
Title : Panasonic NNA873S dimension 4 1.1cuft stainless steel combi microwave
Rating : 2 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Panasonic NNA873S build quality
If I were reviewing the way the microwave works, I'd give it 5 out of 5 but if it weren't for the fact I like the way it works, it'd be 1 star for attention to detail/build.
By coincidence I ordered one for me and one for my parents. Mine arrived with a big dent in the side (the boxes are sent as they come and I don't think stand up to the couriers treatment). The interior light of my parents microwave packed up after about 10 days use.
The replacements arrive. My parents one had a tiny convex dent in the top (we decided to accept it to save any more hassle -it appeared to be a manufacturing flaw). Mine appeared perfectly ok -I was delighted! -I carefully removed the tape (holds the door in place during transit) and was horrified that it removed a chunk of paint with it! The tape was much stickier than usual for that kind of tape and/or were attached to the paint when it wasn't dry.
There are apparent quality-control issues here with these microwaves (it seems like they're being rushed in the factory from the little problems), possibly not helped by what appears to be poor treatment by couriers. Having used 3 of the 4 microwaves, the way they "sound" in use and the way the door "clunks" is slightly different, possibly not an issue... but something I noticed.
I will say Amazon were good and let me keep both the faulty ones while the new ones were on order. The re-ordering process I think would have been simple if it weren't for me ordering two the same, so again, I think this normally would have been fairly painless -though I recommend calling Amazon by phone if things get complicated -it's much easier to sort things out once and for all as they don't generally seem to read detailed emails properly.
I'll briefly review the microwave itself...
I may have just been very unlucky, but I will say the microwaves do perform very well... The autosensor function does an excellent job of cooking baked potatoes for example... though I miss the autoweight control feature for pizzas (now a manual process on a top of the range microwave -seems a bit odd) -the display even shows "pizza pan" but it's unlit and possibly for a different market. From the pre-programmed food, I think the people who program the settings at panasonic must think british people only eat curry and roast dinners. Some little points I wouldn't have noticed til I got them... the display is a bit tricky to read unless the microwave is seated high on a shelf or fitted and the buttons are not that easy to read (but a small price to pay for an really shiny s/steel finish!!). I think though that if you get one in perfect condition, you'd be pleased with it. For larger items like this I think in future I'll probably just go and pick one up in a store, even if it is a bit more costly... it's less hassle.

Title : Panasonic NNA724M Metallic Silver Combination Microwave, 27L, 1000w, 1300w grill
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : An excellent microwave
I bought this microwave to replace my old fashioned basic microwave/grill, and it is fantastic. It has microwave, grill and convection oven functions, and I use all of them. I only have a single oven in my kitchen, so this really helps when I need two ovens for a complicated meal.
The other function I really like is the 'Chaos Defrost'. This function means you select the category of your frozen item, then enter in the weight, and the microwave calculates the defrost time and does it for you. It really works - defrosting things without cooking the edges.
I noticed that the slightly bigger version (which I wanted, but it wouldn't fit on the worksurface) which has two shelves, is listed in Feb 06 Good Food magazine, as one of the five examples of microwaves out at the moment. They list the 'Chaos Defrost' as particularly helpful.

Title : Sharp R85STM Family Stainless Steel 26L 900W/1500W Touch Control Double Grill Convection Microwave Oven
Rating : 4 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Cooking made easy
I have had no problems with this oven great when your in a hurry, easy to use preset for jacket potato come out great.
Would recomend it.

Title : Hinari Lifestyle MX731SSEG Easi-Tronic 0.7 Cu Ft Microwave Oven 800W with 1000W Grill Stainless Steel
Rating : 3 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Pretty but flawed
I should start by explaining that I kept this microwave for all of one day for reasons that will become clear, so I haven't really had the chance to rate it's effectiveness in cooking.
Unfortunately, my Hinari MX731 arrived with a defective fan, which made a loud knocking noise from the very first use (as if catching on something internally). Amazon were their usual efficient selves in accepting it back for a refund, though. What this says for build quality, I don't know - I probably just got a defective unit.
The unit looks fantastic - neither large nor particularly small, the stainless steel all over finish looks more expensive than the price tag suggests, and the button fascia with dial adds some modern elegance (so I feel). The retro 'rod' handle isn't to everyone's taste, but I liked this too and it feels more solid than some more expensive models' equivalent. As others have commented, no stainless steel interior here, so avoid if you're specifically after one.
The weakest point of this microwave by far is the control panel, though. While the dial and buttons operation look great, they are not intuitive to use - selecting defrost etc. can take practice, as some have said. Much worse is that the microwave emits a loud, piercing 'beep' every time the digits on the display alter by one. So, if say you want to cook something for 15 mins., it beeps through each option, then beeps 15 times for every extra minute you turn the dial. So annoying! I don't think you can turn this off, but other users may be able to advise. I know most ovens beep, but at least with touch control, you can usually select increments of '10 mins'.
So, just a summary of first impressions and overall I would say that this is a good value unit, but one that puts aesthetics before practical usage.