Panasonic NN-SB438S Compact Microwave Oven, 0.9 cft, Black Stainless Steel

I've been using this microwave for several months before rating.It cooks as expected, easy to clean, easy to set the time and set amount of time for cooking.Not a problem for me but the buttons are not lit so you will need some light to push the right ones.The only thing that I might change is that the interior is gray so I don't see the food splashes as easily as my old microwave with the white interior.

This unit was purchased to replace a Samsung MG11H2020 which was a noisy rattle trap from the get go and only lasted maybe a year. Prior to that was a GE Spacesaver which lasted 3 years and is currently up to about $500. Needless to say I’m not overly pleased with the service from microwaves. Time will tell on the Panasonic but many complaints were essentially “out of box” failures which I did not have. I gave it high marks because it worked, it’s very quiet and it seems to reheat things (like my coffee umpteen times) faster than either the GE or the Samsung. Will update as time progresses.1/10/2021 update. The unit is still very functional and there have been no serious problems so I’m going to leave the rating at 5 stars. However, I don’t think the unit is quite as quiet as when it was new. A bit more serious is the condition of the touch pad. Apparently Panasonic placed a plastic membrane over the various buttons on the touch pad and that membrane has worn through on the start button and is starting to wear through on some of the other frequently used buttons. This has not affected the function of the unit but may portend future issues. Also, the unit gets pretty warm on extended runs at high power (think baked potatoes). Again, the function has not been affected.

It's an ok microwave. It's only 900 watts so it's not very powerful, but it is small enough to fit the space we had available. It comes with a child-proof feature that requires pushing two buttons to open the door when the microwave finishes. I tried both of the procedures specified to disable the lock, but neither of them worked. Perhaps there is a secret third procedure that works, or maybe if you can't figure out how to disable the feature they think you would be better off not disabling it. The labels on the buttons are a pale gray, rather small font, and are on a very glossy black surface that reflects anything in front of the microwave; the combination of poor font choice and reflective surface makes it very difficult to read the labels. I had read complaints about the labels and figured people were being too picky, but they were right. Whoever designed the controls and labels did a poor job. It's ok, and works, but using it is a bit of a pain.

I got this microwave but my over the range one sometimes malfunction so I needed a backup one. I absolutely love this microwave because it was built with safety in mind so that kids won’t get hurt using it. It also looks really nice and not cheap looking.

Keep the box! i purchased this item on may 7th 2020 and received it on may 13th 20. not thinking i set it up and put the packaging into the recycle bin, small apartment, no place for an extra box. it's been used probably once a day since i set it up. about a week ago it stopped heating anything. my first thought was to return it but i no longer had the original packaging. i decided to try unplugging it then plugging it back in and to my surprise, it started working again. of course, that was short-lived and tonight i put my food in, turned it on, waited for the buzzer and got a plate of ice-cold food for my trouble. i tried the plug thing again, it took four attempts to get it to heat. that worked once and now the microwave is no longer functional. the light goes on, the food takes a ride but nothing gets heated. in short, the microwave is garbage, if you purchase it you will need to send it back in roughly a month or risk being out the money you spent along with what it will cost to replace it. if you're smart you'll just pass this microwave up all together it's not worth the money or the aggravation.follow-up:lesson learned when looking at the reviews always start with the lowest first. those are the ones that tell you what it's like to deal with all those involved when something goes wrong. it took an hour and 3 service reps, 2 just disappeared during the process, multiple attempts at securing a refund. first, they suggested have you tried plugging it in on another circuit. all my outlets in the kitchen are the same, which i explained. they have circuit breakers on the socket. well, the 1 and 2-star reviews mentioned they don't work well when plugged into those. i don't know which aggravated me more that they sell a product that won't work on plugs routinely installed in kitchens for safety reasons or the thinly veiled implication that i should rearrange my kitchen to accommodate an overpriced poorly designed microwave. next came we'll hand you over to Panasonic, well those 1 and 2-star reviews tell you how effective that is. yeah, i want to take however long to get a lemon fixed that will probably stop working just like it did before the repair. while I was writing my emphatic "no" reply serv. rep #1 took a permanent powder. Serv. Rep #2 came on after I signaled I was still there and proceeded to ask the questions I just answered because obviously he hadn't read the conversation. i explained I wanted a refund and suggested he read the thread. he basically told me to hold on then disappeared just like serv. rep #1. enter serv. rep #3. yet again i state what i want and the reason i want it. he informed me that the 1-month return window had closed and i informed him i had the product just over a month, "READ THE THREAD!", and it stopped working all after the window had closed. not that that really matters, you should get more than a month out of a microwave. after much discussion, the rep said it was resolved and i would get a refund. to make sure it wasn't credit i said you do realize i will not be getting a replacement through amazon? he said that was fine then they told me they would send out a replacement that would take a week to arrive. hello! I've repeatedly asked for a refund, you said you were giving me a refund! why now would i agree to have a piece of crap replaced by another piece of crap? why after repeatedly telling you i needed to be able to get a microwave as soon as possible would they suggest that? why when you should be offering to overnight it are you showing me that you're opting for the cheapest possible shipping method? Rep #3 told me to hold on. he finally got back to me, though, at this point, i was waiting for the entrance of rep #4. a one-time exception was being made and they were giving me a refund did i want it on an amazon card.?. you have to be kidding me! didn't i just say i would not be purchasing a replacement on amazon? of course, i want it refunded to my original payment method! now to get my refund i have to find a box and packing material to mail back a piece of crap that belongs in the dump not refurbished for resale and labeled not in its original packaging. do i sound jaded?there really is only one way to handle a situation like this amazon llc. a refund with no further inconvenience to the customer. multi-billion dollar corporations can afford to eat the wholesale cost of faulty products that they shouldn't be selling because well, they're faulty. it shouldn't take an hour, 3 reps, and multiple attempts on your part to mitigate potential losses, before the requested solution is finally agreed to, provided you are willing to be inconvenienced even further. all i can say is there's only one thing here that sucks worse than that microwave and that's how you chose to handle what should have been a simple refund.

Wonderful, and powerful!