Customer Reviews

Cuisinart CMW-100 1-Cubic-Foot Stainless Steel Microwave Oven

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

First, let me address the concerns some reviewers seem to have had with their units. One thing I've noticed is that each and every one was ordered over the internet and, thus, had to be shipped. I think the problem may have been with the delivery service manhandling the package. As it is, this Cuisinart microwave can be had at several specialty retailers (especially those specializing in kitchen and other housewares), so an internet purchase is not always mandatory.

As far as performance is concerned, mine performs as well as any other microwave I've had in the last 15 or so years. Honestly, most microwaves perform roughly on par with others in their respective wattage range. That wasn't always the case, but has become more or less true lately. Oh sure, there are still duds out there, but most are on equal footing with their competitors.

So . . . what exactly sets this microwave apart? In a nutshell, the inside!!! This one has a stainless steel interior! Now that's what I'm talking about! Have you ever had spaghetti or soup "pop" all over the inside of your microwave? If so, then you'll no doubt sympathize with my agony of cleaning dried gunk. Well, thanks to the stainless steel interior this is now a cinch. Have you ever burned popcorn in your microwave? If so, then you'll likely remember that it is impossible to remove all of the brown smoke stains on the inside---and let's not even talk about the smell! Thanks to a stainless steel interior neither smoke stains nor lingering odor will ever be an issue.

As far as the exterior, it comes in an easy-to-clean, trendy stainless steel. Honestly, I'd have bought it if it were available only in black or white---it's the stainless steel interior that I'm after. Today though, stainless steel appliances are in vogue. I'm sure it will pass---remember the black of the 90s, the almond of the 80s, or the avocado green or coppertone (brown) of the 70s? Still, I must say it certainly looks sharp perched up on my countertop (which, by the way, is an out-of-fashion butcher block laminate).

If there's any significant drawback to this unit, it will likely come from the door handle. I've had no problems yet, but it is not a stainless steel handle (it actually LOOKS like chrome). No, the shiny door handle is a heavy plastic. We all know what eventually becomes of plastic parts. I just hope the "chrome" doesn't wear off too soon to reveal the ugly yellow resin beneath.


####Product Update######

I noticed today that it has been almost two years since I bought this microwave oven. I'm happy to say that I use it several times each day and it is still going strong. The imitation chrome handle still looks like chrome!

After 14 months of use, our CMW-100 "died" completely without warning as the Start button was pressed. No display, no light, no fan, no nothing. There was no unusual sound or smell associated with the failure. A little web research disclosed that a blown internal fuse is the most likely cause when a microwave fails this way. I called Cuisinart customer service and as noted in other reviews here, they require you to return the unit to their own repair shop and pay postage both ways. What's worse, they estimated a 4-6 week turnaround time. I found a local shop that wanted $40 to diagnose the problem, plus charges for any parts required and estimated a 2 week turnaround. My reality check was a Best Buy ad this week for a GE 1100 watt 1.1 cubic foot stainless steel unit for $70. That made my decision - too much hassle, inconvenience and expense to resuscitate the Cuisinart. If I couldn't fix it myself, I'd dump it and buy a new, non-Cuisinart microwave.

After using vice grips to remove the two tamper proof screws from the one piece top/side case (interesting that the other 3 screws were normal phillips head screws) an ordinary 20 amp instrument fuse was easily visible and easily accessible on a small circuit board right where the power cord penetrates the back case. Although the fuse looked good, it tested open with a continuity checker. I popped in a replacement (very cheap and easily obtained at any hardware store), put the case back on (substituting 2 extra phillips head screws I happened to have handy for the tamperproof ones) and plugged the unit back in. Good as new!

After 30+ years of buying Cuisinart products, they just lost me as a customer. If the item works well until the warranty expires, no problem. However, I consider their repair-under-warranty requirements entirely unreasonable for a large, relatively heavy (about 35 lbs not counting the box), and fragile item. (1) if they feel they can stand behind this product with a 3 year warranty, they should also be willing to pay postage at least one way; (2) if they expect you to ship it back for repair, they should sell it in a box that is strong enough and has enough cushioning to protect the microwave. I suspect they load these retail boxes in larger containers when shipping them to retailers. They are entirely inadequate for normal, single unit shipping; (3) a 4-6 week repair turnaround is too long an inconvenience for most microwave owners - they should invest in more repair benches and technicians, and (4) they should do what most major appliance manufacturers do - certify factory authorized repair sites all over the country, at least in each state's most populous city so that owners would have the option of delivering items for repair rather than having to mail them back.

Excellent design. Stainless steel interior is a plus. However, after 2 weeks, the turntable started squeaking; no amount of cleaning helped. Also, the door edge chipped, so a corner is very sharp. Cuisinart has terrible, unfriendly customer service. To return it would cost $30 or more S&H, even if the unit is defective they don't pay any shipping. They were not helpful - never have been. This is their first microwave and there are few reviews, if any, so you'll have to hope you don't get a lemon as I did. If it had not malfunctioned (turntable) and chipped I would rave about the ease of use and overall design and give it 5 stars. Too bad it's still in "beta" test stage.

We have several other Cuisinart kitchen products which we've found to be dependable and stylish. We purchased this microwave to complement these items. We brought the microwave home and tried it out; it was five times louder than any other microwave we've had. Sounded like some of the internal stainless steel parts or fan were loose. Called Cuisinart and their customer service was clueless. Wound up taking the microwave back to where we purchased it. Found a GREAT DEAL on a COOKS MICROWAVE/CONVECTION at JC PENNEY on sale for $99.99 (1/2 price). Works great and is so quiet you don't know it's on.

We're on our second one of these and it broke again. On the first one, the digital read-out froze and wouldn't let us actually cook anything. It only worked for about 2 days. This second one just fritzed out yesterday for no reason at all. I was heating something up and 90 seconds in the thing just shut off. The readout went blank and I've tried several outlets and nothing will get this thing back on. We got it off our registry on Bed Bath & Beyond, so thank god we can exchange it. The first time we exchanged it for a new one of the same model. This time I'm going to get something else. I never owned anything from Cuisinart before. Doubtful I ever will again.

PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS! I have only had it for 9 months and it started sparking inside when I would microwave the simplest things (like pasta with butter in a plastic container) I kept using it thinking it was me - and a week later the food CAUGHT ON FIRE! (asparagus/butter in a plastic container) Okay..fine maybe i got a bad microwave. I can handle that. What i can't handle is the fact that CUISINART COULD CARE LESS! The are SOOOO rude on the phone. They wanted ME to pay for shipping both to them and back to me. They said it would take 8 weeks to REPAIR. yes...repair. Um...I don't think i feel safe with repaired microwave that catches food on fire. When I asked for a manager - they were even more rude. When I asked for THEIR manager - he was even worse. He actually told me that I may think I'm number one but there are thousands of other customers who have problems who need attention too. I was asking if they could send me a loaner or a replacement since I have a 9 month old daughter that I am constantly warming up meals for. I couldn't go without a microwave for 8 weeks and I DEFINITELY DIDNT THINK I SHOULD PAY FOR IT. Luckily...Macy's was so shocked by my experience that they let me return the item for a different product even without my receipt. Thank god for macys otherwise I would have been out a lot of money. I WILL NEVER EVER BUY CUISINART AGAIN - What good is a product if the company won't back it.

Like the other reviewers, I agree that this looks nice. There are 2 problems that I found however. One, you can't use the microwave to cook and use the timer simultaneously. This has been an inconvenience on more than one occasion. The other problem is that if the microwave is on a slick counter surface, the force of pulling the door makes the microwave slide off the surface. Annoying.

We received this microwave from our wedding registry. We were thrilled when we got it and it worked fine for 16 months, then one died, I pressed 'start' and it totally shut off. I thought I blew a fuse, but nope everything else around it was still working. I tried other outlets and the thing never turned back on! Just like other people said, it just died on us. I thought cuisinart was reliable but I will NEVER buy that brand again.

This is absolutely the worst MicroWave we've ever owned. Unreliable, have to unplug and replug to reset it. It clanks it bangs, beeps way too loud and the noise it makes rivals the jets taking off from a nearby airport. I'm always afraid of waking my wife at night when I use it. This going in the trash as soon as I can make up my mind on what will replace it.
This is the only Micro I have ever hated!

I've had this microwave for several days now, and it has worked fine.

What's nice:

- Brushed stainless steel exterior is pretty slick looking.

- Stainless interior should be easier to maintain than microwaves that have enameled interiors (just wish the interior surfaces weren't so shiny).

- Door has a refrigerator-type handle, which for some reason I like better than the typical microwave button-press doors.

- Lots of ventilation openings on the microwave = less condensation inside the oven compartment (my old microwave was like a soaked sponge on the inside).

- Loud beeper can be heard over household din (see below).

- First six numeric buttons correspond to "Express Cook" times = one button operation for most of my microwave cooking needs. Can fine tune with "+30 sec" button to make those pizza rolls just right.

- The rest of the buttons are clearly marked and easy to understand.

- Overall operation is reasonably quiet compared to what others have posted here(much quieter than my old microwave).

- Instruction booklet is short, but well written.

What's not so nice:

- As far as I can tell, that loud beep tone cannot be adjusted, so I can see how it would annoy some.

- There is an "AM/PM" button whose sole function appears to be to tell the user if the time displayed is AM or PM - strange. It would have been much handier to have a button that incrementally controls the beeper volume...

- Power is 1,000 watts, and turntable diameter is 12.4" - may be a bit underpowered and smallish for some users.

- Needing to pay for return shipment on warranty repair is not fair. (California residents have a more flexible warranty)

I bought this item assuming that in this case, since Cuisinart is still manufacturing and selling this model, they either tightened quality control or the vast majority of people who own this oven have been happy, and just haven't written "pro" reviews on Amazon.

I will change my review if needed, but so far, so good...