panasonic PANASONIC NN-SE985S stainless steel (Open Box)

After two GE Profiles died on me prematurely, I decided to abandon GE completely! I searched high and low and eventually stumbled on this product but it was not an easy find because at the time of my search this product was still very new and if it showed up on Internet search results then it must have been buried deep into the later search results. As a matter of fact, the way I finally found this product was because I eventually landed on the Canadian Panasonic site and then I was able to check the US site for the same product. I initially was going to order another model because the US Panasonic site incorrectly excluded this model from my filter criteria. Had it not been for that Canadian site link that I found, I would have ordered that other model. Thankfully, luck was on my side that day! The last GE model I had and used a dial instead of a numeric keypad to enter the times. Let me tell you how awful and annoying that was to use! I hate it! The other Panasonic model that I was about to order didn't have a physical dial but used a touch-sensitive panel as the dial; that is, you have to run your finger in a circle forward and backward on the panel as if you were actually turning a knob. I was adamant about not going back to GE, so that's why I was reluctantly ready to move forward with the Panasonic touch-dial. But then I luckily found this model! No, there is no numeric keypad, but the touch slider and the plus/minus definitely work great!!! I can honestly tell you that I am not at all missing the numeric keypad! Moreover, it truly is sleek how it just displays the time only when nothing is in use, so it really makes this product even more gorgeous with no bulging dials or buttons. To be honest, I thought all the bragging about Cyclonic Wave/Inverter was all Marketing but I have to admit that I am truly IMPRESSED! Hands down, this product heats and defrosts MUCH, MUCH better than my previous GE Profiles. The claims ARE true!!! Even if I gave up on Panasonic today--for whatever reason--and I was on the market for a new Microwave oven, then I'd still be looking for Cyclonic Wave/Inverter features. So, whatever brand you buy, I strongly suggest you make sure to choose a model that has these features. This product really cooks much more evenly and this is very evident in the sensor-reheat and -defrost modes. But reheating cooked food is not such a big deal in the sense that even if it is not perfect, you can manually add more time or let the food cool down, accordingly. On the other hand, with defrosting, I used to end up with parts of my meats COOKED rather than defrosted, when I had my GE. Not any more with my Panasonic! Unlike the GE, the Panasonic sensor-reheat has several modes; the two that I use are the general and soup modes. This is another great feature and I can tell you that soup mode DEFINITELY works. Moreover, the unit allows you to add/reduce to time to the mode, so when I am reheating a very large bowl of soup, I select to add some more time. The interior cooking area is also EXTREMELY spacious and that is something I truly appreciate! In my GE (keep in mind that it was also a 2.2 Cu. Ft.) my cutting board would hit against the walls while the glass tray was turning, preventing it from rotating with the tray. Moreover, I have large square dinner plates that would also have the same issue. Much to my surprise, the interior of the Panasonic provided much more cooking room, so now my dinner plates and cutting board fully rotate without any issues! I also really like the Keep Warm feature; it works great. In addition to keeping food warm, I also use it to make my bread warm. This is also invaluable to me because it allows me to warm my bread without having to play with power level so that I do not end up re-cooking the bread. Overall, a great product and highly recommended!