Three microwave models; Samsung 3 in 1 Vitality Combi, Hinari MX626 and Daewoo Combination Oven are given rating and reviews. Includes links for further microwave oven reviews.

Microwave Oven Ratings

Ratings out of 5 stars.

Samsung 3 in 1 Vitality Combi

Product rating: *****

Review:

Accessories Galore!

By Little Miss | 26. 02. 01

The first thing that attracted me to this microwave was the way it looked. The front is stainless steel, and the sides and top are black, it's very trendy looking and goes very well with all the stainless steel appliances that are around at the moment.

Secondly, I noticed the price, it was on offer at 160 pounds, which I thought was quite a lot to say it was on offer but on closer inspection, I realised that it isn't just a microwave. In fact, this is a fan oven, grill and microwave all in one. You can use all features individually or the oven and microwave together (good for cooking stews and casseroles, no more waiting hours for them to cook) or grill and microwave together (good for jacket potatoes, cooked quickly with a nice crispy skin). The microwave is 900 watts, which may not be the most powerful around but is good, especially when combined with the other items. The nice thing about this was that not only did I get the microwave, fan oven and grill; I got a number of accessories as well.

Firstly I got two wire racks, one low and one high, you can use both together like two shelves in a regular oven. I also got a crusty plate for cooking pies and pizzas in the microwave. As well as a chicken rotisserie which is a glass dish (which can be used for other things as well as catching all the juices out of the chicken) and a strange spiky thing on which you impale your chicken in an upright position (It has to be a small chicken as this is not a huge microwave inside and four kebab skewers, which again use the glass dish and a cookbook.

At first, I was a little daunted at the list of things this microwave does and thought I would never figure it out but actually the basics are very easy to learn and I picked up the advanced features of programming as and when I needed them. An interesting fact about the grill is that it is at the top of the microwave in a horizontal position but you can flip it down so it is vertical and covering the back of the microwave. If I didn't explain this well think of the kebab shop and the grill they have, I'm not really sure what the advantages of this are but if I ever figure it out I will update this opinion.

The one problem I do have with this microwave is the back, as it has a fan oven the back of the microwave sticks out quite a lot which means it comes almost to the front of my work surface where the one I had before left me some room in front of it to work on.

One other thing to note is that the instructions say that you should not place this microwave right next to your normal oven and that you should leave at least 10cm free at either side of it, this is apparently to do with air ventilation. I'm not sure if this is the same with all microwaves but it's worth bearing in mind to check you have a suitable place to put it. I'm thinking of getting a wall bracket to stand mine on so it'll have plenty of ventilation and I'll have more free workspace.

I would recommend this microwave to single people as it's much more economical than using a large regular oven to cook for one person. It is also a good idea for people moving into a new house who maybe don't have the money to go buy an oven and a microwave straight away or for someone who doesn't do much cooking, or doesn't have much room for separate appliances.

A Real Beauty

By barry.gross | 14.06.01

I specifically wanted a combination microwave ovens to make up for the fact that my main oven did not have two compartments. Many people warned me away from a combination microwave oven as they said that they did not perform as well and that the oven features were not that useful.

I am glad to say that I did not listen to them. I bought this nice little number over the Internet at a huge discount compared to the high street saving as much as £50 pounds off some of the prices quoted to me.

It does everything - it cooks, it microwaves, it grills. It can do two at once. Preheating the oven is quick and accurate and you can constantly check the exact temperature of the oven at anytime.

It comes with plenty of preset programmes and the calculations are made based on weight.

The one bad point is its display. It does display information regarding whether it is oven/microwave/grill and length left but unless you can remember all the presets off by heart you have to constantly refer to the manual to check which programme to use. Why they couldn't make the display show the name of the programme and not a number I do not know.

it also has a very neat feature allowing you to lock the microwave preventing anyone pushing buttons or starting in when it is empty and damaging it. Very handy for families with inquisitive kids.

Apart from that and its rather large rear making it unsuitable for narrow work surfaces, this is a great machine with a great look. The price is definitely right and size wise it is at the larger end of medium for microwaves.

Daewoo Combination Oven

Product rating: ****

Review:

Daewoo microwave oven

By fairdonion | 10.07.00

A cheap easy to use no frills microwave. Gives good cooking results. This microwave has five settings with a 35-minute timer. No buttons to press just turn the arrow to the cook or whichever you wish, put the time on the minute you require and press the start button. It really is as easy as that. Very easy to keep clean; just take the plate and the ring out, wipe around and put back in.

the food cooked in this tastes just as good as cooked in one of the more expensive models

Hinari MX626

Product rating: ***

Review:

This is MY Lifestyle

By carolinesite | 25.03.01

Nothing lasts forever, including my old microwave oven.

It had served me well for nearly 12 years, until it finally went up to that electrical graveyard in the sky.

I did not use it to cook food. It was just a cheap conventional 650w, which heated and defrosted food. Well, that's a bit of a lie actually. I did use it to cook jacket spuds, but that's all - honestly. It was mainly used to reheat dinners or to cook stuff that was microwavable, for quickness mainly.

To replace it, we wanted something that did the same thing, something not too expensive. We searched high and low, and then found our new baby in Tesco's, of all places. It was the Hinari lifestyle and priced at £59.99, it was just what we were looking for.

It's a good-looking model; white, with a mauve colour to the buttons. It has a green display led clock and 12 function buttons, which includes the 'start' button. It has a rotating turntable, allowing food to be cooked evenly.

How many minutes?

There are 10 numeric buttons, marked 1 - 0 (0 acting as 0 and 10). These are used to select the minutes and seconds for your cook/defrost, as well as to select the power level, set time etc.

I've got the power

There are 10 power level settings. These range from 80w up to 800w.

What's the time Mr wolf?

The timer is used to set the cooking/defrost time. You can set up to 99 minutes and 99 seconds. The time of day is displayed at all times except when the oven is operating. As with everything electrical, if there were a power failure, it would have to be reset.

I've made a mistake

If you accidentally insert the wrong power level or cooking/defrost time, all you have to do is press the clear button and everything goes back to normal.

Let's do it

The start button obviously starts your cook/defrost. You have to set a power level and time first though. When the time is complete, three beeps will sound, telling you that your food is cooked/defrosted. It is also fitted with a reminder bleep. This will sound again every two minutes until you open the oven door.

Warm me up

There are two defrost programs. One is used by using the timer and the other is used by the weight of the food.

Speedy Gonzales

There is an 'express' button that you can use to program the oven for four popular microwave timings. For example: touch once for 15 seconds, touch twice for 30 seconds, touch three times for one minute, and touch four times for two minutes.

I'm popping to the shops

It has a pre-set function too, and you can pre-set the oven to switch on at a desired time. Great if you want your micro pizza ready for you while you pop to the shops.

Stop the gerbil getting roasted

Another great feature about this oven is the child lock facility. I have often been asked by my son what would happen if such and such were to be put in there. It's a good job he doesn't want me to prove it.

The oven cannot be used when the lock has been activated.

So there you go, an excellent little oven, ideal if you just want to defrost, re-heat, or to cook jacket spuds. It looks very stylish, and I think we made an excellent choice, both in looks and in price.

To read more microwave oven ratings, go to dooyoo.co.uk