Hi all
I'm thinking of getting a new microwave. Not my favourite bit of
kitchen equipment by a long way.

I was wondering ... what are the economies made between the ultra-
cheapo models found in the supermarkets etc. and the ones you might
find in more up-market stores, say John Lewis for reference?

Are there power/electronic/microwave emission compromises made, and/or
is it 'just' the usual finish/quality issues? I'd quite like a lightly
smaller one than the old Sharp we have at the moment, & wondering if a
cheap semi-disposable one is the way to go.

Any specific recommendations for an ordinary 750W or similar
gratefully received. I have a particular gripe against the use of
'digital' inputs (keypad etc.) to select an essentially analog
variable (time), so I guess sensible ergonomics is a plus for me.

Thanks
jon N

On 11 Mar 2007 14:47:23 -0700, "jkn" wrote:

Hi all
I'm thinking of getting a new microwave. Not my favourite bit of
kitchen equipment by a long way.

I was wondering ... what are the economies made between the ultra-
cheapo models found in the supermarkets etc. and the ones you might
find in more up-market stores, say John Lewis for reference?

I wouldn't describe John Lewis as up-market, but still...




Are there power/electronic/microwave emission compromises made, and/or
is it 'just' the usual finish/quality issues?

I've taken a look inside several owned by various members of the
family, and it's pretty clear that the build quality is somewhat
better in the better quality makes - Panasonic, Sharp etc. than in the
£70 specials from the supermarket.

I bought a replacement a few months ago (Sharp) based on a few
reviews. Generally it seems that the better products do heat more
evenly.

Certainly stainless steel seems to command a higher price.



I'd quite like a lightly
smaller one than the old Sharp we have at the moment, & wondering if a
cheap semi-disposable one is the way to go.

I think you would have to say disposable. The cheap ones aren't
economically repairable.




Any specific recommendations for an ordinary 750W or similar
gratefully received.

Ordinary now seems to be 800-900w.


I have a particular gripe against the use of
'digital' inputs (keypad etc.) to select an essentially analog
variable (time), so I guess sensible ergonomics is a plus for me.

I don't think it matters. They all seem to come with a bunch of
features that are not that useful. I tend to set power level and
time on mine and that's about it. I can't be bothered with the
fancy settings and I am not going to cook a 300g pizza from frozen in
one.

I did use the cook from frozen function with a carton of soup the
other day and that seemed to work OK.

It seems to me that one might as well buy a decent quality one or buy
the cheapest and throw it away when it needs cleaning.




--

..andy

Andy Hall wrote:
On 11 Mar 2007 14:47:23 -0700, "jkn" wrote:

Hi all
I'm thinking of getting a new microwave. Not my favourite bit of
kitchen equipment by a long way.

I was wondering ... what are the economies made between the ultra-
cheapo models found in the supermarkets etc. and the ones you might
find in more up-market stores, say John Lewis for reference?

I wouldn't describe John Lewis as up-market, but still...




Are there power/electronic/microwave emission compromises made,
and/or is it 'just' the usual finish/quality issues?

I've taken a look inside several owned by various members of the
family, and it's pretty clear that the build quality is somewhat
better in the better quality makes - Panasonic, Sharp etc. than in the
£70 specials from the supermarket.

*seventy* quid? - that's a dear one - around here the supermarkets are
knocking cheapos out for £24

"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...
On 11 Mar 2007 14:47:23 -0700, "jkn" wrote:

Hi all
I'm thinking of getting a new microwave. Not my favourite bit of
kitchen equipment by a long way.

I was wondering ... what are the economies made between the ultra-
cheapo models found in the supermarkets etc. and the ones you might
find in more up-market stores, say John Lewis for reference?

I wouldn't describe John Lewis as up-market, but still...

I know you turn your nose up at Aldi and Lidl, but I'd say John Lewis is
about the poshest place you can go shopping for Microwaves. Unless Bang and
Olufsen / similar hifi bods have started making them...

On Sun, 11 Mar 2007 22:07:25 +0000, Andy Hall
wrote:

I don't think it matters. They all seem to come with a bunch of
features that are not that useful. I tend to set power level and
time on mine and that's about it. I can't be bothered with the
fancy settings and I am not going to cook a 300g pizza from frozen in
one.

I did use the cook from frozen function with a carton of soup the
other day and that seemed to work OK.

I have a fairly bog-standard Panasonic 800W jobbie which has
auto-weight and stand/delay settings, which I never use - in fact I
wouldn't know how to use 'em unless I RTFM... :-)
It's mainly used for thawing out frozen stuff in a 'hurry'; such as
bread rolls et al.
I'm sure the turntable pleases itself which way it turns, much like
ancient synchronous electric clocks!

If you strap out the door interlocks and fix the machine on top of a
pole with the door open, I suppose you could use it as a 2·45 GHz
transmitter and modulate it with a carbon microphone in series with
the mains supply, provided you don't mind a bit of mains hum.

--
Frank Erskine

On Sun, 11 Mar 2007 23:19:59 -0000, "Doki" wrote:


"Andy Hall" wrote in message
.. .
On 11 Mar 2007 14:47:23 -0700, "jkn" wrote:

Hi all
I'm thinking of getting a new microwave. Not my favourite bit of
kitchen equipment by a long way.

I was wondering ... what are the economies made between the ultra-
cheapo models found in the supermarkets etc. and the ones you might
find in more up-market stores, say John Lewis for reference?

I wouldn't describe John Lewis as up-market, but still...

I know you turn your nose up at Aldi and Lidl, but I'd say John Lewis is
about the poshest place you can go shopping for Microwaves.

I was talking about the store, not the products....

Unless Bang and
Olufsen / similar hifi bods have started making them...

--

..andy

Frank Erskine wrote:
On Sun, 11 Mar 2007 22:07:25 +0000, Andy Hall
wrote:

I don't think it matters. They all seem to come with a bunch of
features that are not that useful. I tend to set power level and
time on mine and that's about it. I can't be bothered with the
fancy settings and I am not going to cook a 300g pizza from frozen in
one.

I did use the cook from frozen function with a carton of soup the
other day and that seemed to work OK.


I have a fairly bog-standard Panasonic 800W jobbie which has
auto-weight and stand/delay settings, which I never use - in fact I
wouldn't know how to use 'em unless I RTFM... :-)

I am the same. Panasonic all singing, all dancing and I cant be a**ed to
even find the manual.

It's mainly used for thawing out frozen stuff in a 'hurry'; such as
bread rolls et al.

Me too, but the wife does cook scrambled eggs and some veg in it. She
used to cook potatoes in it a long time ago, but I did not like the
taste, so she has abandoned them now.

I'm sure the turntable pleases itself which way it turns, much like
ancient synchronous electric clocks!

If it's owt like ours, the turntable changes direction each time it is
powered up :-)

If you strap out the door interlocks and fix the machine on top of a
pole with the door open, I suppose you could use it as a 2·45 GHz
transmitter and modulate it with a carbon microphone in series with
the mains supply, provided you don't mind a bit of mains hum.

Better still, hook into the main diode and get it to put out SSB :-)

Dave

"jkn" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi all
I'm thinking of getting a new microwave. Not my favourite bit of
kitchen equipment by a long way.

I was wondering ... what are the economies made between the ultra-
cheapo models found in the supermarkets etc. and the ones you might
find in more up-market stores, say John Lewis for reference?

Are there power/electronic/microwave emission compromises made, and/or
is it 'just' the usual finish/quality issues? I'd quite like a lightly
smaller one than the old Sharp we have at the moment, & wondering if a
cheap semi-disposable one is the way to go.

Any specific recommendations for an ordinary 750W or similar
gratefully received. I have a particular gripe against the use of
'digital' inputs (keypad etc.) to select an essentially analog
variable (time), so I guess sensible ergonomics is a plus for me.

Thanks
jon N

They all do the same job - cook food. Not very well compared to a proper
oven, but they heat stuff up if you're in a hurry.
The price difference reflects the fancy features you can get. Mine has a
timer so I can set it to cook as I am driving home if I want, or set it to
have a bite to eat ready in the morning.
You can get them with bar code recognition which is crap and never took off
and various wattages.
The higher the wattage the faster it cooks. Mine also has "inverter"
plastered over it. Instead of pulsing on and off at full power for a
"medium" setting, it reduces the supply and cooks constantly on medium if
you see what I mean.
Mine also has a convection oven which is more like an infra red oven,
burning rather than heating!
I prefer a proper oven, can't beat them.
I would get a really cheap one and just use it for warming stuff up, then
throw it out after a few years when it blows up! I would never buy an
expensive microwave again. The last one was £250 and lasted 10 years. The
one after was £159 from Costco and lasted 2 years. The current one is from
Currys and cost £109.

In message , Frank Erskine
writes
I'm sure the turntable pleases itself which way it turns, much like
ancient synchronous electric clocks!

Spot on. The cheaper motors are synchronous motors and do indeed please
themselves in the direction of rotation when turned on. In the clocks
there was supposed to be a mechanism that would stop it winding the
wrong way, but they often gunk up or wear out meaning you have to switch
the old clocks on and off a few times until they run in the right
direction.

The random direction nature of cheap synchronous motors means they are
often used in disco lights where they will bounce the light about in
random directions when their power is pulsed on and off to the beat. If
you stall one of these motors it just goes into reverse and carries on
running.

--
Clive Mitchell
http://www.bigclive.com

I'm sure the turntable pleases itself which way it turns, much like
ancient synchronous electric clocks!


They all do, because they *are* powered with a self-starting synchronous
motor with no mechanical direction-of-rotation inhibit.
http://snipurl.com/1cplk
--

Graham.
%Profound_observation%

On Mon, 12 Mar 2007 00:47:37 GMT, Clive Mitchell
wrote:

In message , Frank Erskine
writes
I'm sure the turntable pleases itself which way it turns, much like
ancient synchronous electric clocks!

Spot on. The cheaper motors are synchronous motors and do indeed please
themselves in the direction of rotation when turned on. In the clocks
there was supposed to be a mechanism that would stop it winding the
wrong way, but they often gunk up or wear out meaning you have to switch
the old clocks on and off a few times until they run in the right
direction.

Old clocks used to have a spinny-thing to twirl to get the clock going
in the right direction, until the newfangled gizmo came along that was
supposed to nudge it the right way.

I still have a couple of clocks like that - the newfangled type if I
remember correctly. I bought them at a car-boot sale, purely for the
old-fashioned maroon twisted flex they were attached to, to use for
theatre practical props...

--
Frank Erskine
Better smeg than shed

jkn wrote:
Hi all
I'm thinking of getting a new microwave. Not my favourite bit of
kitchen equipment by a long way.

I was wondering ... what are the economies made between the ultra-
cheapo models found in the supermarkets etc. and the ones you might
find in more up-market stores, say John Lewis for reference?

Basically they are all te same power unit I reckon, just in fancier
cases with more gimmickty hung around.
I am stll using a 7 year olkd model that has a mechanical timer, and a
power levels switch, and that does all I need..
No complex dials saying '1 baked potatao' - '2 baked potaoes' '3 pot
noodles' etc. tec.


Are there power/electronic/microwave emission compromises made, and/or
is it 'just' the usual finish/quality issues? I'd quite like a lightly
smaller one than the old Sharp we have at the moment, & wondering if a
cheap semi-disposable one is the way to go.

Any specific recommendations for an ordinary 750W or similar
gratefully received. I have a particular gripe against the use of
'digital' inputs (keypad etc.) to select an essentially analog
variable (time), so I guess sensible ergonomics is a plus for me.


Just buy the cheapest bit of **** you can. The rest is all fluff and
******** anyway.

Thanks
jon N

I am the same. Panasonic all singing, all dancing and I cant be a**ed to
even find the manual.

I can't even set the clock on my Panasonic - whenever I try, the display
scrolls "please read the manual" (sod that, i'm a bloke ffs)

Other than that, flawless performance and i'd recommend them to anyone !

In message , Owain
writes
around here the supermarkets are knocking cheapos out for £24

The same model appears in several slightly different fascias and
colours. My Tesco £25 is acceptably adequate.

With the added advantage that when an "experiment" goes wrong you can
just buy another one. (After ripping out the salvageable components.)

For some entertainment type "microwave" into youtube to see all manner
of dubious experiments.

Incidentally, it's worth mentioning that the transformers inside
microwaves put out several thousand volts at a high enough current to
terminate your life instantly. Good fun to play with though.

--
Clive Mitchell
http://www.bigclive.com

In message , The Natural
Philosopher writes
No complex dials saying '1 baked potatao' - '2 baked potaoes' '3 pot
noodles' etc. tec.

I looked through the manual and there wasn't even a special setting for
light bulbs, fluorescent tubes, candles, CD's or even Dove soap.

--
Clive Mitchell
http://www.bigclive.com

jkn wrote:

I was wondering ... what are the economies made between the ultra-
cheapo models found in the supermarkets etc. and the ones you might
find in more up-market stores, say John Lewis for reference?

Probably the only extra feature worth paying for is a stainless
interior. The only "cleaver" thing we use on our panasonic is the
ability to stick in a sequence of instructions (you know, the "Full
Power for three mins, hold for two, medium for three" sort of stuff)

(ours also has a grill facility that was nice in theory until not long
after new, SWMBO decided it would be a good idea to soften some frozen
butter in it, and over did the timing a tad. Net result was the butter
exploded over the inside of the oven, coating the quartz heater element
in lots of inaccessible places. Hence any attempt to use the grill now
results in so much smoke generation the kitchen soon vanishes!)

Any specific recommendations for an ordinary 750W or similar
gratefully received. I have a particular gripe against the use of
'digital' inputs (keypad etc.) to select an essentially analog
variable (time), so I guess sensible ergonomics is a plus for me.

personally I like the digital controls, since it can be quite hard to
differentiate short durations on some analogue ones - and on a more
powerful oven it can make quite a big difference when you just want to
heat something small. (e.g. slice of treacle tart - 20 secs, nice an
warm, 30 secs, just boiled me tongue!)

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Mar 11, 8:51 pm, "Phil L" wrote:
Andy Hall wrote:
On 11 Mar 2007 14:47:23 -0700, "jkn" wrote:

Hi all
I'm thinking of getting a new microwave. Not my favourite bit of
kitchen equipment by a long way.

I was wondering ... what are the economies made between the ultra-
cheapo models found in the supermarkets etc. and the ones you might
find in more up-market stores, say John Lewis for reference?

I wouldn't describe John Lewis as up-market, but still...

Are there power/electronic/microwave emission compromises made,
and/or is it 'just' the usual finish/quality issues?

I've taken a look inside several owned by various members of the
family, and it's pretty clear that the build quality is somewhat
better in the better quality makes - Panasonic, Sharp etc. than in the
£70 specials from the supermarket.

*seventy* quid? - that's a dear one - around here the supermarkets are
knocking cheapos out for £24- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Agree: El cheapos available here almost everywhere for as lttle as $50
Canadian. Roughly 25 quid!

"Doki" wrote in message ...

I know you turn your nose up at Aldi and Lidl, but I'd say John Lewis is
about the poshest place you can go shopping for Microwaves. Unless Bang
and Olufsen / similar hifi bods have started making them...

I can rebadge a Tesco one for you for £3000 if you want to be a snob. ;-)

"Graham" wrote in message
...

I'm sure the turntable pleases itself which way it turns, much like
ancient synchronous electric clocks!


They all do, because they *are* powered with a self-starting synchronous
motor with no mechanical direction-of-rotation inhibit.

My aging Sharp - I keep it because it is set entirely by rotary knobs -
always runs clockwise when viewed from above.

Colin Bignell

"Ian" wrote in message
...

They all do the same job - cook food. Not very well compared to a proper
oven, but they heat stuff up if you're in a hurry.

That depends on the food..
They are far better at cooking, fish, vegetables and xmas puds than a "real"
oven.

The price difference reflects the fancy features you can get. Mine has a
timer so I can set it to cook as I am driving home if I want, or set it to
have a bite to eat ready in the morning.

Does it have a built in fridge to stop the stuff going off while it sits
there?
I always thought a combined fridge-microwave was a good idea.. maybe I
should hack a £25 Tesco microwave and put a peltier cooler in it?
I could put a B&O badge on it and make a fortune. ;-)

You can get them with bar code recognition which is crap and never took
off and various wattages.
The higher the wattage the faster it cooks.

Nit picking that should be the faster it heats.
The power level doesn't determine how fast it cooks for many foods.
Just how fast it overcooks.

Mine also has "inverter" plastered over it. Instead of pulsing on and
off at full power for a "medium" setting, it reduces the supply and cooks
constantly on medium if you see what I mean.

But it doesn't make any difference over switching it on and off unless you
are cooking very small portions.

Mine also has a convection oven which is more like an infra red oven,
burning rather than heating!

Cheap thing then.
Mine has a fan oven that works just like a "real" one.
I guess you get more if you spend £80 on a microwave.


I prefer a proper oven, can't beat them.
I would get a really cheap one and just use it for warming stuff up, then
throw it out after a few years when it blows up! I would never buy an
expensive microwave again. The last one was £250 and lasted 10 years.
The one after was £159 from Costco and lasted 2 years. The current one is
from Currys and cost £109.

In article ,
Ian wrote:
They all do the same job - cook food. Not very well compared to a
proper oven, but they heat stuff up if you're in a hurry.

IMHO it's wrong to call them an oven because apart from heating stuff they
more commonly do jobs you'd use the hob for. I cook most vegetables with
mine - apart from root ones like potatoes. Although a baked potatoe can be
speeded up by microwaving first before crisping the skin in a conventional
oven. Some say they can tell the difference between vegetables steamed in
a microwave and those steamed in a conventional way - I can't. What of
course it doesn't do is 'boiled for a week' cabbage or sprouts so only
really of use if you like them crunchy.

--
*Happiness is seeing your mother-in-law on a milk carton

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Clive Mitchell wrote:
I'm sure the turntable pleases itself which way it turns, much like
ancient synchronous electric clocks!

Spot on. The cheaper motors are synchronous motors and do indeed please
themselves in the direction of rotation when turned on.

Not on my Neff. It always rotates in the same direction unless you stop it
mid stream to add something, etc. It will then run in the opposite
direction.

--
*Sleep with a photographer and watch things develop

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
John Rumm wrote:
Probably the only extra feature worth paying for is a stainless
interior.

In my case I paid a *lot* extra to get a built in type which matched the
oven. They are in the same housing and if looks matter it was the only way.

--
*Rehab is for quitters

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Mon, 12 Mar 2007 09:44:48 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Clive Mitchell wrote:
I'm sure the turntable pleases itself which way it turns, much like
ancient synchronous electric clocks!

Spot on. The cheaper motors are synchronous motors and do indeed please
themselves in the direction of rotation when turned on.

Not on my Neff. It always rotates in the same direction unless you stop it
mid stream to add something, etc. It will then run in the opposite
direction.

If it changes direction the food will get cold again ;-)

--
Frank Erskine
"Automatic door - push button to operate"

In my case I paid a *lot* extra to get a built in type which matched the
oven. They are in the same housing and if looks matter it was the only way.


That's the sort I would never buy.
When it goes wrong in a few years, you're going to have problems
replacing it. The microwave will be obsolete, the kitchen design will
also be obsolete and the manufacturers won't be interested.

In answer to the OP, like many others have said, go for a basic unit
that suits your needs. A higher power is useful. I don't find
electronic timers help. A mechanical one is OK but can't take times
less than about 30s. For these occasions, I just count the seconds.
After all, cooking is not an exact science and you can always give the
food a few more microwaves.

It might be worth looking at comercial units. They are built to last
and are much higher power than the domestic ones.

FWIW, my 750W Phillips microwave has performed well since I bought it
in 1987. It now needs a new light bulb. Not bad for 20 years use.

John

In article , Ian
writes

The higher the wattage the faster it cooks. Mine also has "inverter"
plastered over it. Instead of pulsing on and off at full power for a
"medium" setting, it reduces the supply and cooks constantly on medium if
you see what I mean.

I hadn't realised any actually modulated the power, what's the make &
model.
--
fred
Plusnet - I hope you like vanilla

On 12 Mar 2007 03:45:03 -0700 John wrote :
In answer to the OP, like many others have said, go for a basic
unit that suits your needs. A higher power is useful. I don't find
electronic timers help. A mechanical one is OK but can't take times
less than about 30s. For these occasions, I just count the seconds.
After all, cooking is not an exact science and you can always give
the food a few more microwaves.

This I would disagree on. On my microwave heating a mug of milk to
make drinking chocolate is 1:50, not 1:40 and not 2:00.

My first microwave lasted 15+ years. On the second, an enamel lined
LG, I accidently left a bit of foil on something when it was almost
new which arced and burnt off a little enamel under the turntable.
Foolish I didn't touch it up and recently discovered it had rusted
through, so to be on the cautious side I replaced with another £50
LG. Basically a nice unit, but still has the same software bug: open
the door and occasionally the display reads garbage. And I missed the
fact that in the interests of being shed shelf friend it has the
useless auto cook stuff discussed previously and now omits the useful
countdown timer.

--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk

Graham wrote:
I'm sure the turntable pleases itself which way it turns, much like
ancient synchronous electric clocks!


They all do, because they *are* powered with a self-starting synchronous
motor with no mechanical direction-of-rotation inhibit.
http://snipurl.com/1cplk

Our Panasonic always alternates direction each time you start it...

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

Tony Bryer wrote:

This I would disagree on. On my microwave heating a mug of milk to
make drinking chocolate is 1:50, not 1:40 and not 2:00.

SWMBO has refined this to 1:23 on ours since that a) Gets it the
temperature she likes, and b) wait for it, returns the handle of the mug
to the same position by the door!

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

The difference is...
o Duty cycle -- how long they will last re failure risk & design life
o Stainless interior -- for when you put eggs in & blow them up
o Combination cooking -- grill, fan oven
o Power -- however most are typically 800-950-1150W these days

Spending a lot does not mean it will last forever, just do not
expect to get the life of a 1980s £290 microwave for £35 today.
You may be lucky or you may find it fails in 2-3 years. There are
often 2 warranties, one for microwave, one (longer) for magnetron.

For commercial usage spending more really does matter, because
the Magnetron & PSU are upgraded to handle that duty cycle. Same
reason top-end Miele washer last longer than bottom-end Hotpoint.

For consumer use, I suspect most would prefer a stainless interior.
Then it comes down to how often you use it (3x a day or 2x a week).
--
Dorothy Bradbury

On Mon, 12 Mar 2007 12:42:47 +0000, Owain
wrote:

Clive Mitchell wrote:
The same model appears in several slightly different fascias and
colours. My Tesco £25 is acceptably adequate.
With the added advantage that when an "experiment" goes wrong you can
just buy another one.

My cooking isn't *that* bad.

But how do you manage to cook those deep fried pizzas in a microwave?


--

..andy

Andy Hall wrote:
On Mon, 12 Mar 2007 12:42:47 +0000, Owain
wrote:

Clive Mitchell wrote:
The same model appears in several slightly different fascias and
colours. My Tesco £25 is acceptably adequate.
With the added advantage that when an "experiment" goes wrong you can
just buy another one.
My cooking isn't *that* bad.

But how do you manage to cook those deep fried pizzas in a microwave?

Take out the deep fried Mars bar first?

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

Huge wrote:
On 2007-03-12, John Rumm wrote:
Tony Bryer wrote:

This I would disagree on. On my microwave heating a mug of milk to
make drinking chocolate is 1:50, not 1:40 and not 2:00.
SWMBO has refined this to 1:23 on ours since that a) Gets it the
temperature she likes, and b) wait for it, returns the handle of the mug
to the same position by the door!

A mate's microwave always stops the turntable so it's in the same position
it was when you started it.

And ours always goes round the same way.


And thats why some cost 250 quid, and the rest 25..

In message , Owain
writes
Cheaper to buy a microwave than a neon lighting transformer?

Completely different beasts. The neon transformer is designed to limit
it's output current to about 30mA and the voltage will tend to match the
load within reason. A microwave transformer will deliver as much
current through a neon tube as it can and then either blow the primary
fuse or burn out. Tube will be nice and bright though. Briefly.

--
Clive Mitchell
http://www.bigclive.com

In message , The Natural
Philosopher writes
And ours always goes round the same way.

And thats why some cost 250 quid, and the rest 25..

Boo Hoo! My Ready Brek is going anticlockwise. I wish I'd spent the
extra 200 quid for one that offered consistent porridge direction.

--
Jock McDumpling

In article . com,
John wrote:
In my case I paid a *lot* extra to get a built in type which matched
the oven. They are in the same housing and if looks matter it was the
only way.


That's the sort I would never buy.
When it goes wrong in a few years, you're going to have problems
replacing it. The microwave will be obsolete, the kitchen design will
also be obsolete and the manufacturers won't be interested.

My last Neff microwave is still going strong in a neighbour's kitchen. And
it dates back to the early '90s.

However, if it did go wrong it can always be fixed like any electronics if
the will is there.

--
*Very funny Scotty, now beam down my clothes.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Mon, 12 Mar 2007 13:00:00 +0000, John Rumm
mused:

Graham wrote:
I'm sure the turntable pleases itself which way it turns, much like
ancient synchronous electric clocks!


They all do, because they *are* powered with a self-starting synchronous
motor with no mechanical direction-of-rotation inhibit.
http://snipurl.com/1cplk

Our Panasonic always alternates direction each time you start it...

Can't say as I've noted the direction of travel on ours. Doubt I ever
will tbh, not something I really need\want to know!
--
Regards,
Stuart.

"Lurch" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 12 Mar 2007 13:00:00 +0000, John Rumm
mused:

Graham wrote:
I'm sure the turntable pleases itself which way it turns, much like
ancient synchronous electric clocks!


They all do, because they *are* powered with a self-starting synchronous
motor with no mechanical direction-of-rotation inhibit.
http://snipurl.com/1cplk

Our Panasonic always alternates direction each time you start it...


Perhaps g you haven't read the manual;- as shipped the devices are
'equatrorial'
ex-factory. You need to set the dip-switcha to North or South 1 / 0 . {along
with settings for language; time (metric or sexagesimal; weight (Kgs/grames/
ounces (avoidupois or Troy) etc. etc. } When the machine 'knows' which way
the water goes down the plug-hole it'll attempt to match this. - a turntable
which alternates direction of movement on turn-ON may be an indicor for the
device thinking it's still on a ship in the Straits of Malaccca. {Some
forward shippersset the dip switches while the ship is in the Singapore
Roads prior to the devices being shipped on to UK. These devices may cost
more that than cheaper models. Luckily a Water molecules is the same
dimensions all over the planet and a microwave will 'flip'; the diamagnetc
molecules no matter which way the turntable is going.
HTH.

Can't say as I've noted the direction of travel on ours. Doubt I ever
will tbh, not something I really need\want to know!
--
Regards,
Stuart.

Concur: who's got time to look through the glass window and comment; "Happen
that
turntable went t'other way'. Mother!"
--

Brian

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Frank Erskine
saying something like:

Not on my Neff. It always rotates in the same direction unless you stop it
mid stream to add something, etc. It will then run in the opposite
direction.

If it changes direction the food will get cold again ;-)

It's often occurred to me there's a fortune waiting for the inventor of
the cooling device that can cool things in a domestic setting as fast as
a microwave can heat them up.
Blast freezers are a bit cumbersome for the average kitchen.
--

Dave

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember John Rumm
saying something like:

(ours also has a grill facility that was nice in theory until not long
after new, SWMBO decided it would be a good idea to soften some frozen
butter in it, and over did the timing a tad. Net result was the butter
exploded over the inside of the oven, coating the quartz heater element
in lots of inaccessible places. Hence any attempt to use the grill now
results in so much smoke generation the kitchen soon vanishes!)

I'm surprised at the demise of my last microwave. Fairly decent Sharp
with loads of extra options which, of course, were rarely used. A carton
of milk leaked in it and promptly caused the thing to constantly trip
the RCD every time it was plugged in. What boggles me is the designers
failing to take into account that internal spills are almost inevitable
and siting a piece of mains circuitry beneath the level of the oven
floor.
--

Dave