shipping, about $40 in total saving then purchasing locally, and not having to go to the store, get this fairly large and heavy box home and into my house this was a no brainer for me.
Very happy with purchase.
Customer Review: Poor reliability
Summary: 2 Stars
I own the predecessor to this model, the H964. It's the 2nd Panansonic microwave of this size that we've bought--in just 3 years. The first lasted 1 1/2 years and had to be repaired once. The second died three weeks after the warranty period. After literally 8 calls to Panasonic customer service (asking for the serial number, calling back with it, etc etc.) they agreed to at least cover the cost of a repair estimate (they eventually paid for the entire repair cost).
The problem was that the fuse had died. The authorized repair facilitiy told me that the only microwaves they ever get for repair are Panasonics; he said the problem is that to reduce their weight, they use smaller parts, like the tubes, which can't handle the load for long. He also said that their fuses don't last.
The repair person recommended either Sharp or Sanyo as much longer lasting. I checked the weight of a similar-sized Sharp and saw that it weighed about 6 pounds more than the Panasonic--presumably because some parts are heftier.
When this newly-repaired Panasonic dies again, it will be long out of warranty and then we'll try our luck with a Sharp. Replacing a microwave every 18-20 months is not my idea of money well spent.