On 26 Jul 2005 10:30:26 -0700, Banty wrote:

In article , Joseph Meehan says...

Les wrote:
Planning on buying all new kitchen appliances, since they are all
about 18 yrs old. Currently have a hood over the range that has a
fan and light as part of it. I would like to replace the hood with a
microwave oven over the range.
[snippage]
I would also advise you to rethink the combo hood-microwave. If
something happens to the microwave, you will never find another to fit the
space. You will pay more for the combo than either alone. The hot space
above the range is not a good spot for a microwave.

Really?

Microwave/hoods are very common now, and I was planning it as part of my new
kitchen.

Have there been a lot of reported problems with these?

My 2 cents: Replacing a dead microwave/hood combo probably isn't an
issue. As you say, they're common, and they're standard sized. What
I've read and experienced, though, is the fans in the combo units
aren't particularly good. A dedicated fan works much better. We have a
3-speed Broan Allure we like a lot - very quiet, nice design and
features, powerful enough on Boost for wokking. Just me, but I find a
microwave over the range exceedingly inconvenient. Should one use the
range and the microwave at the same time, a common occurence in our
house, one is reaching over flame, heat, and/or steaming spattering
cooking. Also, like a TV/VCR combo, if one breaks both are effectively
broken. That said, if a combo is what you want, it's your home, so of
course do what you like best :-).

Banty (Les wants to replace 17 year old appliances - don't think he'd be
interested in trading for my current 45 year old ones! They're 'vintage' age
now, but they're not 'vintage' condition. :-)

Been there :-). The ex got a lovely old Magic Chef range. Wish I could
have taken it with me, she replaced it with a new crummy Jenn-Air. One
reason she's "ex" ;-).

--
Luke