Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Panasonic microwave works great. Several useful features.Pa

Panasonic Genius Prestige Microwave Oven 1.6 cu. ft Replaced another brand which was dead simple to use but short lived. Looks really nice in stainless steel. Very sleek and modern. I find the touch sensor button panel to be a bit confusing. It definitely isn’t the easiest microwave you’ll ever use. I am a tech savvy person and I know my way around most electronics. This was the first microwave I ever looked at and paused because I had no idea how it worked. I don’t find it at all intuitive. Hang on to your manual, because you’ll refer to it often, but once you get the hang of it, this thing works like a charm. Sensor cook and Sensor reheat are great features. At 1250 watts, it is higher powered than average and may require a little experimenting to get your times just right in accordance with your preferences. The interior light is nice and bright. The display panel light is dim and some will find it hard to read. Operating noise is about average. The door is solid and closes securely. After 6 weeks use, I’d say this is a keeper. I hope it is as dependable as other products I have from Panasonic.

First Panasonic MW for us. So far, so good. Controls make sense and it cooks a little faster.

The product was great, it works efficiently and is perfect

was OK for 1 year. Now is dead. My previous Panasonic was 100% functional after 40 years, but I wanted a smaller model and I bought into the hype about heating more evenly. Everything I buy now breaks after a couple years or less. It's usually too expensive to fix, so the manufactures get to sell me dozens more during my lifetime. I guess they have no incentive to make a quality product, and probably have forgotten how.

I purchased this microwave 2 years ago and did like it until the removable square silver reflector sparked and burned. I had to throw out that piece and amazingly enough it still works so I'm still using it. If I had young children in the house, I would not let them use it alone though for safety reasons. I'm checking to see if there was a recall on this. I have never had a microwave that did this.

Probably the worst microwave I have ever owned. Supposedly you hit (for example) the popcorn button ... half the popcorn isn't popped when it says it is. It's always a guessing game as to what button to push ... Loved old microwave and this thing costs twice as much and isn't half as good. Definately do NOT recommend!!!

The trim kit didnt matxh with this microwave each side atleast 2 inxh

The Panasonic Genius Prestige Plus microwave does a phenomenal job heating food and beverages, but it is overly complicated. The inverter technology works as advertised, which is quite a feat. Food is evenly heated throughout. No hot spots. No cold spots. The sensor cooking technology also works extremely well and helps make this very complicated microwave just a little less complicated to use. In terms of the primary function of heating things well, this really is an extraordinary microwave. But I'm docking it a star because the buttons on the futuristic control panel are small and overly complicated. Yes, there is a learning curve that can be mastered by most, but not all. I don't have young children, but I would hesitate to let young kids try to use this microwave. I'd also avoid having my parents, who are in their 70s, try to learn to use it. So, while the Genius Prestige Plus does a tremendous job heating food, it is a non-starter for a decent swath of the population. Even just making the buttons larger and easier to read would be a major improvement. But if you can handle the futuristic button layout, you will be rewarded with evenly-heated food every time.

I never realized how much a quality microwave could make a difference. We've had a standard, $50 Sunbeam model for about two years, and never thought anything of it. We never used the microwave everyday, and we cooked alright. Now, though, we use this Prestige Plus microwave almost everyday, and don't feel bad about it. Setup is simple, and really just plug and play. I'd recommend reading the manual, as it can get confusing to note all the different functions upon inception. Plus, all the modes and buttons are confusing at first. Once you've familiarized yourself, though, the cooking becomes easy, and your food tastes miles better. There is serious power in this microwave, which helps in producing the sensor cook functions and really giving you even heating. There are too many modes to list, but I've already used half of them, because they were there. No more guessing on if something is done or not; this kitchen device does it for you. Sure, you still need to use your judgement on coffee reheats or popcorn, but for almost everything else, it's hard to dismiss the beauty and power of this machine. I'm shocked at how much better the food I cook or reheat tastes in this oven, and the nutrients and flavors I've been missing out on over the years. Plus, while there is a bigger version of this device, the 1.6 cu. ft. version is plenty large, accommodating two salad plates at once. If you're like me and never had the luxury of using a nice microwave, you owe it to yourself to see the other side. I'm very glad I did.

This one is the similar and more improved model as the one we had. It has more modern looks too. It has the right size that just fit into our kitchen’s customized top cabinet, and right power for our use. We were so satisfied with our old one so we had no hesitation to get this one without looking/shopping around. We mostly use the microwave oven to re-heat and defrost so not sure about it’s cooking function. I’ll explore it in the future. We trust Panasonic microwave oven because it never failed and lasted long time based on our and our friends’ experience.

This microwave looks great. It heats things very quickly and everything comes out very hot. Too hot. There's plenty of room inside to heat a large amount of things, but I find the design of the rotating glass dish to be very flawed. The roller ring stabilizer is far too small for the size of the dish, so if you stick something towards the outside of the dish it tips over. Also the dish too easily dislodges itself from the turning mechanism. Everytime you go to cook something you have to press the Enter button, I really wish it had a quick cook function like most other microwaves I have used. I really want to like this microwave but it just doesn't wow me.

Review for Panasonic - Genius Prestige Plus 1.6 Cu. Ft. Microwave with Sensor Cooking - Stainless steel This oven is a big improvement over conventional microwaves in several ways. It's roomy for its footprint, it heats and cooks very evenly, and it has a well-thought out display that, although it takes a little getting used to, is really so much easier and faster to use with a little practice. Everybody knows how to use a microwave, so I think designers are hesitant to offer better, faster ways to input your needs, because “it’s always been done that way.” This oven has several features that take a little learning, but make using it so much faster and easier. The time is entered using the plus and minus slider that can function with a press or a slide of your finger. It’s easy to select a time this way and less awkward than entering the time in minutes and seconds. But even that feature becomes secondary to the 20 pre-programmed cooking modes that cover reheat, breakfast items, soups, frozen items, fresh veggies, rice, etc. You can further tailor these settings with the more/less feature. The popcorn setting on most microwaves is rarely accurate, but the Genius Prestige allows you to choose from three sizes and then further personalize the precise time needed with the more/less keys. I liked the coffee/milk feature that automates heating one or two cups of either beverage. The most touted feature is the inverter technology that makes for even heating by varying the power of the oven instead of just cycling it on and off at high like almost all other microwaves. The nicest surprise (although I discovered it by accident when I reheated eggs without a cover - what a mess!) is how easy it is to clean. Unlike any oven I’ve ever owned, this one does not have a lip on the lower edge of the oven, which make cleaning it a breeze! If I had to call out any drawbacks, it would be with the stickers inside the door that help you remember some of the features. I’d make the big warning messages (in English and Spanish) briefer and lower, move the descriptions for the icons to the top and add the codes for the 20 pre-programmed cooking settings. As it is, the lower sticker does not seem to have been updated from a different model and references the “dial” that does not exist on this oven. In conclusion, the stainless steel exterior and the modern-looking display make this a handsome addition to any kitchen!

Powerful and even heating. The child lock is a great feature.

So let's get it out of the way.... It is a Microwave, and it warms/cooks food and drink. We all know what that means. This unit is larger then I expected, it does take the full depth of a standard counter. Would be PERFECT for installing inside a cabinet unit, on a shelf something designed for it's size. BIG cook area. will fit just a fully pyrex dish, (turn turntable off). What takes a few minutes to get use to... there are no numbers. You need to use the various arrows and other selectors to set your cook mode. It is relatively quiet. doesn't sound like a jet turbine about to take off when using it. Overall, very very happy with the microwave

This is a great microwave! Lots of features. The size is great, the turntable and rest of the inside is roomy. It heats quickly and evenly - amazingly even cooking. The technology in this is pretty neat. Lots of defrost and re-heating options that actually sense and work. I popped a bag of popcorn in it and it turned out just fine. After the timer has gone off it even spells out to enjoy your food! Pretty funny, but a touch that my teenager enjoyed. I would recommend this microwave. It's the 2nd Panasonic microwave that I have owned and I will stick with them as long as they keep making them.

Just received the microwave and am planning to return it. It's way too complicated. I was dismayed when I realized that there are no numbers at all on the control panel. I should've paid more attention to the detailed photos and other reviews, rather than just the rating and description of the heating technology. Never occurred to me that a microwave might not have numbers. Sure, I could take the next year to rely on using the Owner's Manual every time I want to cook something or eventually memorize that Sensor Cook menu option number 13 is for Canned Vegetables or that menu option is 9 is the mode for Frozen Pocket Sandwich (seriously?!) ... but I really don't need or want a microwave that requires that much focus to learn how to use it.

Even though this is the "smaller" of the microwaves in this series from Panasonic, it is by no means small. The glass turntable is a little more than 16 inches in diameter. That's almost 2 inches bigger than some "large" built-in microwaves. If you are someone who actually knows how to use a microwave oven and are aware that adjusting the power level leads to much better results much of the time, you'll find this model to be very good. Most microwaves only operate at 100% power output and adjust the effective power by cycling the output on and off. This microwave actually adjusts the power output without the cycling. So what? So, the food heats much more evenly and the results are noticeably better.

The big difference with this microwave is the inverter technology, but that all takes place behind the scenes. What you see is more evenly cooked food and less time waiting for the temperatures to even out through the food after cooking. There is also a different way of interacting with the microwave through the control panel. This one is largely icon-based, where you just select pictures of what you want to do. That can create a bit of a learning curve, though. For example, If you want to heat two cups of coffee, you touch the coffee button twice, but if you want to heat one cup of milk, you touch it three times. There are no numbers to set the time or power. Instead, you slide your finger across a bar, maybe multiple times, then touch the + or - for fine tuning. All in all, a nice premium over the standard microwave.

The Panasonic Genius Prestige Plus (from here on I shall call the PGPP) 1.6cu is one of the latest microwaves from Panasonic. Personally a microwave has always been a staple of the kitchen for me, however it also brings a stigma with it. Uneven heating, rubbery food, and overcooked defrosting have marred my view of the microwave. The PGPP has changed that for me - even if it brings some unnecessary complexity to the user interface. So with 2 small kids, the microwave is the lunch/snack saver in my house. We always used the microwave for these kind of quick heat ups, but also for different microwavable foods. Our old cheap microwave definitely got the job done, but it was always a guess how long a particular food would take, or if it would be heated all the way. Nothing is grosser than biting into your breakfast sandwich only to find one part burning your mouth and another cool to the touch. From a safety point of view with the kids, having uneven heating makes me worry the food isn’t hot enough - and of course overcooked chicken nuggets in the microwave are chewy gross. This is exactly where the PGPP is the perfect solution. This microwave has all but eliminated these problems producing such evenly heated food, I feel better when I resort to nuking a snack or meal for the kids. It’s also helped with our regular sides we microwave, like mashed potatoes or soup. Another huge pro for the PGPP is the size. While deeper than our old compact microwave, the PGPP has a huge 15” cooking tray. Seriously, you’d think the thing was a TARDIS or something with how much space is inside. Height wise, as others have mentioned, can be a limitation, but honestly it’s not been a problem for me. The finish and build quality seem excellent. The stainless finish is quite nice, however it does show fingerprints. The internal glass tray is easy to remove and clean, and the front panel is a pretty standard set of touch sensitive buttons. Now, unlike most microwaves I’ve used in the past 10 years, the PGPP isn’t a one touch. In fact, it lacks any number pad, or standard way of setting a time cook. The first reaction I had was annoyance (as well as my wife’s), but I almost want to say that Panasonic took a risk here. In a way, if you keep giving the same one touch interface, you’re basically throwing away all the advanced sensor features and modes due to the principle of the path of least resistance. Due to how the microwave’s buttons are laid out, it actively encourages you to use the various modes. Don’t worry though, while there isn’t a number pad, you can easily do a time cook by using the slider at the top. It allows you to set anything from 1 second to 20 minutes in increments. The buttons on the front cover everything from popcorn (which we don’t eat, so I can’t comment on it’s function), to reheating a drink (like coffee). The is a sensor heat, as well as a keep warm function. I didn’t use all the modes, but the drink reheat was magically perfect. I reheated a couple of cups of coffee for my wife and each of them turned out just the right temperature. The sensor reheat function does really well with leftovers or other more solid foods. I did find out when reheating some frozen pancakes that ‘breads’ don’t work with the sensor reheat - and overcooked a few pancakes. Turbo defrost actually did better than most microwaves I’ve used, only slightly cooking the very bottom of the ground beef were the juices were pooling. For the most part though, the PGPP’s extra features are pretty handy and work extremely well. This of course is also with excellent evenness cooking in all these modes. I will say that the child lock is pretty easy to use, but it didn’t take long for my 3.5 year old to figure out how to unlock it. He’s pretty adept though, so YMMV here. The biggest problems with this microwave are the learning curve, and lack of a one touch operation. While pushing an additional button may not seem like a big deal, it certainly can feel like one at first. If you stick with it though, the pros of this microwave outweigh the cons by far. The PGPP is an excellent microwave, with the most even heating I’ve ever experienced from a microwave. This has been a huge positive in my household, both easing my concerns if the food got hot enough, and also producing more evenly heated tasty food. The price is high, but for a daily use appliance, it quickly pays for itself.