I have one that I bought at Target for about $65 (it may have been on sale at the time). I've been using it to heat leftovers for over a year, and it does a great job. I think its an Emerson.

I currently have a Rival micro that I bought for about $40. It's been working fine for seven years. I don't think paying more necessarily means better quality heating. (EDIT: although of course you're usually going to pay more for more space or more power).

As far as counter space goes, this one is very popular here, and it's what I would get if mine ever gives up:

Here is a link that might be useful: whirlpool corner micro

This post was edited by writersblock on Fri, Jan 31, 14 at 9:35

Writersblock, I have that one too! I love how it tucks into the corner. It isn't as powerful as the one in my office, though, and the interior is very small. I actually brought one of my plates to the store to make sure it would fit, before I bought it. The controls are also very simplistic - one has to increase heating time in increments of 5 or 30 seconds - no number pad at all. It makes for a streamlined look, but takes some getting used to. My son hates it (if he wants to reheat pizza for 45 seconds, he wants to punch in 45 seconds. Sheesh).

Oh, and the LED clock is alarmingly bright. I had to unplug the MW, and not reset the clock, so all that shows is a colon.

I really like the Panasonic inverter ovens and have a small one, strong wattage (1200) and works great.

I have the same Rival, or at least paid the same. Maybe mine is defective, but the heat is very spotty, making it impractical to heat, say, a whole plate of food. We both like to cook, but only have time on the weekends, so we make and freeze a lot of meals for during the week.

I'm going to put the microwave into a shallow pantry, so I don't want one that is too big. The Panasonic looks very good and gets good reviews. They even make a small .8 cubic foot model, but it's almost as deep as the 1.2. I haven't built the pantry yet (the house is under construction) so I can make it whatever I want, within reason.

I think we have a similar small Emerson microwave as annkh. We bought it at Target for about $99. I can't remember if it was on sale. We have had it for 6 years and it has worked perfectly. My parents have the same model and they are pleased with it too. Cooks very evenly and is powerful at 1000 watts. It's small enough to fit in the microwave cubby we had built into our new kitchen cabinets.

Here is a link to ours at Target. It is on sale now for $89.

People who reviewed it have given it only 2 stars, but our experience has been nothing but great! We use it mainly to warm up leftovers, boil water for tea, popcorn, frozen dinners, and defrosting items. Haven't had any problems with it at all.

Here is a link that might be useful: Similar Target Microwave

I think we have a similar small Emerson microwave as annkh. We bought it at Target for about $99. I can't remember if it was on sale. We have had it for 6 years and it has worked perfectly. My parents have the same model and they are pleased with it too. Cooks very evenly and is powerful at 1000 watts. It's small enough to fit in the microwave cubby we had built into our new kitchen cabinets.

Here is a link to ours at Target. It is on sale now for $89.

People who reviewed it have given it only 2 stars, but our experience has been nothing but great! We use it mainly to warm up leftovers, boil water for tea, popcorn, frozen dinners, and defrosting items. Haven't had any problems with it at all.

Here is a link that might be useful: Similar Target Microwave

Maybe mine is defective, but the heat is very spotty, making it impractical to heat, say, a whole plate of food.

No, no problems like that here. It's slow because it's not very powerful, but it works as well as any microwave I've owne.