Amana AMC5143 1100 Watts Microwave Oven

Most every user review of a new microwave usually begins with "my old microwave lasted me 20 years before it had problems, and now it finally needs replacing..." and then the new microwave is described.  My history is nearly the same: 1978/79 era Panasonic microwave lasted 22 years before I gave it away.  The user reviews of the new Panasonics all seemed to report they last about 13 months, so we replaced the Panasonic with a small Kenmore that was OK until we broke the turntable.  We replaced the small Kenmore with a 1.5 cu foot Fridgidare that worked for only 14 months and 3 weeks before it went dead.  The dead Fridgedare was replaced by the 1.4 cu foot Amana AMC5143AAB (USA model black).

The USA Amana AMC5143AAW (white) and AMC5143AAB (black) are identical models except for color.  However, the AMC5143AAS (stainless steel) model is somewhat different.  The same AMC5143 owner's manual inside the box is for all models / color variations.  The owners manual comes printed in many languages.  One note about the "black" color version (AMC5143AAB), it is more of a very dark grey than a true jet black.

The black and white versions have no door handle, also, the layout of the touch buttons, and the shape of the clock display, are all slightly different as compared to the stainless steel version.  One reviewer of the stainless steel version reported that it plays a song when cooking is done.  There is nothing in the manual about playing music when cooking is finished.  I can report that the black version of this microwave has a nice ending chime, and the menu system allows the volume of the ending chime to be adjusted and turned off.

On my counter, the 1.4 cubic foot Amana AMC5143 microwave has enough heft that it does not slide around when the door release is pushed.  It has the same sized 14 inch turntable glass as was inside my dead 1.5 cu foot Fridgidare microwave. 

The clock display on the Amana AMC5143 sits far back inside the front faceplate.  The clock cannot be seen from extreme side or high viewing positions.  With so many things having a clock display built-in these days, having a deep set clock on the microwave is little bother.

The Amana AMC5143 has a 1-minute-PLUS start button at the very top of the touch pad controls.  There is also a 10-second-PLUS button hidden on the "9" key in the middle of the other touch pad buttons.  Unlike the 1-minute-PLUS button which can start the microwave to cook, and can add additional one-minute increments to the cooking time, the 10-second-PLUS button can only add additional ten-second increments to the cooking time, but it cannot start the microwave to cooking on its own.  In fact, when the 10-second-PLUS button is pressed while the microwave is stopped, it only acts as the "9" key.  The 10-second-PLUS button is an extremely useful thing to have (our 1979 Panasonic microwave had it), but with the Amana it seems to be intentionally hidden and it is very awkward to use. 

The noise level while the Amana AMC5143 is cooking is average.  However, the plastic door to the Amana AMC5143AAB is exceptionally thin and lightweight -- very thin plastic, no glass.

According to the warranty card that came inside the box, Amana is owned by Maytag.  It seems the regal days of yesteryear when Amana microwaves were built like battleships and were a highly desired prize on "The Price is Right" are long gone.

I hope the Amana AMC5143 will last a long time.  If not, I will update here.