E. J. Tastad's review of this product is accurate and appropriate, but I would like to add some additional information. I bought this GE Profile microwave oven in March of 2006 on the recommendation of Consumer Reports. In September 2009 I am sorry to report that I had to throw it out because it wasn't worth repairing. Consumer Reports gave this GE model their top rating for large microwave ovens. It replaced an old Amana RadarRange that I had used for about 25 years before it burst into flames. The Amana had also received Consumer Reports top rating back then. If I recall, my Amana sold for about twice as much money (in 1981 dollars) as this GE costs in 2006 dollars.Since this microwave oven is more powerful, faster and consumes more electricity than small models, you may need to have a dedicated 20 ampere outlet available for its use. Compared with my old Amana, the GE has a much more uniform distribution of heat when cooking or reheating, probably because the food is rotated on a turntable. As E. J. Tastad found, the defrost cycle is easy to use, gives good distribution of heat and the front panel controls are fairly intuitive. The stainless steel cabinet is attractive and easy to clean.
Unlike my old Amana, this oven cannot multi-task. For example, if you're running the built-in clock timer, you cannot cook or reheat something on a different schedule using different functions. You must stop the clock timer to begin a cook cycle and vice versa. You also cannot program several sequences of automatic operations as my old Amana could accommodate, nor can you program it to start at a later time.
This microwave oven was not as reliable and did not last nearly as long as my old Amana did. The magnetron tube in my GE Profile microwave oven failed after two years of use. It's replacement was covered by the five-year GE warranty on the tube, but the warranty didn't cover the $85 in labor charges, which would have been even more if I had received the service on-site instead of taking the appliance to the appliance repair depot. After 3 1/2 years of use, (September 2009) the main circuit board self-destructed. It cost me $44 at the nearest GE repair facility to learn that it would cost me more than another $200 to replace the microwave oven's circuit board.
Since other brands of similar-sized and power microwave ovens cost less than the repairs, I have discarded this microwave oven after 3 1/2 years and after spending $129 in diagnostic and repair charges in addition to the purchase price. Given this experience, I now be hard-pressed to recommend this appliance considering its cost-of-ownership and short life. This appliance should have lasted much longer. It did not get heavy use and was never misused or abused.
When I contacted GE about my failed microwave oven, they promised to make things right, asked for the model and serial number and requested that I cut off the appliance's power cord and plug and send it to them. They then sent me a $100 rebate check that could be applied ONLY to another GE appliance purchase. The check expired before I found another GE appliance that I wanted to own.
I bought a replacement, which was a Panasonic model NN-SD978S microwave oven for less than $200 from Sam's Club. It is just as large, cooks faster and has proven to be far more reliable. After four years, it's still going strong without need for repairs.
Large
Fast and Even Heating
Great Defrost
Not too loud
Cons:
Sensor reheat is only good for soups and other substance that it is okay to heat to boiling (don't trust it with Pizza, or other foods like that).
Bottom Line: This is an excellent large microwave for countertop use. The inverter defrost works almost perfectly every time, never cooking my food more than it should, but the reheat is a gimmick.
This is a large countertop microwave, at about 2.2 cubic foot. Coming from an over-the-range microwave this is a huge improvement in size. The microwave heats uniformly and fast (it is 1200 watts). The sensor reheat should only be used on foods it is safe to boil, otherwise it overcooks about everything else. It also works best when you lightly cover the food, as sometimes uncovered food triggers it to turn off too early. Lightly covered is critical, as the sensor works off water vapor temperature being released from the product. If the water vapor cant leave the container it could become superheated. Sensor cook should also only be used under supervision (you should be in the same room).
I have had the microwave for about 6 months now with no issue. It is no louder than other microwaves I have used, and the controls are intuitive and easy to use. You do not have to press a cook button or anything to start your timed cooking. My favorite feature is the inverter defrost. Remember you enter the weight in pounds, so for an 8 oz pack of bacon you would enter "5" and "start" for 1/2 of a pound. If you had a 1.5 pound package of meat, you would enter "15" and "start" for 1.5 pounds. The display shows the weight correctly. Not much else to say about the product, it is a microwave after all.
Update: To improve "sensor reheat" performance, use a lid over the food with a vent hole. I use a paper plate with a small hole (finger tip size) punched in it. This will make sure the reheat stays running long enough, but still gets some water vapor to judge the food temperature by so it doesn't over cook.
Update (6/26/2010): I have been using the microwave 2 years now. It has been no issue and still works perfectly. I use the sensor reheat almost all the time for soups and casseroles, and use the inverter defrost for my frozen goods. I also use the "popcorn" button to heat microwave popcorn bags. Everything has been working great!
Update (7/26/2011): Still going strong. I use the inverter regularly for defrost, or lowering the power level to cook something slower. It has worked well for me, and I think problems might be from shipping, quality control, or some other factor.
Update (3/21/2013): Still going strong, but maybe a bit noisier now. No issue with inverter function or anything.I am very disappointed at the poor reliability of this unit. Ours is less than a year old and has failed--now, when attempting to cook, the unit shuts off before the end of the programmed time. Even though the light comes on and the turntable turns, the unit does not heat food. Like others, I purchased this unit based on the recommendation in Consumer Reports; this recommendation didn't pan out. I tried to schedule warranty service and GE is making us wait a week to schedule and their frustrating telephone system does not provide information on where I can take it for service for faster turnaround (and didn't put me in touch with a live representative).
When the microwave oven worked, it worked fine. We replaced a Sharp unit with this one; though this unit has the advantage of a larger capacity, its controls are less intuitive.
Based on poor reliability and poor service, we're certainly not going to buy another GE microwave. We've had good success with GE refrigerators in the past; this is very disappointing. A quick search on the web now reveals that GE microwave ovens are not reliable--many others appear to have similar problems with the magnetrons.
Perhaps this is one reason why GE is looking to sell its appliance business...I purchased this microwave in December 2006. On September 9, 2009 it totally went out. My problem seems to be the same as others are describing in these reviews a problem with the inverter technology or "inverter board." It has poor reliability and a high failure rate. The inverter technology is great while it lasts, but the oven goes out after a couple of years. Since it is past the 1-year warranty, it is my tough luck. I called GE Customer Service to get them to recommend an authorized repair facility in my town. The representative was unbelievably rude claiming that my only option was for them to send one of their technicians to my house. That was not an acceptable solution because: 1) It was way too expensive for a home visit, and 2) I could not take a day off work (and lose a day's pay) to be there. It would be less expensive to just purchase another microwave.
Needless to say, after this experience, I will never purchase another GE microwave or any other GE product based on how rude the customer service representative was to me. I thought GE was supposed to be a quality brand? My previous (much less expensive) microwave lasted 15 years and it wasn't even supposed to be a quality brand (a Sharp). I strongly advise against purchasing this microwave. When you pay that much for an appliance, it should last more than two years. It seems GE is engaging in a very unethical business practice. So many people are experiencing the same problem I did. GE has to know these ovens go out after a couple of years. Then they try to suck you into giving them more money to repair or replace them and they try to manipulate you into those expensive home service calls. I think we should all boycott GE.Recently remodeled my kitchen and picked this unit based mostly on looks. I use a microwave mostly for warming up a cup of coffee or the occasional pizza slice (very light use). After owning it for just 45 days, it started smoking and then just cut off it's power while reheating some pasta. Fortunately I was able to return this piece of junk and get a refund. After doing a quick search on the web, I've heard of this exact same problem happening to other unhappy GE customers. One person claimed it started a fire. I have don't know if this is possible, but my GE microwave produced quite a bit of smoke before it turned itself off.
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