Sharp seems to be the brand of choice on the forum. They make most of them anyway. IIRC even the Viking MWs are rebadged Sharps.

I have had great results with Panasonic. Our last one got ruined by our ds (totally human error), but otherwise, was a great workhorse for many years. We went with the larger version of it and that is even better. I can fit almost anything in there and love the sensor reheat and sensor cook options.

Dianalo-

Do you have the Panasonic with the little buttons on the front, as opposed to a "touchpad"? If so, what about keeping it clean. Any problems?

Thanks, Dianaol .. i remember ... the popcorn fiasco!

I have the panasonic with the buttons instead of the touchpad (OTR). The microwave is amazing for sure. I don't find keeping the front free of fingerprints a problem at all. Just a quick wipe with a damp cloth and it cleans so easily. I have had different makes over the years (sharp was my last one) and this is my favourite. I use the reheat buttons the most as they sense the temp of the food and adjust the time automatically. I'm sure you would love it too. It is more expensive than a lot of the other ones though.

I spent hours researching microwaves before finally settling on the Samsung 1.6 cf OTR model (the little brother of the slightly bigger model that won Consumer Reports 2010 top pick). So far I love it: great features, a few extra bells and whistles that I don't really need, and a tremendous value. It also has a rack that I didn't think would come in handy until I started thinking about holiday left-overs and cooking multiple bowls of oatmeal, etc. good luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: samsung 1.6

Went through this last year looking for Sharp and wound up with Panasonic. Some of the differences depend on size of micro and they vary a surprising amount. Once you determine size it narrows the field. We needed one of the smaller ones, which amazon had in stock.

This Panasonic is a good/powerful performer though bad illumination on touchpad and clock -- which reviews indicated. Found the amazon reviews quite accurate on balance.

If I'd been doing it for the house vs apartment and could have gone with something larger, I'd have looked at one of the speed ovens -- more flex there in terms of small heating/cooking tasks.