1w ago

Hmm I guess you're right

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I had a microwave-air fryer combo that broke last week. It's been agony trying to replace it because I bought it for $150, and now they're going for like...$300-$400. Even a solo microwave is like $180 for a decent one.
When did microwaves get so expensive?
- Yeah I inherited a built-in microwave with the house I purchased. The microwave model was from like 2009 but it still worked so I just kept using it. Then recently it died - turns out it is some obscure form factor that is no longer made, so if I want to replace it I have to either find "new old stock" from 2009 or I have to tear out half my kitchen. Awesome.
  
  Try a repair place. There's lots of cheap failure modes that can be fixed (interlock switches, waveguide issues, fuse replacements)
  
  My parents had this exact problem recently. They were able to buy a model of their 2010 over-the-range GE microwave from some guy who goes to Amazon warehouse auctions as a hobby. No idea how they found the guy, but they have a working one now, and it was cheaper than ripping out the kitchen exhaust system for sure.
- I'm curious what part of the world you live in, a basic microwave can still be had for like $40 in my area
  
  I think it's the air-fryer part that makes it substantially more. I agree that a microwave can be bought for $40 in USA. My partner asked for an air fryer two years ago and I probably spent $120 getting one of the best ones on Amazon, but there were cheaper ones for sure. I don't know anything about prices above that or prices today.
  
  I really don't understand. Airfryers are convection ovens, not microwaves. Does that microwave also toast bread?
  
  Yes. There have been microwaves with heat elements in them for ages. You remove the glass plate, put in a wire rack, and run it in convection mode. They generally already have modest fans to help combat hot spots. I'm not sure about the brand-new ones, but the last one I had either ran in convection mode or microwave mode.
  Air fryers usually have a massive coil tucked away in the top and blast heat+IR down on the food, but you can't just throw a large metal coil in the middle of a microwave, You could cover it over with a mica waveguide, but those don't love to pass through heat.
  
  Fan ovens rather than convection surely?
  
  No? Fan means convection. Airfryers have a stronger fan, that's all, really.
  
  Fan ovens and convection ovens are the same thing
  
  I thought convection oven was one that didn't have the fan, or its turned off. Just a box filled with hot air. Fan oven is specifically different and often has different cooking times/temperatures.
  
  Nah, the oven without the fan is a conventional oven, and adding a fan makes it a convection oven. This is probably a regional thing, where some places "fan oven" is used and some places "convection oven" is used. Since moving back to the US I've noticed that in my time away, packaging has started replacing "convection oven" directions with "air fryer" directions because they do have different temperatures and times than conventional ovens, but it was something like 30-35% of US households have convection ovens last time I checked, and "air fryer" is a much more recognizable term here than "convection oven" even though they're the same thing
  
  Perhaps it is regional. I would think convection because the air moves by convection. Different from a fan oven which moves it by a fan. Which would lead to more air movement than convection alone.
  Air fryers I think the fan is more directed at the food though.
  
  A fan is still convection, it's just forced convection. You're thinking only of ambient convection as convection. And air fryer designs vary, there are some that are constructed the way most fan ovens are, where is just in the middle of the back, some where it's on the top blowing down. The former would be indistinguishable from a traditional oven, except that the smaller space makes it preheat easier
  
  I'm in Canada!
  I could probably get a $40 no-name microwave from Walmart or something, but I don't know if it'll last more than a couple of years and I don't really want to create more e-waste (hence "a decent one" in my og comment). I've been looking at Panasonic ones because those seem to be the ones people recommend for longevity.
  Additionally, it's the combo air fryer/microwave that's troublesome to find under $250 here. I don't really have the counter or storage space currently to have multiple appliances, so my previous appliance was a huge convenience.
  If any Canadians have any input or recommendations, I'd be happy to hear it!
  
  You don't have to worry about a No Name microwave because literally all microwaves are the same microwave. There's only one company that makes the inverters and everybody else just slaps their brand on it
  https://youtu.be/YSrVG74Emyk
  *edit naturally I'm sure there's at least a couple other companies but the point is that no matter what you buy you're probably getting a midea
  
  This is so helpful, thank you!
  edit: Of course Half As Interesting would have a video about microwave manufacturing lol. Time to pull them up on Nebula.
  
  My Walmart microwave I got 15 years ago is now standing in for the shitty 300$+ Panasonic that died less than 3 years in
  
  You could check resale/thrift shops for both, especially for a microwave, and get them on the cheap. Do you have Goodwill in Canada?
  
  I've been checking local thrift shops, they're just very sparse regarding electronics where I live, and the good/working ones usually get snapped up easily. Not willing to make a FB account just for marketplace, so I've resigned to buying new. Thank you though!
  
  I spent $150 on our microwave within the past few years in the U.S., however it was name brand and a special miniature model that would leave us with more counter space. If you buy a no name brand you can still get one for under $100, but that also means ordering from like Amazon or something, which is hit or miss.
  I do think $100-$150 is reasonable for a good microwave that will last!
  
  You can literally walk into either Walmart or Fred Meyers at least around me and find both the normal size and miniature ones for under $60 my friend got one there eight years ago, has never cleaned it once in his life, uses it multiple times a day daily and it's still alive
  ¯(ツ)/¯
  
  your friend should clean his microwave, not for maintenance, thats just... nasty.
  
  if you cover your food, it won't make a mess.
  
  That's not the case in my area.
- When did microwaves get so expensive?
  When households started having 3+ children who won't bother cooking. Idk if is a generational thing, but I've noticed most people my age won't even bother to learn how to cook SMH.
  
  Should...shouldn't that make it cheaper?
  We DON'T live in a supply side utopia?? 😱
  
  Lmao. No. Take for example the most popular smartphone in the world: the iPhone. Why isn't it cheaper? Also microwaves have gotten cheaper, I've heard they used to cost thousands in the 1970s and 80s.
  
  Why do you think you can't cook with a microwave? 😭
  
  Oh you can. Now whether they do it or not is a other story.
- A temporary solution can often be found for cheap or free in local classifieds like Craigslist or at a thrift store like Goodwill.
  Edit: whoops, didn’t see the reply. My b.
  
  No problem, I appreciate the sentiment all the same!

117 comments