Customer Reviews

Amana 1.4 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave, AMC5143AAS, Stainless Steel

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

(Now 1 year & 5 months later, it has died and not feasible to repair, very disappointed, I'm back to using the 20+ year old one.)

My first Amana Radarange I had for over 20 years(it's still running, but loosing its cooking power). Even though Consumer Report didn't test this product I bought it anyway due to past experience and it came in stainless steel.

It is actually lower wattage than my old one, but it much more powerful. Great space inside, but due to the turntable (that you can't turn off)my rectagular dishes bang around.

I only have one negative: You can't use the kitchen timer feature and use the microwave at the same time like on my old one.

I have had this microwave (Amana 5143aas) for about a month now, after the death of our 30 year old Sharp Carousel. This oven does all I ask of it: reheat coffee, heat soup, frozen dinners, steam vegetables, melt chocolate & butter, all beautifully, quickly and evenly. I prefer the door handle instead of the pushbutton on my old microwave. It has infinite settings, and the only thing it does not have that the Sharp had is a time delayed cook function, but I can easily live without that. It has many functions I have not explored yet, and look forward to. I love the look of the steel exterior, and it is easy to keep clean.

I ordered this microwave oven for my daughter because she 1)needed it and 2) it is American made. I expedited the shipment so that it would be there for Thanksgiving. It got there in a couple of days and was packed very well. The description stated that it could prepare a whole meal and well it did. While we monopolized the regular oven with baking the turkey, most of the other items were prepared in the micro.It worked wonderfully!

This microwave works fine although I miss the power of my last one. The numbers and words are very hard to read...or find.
The entire machine seems flimsy...opening, closing the door, the turning of the glass plate, etc. I would suggest going for
something a little bigger and substantial.

Amana offers no support for their products and their warranty does cover their own manufacturing defects.

I bought this microwave online and it arrived with a manufacturing defect (incorrectly placed screws) that made it impossible to install using the Amana trim kit. I called Amana but they refused to cover the manufacturing defect because they classify it as an "installation issue" since their defect results in an installation problem. They said that despite the fact that these microwaves are being manufactured incorrectly, they don't have to cover it under their warranty.

The second issue is that the manual clearly states that it can be installed in a cabinet next to an oven, but there is a label on the back of the microwave that says it cannot. I called Amana to find out which label is right and which is wrong, but they said that they don't offer any support for their products and they can't give any clarification on which one is a misprint.

I've never had an experience with a company that is so unwilling to support their products. I will never buy an Amana product again.

Purchased this Amana microwave in July 2010. Last week it died. The microwave still works but it does not heat. Paid close to $200.00 for it. E-mailed Amana but got the response "We value you as a customer (LOL) BUT we cannot help you." Gave me two numbers to call and both were useless. Figured it would cost me just as much to repair it so I threw the piece of junk out into the garbage this morning. This Amana model replaced a Sharp Carousel (which was destroyed by a power/surge outage on my street). Otherwise, the Sharp would probably still be working (owned 2 microwaves in my life and both were long lasting Sharp Carousel models). Purchased a new Sharp microwave yesterday so I am crossing my fingers. I will review it when it is a few years old and not a few weeks old.

We got this microwave in January 2011. It has now been repaired 3 times! It was repaired yesterday for the third time. It only worked for 20 minutes and died again. After calling Amana again and asking for a replacement, I was told that this product doesn't have a replacement warranty. (Way to stand behind your product, Amana!) Also, they can't schedule a repair person to come out for 6 days from now. This happened last week too. The microwave blew out and it took a week before repair people could come out. This unit has now had 3 different parts replaced and still doesn't work at less than a year old! I would give it lower than one star if I could.
Keep in mind that Amana is owned by Whirlpool and also owns Kitchen Aid too. So review ALL of their products before buying since they won't replace a lemon product.

If parts of this review look like another for this product, I've modified it for my own purposes. I've had this microwave (Amana 5143AAS) for almost six weeks now, after the death of a Sharp Carousel (R-409AK) which I inherited from my mother. This oven has so far done everything that the not-so-old Sharp did, plus having display numbers that continue to work, unlike those on the Sharp, that ceased to work after 5 years. I particularly like being able to easily reduce cooking power by a consistent amount. I've discovered how much more powerful the Amana is than the Sharp and can continue the Sharp cooking times that I got used to. The sensor controls are not of much use, which was a waste of money, when they generally undercook and have to be supplemented with extra, manually timed, cooking. I've so far been pleased with the rest, including the door handle which replaces the Sharp opener button. For me the REAL test will be passed if the oven upholds the Amana reputation for durability. I expect the oven to hold up faithfully for AT LEAST 10 years. If it doesn't, I'll include a scathing review of it when I review the product I buy to replace it, just as I have with the Sharp Carousel in this review.

I'm considering buying this microwave. One of the issues I'm having is that no where, either in these reviews or on the manufacturer's website can I discover if the interior is also stainless steel. Our current Amana Touchmatic II Radarange was bought in 1983 and has a stainless steel interior. The only reason I need to replace it is because, unknown to me, some liquid got spilled on the microwave's interior sill located under the door when closed and when the microwave was turned on the next time the liquid caused the plastic inner part of the door frame to get a spot melted into it. I discovered it when I smelled burning plastic and discovered a hole in the frame at the bottom of the door. I bought a tester for microwave leakage some time ago at Radio Shack. It showed there was some leakage from the door. An appliance repair shop is looking for a replacement part, but it may be unavailable, even though inventory indicates otherwise. If I can have it repaired I'll donate it in repaired condition. Otherwise it will need to be disposed of.

One of the problems I have with Amana is current quality, which I hope to circumvent by spending more on the replacement. Advertisers have become quite creative in hiding details, such as whether a microwave has a stainless steel interior, rather than a cosmetic stainless steel exterior, and that indicates that quality has deteriorated from previous models. For instance we have an Amana Caloric gas range. There are painted portions on the oven, and the paint has peeled off, additionally warping the plastic vents at the back of the oven, where parts are made of plastic and the oven gets that part of the exterior quite hot, especially when the self-clean function is used. Of course this is all a part of the scam of the government printing money that loses its value leading to the tendency of manufacturers to cheapen their products while at the same time attempting to make them appear better than before.

One bit of quality built into our 35 year-old microwave is that whatever process they used to apply a wood-look painted finish has held up so it looks much the same as when it was new. On the other hand many current day microwaves have this type of exterior glued on with what seems to be much like shelf stick-on covering, and of course that peels off in short order.

I would sure appreciate if anyone who reads this could indicate whether this model has a stainless steel interior.