weaknesses.

While the inverter system doesn't do the least bit better job of evenly heating food, I love the quality, simplicity and power of these microwaves.

Bought my parents the 1350s regularly.

And I do mean regularly - six years from one (used at that) is a new record.

Yup, my Genius oven died at about six years from brand new.

Its best feature was the defrost function. Also the keep warm, which many other MW's lack.

For regular cooking it has the habit of heating the bottom of foods first. So I got used to stirring things up half way through. When it died, it would just flick the light on and then off, without cooking.

I replaced the dead Genius with a cheaper non-Genius Panasonic MW (the Genius line was no longer available at Costco). That was in June of this year. By October it had to be replaced as well. It didn't work quite right from the get go. Little things like the interior light not lighting when door opened. The clincher was regularly having to slam the door shut before it would start cookiing. But Costco took it back without question. Bought a second one same day and it works much better. At $99, it's still a bargain. It has the inverter defrost and a usable popcorn function. But no sensor cooking, which actually isn't a big deal. I've yet to find a MW that does sensor cooking reliably.

Remembers the dangerous high voltage, there's no reason not to take one apart and fix it. There's so much to like about the genius range of ovens.

Like you said, used one can be had for so little at places like the Restore. (and you're helping a cause)  .  So many times I'm putzing thru ours and see another MW I'd love to take home.. 

The best one we ever had was the full size 80's GE with the probe, auto cook, auto roast, and auto defrost. No turntable, didn't need one.  The sensors on that thing worked beautifully and you honestly could count on it to cook as programmed.  Sad day when it finally died.  My vintage Amana was having some problems so I had to put it down the basement. Unfortunately the previous owner of this house when they re did the kitchen only put a microwave shelf that holds a compact oven so I've got my sisters cheapo walmart RCA in there now.. but heck it's worked well for the last 8 or 9 years.  I've also got a very tiny Samsung Junior, cute as a button , you can just fit a Michelina's in it if you're careful  LOL  

Well, after reading the material on Panasonic MW door latch issues, and after the door issues with the replacement for the Genius Prestige, I am wondering if perhaps the fail of the Genius was due to a door latch problem as well.

Unfortunately it's too late for me to check that out since it went into the trash a few weeks ago. If it was still here I'd probably tear it down and check out the latch and associated sensors. Oh well. The (second) replacement is working fine and fits my needs just fine.

I didn't attempt any repair while I had it, due to a frustrating attempt to fix an even older Amana brand (made by Hitachi) microwave that died shortly after I moved in here in 1997. I even replaced the blown fuse but it blew as soon as I tried to power it up again. So my conclusion was that most microwaves have a limited lifespan.

However, if any of my remaining MW's stop with symptoms similar to door issues, I'll be sure to (carefully) take a peek inside to see what's up.

Currently have the newish Panasonic 1200 watt inverter, an 18 year old Kenmore Elite (not used as much as the Panasonics), and a small-ish 950 watt Magic Chef that is barely used. I got it for a job site about 10 years ago but it's been decorating a counter top in the enclosed patio kitchen for about 9 years. It's actually supposed to be sensor equipped unit but I can't recall ever testing that feature on it. At the time I got it I understood it's made by GE. Somewhere in Asia. Anyway, got lots of backups in the MW department. I wouldn't say they foster fine cooking but they sure are handy.

We've reached the point at which nothing which isn't vintage gets repaired. Preferably, not even bought.

Same with electronics - unless it's clearly better to buy new than what came before, it gets fixed. I'm in the process of putting Puppy Linux on an eleven year old laptop. Nothing wrong with the laptop and I'll be damned if I'm going to throw it out just because it doesn't have the muscles to run Windoof X.

Still, those Panasonics work well when they work. The inverter function doesn't cook better than the pulsed system, that's just marketing, but there is a difference between 1200/1300/1350 watts and 900 and it's not marginal.

I don't even know if they make something as small as 800watts in the US. German microwaves have been undersized from the beginning, partially to calm the fears of the idiots who can't tell the difference between ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. Between causal and stochastic events.

As to Linux, I've got a degree in IT, I've stayed fresh in my profession (hint: I taught at a technical university in Munich for nearly 30 years) and I have to say, your assumptions, while they may have been true in the '80s and '90s are out-of-date. The ancient laptop (I finished it after that last post) runs the newest Chromium (the Linux version of Chrome) just fine. No stuttering on youtube. Just did a mail merge and printout of over 13,000 labels for a friend here. Only delay was when we had a laser printer jam on a page of labels.

Now, to be sure, I grew up in the UNIX world and used OS/2 to the bitter end. I've never liked Windoof and I resist the Cult of Steve (and guess what their system is based on, hint: It rhymes with Penguin).

We have over 20 computers in regular use between our offices, homes and the cars. Thanks to dear Austin (may he roast in Hell), my paranoia and use of honeytraps was confirmed. There's nothing on any PC I ever use to log-in here which would be of value to the mother-fucking asswipes like Austin who tried so hard to attack my family and me. At this point, sadly, it's (still) operating systems and user interfaces which lag behind the processing power and RAM. By a long shot.

You, dear boy, need to take more courses in 21st century hardware. You'd be surprised what's around the corner, you'd be disappointed at how much from ten years ago is still quite adequate to simple, everyday browsing.

I thought the days of under 1000 Watts were gone. Shows what I (don't) know.

For lots of things, including real cooking.

Baking, except for stuff like bigclive's chocolate cake in a cup, is a washout. 

But, dairy and fresh vegetables and corn-starch based puddings and sauces and steamed fish/tofu work out absolutely great.

I use microwave ovens for real cooking, so the weak one (except the real Amana Radarranges) don't catch my eye. I made a point of going down the microwave aisle at Walmart yesterday and, yes, there are 800 and 900 watt ovens. Who'd a thunk it?

When I had my larger Litton and GE, I used to make lasagna, meat loaf, a baked carrot ring, and many other things.  Last summer or the previous spring, I made a zucchini/squash/egg/cheese casserole that was from my GE microwave cookbook from the late 1970s.  My partner couldn't believe something so tasty came out of a microwave.  He thinks defrosting and even reheating most things in a microwave significantly changes the texture and taste.  Then again, the 2nd time I visited him and was cooking something in his OTR microwave and he was watching me, he turned to one of the dogs and said "Daddy Bob is using buttons on the microwave I've never used"  He also claims he cannot defrost in a microwave because the food begins cooking. 

That's how I approach everything I cook (not reheat, cook) in the microwave: It's a steamer.

Once you accept that the Maillard reaction is next to impossible to reach (I didn't say impossible, dah-links, I said next-to) you can work wonders with many foods.

They sure did try in the '70s and '80s though. I think the disasters were the reason so many folks regard these as fancy popcorn makers and food reheaters, period.

Microwave cooking can be very tasty. I look at it the same way as I do cooking foods in a steamer basket in a pressure cooker ('live' steam doesn't carry taste). You're steaming the food.

Here's some microwaved things that taste great:

Chocolate pudding.

Fresh egg omelettes.

Garlic cloves.

Baked apples/pears

Fatty fish.

There's much more. 

Cheese tamales.

Potatoes.

Stuff which needs a crust or development of the Maillard process, of course, doesn't come out well.

For many individual steps in recipes, using a microwave makes a difference between having to watch the food like a hawk and getting reliable results. One of them is 'browning onions until transparent and slightly caramelized'. We  all know that the recipes which say to brown onions and garlic for five minutes are bullsh horse-feathers. It takes at least 20 minutes to brown onions that way and the garlic would long since be burnt and bitter.

If you put the onions in a covered container and nuke them for three minutes first, then put them in hot oil, wow - consistent, predicable delicious results.

Garlic shouldn't be treated like onions, sheesh. No wonder so many people think it's bitter.

Anyway, milk sauces and fish like flounder come out far better in a microwave than 'conventionally'. 

the super underpowered microwave ovens is because we have the power over there to run browners and convection ovens with microwaves.

A 230V circuit at 16amps means you can run a constant 3200 Watts with no difficulty and more for short times.

(And no, I'm not interested in playing the stupid 'but that doesn't count with AC games. The difference comes out to less than 1%).

Here, we're lucky if we can run a 20Amp circuit at the wimpy 120VAC.  Pitiful.

I consider microwaves to be an inferior source of heat for most cooking. Even for steaming veggies, I've found the MW tends to char broccoli buds, which gives them a bitter taste and unpleasant appearance. 

It's OK for microwave popcorn and reheating mostly liquid based foods. I also use the lower power levels on the inverter to warm things like hoagie rolls and burger buns (30% power). A setting of 10% could be used as a keep warm setting (haven't tried that yet, though). 

It's also OK for heating up most prepackaged entrees that are designed for the microwave. Some, though, do poorly, like fried chicken (Swanson's Hungry Man). The problem there is that even with turning the pieces around, bits tend to get overcooked, dried out, tough, while other bits are undercooked. The best stuff has ample moisture in it to start the steaming process instead of singing the food. I've found that for bagged entrees like Fried Rice and Yakitori noodles, cutting a small notch in the face of the bag with scissors, adding a tablespoon or so of tap water, and microwaving with the notched side up, tends to avoid uneven heating and its attendant problems. Otherwise the noodles, rice, or chicken bits can get dry and tough.

Cooking a roast or whole chicken in the microwave? No thanks, been there done that. For rice I prefer the Zojirushi rice cooker, which gives good, consistent results, even on brown rice. For roasting chicken or turkey I prefer the outdoor BBQ/Rotisserie. And for tough cuts the slow cooker or crock pot generally works best. Steaming veggies? Takes less than 10 minutes in a stovetop lidded pan. Often a covered frypan can be used for single pan meals, like stir fry: cook the meat pieces in hot oil until they are browned, remove. Add the sliced veggies (bagged frozen ok too), sear in hot oil, add enough water to steam, before they are al dente add back the meat pieces and any other ingredients that only need heating. Serve of the noodles or rice prepared in advance. Delicious!

No bells and whistles might well be a reason why it lasted so long. I'm a firm believer in this equation:

Features=More Things To Break

LOL

But...shouldn't there be at least be a bell to announce "I'm Done!"? At least, it seems like those ones with mechanical timers had a bell, rather than electronic  beep.

As far getting rid of the Panasonic, it makes sense. I admit...I'm a bit torn on such decisions. I hate throwing things away. I like getting full use out of something. But...it's not like there is a huge shortage of microwaves. And the cost of repair is probably not worth it, unless the microwave is something special.