Recently my micowave which had served me well for the last three years, stopped working. Now I believe there's never a good time for something to stop working, but this came at a financially 'busy' time for me and also the previous day my hedge trimmer had stopped working too. I just couldn't spare the funds to immediately go out and replace both items and so decided to prioritise and buying a new hedge trimmer came first. I figured I could use my oven and live without a microwave for a little while, but a hedge trimmer was something I couldn't do without at this time of year.

I coped well enough without a microwave but did miss the convenience of it and was looking forward to payday so I could buy another. I had looked around on Amazon, not wanting to purchase anything expensive. I only paid £39 for my last one and it lasted three years, which was around ten months longer than the one I had previous to that and had paid a lot more for. So bearing that in mind, I was determined to find a low priced microwave, but still wanted a decent make which didn't look 'cheap'. I also didn't need one with a load of functions as I'd had this before and never used them. Basically I just wanted one to heat up food.

I was in my local Morrisons shortly afterwards and as I was walking up the aisle containing electrical and garden items I noticed they had some own brand microwaves priced at £39. I paused to take a look but wasn't sure about buying one of these due to having no experience with Morrisons electrical items. I went to walk away but as I did, I spotted a £34 price ticket on the shelf to the right of the Morrisons brand microwave and noticed this Russell Hobbs microwave sitting right above it. I immediately thought these had been wrongly placed, but a closer inspection of the information on the price ticket on the shelf informed me that this Russell Hobbs microwave was indeed only £34!

There were two of these left on the shelves and it looked as if there had been more there orginally. The microwave certainly didn't look 'cheap' unlike some low price ones I have seen and also it was a nice shiny black colour. I had wanted either black or silver, to go with my kitchen and so this was an added bonus. I decided to buy one there and then in case I went back later and found them gone.

The microwave is model number RHM 1707B and is a 17 litre, 700 watt microwave. I didn't want a large microwave as it would take up too much room in my small kitchen. This one appears to be around the same size as my previous microwave and so I was happy with that. The outside dimensions are 452mm (W) x 360mm (D) x 262 mm (H) and its 17 litre capacity is enough for my needs.

The model has a slim black handle down the front right side of the door as you look at it and by pulling this the door opens. I am used to a push-in catch to open the door and so this took some getting used to, as I would be reaching for the non-existent door catch button to push in every time the microwave stopped, or when I wanted to check on progress, then remembering you need to pull the handle to open the door.

The control panel is basic and simple and more or less identical to the previous microwave I owned with two manual dials. The top dial has the settings from low to high, including defrost and the second dial underneath has the time in minutes from 0-30 minutes. It couldn't be more simple, just select the setting and then select your cooking time by turning the dials. There is nothing complicated at all about using this microwave, making it ideal for everyone to use. The elderly should be able to manage this fine and also I will mention that I support people with learning disabilities at work and they find this type of microwave with dials easy to manage too, which helps to build upon their skills and independence.
I don't think it is particularly noisy whilst in operation and may even be slightly quieter than my previous microwave. It also has a cooling fan which may continue to operate for up to a couple of minutes after the microwave has stopped. I find this usually occurs after longer cooking spells.

The microwave comes with a full instruction booklet, but it is really so easy to operate you won't need to be sat with the booklet in hand when you come to use it. It does contain some useful cleaning tips however, as well as the useful tip of placing a bowl of water with the juice and skin of one lemon added to it, inside the microwave for 3 minutes and this should eliminate any lingering food smells. I have tried this and it does work.
I find the microwave is easily kept clean if I wipe it inside and out with a damp cloth after each use and this prevents any build up of food deposits which can be difficult to remove if left. The glass turntable is also easily removed and I wash this with soapy water. You must not use any harsh detergents or abrasives when cleaning the microwave.

I have been using my microwave regularly since purchase and have experienced no problems at all either heating or defrosting food. It comes with a 12 month guarantee and I think I have got a bargain. It is a sleek and shiny black model which looks good in my kitchen and certainly looks more expensive than the money I paid for it. £34 is, I believe, a fantastic price for a Russell Hobbs microwave and I am happy to recommend this model to everyone who likes to keep it simple.