4 ms·

I wanted to buy a new microwave oven recently. Every single model I could find committed at least two of the following crimes: - Loud, ear piercing beeps on ev

by tobr 7y ago

I wanted to buy a new microwave oven recently. Every single model I could find committed at least two of the following crimes: - Loud, ear piercing beeps on every opportunity. Why would anyone need to hear a beep every time they press a button? Imagine if an iPad did that. - Speaking of buttons: over-complicated controls, for something that should be two dials and one button - Ugly, spaceship like industrial design that has no place in a home - Inner surfaces with holes and protrusions that would be difficult to clean - Bright glowing green or blue LEDs that are always on, contributing to indoors light pollution There were a few expensive models that were less terrible (red lights, softer beeps (still beeps, mind you!), OK controls) but they were all too big to fit in my kitchen. My conclusion is that these manufacturers have no clue and no culture to figure out what a “luxury” product would look like today. They still think people find LED screens, chromed plastic and digital buttons impressive.

NIL8 7y ago
These are all things that drive me crazy! Minimizing and simplifying would be easy and save these companies heaps of money. I hope somebody will fix these things soon. Then, they can move on to fixing the clicking mouse.
spditner 7y ago
Regarding the piercing beeps - I popped open the case on mine and put a piece of tape over the piezo buzzer speaker, which brought the volume down to just the right level.
- tobr 7y ago
  I’ve had the same thought, but dismantling a microwave radiation emitter doesn’t seem like a bright idea unless you know what you’re doing.
throwawaycanada 7y ago
You can usually turn off the beeps.
cr0sh 7y ago
Go on Amazon - or go down to a Business Costco or whatever similar restaurant supply place (that sells to the public) is available in your area - and purchase a commercial microwave; Sharp or Amana are the ones most sold. My wife and I got sick of our microwave always dying after a few years, plus having a ton of "features" we never used. Too many buttons, too much complexity, and too expensive to be buying year after year. So we went with a commercial 1000 watt microwave: 1. It has only a single knob to set the time limit in 15 second intervals - up to 6 minutes. 2. No turntable to break, clean, or wear out. 3. One cooking level - HIGH. 4. An interior that is super-easy to clean - just wipe it out, all surfaces are smooth and seamless. It's only real downside is the fact that the light doesn't turn on when you open the oven door (it's only on when it is cooking). Other than that, it's been a joy to use. It takes a bit of getting used to not having cooking levels, but other than that - it's not an issue. The trick is knowing that in a regular microwave, "cooking levels" are done in a "slow PWM" fashion - a duty cycle of the magnatron - so much turned on for so long, then off for a period. You can simulate that yourself if you have to, but we usually just thaw things in our fridge ahead of time (or put them in our sink or on the counter). Not having a timer that can go more than 6 minutes also means you have to be paying attention if you are doing something long-term (cooking rice or something); just pull it out, stir it, pop it in for some more time. If you have to rotate something for even cooking, do that manually too. Less functions, less parts, less junk to wear out, clean, or break. Win, win, win. Unfortunately, it wasn't cheap - but given we were replacing our microwave every 3-5 years, it'll pay for itself in a short amount of time.

by tobr 7y ago

NIL8 7y ago

These are all things that drive me crazy! Minimizing and simplifying would be easy and save these companies heaps of money. I hope somebody will fix these things soon. Then, they can move on to fixing the clicking mouse.

spditner 7y ago

Regarding the piercing beeps - I popped open the case on mine and put a piece of tape over the piezo buzzer speaker, which brought the volume down to just the right level.

tobr 7y ago
I’ve had the same thought, but dismantling a microwave radiation emitter doesn’t seem like a bright idea unless you know what you’re doing.

throwawaycanada 7y ago

You can usually turn off the beeps.

cr0sh 7y ago

Go on Amazon - or go down to a Business Costco or whatever similar restaurant supply place (that sells to the public) is available in your area - and purchase a commercial microwave; Sharp or Amana are the ones most sold. My wife and I got sick of our microwave always dying after a few years, plus having a ton of "features" we never used. Too many buttons, too much complexity, and too expensive to be buying year after year. So we went with a commercial 1000 watt microwave: 1. It has only a single knob to set the time limit in 15 second intervals - up to 6 minutes. 2. No turntable to break, clean, or wear out. 3. One cooking level - HIGH. 4. An interior that is super-easy to clean - just wipe it out, all surfaces are smooth and seamless. It's only real downside is the fact that the light doesn't turn on when you open the oven door (it's only on when it is cooking). Other than that, it's been a joy to use. It takes a bit of getting used to not having cooking levels, but other than that - it's not an issue. The trick is knowing that in a regular microwave, "cooking levels" are done in a "slow PWM" fashion - a duty cycle of the magnatron - so much turned on for so long, then off for a period. You can simulate that yourself if you have to, but we usually just thaw things in our fridge ahead of time (or put them in our sink or on the counter). Not having a timer that can go more than 6 minutes also means you have to be paying attention if you are doing something long-term (cooking rice or something); just pull it out, stir it, pop it in for some more time. If you have to rotate something for even cooking, do that manually too. Less functions, less parts, less junk to wear out, clean, or break. Win, win, win. Unfortunately, it wasn't cheap - but given we were replacing our microwave every 3-5 years, it'll pay for itself in a short amount of time.