this post was submitted on 22 Feb 2025
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Oh, man you whippersnappers. “If it doesn’t say Amana, it’s not a Radarange !™️”
There's only one company that makes microwaves.
The electronics are so particular that creating more than one supply chain doesn't make sense.
Every brand just whitelables microwaves assembled by Midea
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)
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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 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)_/¯
That's not the case 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.
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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
*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.
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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!
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.
I have because I watched 30 Rock and the first 3 seasons of that show have so much GE product integortion
I have because I watched 30 Rock and the first 3 seasons of that show have so much GE product integortion
Ugh don’t even get me started on all the integortioning in that show. On daytime television no less!
That's my favorite kind of product, which doesn't need ads, because it just does the thing you want for a reasonable price, a.k.a. commodity goods.
I'd argue no product needs ads, just unbiased reviews. Ads just add bias to whatever company has the better marketing team, not necessarily the best product.
Well, the products themselves might need it. Some of that garbage would not sell without an ad campaign. But yeah, for consumers, they're typically more misleading than informative, unless it is an ad for a commodity.
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Infomercial, early 2000's, around 1am. They cooked a Turkey.
I only remember being told to set it and forget it. I'm interested in this microwave competition.
I had one of those. For all that infomercials are functionally the worst thing in the world for getting a valid perspective on a product, that thing cooked everything they said it did, and it did it deliciously.
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I've never met anyone that doesn't know that Coke exists, but they still have ads everywhere. It's older than the microwave!
That's because cokes are consumables, so more ads might make you buy them more frequently.
And they're addictive with all that sugar and caffeine so an ad can trigger a compulsion.
That's because you're an infant. Used to be lots, like this one for an Amana Radarange. I was a teenager in '75.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/296814620117
Edit: I say infant not as an insult, merely to compare your fresh youth with my advanced decrepitude.
Microwave companies twisting their nipples - and be like what are you going to do? not buy one? (laughs mynaically and spends marketing budget on cocaine)
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