Customer Reviews

Panasonic NN-SD297S 2-Cubic Foot 1200-Watt Stainless Steel Oven, Stainless

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I consider buying a kitchen appliance to be risky. The cost and labor involved to install means I am going to be stuck with whatever decision I make for years--unless I really mess up and have to replace it early. So I researched this purchase to death.

I replaced a worn out GE microwave/convection oven. Based on its performance and how we actually used the microwave, I decided to forget about any of the convection/speed cooking "bells and whistles" currently being offered. These features significantly increase the costs of the product, I question whether the features truly perform as marketed, and I am not sure they add value to our family. I decided to focus on (1) even microwave cooking, (2) convenience, and (3) aesthetics. That led me to this Panasonic model.

I am quite happy with this microwave. It isn't perfect, but it is a significant upgrade compared to our previous model.

The installation was easy, and instructions were good. I used my own longer screws to connect the bracket to the studs, but I am sure those provided are sufficient.

The microwave says "Genius" on the control panel. Genius may be a stretch but it has its strong points. Maybe it should say "Honors Student" or "Professor". The Sensor Reheat function works very well. Take something--anything--out of the fridge, put it in the oven, press Sensor Reheat, press Start, and it heats it very evenly without any thought by the user. My high school son, who is critical of almost everything at this stage in his life, uses this feature all the time. He recently said, "This is a serious upgrade," as he took his afternoon snack out of the oven. (I'd jokingly say that praise from him is as scarce as a Nobel Prize.)

The Inverter Turbo Defrost hasn't done a perfect job for me, but it gets the job done. Maybe a B, maybe B- grade. I defrosted 5 frozen half chicken breasts, following directions per owner's manual, including a rest period afterwards. The first problem is that the Inverter Turbo Defrost feature will not work unless the turntable is operating. A 9x13 baking dish fits into the oven, but it is too large to use with the turntable activated. So, it was difficult for me to spread out the chicken breasts. I packed the chicken into a 9x7x2.5 baking dish and it worked... but not completely evenly. Some frost and some signs of being actually cooked. Same results with other scenarios, but not as pronounced. It is still a valuable tool, but to fully execute a near-perfect defrost, I'd have to use power level and time manually, or maybe divide the frozen food into two batches. (Feeding my family a half-sized entree is not acceptable.)

The sensor cook feature... I have never been a fan of a microwave oven having a set list of items that it can cook with a push or two of button(s). What about the items that **I** want to prepare? It has "hot dog" and "frozen pocket sandwich," but doesn't have "burrito". ;-) Maybe a burrito is #6, "frozen entree"? Well, it appears to be across the industry, so no use complaining. The popcorn feature works perfectly. i tried the rice option, and wasn't happy, but I might have done something wrong. We've observed what it is doing with power level and time and manually cooked things like the famous blue box of macaroni and cheese, etc., with very acceptable results. Lots of other possibilities here for a person to learn from the auto settings and copy using the manual capabilities, but I'd like to be able to program the 18 numbers myself.

One point... Panasonic attempts to make extensive use of lower power levels with its "automatic" features. So... it may take a relatively long time to cook something using sensor cook. I think the trade off is worth it in many situations, as the food is cooked quite evenly. Sometimes, a person may want to just "nuke" the item. This microwave cooks faster on full power than my previous microwave.

Another point... As I mentioned, the term "Genius" is on the control panel. But let's explore what a genius would do if a person handed them food and wanted it cooked. Would the genius ask each person how much the item weighed, time and time again? I think a genius would get a scale and weigh the items so he/she wouldn't have to ask each person. Wouldn't it be great if the microwave had an internal scale and didn't prompt the user for the weight?

Much of the work on the control panel is accomplished by turning the knobs. I was hesitant, at first. But it isn't a problem. I can no longer set the time for 22 seconds, as the scale jumps as you increase the time. For example, to get to 20 seconds, you turn the dial 12 "steps". 1-10 are one second apart, then the steps are five seconds apart. When you get to a minute, the steps are ten seconds apart, and so on. Whatever... it's different than a keypad but it works.

One feature that surprised me, and I really like? The sensor/menu, time/weight and start controls illuminate when they can be used in whatever process you are working on. When the start button can be pressed, a little blue light next to it lights up. Seems silly, but the control panel layout and lighting makes operation in the dark work just fine.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with this microwave. It is hard to believe that something that cooks food this evenly, looks this good and looks this solid is offered at this price. I think it is a steal given its abilities.

When researching microwaves, my criteria was 1. The most powerful fan I can get in an over-the-range microwave and 2. Looks decent and the basics work. Unfortunately it only does one of those.

I do a lot of cooking and basically only use microwaves for reheating leftovers and melting butter, so I thought this would be a no-brainer purchase. It's tied with a Samsung unit for the most CFM, but I've had good experiences with past Panasonic microwave, and I liked the look of the big dials (instead of tacky membrane keyboards) so I jumped on it.

It was a bit of a pain in the butt to install, but that's expected from any over the hood range. It's powerful and cooks well, and the stove hood is about as good as I could expect from one of those; still not great, but better than average. It's quiet for how much air it moves. The knob is really easy and fast to use.

There are three really basic things that are wrong with this over-the-range hood:

1. You can't use the timer while it's cooking and vice versa. Really? My $40 no-name microwave I bought at a drugstore checkout could do this. As could my parents' 1970s Radarange. So if you have a timer for your thanksgiving turkey going and you need to use the microwave for any of the other dishes, you'll have to cancel the timer and track how much time is left yourself.
2. The light underneath the microwave is very dim. Much dimmer than the inexpensive GE that it replaced, and much dimmer than the undercabinet lights in my kitchen.
3. The window in the door is tinted so dark that it's very difficult to see inside.

Honestly, if it didn't mean getting a new bottom for the cabinet (that is now too holed up to hold a different microwave) and all the hassle of removing it, I'd probably return it.

This micro had great reviews when we were making our purchase decision. We felt good making the purchase given the good housekeeping seal. 10 months after purchase the micro kept shutting off. To make a very long and time consuming story short, today was our 4th repair appointment. Basically everything has been replaced over the 4 different service calls. I could have bought 2 microwaves for the time I have spent waiting on service people to show up. We are disappointed that panasonic has not replaced the unit.

This microwave oven replaces a GE XL super 1860 whatever, made by Samsung by the way, that died of a broken magnetron on it's SECOND day.

I love the variable power as opposed to the of/on recycling to imitate lower cook levels. This unit's 4 speed fan is more powerful that big box store's over-range vents.

To get the most from this unit DO read and understand the manual.

We LOVE this microwave. We owned a stand-alone Panasonic years ago. When we purchased out home, it came with a built-in GE microwave that recently started to make too much noise. Remembering our old Panasonic, we purchased this one and could not be happier! It is VERY powerful and very quite! If heating instructions say heat for 10-12 minutes, I would go for 9 on this microwave!

This microwave was great until about 1 year after purchase when one thing after another started going wrong. Now it won't cook at all and the warranty is up (1 year warranty). What a piece of junk.

Great oven less watts than my last oven, but seems to cook faster & more evenly? I wish the settings were labeled in another way? Very had to see the black writing on the stainless.

I love this product, and the shipment was so fast, i ordered another product from this seller. same result, excellent!!!

This was a replacement for a Panasonic Microwave I'd had about 7 years and really liked. This one has the new control panel with the two rotary dials which I have come to really like. The unit installed on my existing mounting brackets and I only had to relocate a hole in the cabinet to accommodate the power cord (different location on the new unit). This is the only unit I have found that has 1200 watts and uses inverter technology. I like the way it looks and runs. Keep it up Panasonic.

I finally got rid of our old Panasonic microwave (21 yrs and still working!) when we remodeled our kitchen. Of course our new microwave had to be a Panasonic too. It works great and I have not been disappointed yet. The panel knobs and settings are easy to use as the light beside the button flashes prompting you to know what to press next. Fan is not too loud, even when you use Turbo / Super. Exterior looks are sophisticated matching my brand new kitchen!