Commbi Microwave recommendations

[Tim W]

Just had a 5 year old Panasonic Inverter combi microwave give up the ghost.

Analytical bit at end[1].

So, who makes good combi microwave ovens? I need max capacity, freestanding, oven, grill, microwave (>800W) and ability to use all/any combination.

Rather gone off Panasonic. Thinking Sharp or Samsung?

I'm off to buy one tomorrow - depending on snow...

Cheers

Tim

[1]

Something took out the RCBO. Initially I blamed the rice cooker due to possible condensation running onto the appliance plug at the base).

Upon restoring power, microwave was dead which was kind of annoying as my dinner's in it.

Whipped the case off (due care re HV capacitor etc - turns out *that* part has plenty of secondary shielding anyway).

One of two fuses has blown on the mains incomer PCB (looks like this mostly has filters on). Fuse was marked as "10A Special Fuse" - 1.25 inch jobbie, I'm guessing semiconductor or somesuch type).

Did a rather dodgey test by wedging a 13A plugtop fuse in and lo, the appliance powered up.

However, if I run the convection oven, the electronics power cycles after a few seconds, resetting everything.

I'm guessing something in the electronics has developed a fault. Perhaps it took out the RCBO. Could be a bad connection on my 13A fuse bodge, but it looks like there's reasonable contact so I'm not running with that theory...

Anyway, at this point, I'm writing it off. It's been well used, case is rather rusty round the edges and it has been buggering up the WIFI, which Panasonic Inverter ovens are prone to do according to various forums (I ran a microwave leakage detector round it ages ago - seemed OK).

[NT]

_Bad_ idea. That fuse is all that stands between you and being cooked if the interlock fails. And its interlock failure that causes the fuse to pop.

leak detectors are entirely pointless.

Sharps are famed for display failures. Invertor types are always going to be less reliable than an iron lump.

NT

[Tim W]

NT wibbled on Friday 18 December 2009 01:54

Really? How does that work?

Hmm.

That seems to leave Samsung then...

The one thing I did like about the Panasonic was the fan assisted oven - worked really well...

[Tim W]

Tim W wibbled on Thursday 17 December 2009 20:48

Got a Samsung in the end. Hope it lasts longer than the Panasonic...

Wow. Thanks geoff - you certainly kept your word about sending some snow down :-0

66 mile round trip to Maidstone (long way as the direct route was a tad dodgey looking). 2h:50 later and I'm ready to cook supper.

But what a state Kent is in. 3" of snow and it's collapsed. pretty much the only passable roads were the A roads (after they'd scraped the jacknifed lorries off them). Left it till after lunchtime so the sun would sort out most of the ice.

Seemed like most side roads in Maidstone were pretty much no go, random cars abandoned here and there (with and without bumpers and misc trim).

Most drivers sensible, but got tailgated on some bad ass ice by Mr Dickhead WhiteVanMan and Mr Knobby Volvo.

Meant to go into Argos in Maidstone (Extra in London Road). Impossible; sheet ice on a hill. Everyone pulling U turns on the junction in and getting stuck. Lent a hand to shove him out.

Tried to park in another side road. Gave up fairly sharpish. Made doing a U turn easy downhill though - I managed to pull a slightly controlled semi- piroette and face back out again :-) That's front wheel drive for you...

Don't think Kent Council have gritted anything beyond the trunk roads...

All good fun though. I'm seriously going to stock the freezer and food cupboards if we get any more of this.

[js.b1]

Consumer microwaves fall in two camps

- Cheap, small to large with plastic interior - =A329-69

- Expensive, large with stainless interior - =A389-189

The problem is most are contract manufactured, I recall Panasonic consumer are/were by LGe (Lucky Goldstar Electronics). Every single component is cut down to the minimum. The infamous Panasonic 554 either fails

[NT]

The interlock switches short the mains (almost) if one of them fails. I say almost as there is a low value resistor to limit the short current. So interlock failure causes fuse pop. Now, put a fuse in with the wrong charcateristics and instead of the fuse popping something else might. I'm not syaing its highly likely, but its not a nice accident if it does go wrong.

NT

[Tim W]

js.b1 wibbled on Friday 18 December 2009 17:40

Yes - there are some really nice looking ones.

That Panasonic is quite "domesticy" with a touch more SS. This one caught my eye though, for being "proper industrial"

200 quid though.

Yes - that occurred to me. Most so with combis that blow hot grease laden air everywhere. And you can't get too viscious with the NaOH 'cos it gets into all the places it shouldn't.

Most interesting - cheers

Tim

[js.b1]

It might actually be a 554, just uprated parts & made by Panasonic :-)

No need to spend anything like that, commercial does not mean hundreds, just do a google for "commercial microwave".

Commercial comes down to 1) duty cycle 2) reliability - overpaying just buys you more duty cycle when people are just after reliability. I think JL dropped the free 2yr warranty on microwaves and Argos don't seem to offer the =A319-29 for 3yr warranty back when the 554 was =A3109 from them (with =A310 winter discount).

[geoff]

In message , Tim W writes

NP - more here if you want some

Things youwouldn't have believed if you hadn't seen them with your own eyes

1/ - women walking through the snow with high heeled shoes on 2/ - eejits who think that hitting the accelerator in first gear is the best way to get up a hill

BTW, got asked by a Hungarian whether snow chains were illegal in the UK (he'd been told they were in the wax and shine emporium where he tried to buy some). Phoned the police up and asked, he thought they were, but turns out they're not

... so now you know

[js.b1]

Be glad they can't get up it... ... because they will have no chance of stopping coming down it :-)

Many ABS systems are poorly configured for snow/ice, and summer tyre compounds begin to freeze at about 2oC.

No, but snow chains disintegrate on asphalt & limit speed severely - and are capable of destroying wheel-wells & corrosion protection.

Snow cables are better, most probably what he meant, however the same applies. The real solution is an all weather tyre rather than summer tyre, or ideally proper snow-all tyres (half snow, half all season).

[geoff]

That's maybe why they are called snow chains, not all purpose on asphalt chains

No - the solution is winter tyres, which most europeans seem to have but we don't

[Andy Burns]

But where would people store four wheels in their rabbit hutches?

/me wiggles nose and goes off in search of lettuce.