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Customers admire the 2.2 Cu. Ft. 1250 Watt SN97JS Microwave for its large capacity, user-friendly interface, and sensor cooking technology that ensures even heating. They appreciate the powerful performance and quiet operation, although some have noted the interior light could be brighter.
My microwave replacement was QUITE a project - i was replacing a built in microwave from GE that was wide / tall, but had REALLY shallow depth - relative to what I could buy to replace it. Bear in mind I was also looking for a microwave with a Trim Kit that would make it look nice - a pretty tall ask. I spent a long time researching and bought several that I hated for one reason or another and returned. They were either WAY to small in the built in hole - or wouldn't fit. Combine that with COVID availability - and it was next to impossible. As luck would have it, i stumbled on this model AND it was available at Best Buy. It is obviously a large 2.2Cu Ft. Model that fit perfectly from a height / width perspective and the Trim Kit was dead on. The challenge of course was the microwave would stick out about 1.5", but nothing else was close and I had to give it a try. I was worried about the aesthetics - but if I could just get it in there who knows! The challenge was the feet had to be far enough back... and i had to cut both the airflow channels and the Trim Kit to make way for the feet. End of the day - it came out great - and I'm extremely happy with the microwave. It looks a TON better than the overly gray picture shown - it's stainless steel and matches my other appliances perfectly. It's cooks about 50% faster / better than my prior microwave - i couldn't be happier really!
Posted by BartolomeoB69
Can’t hold a whole pizza in there. Easy to use and easy to clean.
Posted by JenRacy
For me, this microwave represents a serious upgrade in several ways - I went from a 1.4 cubic feet machine to this 2.2 cubic feet machine - I went from an 1100 watt machine to this 1250 watt machine - and the outside dimensions and weight seem to have increased exponentially. My old machine could fit snugly and safely on the shelf of a baker's rack in my kitchen - this unit requires more space and got its own table (that's a reality...not a negative - plan for this to take up significant space). Measuring the capacity in cubic feet can be a little confusing - I included a picture below to give you a better understanding of the interior of this machine - that's a Pyrex 9" x 13" baking dish with huge handles sitting inside the microwave (and able to spin freely). And I would have thought that a wattage differential of 150 watts would have been inconsequential but I was wrong - the heating power on this microwave took some getting used to! So it's physically large with a cavernous interior and it's attractive in your kitchen - and newer microwave technologies like this one give more even heating - this unit is being hyped as something that can legitimately assume many conventional oven tasks. And with something this size, I have no doubt that it can rise to the occasion. But operation-wise, the design of this microwave is a disaster: (1) Setting the weight system and beep style can only be done after plugging-in the microwave for the first time (or upon re-plugging....or after a power outage). (2) This microwave has 11 power levels - the 10 that you might expect and a keep-warm level - but to use a level, you have to press a single button repeatedly to get to where you want to be - so to use the keep-warm setting, you have to press the power level button 11 times. Absolutely absurd - this feature alone makes me wonder if the designers have ever owned or used a microwave before. (3) There is a coffee/milk reheating button that feels like a great idea, but the correct selection must be memorized or you must refer (again) to the manual: press once = 1 cup coffee = 1-1, press twice = 2 cups coffee = 1-2 (not 2-1?), press three times = 1 cup milk = 2-1, and press four times = 2 cups milk = 2-2. Really? (4) There is a button assigned to allow you to add a quick 30 seconds to your microwaving time. But that same button functions differently when the microwave is in other modes - in popcorn mode, it only adds 10 seconds - for frozen foods and for sensor-reheating, it adds 20% more time than suggested. I have other design gripes as well, but the four above were the ones I found most immediately infuriating. I don't know if I have ever owned a microwave whose operation was this counterintuitive - it is surely the first microwave where I will keep the instruction manual on top of the appliance for reference. So I love the power and capacity of this microwave, but I am annoyed (almost to the point of being offended) by how dumb some of the design is. Panasonic should have a better design team than this!
Posted by VADarkstar
The Panasonic microwave is great - probably the best we've owned. The inside of this unit is huge - even though the outside is almost the same dimension as our old one. This is perfect for thawing out large meat portions or cooking things that need to be spread out such as bacon. The sensor cooking really works. I put in a small potato and used #8 on the menu and it came out perfectly baked. I've also used it on reheating items. I sometimes forget about the sensor cooking and just enter time - the sensor cooking works better than entering time. The only negative about the sensor cooking is that you have to look at the menu label on the inside of the microwave. This would be acceptable, and the print is large enough, but I would have preferred for the label to be at the top of the inside panel, rather than the bottom. If it was mounted over a stove it would be good, but ours is on a counter. Foods seem to cook more evenly in this microwave - with no edges getting done quicker. It's perfect for heating coffee and leftovers. The only negative is the brushed stainless finish, particularly on the "open door button" seems to get smudged with fingerprints easily. A minor inconvenience for such a great microwave!
Posted by PracticalSandy
OK, probably best place to start... This thing is a BOSS, it's huge! Almost beastly, BUT I do not mean that as a pejorative, I mean that as a complete compliment. It is BIG. We went from a 10 year old, .8 cu. ft, 950 watt LG that had been great, to this 2.2 cu. ft, 1250 watt beast and it is by orders of magnitude larger. This is a good thing, but make sure to measure your space to allow for required venting. Really nice. As mentioned, we have used a 950 watt for 10+ years so that is our baseline. This 1250 watt unit certainly cooks more quickly and more even than our old unit. I would say this cooks in 1/3 less total time and offers a better end-delivery. Packaging was to be expected for consumer grade product, finish is really nice. Very attractive unit. Set up was simple. My 13 year old daughter set it up in just a couple minutes. Controls are intuitive (as they should be). The interior is cavernous without being overbearing. The one minor nitpicking bug I might submit is the interior LED light. While it is most certainly serviceable and adequate, it is not quite as bright as our previous units incandescent bulb was, but to be fair, this little LED has 3 times the area to illuminate so this is certainly an acceptable trade off. In all, if you are ready or in need to upgrade your current microwave, I would be hard-pressed to find a reason why this would not be an excellent choice for this price-point. Really nice unit with very good features. In all, I would emphatically recommend it to friend. Disclaimer: This product was provided free, or at reduced cost, for the purpose of reviewing the product. Nevertheless, the above review, be it positive, negative, or anywhere in-between, is a 100% honest review, and the price paid played absolutely no part in my review.
Posted by Posted1