Customer Reviews

Sanyo EM-S6588S 1-Cubic-Foot Microwave Oven, Stainless Steel

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I bought this after doing a ridiculous amount of research on microwaves. I'd had a GE Spacesaver microwave for 12 years and when it died, I first checked out Consumer Reports. It gave good ratings to GE, Panasonic, Sears, and Sanyo. I went to look at all but the Sanyo (there were none in my town.) And then I checked out the reviews here, on the Sears and BestBuy sites, and elsewhere. It seems the Consumer Reports doesn't consider service records in any category but automobiles, so its recommendations are of limited value.

EVERYONE complained about the GEs, and the salesperson at BestBuy said that they get a lot of returns and repairs. He said GE sold their small appliance division and the stuff isn't that good anymore. I really wanted to buy such a large item locally to avoid problems getting a repair. But the reviews of the GE, Panasonic, and Sears models I was interested in were just awful (go look for yourself.)

So I bought the Sanyo. It had the least bad reviews. The delivery from Amazon was a breeze and it is a beautiful appliance. It is much quieter than my old oven. It seems to work well (but it's just a day old!) It is small, but so was my old one (although with the turntable, this will hold less, I think.)

But the user interface/keypad is just ridiculous. That seems like such a stupid mistake to make. My old oven went on for 1 to 6 minutes if you just pressed one of those numbers. That was very convenient. This oven won't do that. You have to press the full time and then start. Also, if you want to change the power, you have to scroll through ALL the power levels from 10 down. That is ridiculous! Why not let you enter the level on the key pad?? So far I have used two of the automatic settings: beverage (which wasn't hot enough to make tea) and Plate, to reheat lunch, which seemed fine. It seems sturdy and as I mentioned, it is quiet. I'll come back and report if I have any problems, but SANYO: IF YOU READ THESE REVIEWS, get a better, more versatile user interface!

UPDATE: OK, now I've owned the microwave for two weeks. I have to agree that it is a little underpowered. I have to use more time than I did in my tiny, ancient GE to heat soup, beverages. Also the defrost function takes way too long. Finally, I've learned the hard way that you cannot use the timer at the same time you use the oven. This is a big problem when you are cooking dinner, and again, it is something that my old microwave could do. Also, if you want seconds instead of minutes on the timer, you have to start with 00 since it assumes minutes.

It still seems solidly constructed and it is nice to look at.

UPDATE #2: I've now had the product for over a month. Although I still think it's a little underpowered, I had an appliance repairman here for something else and he tested it for me. The test is that a microwave should be able to increase the temperature of exactly a quart of water 30 degrees in two minutes. This raised it 26 degrees, which he said is within range.

I'm still happy with the looks and the quiet operation. Still very unhappy with the user interface and the fact that you cannot use the timer and microwave at the same time. Also, when the timer or microwave goes off, it only beeps once. So if you are absent-minded (as I tend to be) you can forget. My old microwave beeped every 30 seconds until you opened it, or turned off the timer. I liked that feature and miss it.

One last concern: last week, for no reason (there was no power outage) the clock just went off. I was able to reset it but that concerns me, as others have commented that it doesn't last. I will update if further problems arise.

UPDATE #3: Well, I am a year into owning this now. It's still underpowered. The controls still drive me batty (particularly the power set problem) and now it has a noticeable bubble in the keypad over the 2. I don't have long fingernails, I don't use abrasives. It's just worn after light usage (1-2 times a day) for 11 months. Really disappointed in this product over all.

UPDATE #4: Now it's almost two years old and it's still working fine. As noted below, the "bubble" was a thin film that I removed and the keypad looks fine, no problems. All the other complaints about the power level and control remain the same, but overall I have found it to be a useful microwave at a good price. And still nice looking.

Bought this microwave to sit on the kitchen counter. Wanted stainless steel finish, wanted mid-size unit, wanted turntable, wanted enough interior volume to hold a dinner plate. This fits the bill on all counts and we like it. Be aware, there are some annoying features: (a) to adjust the power level, you have to hit the power-level button over and over again to "dial down" to the power level that you want. (b) When the cook time is complete the unit beeps INCREDIBLY LOUDLY and repeatedly for several seconds and there isn't any way to adjust the volume. (c) The weirdest thing is that it doesn't stop beeping, even after you open the door to take out your food! It will beep for the pre-set number of beeps before it stops. Poor design, especially if you are heating a baby bottle at 3:00am and don't want to wake the whole house. Every other microwave that I have owned has stopped beeping once I open the door to remove the food.

Just bought this microwave at a local vendor. Its design seems very sturdy
relative to some of the new Sharp microwaves which as another reviewer stated, have their front "windows" covered by a plastic that brings to mind plastic not dissimilar from plastic water bottles. The SANYO has a glass front.
It also seems to heat relatively evenly (relative to our last two microwaves, which died, and the ones I use at work). It's fast and seems to work well.

I bought this to replace a Craigslist ($15/600 Watt)microwave oven we bought when we relocated 3 years ago. I waited until the right microwave at the right price came along and this is the RIGHT microwave! Perfect size, Wattage and the price was unbeatable. I put in about 6 hours researching Consumer Reports, and other internet review sites before choosing this one and every hour paid off!

I had 2 requirements in a microwave oven; it had to be stainless to match my other kitchen appliances, and it had to have a handle/slot to open the door with because my prior Panasonic microwave had a push button door opener and that broke within a year. (It was very poor design-I was very angry when the door wouldn't open with my plate of food stuck inside! I had to throw away the Panasonic and it wasn't even a year old!)

This Sanyo microwave really fit the bill perfectly although granted I didn't care too much about features and specs. since I don't really do anything fancy in a microwave other than re-heat things and make microwave meals and the occasional quick defrost, and popcorn, etc...

I'm confident this unit will last a long time given the better design over my old microwave. It works and looks great and does everything I need it to do so I'm happy with it.

I would caution others against any model that uses a push button to open the door. That's just a mechanism that will break easily!

I am very pleased with this product. Solid construction, attractive appearance. Contrary to some reports, the interface is excellect. You first key in the time, which allows entry by seconds, not just minutes, then you key in the desired power, hit enter and every works great. Good results with popcorn. Three levels of time are allowed, depending on size of package. Makes an excellent baked potato.

I am very happy with my purchase. It actually defrosts my meat and doesn't cook it first! It looks very nice and seems to be made well. We are very satisified!

When we first got this microwave back in March it was horribly dented. Amazon sent us a new one and the exchange was relatively simple.
Since then the microwave does a great job, but there are a couple of things that tend to annoy me about it.
1. The metal strip at the bottom of the door is constantly slipping out of place, and I have to push it back. This is simply cosmetic and does not effect the performance of the microwave.
2. It has recently started humming while heating things for more than 2 minutes. It almost sounds like there is something too close to the microwave and it's touching it, but we have not been able to place the hum. If we bump it the noise stops, but that can't last forever. Overall...it's okay. I don't think I would purchase this again, and I don't think I would really recommend.
It was a great price though and it is certainly large enough to suit our many defrosting needs!

I discovered this microwave because consumer reports gave it a 3rd place rating. Then I started to read reviews and read all sorts of bad things - door handle not mounted correctly, turn table doesn't turn, difficult to program. I must have gotten a good one because this microwave is great! It is incredibly easy to program and use - I didn't even need the directions. Turn table works great, handle works great, plus it is very nice looking.

My only complaint is it beeps 5 times very loudly when it is done microwaving. If you open the door it does not stop beeping so there is no escaping the noise.

Looked in all my local stores for a mid-size microwave in black and came up with very little. This Sanyo was just what I wanted and the price was great, too. It looks good and performs very well. I am happy with this product and would recommend it.