coldsteel7's Full Review: General Electric REM25SJ 800 Watts Microwave Oven
The GE REM25SJ Microwave Oven is a small microwave (1.0 cubic feet). I have owned this microwave for several years and take it for granted. Whether I throw a lukewarm cup of coffee in for re-heating, pop a bag of popcorn for movie night or reheat leftovers this microwave has performed to expectations.
One unique feature that this microwave has is a Child Lockout capability. Because my children are old enough to utilize the microwave (and would probably be more adept at me at enabling or disabling the features on this product), I do not use this feature. The feature itself is easy enough to use. If you hold the "clear/off" button for three seconds you change the current status of this microwave. If it is locked, holding the off button will unlock it (and vice versa). That is simple enough, but something a young child wouldn't necessarily figure out.
If you are short on counter space this microwave is capable of being mounted beneath your cabinets. I currently live in an apartment, and have not mounted this microwave to the cabinets here. It does not take up a tremendous amount of counter space, because it is one of the smaller microwaves produced (even though it is touted as mid-sized...which I think is a stretch). It is a hair under two feet wide, just under thirteen inches back to front and a bit more than eleven inches tall. This microwave is not very heavy, either, weighing in at thirty pounds.
The biggest restriction on this microwave is the Capacity which I have already stated is 1.0 cubic foot. This capacity limits you, especially if you have tall bowls. The turntable inside the microwave spins, so odd shaped dishes will also have a problem spinning, depending on their size. Because the microwave is rectangular, but the turntable is round, you can fit a dish larger than the turntable inside the microwave. You can remove the turntable and wheel (which is a small circular piece with three tiny wheels attached. This will keep your dish from turning in the event that it fits sideways, but is too long to spin.
This microwave has electronic touch controls which is a fancy way of saying it is a push button microwave (Does anyone remember the old dial up microwaves?) The touch pads offers several selections. There is a touchpad for timed cooking, which allows you to select the power level and time limit (this touch pad can also act as a timer, if you are not using the microwave and want to time something in your conventional oven). There is also a quick select menu with several options to choose from. The only two buttons I use on this menu are the popcorn button which automatically times your popcorn, and the beverage button which I use to reheat my coffee. Other quick select instant controls include defrost, reheat and cook. I do not use these buttons. I do not cook much in the microwave, and when I reheat, I normally select a time cook option.
My experience with the reliability of this microwave has been flawless. I have been using this microwave for a few years, and have not experienced any problems. The microwave comes with a one-year warranty. If you have a problem in the first year, then there is a serious defect in your unit. With the intermittent use I put on my microwave, I would expect it to last for five to ten years. With the cost of microwave ovens dropping substantially in recent years, especially for the smaller units, the amount of use that you get out of them for the price is a great deal. This unit is currently being advertised on Epinions as available at Homedepot.com for about $139.
I have owned several GE products in the past, to include products from their Hotpoint line. In fact, my current apartment has both a Hotpoint refrigerator and Hotpoint stove. My experience with Hotpoint has been mediocre. I don't know the age of the refrigerator in this apartment, but there are problems with the freezer fan, which I have called about. They have "fixed" it but there are still problems with it. The stove has not had any problems. In the past, I have had mostly good experiences with Hotpoint, but I normally gravitate towards Kenmore products for my larger appliances. I would suggest that this microwave, albeit Hotpoint, is a bargain and is a reliable product.
My Overall Experience with the GE REM25SJ Microwave Oven has been flawless. The microwave pops popcorn adequately (I had an older microwave that did not), and has adequate power for reheating which is my primary use. The size is convenient, not too large and not too small. With limited counterspace, it saves me space, while being big enough to handle my needs. This microwave has been reliable and at under $140 is a bargain as well. For anyone with small children that like to push buttons, the child lockout feature might be an additional selling point. I would give this microwave four stars out of a possible five.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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