Nowadays, manufacturers of microwave ovens literally climb out of their hands, trying to make their products as functional as possible, capable of dozens of operations. Their technology does not just fulfill its immediate task - it warms up and thawes. She also fries, steamed, baked foods and cooks a variety of dishes. But such functionality is far from necessary for everyone. Therefore, before buying, you should carefully consider how cheap models differ from expensive ones, and also for which options it is worth overpaying and for which not.
How much a microwave is worth depends on a number of factors. First of all, on the type of control. In the second, from the manufacturer. Also, the cost is affected by the presence of additional functions, grills, power level, color and volume.
Control
It can be mechanical or electronic. The latter option also includes microwave ovens with a touch panel. Budget models are devices with mechanical control. It is on them that it is worth paying attention to buyers who are thinking about how to choose a microwave oven and not overpay.
The mechanical control is very simple. There are 2 handles on the panel: one controls power, the other a timer. If you want to warm up a bowl of soup, a couple of minutes is enough, and at least 10-15 may be needed to defrost a large volume of products. Some customers are wondering why power adjustment is needed. Let the microwave work at maximum! After all, so she warms up and cooks faster. You can’t argue with this statement, however, in the mode of defrosting products, maximum power is not needed and it must be reduced. Otherwise, you can get dried on the surface and ice inside the product.
Electronics provides much more opportunities. For models with this control, a display appears on which you can see the time remaining until the end of cooking / heating. Electronics allows you to accurately set the duration of work depending on the type and weight of the product. Such models are intended not only for defrosting and warming up, but also for preparing various dishes.
Customers who are interested in the cheapest microwave without additional options should pay attention to models with mechanical control.
Volume
Standard models come in a volume of 17-23 liters. Some buyers mistakenly think that the cheapest microwave will be small. The smaller the volume, the lower the price. There is indeed a relationship between the two, but some small microwaves are not cheap at all, such as the Hotpoint-Ariston MWHA 13321 CAC. This is due to the non-standard sizes of such equipment, which is rarely found in stores and can be considered an exclusive product. The main advantage of such models is not the price, but the small dimensions, which allow you to save space in the kitchen.
Capacious microwave ovens are usually taken to prepare or heat a large volume of products. A spacious 26-30 liter chamber will easily include a wide dish or a whole turkey.
Dimensions
You should also pay attention to this characteristic if you need a microwave. Sizes of models are not always indicated by sellers of goods. To obtain reliable information about the dimensions of the equipment, you should refer to the instruction manual. A small microwave does not take up much space on the countertop, fits easily on a shelf, or enters a small niche.
The dimensions of microwave ovens indirectly depend on their volume. Obviously, models with a 30-35 liter camera simply cannot be small. However, the increase in size can occur both due to changes in height and width, and due to depth. Therefore, before buying, you need to evaluate each parameter separately, and not just the dimensions as a whole.
Grill function
If you need a microwave oven not only for heating, but also for cooking, you should pay attention to the model with grill. This device is an additional heating element inside the chamber that allows you to use the microwave as a small oven: prepare hot sandwiches, bake pies, cook porridge. The products are obtained not boiled-stewed, but appetizing, fried, with a crispy crust. How much does a microwave with grill cost? Definitely more expensive than without it, because don’t say it, but you need to pay extra for an additional function. An example of a budget model with grill is the Horizont 20MW700-1378B.
Power
If the buyer does not want to wait 3-4 minutes for a serving of soup to warm up, you should pay attention to such an indicator as power. Depending on the model, it can fluctuate in the range of 500-1500 watts. The higher the number, the faster the appliance will cook, the more expensive it will cost.
Color
The cheapest microwave is classic white. It is universal and suitable for any interior. If the microwave is needed in gray or steel, you will have to pay extra for the design.
Camera coating
It is no secret that during operation the inner surface of the camera is very dirty. Therefore, to facilitate the work of housewives, manufacturers have developed a special coating - easy-clean enamel. Compared to a normal surface, it is much easier to wipe off grease and soot spatter from it. Easy-clean enamel has a gray or blue color and slightly increases the cost of a microwave oven.
Manufacturer
The price of the microwave, of course, affects the place of assembly. For many years now, Asian manufacturers — Korea and China — have been leading the market, and the quality of the equipment they produce is steadily growing. The cheapest microwave oven with a probability of 99.9% will be collected in these countries. European manufacturers, not inferior in quality, are far ahead in price. The Gorenie microwave oven assembled in Slovenia will cost two times more than the similar functionally assembled model in China.
Additional functions
These include: convection, a double boiler, a double-triple grill, automatic cooking and a number of similar options. All of them, one way or another, increase the cost of microwave ovens. A model with a lot of additional functions should be taken only if the owner plans to cook in it regularly. For example, everyone in the family adheres to a healthy diet and regularly prepares diet meals. In this case, a microwave with an integrated double boiler will become an indispensable assistant for them. Otherwise, the money will be thrown to the wind.
Let us consider in more detail microwave ovens up to 2000-3000 thousand rubles, their main characteristics and features.
Samsung CE2738NR
This is a 700-watt model with a volume of 17 liters electronically controlled. Its distinguishing feature is bioceramic enamel inside the chamber and an electric grill. Among the additional options, there is the “quick start” button, which automatically starts the microwave oven for 30 seconds and the menu program. When defrosting, the owner is invited to choose one of 4 types of products: bread, meat, poultry or fish and indicate the weight.
Depending on the set parameters, the microwave oven itself will select the optimal power and duration of work. A pleasant trifle - this model is equipped with a clock and shows the time while it is included in the network.
SUPRA MWS-1803MW
This is a very simple microwave oven designed to heat and defrost. Its dimensions are small - 42.4 x 26.2 x 34.1 cm and allow you to place the device even on a small table. This is a mechanically controlled model. The upper knob sets the time. Lower is power. Before buying, you should pay attention that the step of the time scale is 5 minutes: 5, 10, 15, etc. - up to 30. Accordingly, it is difficult to set a shorter interval, you will have to do this “by eye”, at the risk of overheating the product. Inside the microwave oven is covered with plain white enamel. Power can be adjusted in 6 values. The first is defrosting, then goes low, medium / low, and further, up to a high level. The volume of the model is 18 liters. The door opens by pressing a button.
Mystery MMW-2013
This is another example of a budget microwave. Model with a volume of 20 liters, a power of 800 W with a mechanical type of control. Unlike the previous microwave, at this time you can choose to cook per minute. It is much more convenient when you need to warm up a small portion of food, for example, a glass of milk. After 10 minutes, the scale step increases 5 times: 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30. The Mystery MMW-2013 microwave oven is designed for defrosting and heating. Its power can be adjusted with the top switch depending on the needs of the owner by category: low, medium, high, etc. The coating inside the camera is the same as usual - white enamel. She does not give any benefits when leaving and is cleaned with standard household chemicals.
Mystery MMW-1707
The Mystery MMW-1707 microwave oven is another example of a multi-functional budget model. It is small, only 17 liters. Its power is also close to the minimum - 700 watts. No additional heating elements. But there is an electronic control panel with several modes of operation. It consists of a display and numeric buttons, which are used to set the time, weight and power. There is an option "quick start", which reduces the number of clicks when typing. Of the programs, auto-freezing can be noted, in which the microwave automatically selects the number of thawing cycles depending on the set time. This model also has a delay in cooking - a useful option in which a warmed dish can be obtained right by breakfast, laying foods back in the evening.
Gorenje MO17MW
Among European manufacturers, you can also find budget models. An example is the Gorenie MO17MW microwave oven , 17 liters, rated at 700 watts. The device door opens with a button. There are 6 power levels, including a defrost mode and a mechanical timer in 1 minute increments.
In its technical characteristics and appearance, it is not much different from its Chinese counterparts, but at the expense of the brand it costs a little more.