The Neff C17MS320B combi microwave is (supposedly) a top end item to match the latest Neff Hide and Slide ovens (as seen in Bake Off).
This oven is a sold and marketed as a 1000w unit. The user manual says that the max time on full power (1000w) is 30 minutes which is pretty standard for domestic microwaves.
However the microwave reduces the max power down by about 250 watts after just 70 seconds of operation. The front panel still says it is running at 1000w but it isn't! I suspect they chose 70 secs so their engineers can, if asked, carry out an on site test to measure output power. The test is run for 60 seconds.
This is why this oven doesn't seem to work very well if you cook foods at max power for more than 70 seconds. This is a scandal in my view! It's worse than VW cars - at least their cars work for the purchaser- this Neff microwave doesn't. If you follow the instructions on a ready meal (eg heat at 1000w for 5 minutes) your food will not be heated properly. Worse if you heat two items consecutively without switching the over off the second item is heated at a lower wattage even though the front panel display is still showing 1000w. You will also notice the cooling fan is ridiculous- there is a blast of hot air coming from the front of the machine trying to keep it cool and the fan continues to run for 5 minutes after the over is switched off.
After a lot of discussion with BSH they volunteered 'as a gesture of goodwill' to refund my full purchase cost (nearly£900) and let me keep the oven. Anyone who has made the mistake of buying one should do the same. Because I also have the Hide and Slide matching conventional oven I can't just buy a new microwave so i'm stuck with a defective product which is not fit for purpose!!
Have a look at the video at
This oven is a sold and marketed as a 1000w unit. The user manual says that the max time on full power (1000w) is 30 minutes which is pretty standard for domestic microwaves.
However the microwave reduces the max power down by about 250 watts after just 70 seconds of operation. The front panel still says it is running at 1000w but it isn't! I suspect they chose 70 secs so their engineers can, if asked, carry out an on site test to measure output power. The test is run for 60 seconds.
This is why this oven doesn't seem to work very well if you cook foods at max power for more than 70 seconds. This is a scandal in my view! It's worse than VW cars - at least their cars work for the purchaser- this Neff microwave doesn't. If you follow the instructions on a ready meal (eg heat at 1000w for 5 minutes) your food will not be heated properly. Worse if you heat two items consecutively without switching the over off the second item is heated at a lower wattage even though the front panel display is still showing 1000w. You will also notice the cooling fan is ridiculous- there is a blast of hot air coming from the front of the machine trying to keep it cool and the fan continues to run for 5 minutes after the over is switched off.
After a lot of discussion with BSH they volunteered 'as a gesture of goodwill' to refund my full purchase cost (nearly£900) and let me keep the oven. Anyone who has made the mistake of buying one should do the same. Because I also have the Hide and Slide matching conventional oven I can't just buy a new microwave so i'm stuck with a defective product which is not fit for purpose!!
Have a look at the video at
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