- Equals five top ranked
- The expensive ones: Microwaves with grill
- This is how the Stiftung Warentest scored
- Initially as heavy as a small car – the history of the microwave
Microwaves are extremely popular: This applies equally in the home and in the office. The all-rounders are hard at work everywhere. Around 73.8 percent of households in Germany owned a microwave oven in 2021. Precisely because it is so practical for quickly heating milk or warming up lunch. How about the quality of the devices is ordered, now examined the Stiftung Warentest. All details on the 17 microwaves tested can be found in the download of the magazine article test as PDF for the price of 4.90 euros.
Five best places
For all devices in the test, the Stiftung Warentest awards six good grades, only one of which has a grill function. Overall, the grades range from “good” to just under “sufficient”. If you compare carefully, you can save. Recommended microwaves already exist under 100 euros. The rating differences are minimal. It is therefore advisable to consider the cheaper devices.
Here first the Top finishers, five microwaves (all without grill function):
- Bosch: FFL023MW0 Series 2*
- Test winner with the grade: good (2.3)
- 800 watts, electricity costs approx. 29 euros/year**
- Average online price: approx. 149 euros
Bosch FFL023MW0 Series 2 microwave – view here directly
- neff: FLAWG20S2*
- Test grade: good (2.3)
- 800 watts, electricity costs around 29 euros/year
- Average online price: approx. 152 euros
- Siemens: FF023LMW0*
- Test grade: good (2.3)
- 800 watts, electricity costs around 29 euros/year
- Average online price: approx. 153 euros
- SHARP: YC-MS02E
- Test grade: good (2.4)
- 800 watts, electricity costs around 29 euros/year
- Average online price: approx. 99 euros
- Lidl: Silvercrest SMW 700 D3
- Test grade: good (2.5)
- 700 watts, electricity costs around 27 euros/year
- Average online price: approx. 50 Euros
*The brands Bosch, Siemens and Neff belong to the company BSH-Hausgeräte. This can result in the products being identical in construction.
** The foundation calculated the electricity costs as follows: Based on a typical Utilization profile and an electricity price of 34 cents/kWh certainly results in consumption.
Other devices under test
The most important thing about the microwave is the power: More watt deliver faster results. The powerful, standard household devices currently have a maximum of 1,000 watts – with this you can heat food very quickly. Even weaker microwaves still have 700 watts. The electricity costs are also important, but they are similar for all devices.
The other six devices in the test were:
- Case: Design M20 Ecostyle
- Test grade: good (2.6)
- 700 watts, electricity costs around 27 euros/year
- Average online price: approx. 100 euros
CASO | M20 Ecostyle microwave – take a look here
- Exquisite: MW717-7
- Test grade: good (2.6)
- 700 watts, electricity costs around 27 euros/year
- Average online price: approx. 75 euros
- Panasonic: NN-SD27
- Test grade: good (2.7)
- 1000 watts, electricity costs around 28 euros/year
- Average online price: approx. 187 euros
- Severin: MW 7761
- Test grade: good (2.8)
- 800 watts, electricity costs around 27 euros/year
- Average online price 120 euros
- IKEA: Tillreda 504.867.92
- Test grade: good (2.9)
- 700 watts, electricity costs around 27 euros/year
- Average online price 59 euros
- Samsung: MS23K3515AS/EG
- Test grade: good (2.6)
- 800 watts, electricity costs around 27 euros/year
- Average online price: approx. 124 euros
The expensive ones: Microwaves with grills
The microwaves with grill can do more than the usual device: bake, grill and au gratin. However, compared to the oven, it is not always satisfactory. Two microwave ovens even have a special pizza feature (LG and Bauknecht), with which the Italian classic should succeed. There are also two good models for potato gratin (Severin, Samsung). In addition, all test candidates had to show what they can do when heating liquids and how well they can be used to make mug cakes. The test candidates all managed that. Microwaves with a grill are significantly more expensive than normal devices. Therefore, when making a purchase, you should think carefully about whether you really often need this additional function.
Microwaves with grill
- LG: MH 6565 CPS
- Test winner with the grade: good (2.4)
- 1000 watts, electricity costs approx. 58 euros/year
- Average online price: approx. 220 euros
- Severin: MW 7751
- Test grade: satisfactory (2.7)
- 800 watts, electricity costs around 52 euros/year
- Average online price: approx. 138 euros
- Toshiba: MW2-MG20PF(BK)/GE
- Test grade: satisfactory (3.0)
- 1000 watts, electricity costs around 48 euros/year
- Average online price: approx. 109 euros
- Samsung: MG23K3614AW/EG
- Test grade: satisfactory (3.1)
- 800 watts, electricity costs around 60 euros/year
- Average online price: approx. 140 euros
- Bauknecht: MW 427 SL
- Test grade: satisfactory (3.4)
- 800 watts, electricity costs around 59 euros/year
- Average online price: approx. 225 euros
- Case design: MG 25 Ecostyle Ceramic
- Test grade: satisfactory (3.6)
- 900 watts, electricity costs around 45 euros/year
- Average online price: approx. 154 euros
This is how the Stiftung Warentest rated it
the Microwave function went at 55 percent (for devices with a grill function with 40 percent) in the evaluation. It was about the temperature differences and duration when heating two and five glasses of water. In addition, the devices had to defrost 500 grams of deep-frozen minced meat and have a certain temperature.
The grill function (if available) got 15 percent for an even tan, doneness and juiciness. For the The testers awarded 30 percent for handling the points. The focus was on the instructions for use as well as the scope and information content of the cooking tables and recipes. Five test persons assessed the microwaves in daily use. Checkpoints: opening and closing the door, Placing and removing cookware, grillage, turntable and settings.
Environmental characteristics (10 percent) and safety (5 percent) were also on the test sheet. The environmental attribute was mainly about power consumption. Safety involved testing electrical functions and radiation.
Initially as heavy as a small car
the first microwave with the The name “Radaranlage” came onto the market in 1954 (U.S. Patent Number 2,495,429). But there was no question of a small and handy device: It weighed 750 kilograms and was the size of a chest freezer. Price: a whopping $2,000. It was only when it became smaller and more manageable that the kitchen appliance with the “ping” could begin its triumphant advance.
Discovered the microwaves of the Americans and Self-taught Percy LeBaron Spencer by accident like that Berlin courier reported. When the self-made electronics engineer, who had never seen the inside of a university, was conducting an experiment with the radar device, he stopped for a short time in front of a magnetic field tube, the heart of the system.
Then he noticed something unusual: In his pocket he had one Chocolate bar all of a sudden turned into a gooey lump – even though Spencer hadn’t felt any warmth. He realized that the radiated from the magnetron Microwaves cause the chocolate melt were. The principle of the microwave oven was discovered. As is so often the case with inventions, pure chance came to the rescue. By the way, the revolution in the kitchen didn’t bring Spencer big money. According to the contract, his employer paid him a one-time special bonus for the microwave patent – in the amount of two dollarsas the Berlin newspaper reported.
Conclusion
All in all, the test for the microwave devices turned out to be quite satisfactory. Although there was no grade “very good” this time, it was often “good”. An absolute ray of hope is that the quick helpers without frills are definitely available for a small purse.
