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After 14 months of use, our CMW-100 "died" completely without warning as the Start button was pressed. No display, no light, no fan, no nothing. There was no unusual sound or smell associated with the failure. A little web research disclosed that a blown internal fuse is the most likely cause when a microwave fails this way. I called Cuisinart customer service and as noted in other reviews here, they require you to return the unit to their own repair shop and pay postage both ways. What's worse, they estimated a 4-6 week turnaround time. I found a local shop that wanted $40 to diagnose the problem, plus charges for any parts required and estimated a 2 week turnaround. My reality check was a Best Buy ad this week for a GE 1100 watt 1.1 cubic foot stainless steel unit for $70. That made my decision - too much hassle, inconvenience and expense to resuscitate the Cuisinart. If I couldn't fix it myself, I'd dump it and buy a new, non-Cuisinart microwave.

After using vice grips to remove the two tamper proof screws from the one piece top/side case (interesting that the other 3 screws were normal phillips head screws) an ordinary 20 amp instrument fuse was easily visible and easily accessible on a small circuit board right where the power cord penetrates the back case. Although the fuse looked good, it tested open with a continuity checker. I popped in a replacement (very cheap and easily obtained at any hardware store), put the case back on (substituting 2 extra phillips head screws I happened to have handy for the tamperproof ones) and plugged the unit back in. Good as new!

After 30+ years of buying Cuisinart products, they just lost me as a customer. If the item works well until the warranty expires, no problem. However, I consider their repair-under-warranty requirements entirely unreasonable for a large, relatively heavy (about 35 lbs not counting the box), and fragile item. (1) if they feel they can stand behind this product with a 3 year warranty, they should also be willing to pay postage at least one way; (2) if they expect you to ship it back for repair, they should sell it in a box that is strong enough and has enough cushioning to protect the microwave. I suspect they load these retail boxes in larger containers when shipping them to retailers. They are entirely inadequate for normal, single unit shipping; (3) a 4-6 week repair turnaround is too long an inconvenience for most microwave owners - they should invest in more repair benches and technicians, and (4) they should do what most major appliance manufacturers do - certify factory authorized repair sites all over the country, at least in each state's most populous city so that owners would have the option of delivering items for repair rather than having to mail them back.

We're on our second one of these and it broke again. On the first one, the digital read-out froze and wouldn't let us actually cook anything. It only worked for about 2 days. This second one just fritzed out yesterday for no reason at all. I was heating something up and 90 seconds in the thing just shut off. The readout went blank and I've tried several outlets and nothing will get this thing back on. We got it off our registry on Bed Bath & Beyond, so thank god we can exchange it. The first time we exchanged it for a new one of the same model. This time I'm going to get something else. I never owned anything from Cuisinart before. Doubtful I ever will again.

First, let me address the concerns some reviewers seem to have had with their units. One thing I've noticed is that each and every one was ordered over the internet and, thus, had to be shipped. I think the problem may have been with the delivery service manhandling the package. As it is, this Cuisinart microwave can be had at several specialty retailers (especially those specializing in kitchen and other housewares), so an internet purchase is not always mandantory.

As far as performance is concerned, mine performs as well as any other microwave I've had in the last 15 or so years. Honestly, most microwaves perform roughly on par with others in their respective wattage range. That wasn't always the case, but has become more or less true lately. Oh sure, there are still duds out there, but most are on equal footing with their competitors.

So . . . what exactly sets this microwave apart? In a nutshell, the inside!!! This one has a stainless steel interior! Now that's what I'm talking about! Have you ever had spaghetti or chile or soup "pop" all over the inside of your microwave? If so, then you'll no doubt sympathize with my agony of cleaning dried gunk. Well, thanks to the stainless steel interior this is now a cinch. Have you ever burned popcorn in your microwave? If so, then you'll likely remember that it is impossible to remove all of the brown smoke stains on the inside---and let's not even talk about the smell! Thanks to a stainless steel interior neither smoke stains nor lingering odor will ever be an issue.

As far as the exterior, it comes in an easy-to-clean, trendy stainless steel. Honestly, I'd have bought it if it were available only in black or white---it's the stainless steel interior that I'm after. Today though, stainless steel appliances are in vogue. I'm sure it will pass---remember the black of the 90s, the almond of the 80s, or the avocado green or coppertone (brown) of the 70s? Still, I must say it certainly looks sharp perched up on my countertop (which, by the way, is an out-of-fashion butcher block laminate).

If there's any significant drawback to this unit, it will likely come from the door handle. I've had no problems yet, but it is not a stainless steel handle (it actually LOOKS like chrome). No, the shiny door handle is a heavy plastic. We all know what eventually becomes of plastic parts. I just hope the "chrome" doesn't wear off too soon to reveal the ugly yellow resin beneath.

Like the other reviewers, I agree that this looks nice. There are 2 problems that I found however. One, you can't use the microwave to cook and use the timer simultaneously. This has been an inconvenience on more than one occasion. The other problem is that if the microwave is on a slick counter surface, the force of pulling the door makes the microwave slide off the surface. Annoying.

The microwave was a bit larger than I wanted for my counter space so measure exactly the size you want or need. Although I have not used it much, the microwave like all other Cusinart products is beautifully designed with high quality materials.