Panasonic Microwave Oven NN-SN686S Stainless Steel Countertop/Built-In with Inverter Technology and Genius Sensor, 1.2 Cubic Foot, 1200W

The best part about this brand of microwave is that it works - no hassle. My first Panasonic Inverter lasted 15 years. Replaced it b/c I wanted a smaller one. Gave it away to a coworker who says it’s still working 5 years later. Still looks new. So, instead doing the smart thing + buying another one, I bought a Toshiba based on the over 15k reviews. First one came dented. Sent back. Reordered and hated it. Cheaply made, door was noisy to open + close and within a year had to throw it in a dumpster. The back blistered and the inside was stained (could never get any food stain to go away). Idk if I just got a bad one or not, but this Panasonic is hands down a superior machine.Pros: minimalist look, no handle, easy to use, reheat option - did I mention it works??? My fridge + stove are black stainless, but my dishwasher is reg stainless, and the microwave sits right above it on the counter.I was thinking about replacing the dishwasher to match the rest, but the microwave kind of pulls it together, + the look is aesthetically pleasing now, so saved some $ there.Cons: in dim light, the operating panel is harder to see, and I still haven’t figured out how to permanently disable the child lock, but tbf, I haven’t spent any time reading the manual other than having to press 0 to open the door. I think that a child safety lock should be something you have to purposefully activate, not come already enabled.So, if you want a reliable, attractive, microwave that has an inverter and multiple cooking options, I cannot recommend Panasonic enough. The LG models are more expensive and aren’t nearly as attractive. I was tempted to buy the small Breville, but reviews were mixed. Btw…if it matters, Panasonic is one of the few microwave brands that isn’t made in China. That was a nice bonus for me.I’ve had this model a month with no issues. Some ppl didn’t like the dark gray interior, but I do. It’s different and makes it look more expensive than it is. Honestly, if I became a millionaire overnight, I’d still buy Panasonic microwaves. They’ve never let me down.

I have no complaints about this microwave whatsoever. It's been a joy to use & the settings I use most aren't complicated.1200W of power and changing the power level (which I do frequently) is super easy. It's a beautiful microwave. It's as large inside as my old one but has a smaller footprint.Speaking of prints: If you hate fingerprints on stuff, you'll be dismayed that the brushed stainless part at the bottom does show fingerprints. However, it doesn't bother me -- I'm more concerned with getting good use out of it and I absolutely do.If you don't know what difference an INVERTER makes, I can tell you what I know. In other microwaves, if you turn the power level down to say 50%, that just means it'll cycle *full power* 50% of the time which can make your food cook unevenly. With the inverter, when you set power to 50%, it runs at 50% power the whole time -- which means your food cooks more evenly.I'm very happy I purchased this microwave. I've been using it to make full meals since the super-hot heat came on this summer & it has changed the way I cook some things.EXTRA NOTE: The unit came with some advertising for Anyday cookware to get the most out of the microwave oven. Well, I bought that cookware since the heat of summer was already upon us & it's amazing cookware. It's how I cook fish now!

I was looking for an inverter style microwave that was powerful, feature rich, and did it's job. This hit on all of those points and except for one flaw would be a perfect 10/10.Pros:- Microwaves food well. I know this should be obvious but with some of the reviews I'd read I thought I should make this clear. It does its job well with no uneven heating.- Sense reheat works awesome. Coming from a microwave that didn't have this feature, this makes warming up food easy. No more guess work or babysitting the food while it reheats. Put it in, press Sense Reheat, start it and walk away. You'll come back to fully warmed up food. It errors on the side of too warm than too cold so you don't have to worry about those odd cold bites. Just be sure not to cover it.- Cleans super easy. Whatever material or coating they are using is perfect for wiping out any mess. Compared to my old microwave this is world's better. You won't realize how awesome this is until you try wiping dry spaghetti sauce from the top of a microwave. I could never go back one without this coating.- Ability to turn off sound. As someone who has a toddler who naps/sleeps in the room next to the kitchen this is a huge feature for me. No more loud beeps whenever you're pressing buttons and no more alarm going off whenever it's done.- Build quality feels solid and I have no worries about its longevity. This wasn't the cheapest microwave but it feels like it hit the sweet spot between features and quality. You could spend a lot more on a microwave that wouldn't work any better.So with all these positives what is the flaw that single handedly takes an entire star off the rating?The most annoying flaw:After heating something up and checking it, if you need to add additional time you can't just press the number keys. Your options are, use the 30 second button to add time in 30 second blocks, press the add time button then hit the number keys, press clear then hit the number keys, or wait 1 minute for it to lose its memory and then press the number keys.Now let me be clear, I understand why they have the additional time button. It's so you can add time without having to go through re-entering all those additional settings again. But the amount of times I actually use the advanced heating options vs just throwing food in there and hitting it full blast aren't even close. I've had this microwave for 2 months and I haven't once set the power level or used it to make dough or bake a cake or any ofhat other stuff.But you know what I do basically every single day? Throw my kids food in there and then have to keep checking it to make sure it's not too hot then adding more time. And every single time I run it for 10 seconds then have to check it, when I need to add more time guess what? I can't just press the number keys and hit go. I've got to hit additional time then 10 seconds.Doesn't sound like a big deal right? It only adds an extra second of time. Sure, you're right, except I've got 20+ years of microwave muscle memory built in telling me once you open the door to check the food you can go right back to pressing the number keys and hitting go. So every time I use it I naturally close the door and then go right to pressing numbers only to remember, "oh that's right they've added an additional extra unnecessary step before allowing me to add additional time".I don't care about giving us an extra minute of time after heating up food to decide if we want those same settings and to add additional time. I want to check my food, press numbers, and hit start.I'm sure some engineer got paid a lot of money to add more features to a microwave that wasn't needed simply to check off something on a checklist somewhere but they sacrificed flow of use for it.Yes it's a minor thing. Yes it doesn't take away from the overall product. Yes it still pisses me off every time I need to add an extra 10 seconds to something. Yes I'm removing an entire star because of this.