Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Here's what folks should know (in my opinion) about this microwave ovens with "inverter" technology. First off, I do have inverter technology experience prior to this particular purchase. My previous microwave oven (a Panasonic) also had inverter technology, It lasted only a few years and was very loud and sometimes made a grinding noise in the turntable mechanism. For me, I will never buy another microwave oven that doesn't have inverter technology, at least until there is newer and better technology. As for a "better mouse trap" when it comes to microwave ovens, it took quite a number of years before this improvement came to market. If you already understand how microwave ovens regulate their power, you can stop reading here and just know that I like this particular model and I do recommend it. As for the rest of consumers, read on... Microwave ovens cycle their "magnetron" (it's heating element) on and off (firing) based on the "power level" you select. If you put a glass of water in the microwave oven without an inverter and select 1 minute on high power level (10), you'll see the light inside the oven come on and you'll hear the fan start up (although you're actually hearing a combination of the fan and the magnetron. If you watch and you listen closely, there are 3 things happening all at once. You'll see the light inside the oven illuminate and you'll hear the steady sound of the fan running and the magnetron on as the cycle begins, and these 3 things remain constant until the cook cycle ends. If you then select 1 minute on medium power (5), something different will be seen and heard. You'll see and hear the same thing in the beginning, but then you'll hear the magnetron shut off for a few seconds and then back on a couple of times over the 1 minute of cook time. You may also notice that the light inside the oven will brighten slightly when the magnetron stops firing, then it will dim again slightly when the magnetron comes back on. The reason this happens is because the traditional microwave oven without an inverter hasn't changed much since their inception in the early 1980's (some will remember the Amana Radar Range). At 100% power, the magnetron will fire throughout the entire cook time. If 50% power is selected, then the magnetron will fire about 50% of the cook time, but at 100% power. If 30% is selected, then the magnetron will fire about 30% of the cook time. Do you see the pattern emerging here? Yes, 20% power = the magnetron will turn on about 20% of the cook time. So how does this "Inverter Technology" differ from the microwave oven that's probably sitting on your kitchen counter now, and more importantly how is the inverter technology better? As stated before, an older microwave oven controls the power by switching the magnetron on and off. Inverter microwave ovens "regulate" the power by reducing/increasing the amount of energy that is emitted by the magnetron based on the power level you selected. Inverters are like "a dimmer switch" on a lamp, they reduce the energy output level rather than reducing the cooking time by switching the magnetron power on and off. There are numerous advantages to inverter microwave ovens, mainly that cooking time is greatly reduced and the food tends to be heated much more evenly. So with all of that, I believe you would enjoy this model. I hope all of that helps.