Home Appliance Reviews

Purchase date: JANUARY 2007
Review date: OCTOBER 2007
Model purchased: GE JE1290SK Convection Microwave in Stainless
Purchased at: Lowe’s Home Improvement

As mentioned in previous reviews I changed my kitchen appliances from Almond to Stainless.
Previous to this I had a Goldstar .7 cu. ft. microwave at 700 watts. It worked fine but it was not powerful enough and it was frustrating to heat things in becuase it took forever. It was also inconveniently small inside.

I bought this as a replacement for an existing microwave whose turntable had broken. The cost to replace the turntable was about half the cost of a decent new microwave, so I figured I’d go for it.

The GE JES1142SJ is easily the worst microwave I’ve ever had the misfortune to buy, and I’ll be returning it after only two days of ownership.

This is a great microwave oven. It is *not* a convection oven, however - that seems to be a retailer mislabeling problem. Unfortunately another reviewer gave the microwave low marks because of that problem.

This oven is powerful and consistent. With 1200 watts, it can cook items very quickly compared to most microwaves. It’s also roomy - at 1.6 cubic feet it can fit large plates and dishes inside without stopping the rotation. The included glass turn table is nice and easy to clean.

I bought this microwave only because it matched the LG oven that I had purchased earlier and I had found out that they were discontinuing the model. LG replaced this with the same thing but with some funky handles which did not match my stove. So even though I did not need a new microwave, I did want them to eventually match and didn’t want a used microwave.

I got this microwave when we were replacing our old appliances, and mainly we chose them because of this microwave’s design. I like the simplicity of the look, and the black and stainless cooperate without one dominating the other.

We decided to install it ourselves as we had a tile backsplash and didn’t want to drill into it, so we used pieces from the provided installation pieces as well as adding our own to secure it to the cabinetry as well as higher up on the wall than the original pieces allow. So, I can’t provide quite an accurate review of the stability, but what we rigged up with it is rock solid, so the pieces are sound. You never feel like you need to push back on the microwave with your other hand as you pull the door open.

I recently moved into a newly constructed spec-house. My builder selected the appliances for the house, so I did not have any input into the decision making. The kitchen was heavily upgraded on this house, with a Moenstone sink, Whirlpool Gold appliances (Microwave Oven, Double Oven, Refrigerator), Granite countertops and Merillat Cabinets. I like Whirlpool products and trust the brand name having owned this brand in the past. Having all of the appliances match is an added bonus. The stainless finish adds a touch of class to the look of the kitchen.

This was an attractive purchase at Lowes, $89.98. It is chrome finished but really small inside. I figured, great, more counter space and if it only lasts a couple years that’s $45 per year. Well they have this timed to perfection. It stopped working at 13 months. You can not get any better than that. They have taken the science of warrantees to the limit.

(I posted this by accident on the LK model site. I suspect they are similar microwaves, however).

I filed a report with the Consumer Product Safety Commission on my Model 520JK microwave, and also contacted Sharp USA. These are cheap enough to throw away when they break, but I am concerned that someone might get hurt by one of these machines.

After two years of use at our summer home, the START and 6 buttons stopped working. After unplugging and letting it sit for a few minutes and plugging back in, it seemed to solve the problem - at least temporarily.

If you’re looking for an attractive, reliable, effective, high power microwave to install in your cabinetry (with the optional escutcheon kit), the Frigidaire GLMB209D family should meet your needs. Note the different model number suffixes indicate the different colors available - we have the Black GLMB209DB.

Over the years we’ve owned dozens of microwaves. My first was one of the original expensive Radar Ranges back in 1977.

After a lot of research, we bought this model to replace a old, dying built-in microwave and have been happy with our purchase.

Microwave Cooking

I don’t know if I could lead a normal life without a Microwave, I use this little device practically everyday. Because I own an older home I haven’t redone the kitchen yet, so I needed to purchase a temporary microwave over. My parents have owned various sharp microwaves for many years and they operate without fail, so I figured that the R-230 was worth the shot. I found this Microwave at my local Target store for $89.00 and I that was a bargain in my mind. The model I purchased was white, but this microwave is also available in black, I didn’t get the black model because I don’t like the streaking that happens on black appliances.