Never another GE microwave.....

Purchase date: JANUARY 2007
Review date: OCTOBER 2007
Model purchased: GE JE1290SK Convection Microwave in Stainless
Purchased at: Lowe's Home Improvement

As mentioned in previous reviews I changed my kitchen appliances from Almond to Stainless.
Previous to this I had a Goldstar .7 cu. ft. microwave at 700 watts. It worked fine but it was not powerful enough and it was frustrating to heat things in becuase it took forever. It was also inconveniently small inside.

I purchased the GE JE1290SK because I came across a good deal on a unit with slight cosmetic damage that I was able to purchase at 1/2 price. I decided I would give it a shot. I ended up donating my Goldstar, which proved to be a mistake.

I was excited to get the new GE convection microwave because of the versitle design. Having the option to do traditional microwave reheating, convection heat cooking, or a combination mode that uses both. I have to be honest that I do not cook at home a lot, so the convection mode only got used a few times.
When using the convection mode, the heating performance seemed mediocre and took longer to cook than expected. The exterior of the unit got quite warm during the convection cook mode, which is logical but was unexpected. I supose I expected some miracle insulation that would keep the exterior cool. And the unit produced odd smells during the convection cook mode that made me a bit uneasy.

The microwave function always worked fine and delivered good heating performance. And with 1000 watts, it was much better than I was used to with the old Goldstar.

I felt that the capacity of 1.2 cu. ft. was actually pretty spacious. There are certainly larger choices out there but I never felt that the capacity of this unit was insufficient.

I loved the express cook feature that allows you to place an item inside, shut the door, and hit a numeric key anywhere from 1-6 and the unit will begin cooking with just one touch.

It would have been nice to have a Sensor cook function on this microwave, but considering the cost of this unit at $250 is about half that of most other convection units I cannot complain too much.

Now, normally I dislike reviews that list problems that individuals have had with a product because I feel like that is the rare exception to an otherwise good product. But I think that is not the case here.
After owning my GE JE1290SK microwave for approx 20 months the unit began arcing inside. The unit was no longer under warranty and I was not going to bother with professional repair because it would have been greater than the cost of the product.
I did see some troubleshooting online that suggested replacing a part called a "wave guide cover" might help. I did try replacing this fancy $5 piece of cardboard but to no avail.
So I ended up scrapping this unit.
But there's more.......
My fiance also had problems with a GE countertop microwave (Model JES1384SF). 2 in fact. 1st one had a defective magnetron and would not heat after 4 months. The retailer exchanged the product and she got another of the same model. It quit working after approx 2 months.

Unfortunately 3 bad experiences out of 3 with GE microwaves will be the last opportunity they have with my family.
I will evenually post a review of the new Panasonic that I purchased to replace this model after I become a bit more familiar with it.


-------------------------------------------
-Some Specs
Capacity: 1.2 cu. ft.
Interior: Stainless
Exterior: Stainless
Cooking Power: 1000 watts
Sensor: NO
Convection: YES