Breville - the Compact Wave™ Soft Close 0.9 Cu. Ft. Microwave - Brushed Stainless Steel

Pros: * Very easy to use controls. * Soft-touch door pulls itself closed. * Matches all other Breville kitchen products for a clean look. * Convenient shortcut buttons and features. Cons: * A tad too small - just barely fits my plates. My Review: Breville products consistently bring premium quality and design to your kitchen countertop. This compact microwave oven is no exception. Everything about it says “I may be small, but I’m not cheap.” The build quality is top-notch and the overall design is well thought-out from the controls to the way the door soft-closes. The control panel buttons have a nice feel to them and are large, easy to read and easy to press when cooking. They are membrane keys which means that they are easy to clean with no gaps to collect food from dirty fingers. The rotary knob is an intuitive control for increasing or decreasing the time or quantities, although it would be a tad more intuitive to be able to press in on it to select items in menus, etc. The display is very basic with just digits and a few words around the screen that are indicated by segments on the display when needed. Since this unit has a numbers-only screen, the “Food Menu” function has a printed key just to the left of the control panel that is only visible while the door is open. This is a convenient touch to compensate for a basic screen while still keeping the information handy and not cluttering up things with the door closed. There are large “Start” and “Stop” buttons and handy “Clock” and “Mute” shortcut buttons to set or change the clock and silence the beeps without having to dig into menus. The actual microwaving part is exactly as you’d expect. This is not a huge and powerful unit, but gets the job done - especially for its size. My only real concern with this “compact” microwave is that my standard-sized square plates just barely fit in it. A small unit like this will probably be used for reheating plates and drinks and making popcorn most of the time rather than cooking from scratch. Be sure to check that your plates and cups will fit in before choosing this smaller unit and if necessary, upgrade to their mid-size one instead. The interior opening dimensions are: 11.75” wide, 12” deep and 8” tall with a tad more room inside if you can get past the opening. For the record, my square plates are 10.75” x 10.75” but are 12.25” in diameter so while they fit through the opening, they barely have enough room to rotate during operation thanks to the slightly larger dimensions inside. Provided the size meets your needs, you will not be disappointed in this compact microwave oven. The design, build quality and features definitely match its premium feel.

If you're looking for a smaller microwave than most that's big enough to handle pretty much anything you want to microwave the Breville Compact Wave Soft Close microwave. I like the look, the size, the controls, and the features. It's on the pricey side but I think you're getting a lot for the money in a small but very well thought out, package. Design and Usability This microwave looks great! I like the rounded handle, the round buttons that pop off the front just a little, and the dial. Not only does it look great but the large, very easy to use dial, and over sized start and stop buttons make things quick and simple too. Initially I was concerned about the practicality of having a dial to select cooking times. In actually, I think it's not only functional but I prefer it to the buttons. When I first used it I thought to myself, "this is great, I like it better than pushing number buttons". I thought it was just me and still wasn't sure others would use it. The first time my wife used it, without me saying anything or asking about it, she commented almost instantly about how much she liked the dial! So I guess it isn't just me. Why?! Well, not only did they calibrate the feel of it just right so it has a click-click-click feel as you turn it giving you the control you need while still turning easily, they also thought through the most efficient way to cycle through cooking times. When you first turn it it starts at 30 seconds. It goes in one second increments from 1 through 20 seconds, then fives from 20 seconds thorough 1 minute. It goes in tens from 1 minute to 3 minutes and then in thirty second increments from 3 minutes to 20 minutes. From 20 minutes to the max of 95 minutes it goes a minute at a time. It works really well and I think it lets you select any cooking time you'll probably every need with surprising ease. Ease of use It drives me nuts when I have to push a time cook button before I enter a cooking time. I like just entering (or in this case selecting with the dial) the time and pressing start. Thankfully that's how this works. Select the time you want and push the big start button with the green play/triangle on it. Stop it at any time by pushing the large stop button with the red stop/square on it. You can also set the power level by pushing the "power level" button and toggling through the 10 common percentage options. Features I had to add this just because I haven't seen a microwave that does this before other than a "minute plus" type thing. This does have a "plus 30 seconds" you can use if you want. What I hadn't seen before is that you can change the power level or the cook time while it's cooking. Just change the dial while it's cooking and you can adjust the cook time. Use the "power level" button to adjust that as well. There are different programs as you would expect for heating, re-heating, defrosting, popcorn, pizza, and more. The programs adjust the power level while heating to, hopefully, heat things evenly and just right. I almost forgot the soft close door. It works like drawers that you give a little push, they stop when they are nearly closed, and they retract slowly the rest of the way. It's pretty slick. It works most every time, not quite every time - only because sometimes I don't give it quite enough of a push. It does work well and I'd rather have it than not have it. There's no button to push to open it, if you were wondering. Size It's smaller than a lot of microwaves but still big enough for our largest microwave plates, 10.5" diameter which is about the exact same as the turn-table, to fit easily even with a splash cover on top. It may be too small for you, or possibly too big, but I think it's just right for us. I've attached a photo with a casserole that fits easily and a ruler so you can get an idea of the space this has. Power Keep in mind this is a 900 watt microwave. Some foods list "requirements" of higher power microwaves like 1000 or 1100 watts. I'd imaging that most of the time you can just increase the cook time a little. You should at least know going in that this could be an issue. Overall, I like it and think it's a great microwave if the price, size, power, and features are a fit for you!

I inherited a microwave from a friend when I moved to a new place and I had not realized how much small design deficiencies can irritate me. Things like noisy doors that don't close and open easily, confusing settings, and general lack of care for aesthetics detract from the joy of daily life. The Breville Compact Wave SOFT CLOSE(!) Microwave solved all of these issues for me. It's really nice looking, the door is quiet except for a nice confirming "click" and it does soft close. You can set the buttons to be silent (nice!) and the program settings include a "food menu" with graphic explanations on shown when you open the door. Low-tech, but cool in my opinion. Additionally, there are buttons for: Reheat, Popcorn, Beverage and Defrosting. Depending on what feature you're using, you can specify ounces, cups, or quantity. The time setting is a dial. Very nice as well. It's easy to use and attractive, and it cooks as expected.

---HIGHLIGHTS--- Premium Build Quality, Very Attractive Aluminum Finish, Easy to Control, Ample Cooking Power DESIGN AND USE: This is my first Breville kitchen appliance, and I can say without reservation that I am very impressed. The top notch build quality and impeccable visual appeal are immediately apparent. The compact size and attractive stainless-steel finish make it easy to place and blend. If you need a capable microwave and space is a premium, then this is the model to get. It is also a good choice for someone that does not need a large microwave and prefers a minimalist footprint. This microwave could not be easier to use. All the controls are clearly labeled. If you have used a microwave before you will have no problem with its operation. It features a knob for setting the cook time. I find the knob useful because it allows the cooking time to be easily adjusted and set. The microwave door opens and closes with remarkable precision and smoothness. Once you try it you will know exactly what I mean. VERDICT: I cannot emphasize enough how impressed I am with the build quality and appearance. It has a premium appearance that will look great in any style kitchen. This microwave is exceptionally well manufactured and exceeded my expectations in every way. It looks good, has a nice feature set, and most importantly has more than enough power to handle any cooking job you throw at it.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions had to buy online with curbside pick up so made the decision process interesting. Bought a GE and returned it, bought the Samsung and returned it. These first 2 felt cheap and the doors were cheap. Bought The Breville and love it! Heavy sturdy for a small microwave and Great quality.

SMALL BUT ROOMY – LIKE MAGIC REVIEW: Breville - the Compact Wave™ Soft Close 0.9 Cu. Ft. Microwave – Silver BEST BUY Tech Insider Network SUMMARY: Plenty of room for everyday use. Nice compact size and easy controls. Does a good job warming and everything that a microwave should do. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a premium microwave in a small package. BACKGROUND First, I love Breville appliances, I have 6 between work and home. When we remodeled my son’s kitchenette our large Breville Microwave would not fit in the assigned spot so we used an old college dorm microwave as a placeholder. Then this little guy came along and we could not be happier. It is about the same exterior dimensions as our cheap dorm microwave, but somehow there seems to be much more room on the inside. It is a perfect match for our mini Breville toaster oven. MY UTILIZATION I have to confess, we are not big microwave cookers. We use it daily for softening butter, ice cream, etc. My son that lives with us has minor impairment, and he was able to figure it out on the first try to heat up microwave mac and cheese. UNBOXING: INITIAL IMPRESSIONS: Very well packaged, a little hard to get out of the box, but that is normal so no dings there. There was a giant “SPARK” when we plugged it in that was a little concerning, but all seems fine. PERFORMANCE: Plenty of power for all attempted tasks. I would even go as far as saying it is faster and more powerful than our built in microwave (from another mfg) that came with our kitchen package. EASE OF USE: Here is how I use a microwave. I put something in, press start. If I need more time I press Start again. If this is how you use a microwave then you are all set. It does allow you to select different food types, and this is my only minor complaint. I’m so used to Breville being more intuitive. To select a Food Type, I only have options like F1,F2,F3, and they “key” to these codes is on the inside of the door, instead of the LCD display. Personally I would have liked to see more sophisticated settings on the LCD like on its big brother. SUMMARY: Big inside space, small outside space, plenty of power, and minor complexity for advanced cooking.

The Breville Microwave is compact, attractive and easy to use. I chose it with my mother in mind because she has visual impairments. The raised ON and OFF buttons are easy for her to locate. So, she can use it by herself and this gives her a measure of independence. We heat up small meals and large cups of coffee. And I appreciate the "soft close" door that closes with a gentle push. Yes, we recommend it and think you'll like it, too.

I wanted a small footprint, quiet and attractive microwave for our master bedroom closet. This little microwave is perfect! Cooks food evenly, controls feel high end, bright LED light, door mechanism is quiet and the ability to mute the typical beeping on a microwave check all the boxes for us.