This mounted microwave oven is nine years old and it came with our house already preinstalled when we bought our house eight years ago. This microwave oven is no longer sold by Sears or other retailers. However, it is still traded on internet for what seems to be around $100. This review is aimed at those people who are looking to buy used microwave ovens.


About the JVM 1660WB 1,000 Watt Microwave

This microwave oven is relatively powerful and large (1.6 cubic feet, width 30 inch, depth 17 inch, height 16 ½ inch, 1000 Watt). On the right hand side you have a panel with large touch buttons. On the panel there are express buttons which allow you cook one, two, three, four, five and six minutes with one button press. There is also eight cook by sensor buttons, popcorn, chicken pieces, ground meat, beverage, vegetables, and potato, fish, and reheat, which also require one button press. The one press buttons often makes heating something in the microwave oven a quick affair. There is a 30 seconds increment button a defrost button, and two customs buttons which you can set to specific cooking requirements that you use often.

The Microwave has ten heat levels (1 - 10, 10 = 100%, 5 = 50%). Changing the heat level and using the express buttons is a little awkward. First you have to start the express cook and then you can change the level. It also has a clock a message display and an appointment scheduler. The Microwave comes with a flat glass turntable which is rotated via a small rotor at the bottom of the microwave.


Our experience

We have used this microwave extensively (half a dozen times per day) for the last eight years. A few years ago we had a magnetron go bad on us. Luckily we had the Sears service plan and they came out and replaced it. This microwave oven is a little bit loud but it cooks well and even, it easy to clean, and except the magnetron it has held up well. We have not had any problems with buttons or sensors malfunctioning. We make popcorn quite often using the popcorn button. It has cooked about four thousand bags of popcorn as perfect as you can microwave popcorn. I should say that I have used many microwaves that burn popcorn, fail to pop a lot of the bag, or even fail at both. That is not the case with this microwave.

Out microwave is white and since the buttons are touch buttons are inconspicuous from a distance which makes the microwave look like a white rectangle with a window and an LCD display from a distance. In my opinion this makes the microwave blend in well with the kitchen. The express buttons and the sensor buttons cover most everyday needs which mean that your cooking effort will only last one second and do not require any thinking.

The clock is a little bit primitive (there is no date function) and every time you set the clock you have to set the month, day, time, the whole thing. If you loose power, even for a short time, you have to reset the clock. The turn table is fairly wide and easy to clean. You can scrub it or put it in the dishwasher. We did not install this microwave our selves. However, it is just a rectangle with a power cord in the back and it looked quite easy when the sears people took it out and in for repair.

Final recommendation

If someone is selling this microwave for $100, even if it is many years old, I think this could be a good buy. I expect our microwave to last many more years. However, it is not very modern, it does not have fancy functionality, and it is a little loud. As a used and older microwave oven I give it four stars.

Recommended: Yes