Sleek and Powerful

I bought this unit for my Mom as a replacement for her 12-year-old GE combination Microwave/Convection over the range unit (model JVM192K) that stopped working completely after making funny noises for a few weeks. Since my Mom never used the convection feature on her old unit, I picked this unit based on its sleek appearance, touchscreen operation and high rating in Consumer Reports.

Perhaps the best feature is the swing-out panel on top of the unit that automatically opens when the oven or exhaust fan is in use. Although my Mom doesn't use her stovetop much, the plastic grille on the old unit always got dirty and was very difficult to clean, even when removed from the unit.

The touchpad is great. I was initially afraid it would be a little too "space-age" for my mom but she has found it easy to use since all the choices are context-sensitive. We also both like how the timer and reminder (i.e., alarm) features don't interfere in any way with the operation of the microwave (and vice versa).

If you are replacing an old microwave, be advised that the new ones are generally taller and deeper than the old ones. For example, this unit requires 16.5 inches of wallspace height below the cabinet (which seems to be typical for today's over the range units). The old unit only required 15.5 inches of wallspace height. The new unit is also just under 1.5" deeper than the old one.

The Home Depot folks who delivered it and were going to install it for virtually nothing said it wouldn't fit due to the high backsplash, so I flew close to 2000 miles intending to cut the backsplash and install the unit for my Mom.

Before I removed the old microwave though, I measured and it was obvious that the new one would fit without any modifications to the backsplash. I still don't know if the installers were tired, lazy, or just couldn't measure.

Since the height of this unit was different from the old one, and the wall bracket different, it was necessary to make holes in the wall in new places, and make 3 new mounting holes in the top cabinet, plus a new hole for the cord. Fortunately, the large cut-out in the cabinet for venting was in the same place.

I vented it to the outside using the existing ductwork. The exhaust is extremely powerful on the boost setting, and barely audible on low and medium.

I love this unit (and so does my Mom)! My cooktop is on an island, but if they only made a similar countertop unit, I'd replace my 19-year-old-but-still-working-fine compact countertop GE unit tomorrow.