Panasonic Flatbed Inverter Microwave Oven, Stainless Steel Finish And 17 Cooking Functions (NN-SF574SQPQ)
$214.95 Delivered.
Cheapest Price according to the 3 Camels
CamelCamelCamel.
Having used to sell these kinds of things, i just think the flatbed is good if you want to be able to put very large/rectangular containers in there cos it no longer needs to clear the edges. i think the most important part is the inverter. I'd get this tho, if i was in the market for a new microwave. i like the panasonics. have an inverting spinny one right now :)
My next machine is 100% going to be an inverter - the decision now is just flatbed or not. Love the idea of no rotating plate - just not convinced it's actually any good.
I think a major issue with microwaving is that people don't really know how to use a microwave properly. They never actually heat very evenly, and will never penetrate the full depth of the food unless it's thin. The food also needs to have a healthy water content. Whether inverter or not, I always heat my food for longer on a lower power setting - this way the heat is able to travel through the food and doesn't cause the outer bits to burn whilst the center is cold. I know our university used to have 4 of these beautiful samsung flatbed microwaves which always did an excellent job of heating. So yeah, I think it's honestly worth the shot, and if you don't love it, just flip it on facebook marketplace ;P
@dandoon: Same, anything that needs more than a quick 30sec smash I double the time and use 50% power.
what's the advantage of an inverter?
@[Deactivated]: Gives lower power/efficiency from what I’ve just read. Apparently inverter runs on the 2.4Ghz channel and can interfere with your wifi.. But I thought all microwaves can Intefere with wifi regardless of being an inverter. Going to have to keep researching before pulling trigger!
@[Deactivated]: I have no idea lol. I’m not sure if it’s
Only benefit is efficiency, but perhaps more even heating? Still looking into it all lol
We're in the market for a new microwave and saw this very one in Costco for around $250 and thought I'd wait to see it on Ozbargain and here we are haha. After reading reviews, I agree, it seems to be very 50/50, so unsure whether we should commit to buying this one.
I have this microwave. Bought it second hand but new many years ago without knowing anything about microwaves. All we use it for is heating up food and defrosting frozen stuff (occasionally we’ll cook things in there like corn or potatoes) and it does it wonderfully.
The flatbed is very good for cleaning. Can be cleaned in 10-20 seconds and you can put inside some very large plates or containers because the back is flat.
If you’re happy with the price, you won’t regret buying it. Do remember to heat for longer on lower though or you might be disappointed
Love the idea of a flatbed. One less thing to clean (actually two, including the flimsy turntable wheel frame under microwave plates). Want to upgrade to inverter too!
But was hoping for slightly bigger and higher-powered… Any recommendations welcomed! A quieter door is also a must for me!
I have one, wouldn’t bother again. I don’t find anything that different to more conventional ones and gosh the after heating cooling fan annoys the sh*t out of me…..
Also, the UI is very not user friendly (no quick start and you can’t add more min as the microwave is on). Yes minor stuff….but it all adds up quickly to a bad user experience.
Yeah that cooling fan is a feature of all inverters :/ can't do much about that I think.
Indeed, I think unless you have all kind of plans for your microwave to benefit from having flatbed or any true advantage of inverter, I really don’t think it’s worth the extra bucks or annoyances
That is minor but coming from someone with a Samsung microwave with no "quick start" option - I feel this pain. I know its only 1 more button but it shouldn't be!
Cannot agreed more!
How often does it has to cool down? After each use? How long the cooling session last?
Depends, sometimes mine comes on after 20 seconds of use, other times it doesn't come one after 60 seconds of use. Likely depends on the power level and time of use (??)..
Cooling seems to take 20 - 60 seconds.
After you've had them for a while, you don't even notice it any more.. A lot like trains really: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFJyB7vZrQo
Thank you. This will be a deal breaker for me as I am often warming or cooking three things, one after another and this (the cooling period) will definitely drives me mad one day lol.
@kolorijo: You don't need to wait for it to finish cooling, it's just that after you do finish, it'll keep the fan cooling the inverter for 20 - 60 seconds.
Not a big issue really, just noisy for some seconds after you finish cooking.
@iDroid: So you can do another warming during its cooling period? Or have to wait until it finishes?
Sorry I might be repeating myself up there, just want to confirm before deciding to buy this thing.
Thanks again :)
@kolorijo: You don’t need to wait until it stop cooling before you can heat another item up, e.g. you can keep on hearing stuff up one following another and it wouldn’t be an issue (at least not in my case so far).
So you can do another warming during its cooling period?
Yes.
The cooling period does not in any way affect how you use the machine.
I'm surprised and agree.
Cooling fan - PITA…
But as far as effectiveness and difference compared to non inverter microwaves - night and day IMO.
If you just use the thing on full power all the time, then you'll likely not notice much difference. But if you are smart about the power level set for different items, the inverter ones win hands down IMO.
The inverter ones are so much better at:
Which is about the sum total of what I use my microwave for.
I've got one of these at home, and we also have one at work. My home one replaced an old Panasonic inverter. Here are my comments:
Overall I am happy with it and I prefer the flatbed compared to a turntable.
We have this microwave, they've been around for a few years now. We used to cook rice in ours and it totally destroyed it but still replaced it with the identical model.
Otherwise it gets heaps of use. It is significantly smaller than any other microwave with the same capacity which is really pleasing.
As far as hotspots goes - can't say that I have noticed. It doesn't have an express cook which is a bit frustrating and because we have it on a low shelf I can't always see which button I am pressing clearly so I have to be careful not to reheat my pasta sauce for 40minutes rather than 4 minutes/
Overall I'd recommend it though
damn - after 40 mins, that would be pasta jerky :)
I’ve got one of these too. It is noisy as hell (compared to my old Sanyo with a turntable). I hate the noise. Avoid this one if you don’t like loud ringing/vibrating/humming noises, not to mention the cool down period after heating. At least the cool down fan is less noisy!
I can’t believe none of my fellow OZB people who own this product has yet to complain about the noise.
On the positives, the flat bed is easy to clean and has more capacity then an equivalent sized microwave with a turntable. At least with a flat bed, you wont find rust under the turntable (from moisture/water accumulating after repeated use).
I think I paid about $350 a few years ago (it was on sale). So the current price is attractive.
Cheers,
S
I’ve not noticed the noise being a problem. Sounds the same as other microwaves? Maybe it’s because it’s a very open area for me
Perhaps yours is faulty? The only noise mine makes is the regular fan noise, which is the same when it is cooking and cooling. You can't tell the difference between cooking and cooling modes, and it just sounds like a fan humming.
How many presses do you have to do to heat an item on full power for one minute and also two minutes.
On my old venerable Sharp it takes one or two taps. I hope it never breaks but if it does this Panasonic looks interesting. All I read is bad reviews on the new Sharps,
2 presses for 1 min, 3 for 2 min
Bought this second hand but new for $20 some years ago. Only recently realised it retails for this kinda price. I’ve been very happy with it but maybe the price plays a factor! It gets the job done no problem
Another way to get space is to buy the 44 litre one advertised a few days ago: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/656342
$409 was the lowest price at the time. You may be please to know that Appliances Online are having a birthday sale and the same microwave is now down to $387.
They just ran out of stock (while I was trying to haggle perhaps) but the ETA for new stock is late October. Sale ends 27th but you can secure one in the meantime.
I just bought one. They won't go any lower on price for that but they did price match Appliance Central for the HW-A650/XY Samsung 3.1ch A-Series Soundbar (at $380) even though their birthday sale price is $393 and Appliance Central is out of stock.
BTW it works with that Klarna get up to $100 off you next order but I didn't join Klarna before I decided to stop paying the mortgage. Shopback is offering 1.75% cashback, which seems like it'll work even with the new link they send you with the adjusted price (in case you're thinking of buying the soundbar). BTW the HW-A450/XY that was ozbargained a couple of days ago here: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/657357 ($249+del @ Samsung, $255 w/del @ Appliance Central) is going for $248 delivered.
Also available in white for 199
I had this exact model- don't buy it.
Model SF574 has been around for years. Bought ours early 2017ish.
Late 2019 we had to replace it because of a well known fault with the door latch (google is your friend).
Long story short, even with the door closed the sensor on the door latch still thinks its open… so light stays on and microwave won't operate.
It'll start happening intermittently, and will slowly drive you crazy until finally it won't ever let you cook again.
Yes it's a nice selling point to not have a spinning plate to clean, but because it zaps from below it unevenly heats from that side only.
With a spinning plate you get a much more even cook/defrost, and less stuffing about repositioning the food as often.
And the cooling fan is a pain in the….! You only use it for 30sec and the thing needs to cool down!
Definitely go Inverter on your next microwave though!
Normal microwaves zap at 100%, then rest, then zap at 100%, then rest… on the low setting.
Inverter microwaves only zap at a lower rate on the lower settings, so are much more even with their heating.
Actually, free plug… our replacement microwave is awesome. LG MS429 1200w $278.
Rated number one in Choice reviews (btw LG takes out top 3, and 4 out of the top 5).
Just go buy the MS429 and be done with it… it's the best (you don't have to spend $400+ to get the best).
The cooling fan is annoying, but just to be clear this is a "feature" of all Panasonic inverter microwaves, not just the flat bed model. My old Panasonic with a turntable was exactly the same.
We have had one of these at work for years now with heavy daily use and have had no issues with the door, neither does my one at home.
As for the uneven heating, this one heats from the bottom whereas my old one heated from the top. Either way you need to turn the food I didn't find one to be better than the other.
we have a similar one and I'll never buy one without a numberpad again. What a crappy interface: say you want to cook something for eight minutes, you have to press the one minute button eight times. Also, for some reason, after cooking food for X minutes you can't just start it again. Oh no: the time has to be reset first. Except sometimes it doesn't. So it's both stupid and buggy.
I'm really on the fence on flatbed microwaves - I feel like every time I do any sort of reading into them there's two very split camps of either loving or loathing them. I don't understand how so many people can say they're amazing while the other half decry of un-eaven heating. Thoughts?