We bought this microwave oven because we needed some microwave for things like emergency defrosting and it's just nice to have a microwave at home just in case. In fact, many people see it as such a natural item in the kitchen as a kettle or an oven. And, of course, taking our purposes into account, we bought this Argos value range microwave because it was the cheapest we could find!

I thought of how to review it and decided to use The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly approach. You'll see what I mean. ;)

THE GOOD:

1. A very attractive price. Probably (one of) the cheapest you can find. So if you just need 'a' microwave, this one should be perfect.

2. It is quite compact and doesn't occupy much space. Could be handy in English kitchens!

3. Five power modes, from 120 to 700W (it's a D type microwave). The modes are easy to switch with the traditional rotating handle.

4. Traditional rotating timer for up to 35 minutes. I use it for no longer that 5 minutes normally, so don't know how accurate it is. Anyway, the reason I am talking about these traditional rotating things is that anyone, even your cat or your 90-year-old grandma, will know how to use this microwave. No complicated programming. Everything is straightforward.

5. I use it for simple tasks only, such as defrosting and warming up, and it does the job. What else can I ask for?


THE BAD:

1. Bear in mind that "compact" is euphemism for "small". It is small, I have to admit. So no large plates or chunky pieces of meat or fish will fit into it.

2. Part of the simple design of this microwave is a rectangular button at the front, which turns out to be the door-opening button. It seemed like a fun idea at first, but now I see it as a massive design flaw. In order to open the door, you have to hold the microwave in place, otherwise you'll be pushing it towards the wall (or whatever you've got behind it) all the time. It seems like Argos' designers never tried to open a microwave whilst holding a plate in their hands, which I normally do. Anyway, the button is annoying.


THE UGLY:

No, it's not at all ugly, but it's nothing special in terms of the looks. A most generic-looking microwave you can imagine. Like the cheapest microwave in The Sims game. Well, that's what it is, in fact.


CONCLUSION:

Because we use this microwave as an occasional necessity, it is perfect for the purpose. It would be a shame to buy a beautiful expensive microwave and only use it for defrosting once a week. We've only had it for a little more than a month, so I can't talk about its reliability (fingers crossed). All in all, I am happy with it (apart from that darned door button). It is, in fact, much better than what I had expected from a value range.