Panasonic Prestige NN-SD688S, 1.2-Cubic Foot 1300 Watt Sensor Microwave Oven, Stainless Steel

by Panasonic

Product Features

• Inverter Technology for even cooking and delivering delicious flavor and Inverter Turbo Defrost for quick defrosting
• 1300 Watts of High Power; One-Touch Genius Sensor Cook and Reheat for automatic cooking settings and even Keep Warm feature
• 13 1/2" turntable; Delay Start and Timer; More/Less Control; Quick Minute, Popcorn Key
• Measures 15 15/16" (D) x 20 3/8" (W) x 11 7/8" (H), 25.3 lbs., Stainless steel face
• Please note: upper left-corner door has a small indentation to allow the door to open smoothly and is completed at the factory.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 16 x 20.5 x 12 inches ; 30.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 32 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B001V7R5I6
• Item model number: NN-SD688S
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (141 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #778 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)
  • #3 in Kitchen & Dining > Small Appliances > Microwave Ovens > Countertop Microwave Ovens

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

With a 1-1/5-cubic-foot capacity and 1300 watts of power, this family-size microwave oven provides quick and easy meal preparation. The unit's automatic 13-1/2-inch turntable ensures even heating, while its one-touch sensor cooking adjusts power levels and calculates cooking times automatically, making reheating and cooking a variety of foods easier than ever. In addition, the microwave's interactive multi-lingual screen with four-digit readout and push-button control panel with a pop-out dial ensure simple programming. Other highlights include a popcorn key, 10 power levels, Inverter Turbo Defrost technology for even defrosting without cooking, keep-warm mode, delay start and timer, more/less control, quick minute, and stop/start buttons. The countertop microwave oven measures 16 by 20-3/8 by 11-7/8 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.

Product Description

Panasonic has collaborated with the "Culinary Institute of America" to prepare recipes that can be used in a microwave. You can bring that certified master chef skills out with this family size 1.2 cuft capacity microwave. This oven offers Panasonic patented "Inverter" Technology that offers linear cooking the prevents overcooking on the edges and surfaces and gives juicer and tender food every time. The NN-SD688S offers 1300 watts of high cooking power, while its on-touch sensor cook / reheat calculates times automatically, making cooking a variety of food easier than ever. Programming dial for quick programming, Inverter Turbo Defrost technology, 10 Power Levels, Popcorn Key, Keep Warm mode, Delay start, Timer, Quick Minute, 13 1/2" Turntable, beautiful half-mirror door and More/Less Control. The countertop microwave oven measures 20 3/8" W x 15 15/16" D x 11 7/8" H and weights only 25 lbs. Stainless Steel face with a silver wrap finish. PLEASE NOTE: UPPER LEFT-CORNER DOOR HAS A SMALL INDENTATION TO ALLOW THE DOOR TO OPEN SMOOTHLY AND IS COMPLETED AT THE FACTORY.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

133 of 134 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unreadable Display but Otherwise Excellent, February 4, 2010

By 

Richard Wimpress "Rick Wimpress" (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic Prestige NN-SD688S, 1.2-Cubic Foot 1300 Watt Sensor Microwave Oven, Stainless Steel (Kitchen)

Overall this is an excellent microwave, but with a few caveats:

1) I had read other reviews regarding the unreadability of the display on this and similar Panasonic microwaves, but didn't fully appreciate the problem until it was set up on my counter top. The display is unreadable above 45 degrees from the horizontal, which means that at arm's length to operate the controls, you must bend over to see the display. My solution, which was to build a stand to raise the top of the microwave up to the bottom of the cabinets, made the display high enough to be (barely) readable while standing up, but is probably not acceptable to a lot of people. Panasonic should have caught this in testing and provided a flip-up display that could be adjusted to the installation.

2) Also as mentioned in some of the other reviews, the door release button requires so much force (at least when new) that the unit will skid across the counter-top unless you hold it with your other hand. Mine is mounted in the corner, where it has some stability, but it is still marginal.

3) This unit replaced a Panasonic in which the touch-pad controls died, and the buttons here are indeed logical and have a good solid feel to them. It does take some time to learn programming without a touch-pad, but that shouldn't be an overall issue in your decision.

4) Panasonic could do themselves a favor by better explaining the benefits of the terms Turbo, Inverter, and Sensor, as this microwave indeed performs very, very well after you get over some of the other problems.

75 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars fast, but display is a nightmare and touchpad/buttons are poor, March 16, 2010

By 

24601 (seattle) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic Prestige NN-SD688S, 1.2-Cubic Foot 1300 Watt Sensor Microwave Oven, Stainless Steel (Kitchen)

This microwave is fast fast fast. It cooks items in 40 seconds that our old microwave took a minute to cook (and the old one was not bad at all!). The only two problems are: 1. the display is absolutely impossible to see unless you are at eye level to it. So if you are putting this on a high shelf or your eye level is twelve inches above your counter, you will have no problem seeing it., and 2. the buttons or touch screen is annoying -- you often have to touch it two or three times to register the contact. If I had not opened it and used it already, I would have returned it, even considering the speed of the oven. I would definitely purchase a different microwave.

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just a Couple Flaws, January 26, 2010

By 

Franz Metcalf (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic Prestige NN-SD688S, 1.2-Cubic Foot 1300 Watt Sensor Microwave Oven, Stainless Steel (Kitchen)

Four pluses, two minuses.

First, this is a seriously powerful oven. Second, it looks almost elegant--especially for a microwave. Third, the Panasonic inverter technology definitely helps in thawing evenly. For me, this practically eliminates all microwaves but Panasonics from consideration. Fourth, I like the dial.

Okay, now for the troublesome issues. First, as others have remarked for this and similar Panasonics: what on earth were the designers thinking with the awful display? Standing at normal height, you cannot read the display when you are close to the oven. Like, oh, say, when you are trying to USE it. I say I love the dial, but to use the dial to set a time, I need to bend over to counter height. That is simply astoundingly bad design. My five foot two wife has the same problem. Looks great from across the room, though. Second, so far when I've used the reheat sensor it has heated up my soup and tea until it is boiling. Perhaps this is operator error, but I'm not *that* dim a bulb. If I find the error of my ways I'll revise this review.

Still in all, a solid feeling product that does the job with a bit of style.