Panasonic NN-SN65KW Microwave Oven with Inverter Technology, 1200W, 1.2 cu.ft. Small Genius Sensor One-Touch Cooking, Popcorn Button, Turbo Defrost-NN-SN65KW-(White)

Panasonic NN-SN65KW Microwave Oven, Inverter, 1200W, 1.2 cu.ft., Sensor.
Sold by Amazon and shipped by Amazon.

Summary: After 5 weeks of use, I am quite satisfied with this microwave, and I would buy it again. Remove the plastic film on the keypad. The beep can be turned off. Sensor heating works well for me. Illumination is adequate. The door button and door work well. Sound level fine. My previous experience with durability of Panasonic products has been quite good, so I am cautiously optimistic about this microwave.

Protective film on keypad: After you receive the oven and confirm that it runs, remove the protective film that covers the keypad. You can use a piece of tape on the corner of the keypad to pull off the protective film. If you don’t remove the protective film, it will deform gradually because it is relatively soft. Removal instructions are in the manual, on page 24, under “7. Control Panel.”

Keypad: Using the keypad requires pressing with the tip of your finger (not your fingernail) on the centers of numbers or commands. The keypad will not respond to pressing off-center on a number or command. In practice, this has not been a significant problem. Removing the protective film may help.

Beep: When you plug the microwave into an electrical outlet, you will have an opportunity to turn off the microwave’s beep, using instructions on page 11 in the manual. To summarize, press Start twice, then press Timer (More) to cycle between Beep On and Beep Off, and finally press Stop/Reset to confirm the setting. (Here, I skipped over the option to change between Imperial and Metric weight systems.) I leave the beep turned off, yet I notice when the microwave stops running. I sometimes forgot when the beep was audible; perhaps I had beep overload.

Power levels: My oven cycles between power levels every few seconds when I use keypad power level 1 or 2. With sensor heating at higher power levels, the microwave sound includes a low-pitched hum every few seconds. However, the output power doesn’t appear to cycle; water boils at the same rate with or without the hum. Sensor heating works well for me; I mostly use sensor level 8 to cook whole grains in a glass bowl without a lid, to prevent boiling over.

Illumination: The LED doesn’t have a cover to diffuse the light, but the light nonetheless adequately illuminates the food. I had assumed that the gray interior would make viewing food difficult, but that hasn’t been a problem.

Door:
. The door button operates easily and quietly. To close the door silently, I press the door button and gradually release it while I close the door.
. After microwaving, I keep the door open until any condensation on the door has evaporated.
. If the door is opened fully, a spring-loaded detent tries to keep the door open. (Car doors operate in the same manner.) Make sure the door is opened fully before inserting or removing something from the oven, or the detent spring will push the door partly closed.

Thoughts about durability:
. The statement below is printed on the box; I’m not sure how to interpret the second line:
“Manufactured by Panasonic Appliances
Microwave Oven (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
Shanghai, China, MADE IN CHINA”
. The microwave was shipped in the Panasonic box only. Something banged into the box but did not penetrate it; the microwave did not appear to be affected.
. I used my previous Panasonic microwave (model NN-T664SF) for 17 years, until the turntable gearing began to growl occasionally. I had been careful to press the door button while closing the door, to prevent the door from banging shut. I was quite pleased with that microwave and its longevity.

Bought this to replace my 15 year old Panasonic that was beginning to rust. In full disclosure I did not give it the best care. This looked similar and a learning curve with a 90 year old family member is to be avoided. I like it a lot and so far it is great to use. There are some foibles to be aware of, however. This microwave is super, super light weight, easy to unpack and lift up onto a shelf next to my stove. Because it is so light, pushing to open the door or any button moves it backward. I solved this so far by moving it back on the shelf until the attached spacers on the rear hit the wall. It was still enough room to clear the power cord in the power outlet. You may need to rig some sort of spacer or brace if your area is deeper. The auto child lock is annoying but there are clear directions to disable it. Keep them handy. The time display is bright and not fuzzy like my old one. I can see the time display from across my little kitchen. The interior is easier to clean than my old one. The biggest difference is remembering not to cover or seal whatever I’m heating. Don’t seal plastic wrap over the plate or bowl…fold a side back or leave uncovered. You may want to protect against spatters but let the steam out! The reheat button is perfect for single plates and for casseroles. The coffee/milk button reheats coffee perfectly even in a pottery mug. Watch for how your familiar plates react in this oven, my fiestaware gets hot in this one. All in all, I found this microwave very attractive, worth the price I paid, and easy to get it up and running.