Customer Reviews

Panasonic NN-SD277WR 2-Cubic-Foot 1200-Watt Microwave Oven, White

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Length:: 3:17 Mins

I decided to film a short video describing this microwave rather than type out my full review.

Bottom line... I love the inverter magnetron which cooks at an even level of power rather than cycling 100% power. My only dislike is around the kitchen timer which doesn't keep beeping when it's done and won't allow you to use the microwave while it's counting.

Overall I do recommend this oven.

Install: Item is actually alot lighter than i had thought. Im a average size guy - 6'2 228lbs.. and picked up/mounted it no problem. The directions were clear, and precise. While i do appreciate the template, it was obsolete as im fairly sure my house was NOT built to code.. OF COURSE. i had to get creative with mounting it.
If you use the template instructions, its easy.. but even if you cant - as long as you understand the general idea of "mounting heavy item needs screws into studs" you should be fine. After i mounted the bracket, i cut the exsisting wires that went to the previous fan/light and then connected my own wire set. I fished that up thru a hole i bored in the back of the cabinet and pulled it thru to the cabinet above the stove. Wired it up to a box/socket, placed micro on bracket, lead power cord up to socket and BAMO! we have a mounted, powered microwave.

Looks: Beautiful. It wasnt even mounted when friends had said it was a very nice looking unit. (hey - we are remodeling our kitch on a budget.. )

Functions: I am blown away. the description on line was an understatement. TURBO FAN???? light, and NIGHT LIGHT DIMMER, and i absolutely LOVE the dial. u want a to control the minutes - no problem.. u wanna kick it up and jump ahead to advance minutes or pounds? just spin the dial faster and it will pull it up. VERY easy and i love the push button idea of it. u dont want the dial sticking out - push it in and it will hide away.

Other functions and space: wow- it came with a slide in rack??? i can microwave a whole boat load of stuff. I could literally stick 2 of our old microwaves inside the cooking area of this bad boy..

Inverter turbo defrost: just that.. i mean the first time i saw this in action was at a friends house. 1lb of meat perfectly defrosted in about 3 minutes??? wow.. AND i LOVEEEE that when meat is half way done defrosting, it will BEEP to notify u that u need to flip it over.

Sound: not too bad at all. alot quieter than our other microwave.. the turbo speed fan is kinda loud, but if u need to evacuate smoke from the area - its your best friend.

Display: easy to read, bright.

There were no reviews when i had purchased this item.. i knew it was coming because i had called Panasonic and asked why they sold similar items in canada but not US.. the rep just stated "next month we will have a series coming out that will be incredible. if you can wait, we d make sure you enjoy the micro".
Also - what i had learned is microwaves cook at 75% power some of the time, and than switches to a significantly lower power rating.. this micro goes at 60%, 100% of the time.
Its just incredible!

Value: fantastic. go out and find a microwave that has as many features, that is over the range, and a rack, and everything else and tell me the price. u WILL NOT FIND IT NEAR THIS PRICE. GO BUY THIS UNIT!!!!

For many years, I owned a countertop Panasonic microwave oven and it worked flawlessly. I didn't need a countertop microwave anymore when I moved to a new house that had an over-the-range (OTR) microwave. This was about ten years ago. Since that time, I really missed the size, power and reliability of the Panasonic, so when it was time to buy a new OTR microwave, I shopped around and looked at almost every brand, and was happy to see that Panasonic made an OTR microwave.

I must say that I am a deliberate shopper for almost anything. I research everything and look for quality, reliability and, of course, price. I read expert and consumer reviews from many sites, including Amazon. I looked at OTR microwaves in the $200-300 price range from brands such as GE, LG, Kenmore, Panasonic, Whirlpool, etc. The Panasonic was just plain nicer than any of the others. It was also larger and more powerful than most. The Amazon price, which I thought was extremely low compared to other retailers, was almost too good to be true. Plus, I knew from past experience that Panasonic microwaves were built to last and perform. So the decision turned into a no-brainer for me.

First, let me tell you that the Panasonic was a breeze to install. Despite having a large 2 cubic foot cooking space, it was not overly heavy. In fact, it weighed less than the much smaller unit it was replacing. However, I would recommend that 2 people install it just to be safe.

There are several ways for the exhaust to work and I suggest you read the excellent manual that comes with the oven before you install the thing or you may have to take it down to adjust it for your particular situation. I have a rear exhaust so that required me to remove the fan blower cover (3 screws) and rotate the blower motor 90 degrees (then screw the cover back on). Then I had to put some covers over where the blowers used to be aimed (easy--1 screw each). It also required a simple cut out of the rear exhaust hole on the back of the microwave (the metal is already crimped there and you just need some utility shears and a pair of pliers to remove the thin metal covers).

Once that was complete, Panasonic provides a paper template so that you can figure out where to put the holes in the wall for the screws that hold the mounting plate in place. (You can also just put the mounting plate against the wall and do it that way, but the template was pretty decent especially if you are using rear exhaust like me). Don't just assume you can use the holes from your prior microwave if you are replacing it. In any event, you want to obviously screw the mounting plate into studs if possible. Even though the microwave will hang via screws from the upper cabinets in most situations, you still want that back mounting plate as secure as possible. If you can't get it mounted to all studs, Panasonic provides some drywall winglock anchors too.

After the mounting plate is installed, the oven slides onto the pull out mounting glides on either side. The second person should then support the oven (just to be safe) while the 2 top mounting screws are installed through the upper cabinets. And that's it--your done!

The manual that comes with the oven is excellent. I skimmed it in about 10 minutes and was ready to do just about everything. The thing that you will notice right away about this oven is that it doesn't have a numeric keypad. Instead, it uses a push out dial. I like the dial a lot. My wife was skeptical at first but even she likes it now. Push it and it pops out. Turn it slowly to add seconds, a little faster for 10 second intervals and a little faster still for minute intervals. It's just so easy and fast. Then hit start. For a quick hit, it does have a 1 minute button. Push it 2 times and you get 2 minutes--you get the idea. This is what I use all the time since I am always heating things in 1-3 minute time periods. It also has other push buttons for popcorn (haven't tried it yet), fan speed (see below), power level, etc. So you aren't using the dial for everything.

This oven has 5 fan speeds! Most in this price range have 2 or 3. The "super" and "turbo" are the highest and I don't really think you need them too often. Their pretty loud too but biy are they powerful. The "high" setting is what I use most often and it works great and is quiet as well.

There are 2 light settings--"on" and "night". Pretty standard but the lights on this thing work a lot better than the lights on my previous oven.

The power of this oven is quite evident. It is not overly loud, nor overly quiet. But it does heat food quickly and evenly which is what I think everyone wants in their microwave oven.

All in all, I would highly recommend this Panasocic OTR microwave oven. From its size, quality construction, handsome look, extensive features, ease of installation and stellar performance, you really cannot go wrong. Since I have only had it about a week (but have used it everyday since), I may update this review in a few months if there is anything else to add.

I bought the Panasonic microwave to replace a GE space saver microwave which died. Installation wasn't as easy as I would have hoped. For some reason, Panasonic located the cord near the front of the microwave, so I had to drill a new hole through the cabinet for it. Had I bought another GE microwave the existing hole would have worked. The other problem with having the cord where it is is it somewhat reduces the space in the cabinet.

It is a very good microwave. It is very powerful compared to my old microwave. The defrost mode is a little too powerful for its own good some of the time. It does an excellent job reheating food, the lower power levels work well.

This microwave also has a very powerful fan which works very well.

This is an excellent microwave at an exceptionally good price, as other reviews have said.

I'd like to relate my experience installing it. I had a 17 year old Panasonic above-the-range microwave, and it stopped working after years of reliable service. So I thought I would replace it with a new Panasonic microwave, in the hopes that the installation would be straightforward. This was mostly the case. The mounting bracket was different, and the mounting holes in the cabinet above were different, but the exhaust fan ducting and electical outlet were exactly the same. So all I had to do was unscrew the old bracket and drill a few new mounting holes. This worked great. The mounting bracket on the new microwave is inferior to the old in its construction. The old microwave slid in and out easily on its fairly robust mounting bracket, but the new bracket got jammed inside the unit several times during the "lift microwave and slide it onto the brackets" phase. It really got jammed and required considerable jiggling and force to get it to "slide on". The Panasonic engineers really ought to do a redesign of the bracket. What I recommend for purchasers is that they try sliding the bracket in and out of the back of the microwave several times, before the bracket is mounted on the wall. Bend it a little to make sure it slides easily. Eventually I got it onto the bracket, and all is well. I'm very happy with it.

I owned a original Genius from 1985 until now- it still ran fine but the exhaust fan stopped working. I ordered this Genius hoping it might last longer than other companies new models. My old model weighed about 30lbs more than this one.
I loved our old Genius but this one as far as exhaust fan power , overall power of the microwave its much more powerful , in every aspect. The turbo fan feature just about sucks up dirt off the floor. The unit is very quiet - does things in slightly over half the time the old model did. I also love the night light feature- very clever.

Install was simple just had to move the fans to exhaust out the rear - simple three screws removal and flip the fans and put them back in took me about five minutes total. About a half hour to get it mounted and running.

If something gets stuck going around the carasel it reverses direction automatically. You can also reverse it manually. Love the -quick minute- feature too. My only issue is the same issue we had with our older model the door stick when you press the door release. I'll figure out how to fix it but its minor. Overall really nice microwave powerful- fast- and clean looking.

My wife and I love this microwave. I've owned at least 5 others starting from the 1970's when they first came out and were very expensive. All off the others were OK at heating food but you had to be careful or you would get burned or hardened areas on your food and/or cold spots. To the contrary, this oven cooks as we wished microwave ovens would have worked from the start: evenly and fast.

The Sensor reheat and sensor cook functions are spectacularly effective. Popcorn pops perfectly. I like the controls and without a numeric keypad there is now much less beeping in the kitchen.

I love that the microwave does not continually nag about food left in it after heating even though some have complained about that. I don't need an appliance to be my boss or nag me while I'm on the phone or speaking to somebody at the door.

I don't care if I can't use my oven as a 3-dollar kitchen timer when I cook. Besides, I can't tell you how many times I started up previous microwaves and then dimly realized that it had been counting down before I pressed Start. "Oh, were you timing something, my dear?" The reply, "Yes, I WAS!". Well, when people are too dumb to use a feature (like me) it is best to eliminate the feature so "problem solved".

This appliance looks attractive to me, but keeping it clean and print-free is a chore. I prefer a white microwave but my wife wanted black and so black it is. Sadly, the plastic seems easy to scratch but that may be a common problem with black. It had some marring right out of the box where it had rubbed on the styrofoam in transit. It was easy to polish out with PlastX.

There are many sharp edges on the mounting plate so be careful not to cut your fingers during installation. If I had had some emery paper on hand during the install I would have knocked down all those razor sharp edges on the mounting plate. Once installed it is not a problem, but I think those ultra sharp edges are a common area of manufacturer safety negligence evident in many modern appliances.

That gripe aside, this is an awesome microwave. Looks nice, easier than most to install (because it is light), cooks evenly, defrosts like magic, has variable blower fan power from low to gale force wind, and the cooktop light actually makes enough light to see what's on the cooktop. I like this oven and recommend it.

I had another model Panasonic over-the-range microwave that lasted 6 years and, after daily use, had to be replaced. I looked at other microwave brands and their features, but came back to Panasonic. The Sensor Reheat and Sensor Cook features save keystrokes and take the guesswork out of programming. So far, I haven't had to put something back in that wasn't hot enough, and haven't overcooked anything using these features. I much prefer the new dial to the old number keypad. One quick turn, and you are at the number you want. With the old keypad, I would occasionally miss a zero, and cut my cooktime short, or worse yet, add a zero unintentionally. I haven't tried the Keep Warm feature yet, but thought it was a great idea. Some microwaves have larger turntables, but this is a decent size oven. There is plenty of fan power, and a timer feature, so that you don't have to come back and turn it off. I prefer this push button door latch over handles that you have to yank. And the keypads are laid out nicely on the display. The unit looks sharp. And, it has Inverter technology.

My 21 year old GE OTR microwave finally bit the dust just before Christmas. I had replaced a counter top microwave in our travel trailer a few years ago with a Panasonic Inverter and loved it, so I was eager to install the OTR above my range. Amazon shipped it quickly, but I didn't plug it in to check it out before I installed it. As soon as it was installed, I hit the power button and it blew an internal 18 amp fuse. I called the authorized Panasonic Service Center that they referred me to, and they wanted for me to bring it to them. I reminded them that my first 12 months was supposed to be "in home service", and they sheduled me for a couple of days later. I also told them that a quick internet check indicated that the 18 amp fuse is often the problem, and suggested that they bring one with them.

When the technician arrive, he discovered that the fuse was blown (surprise!), and of course he didn't have one. He robbed the fuse from the old GE in the trash can and installed it in the Panasonic. When he pressed the start button it blew the second fuse. He then decided that the inverter was the problem, and of course he didn't have one, but would order one in the "next day or two".

A week later I called the service center. They told me that the inverter had arrived the day before, but they were "busy" and couldn't come out and install it until 2 days later. To speed up the process, I uninstalled the unit.

The guy came out and replaced the inverter. He reported to me that he had both good news and bad news. The good news was that the oven now works without blowing the fuse. The bad news was that the oven won't shut off unless you unplug it. He wanted to take the oven to his shop and work on it when he had time. I told him to forget it. I sent the oven back to Amazon and they shipped another to me right away. So far it works perfectly.

One more comment. The mounting system for this new unit is far inferior to the mounting system on my old GE. The arms that stick into the back of the oven to support it need to be bent in the perfect position for the oven to slide onto them. It's pretty frustrating getting it positioned, and I certainly don't know why Panasonic designed the power cord to come out of the oven in the front. I've never seen a cabinet above a microwave with the plug in the front.

I'll try to remember to update this review after a few months to indicate how the replacement oven is doing. I really like the inverter technology. Thawing frozen food is great with the turbo defrost, and the sensor works great too.

This microwave works well. If it lasts 10 years like our GE spacemaker - then I would say it is a great buy. The quality and engineering is excellent.
Pros: 1) Closing and opening the door doesn't make nearly as much noise as the GE 2) Quieter operation when cooking 3) The range light can be dimmed (nice night light) 4) Defrosts more evenl5) 2.0 cu feet is nice when you need it 6) Intuitive operation -just turn the knob to necessary time & press start.
Cons: None