Danby Microwave Reviews
Danby microwaves are some of the most popular, and once you take a closer look at what a Danby microwave offers, it’s easy to see why. Danby microwaves are heavily focused on high versatility and high affordability. This makes Danby a particularly valuable brand from budget-seekers and anyone who wants to maximize their kitchen’s space with a low-cost, high-value product. Danby is also quick to update their product line, so homeowners can be assured that whichever product they purchase is one of the best Danby offers today.
We’ll be looking at just five of the current Danby microwaves available and highlighting which ones give homeowners the best bang for their buck within the brand and across all other microwaves.
Top 5 Danby Microwaves
- Sleek, all-black design easily fits into most modern homes
- Large, bright, blue LED display can easily be read from across the room
- Three specialty programs offer lots of ways to cook, defrost, and reheat
- Comes with a 1-year parts and labor warranty
- One-touch cooking makes most meals as simple as pressing a button
- Large stainless steel handle gives this microwave a commercial look
- Dedicated food buttons automatically cook popular meals
- Includes an 18-month parts and labor warranty
- 1.2 cu. ft. of cooking space is one of the largest in the market
- XpressClean Interior makes it easy to wipe up tough stains and spills
- Three specialty programs offer lots of ways to cook, defrost, and reheat
- Comes with a 1-month parts and labor warranty
- One-touch cooking designed for popular microwave items, such as TV dinners
- Express cook button allows homeowners to quickly add 30 seconds to their current meal
- Defrost by weight functionality take the guesswork out of defrosting
- Includes a 1-year parts and labor warranty
- Manual power adjustment means greater control over cooking
- Speed defrost prepares meat in minutes without cooking it
- Express cook button allows homeowners to quickly add 30 seconds to their current meal
- Comes with a 1-year parts and labor warranty
The Danby Nouveau Wave DMW11A4BDB focuses on clean design to better match the aesthetic of modern homes. Not to be confused with its slightly larger cousin later on our list, this model seems to be Danby’s entry into the mid-sized, high-value microwave market. At a little over a cubic foot, there’s lots of room for larger plates and even casseroles and the like to fit in and cook within the unit. Likewise, the larger LED screen is easy to read no matter how far you may be from the screen.
Rounding off the features include three dedicated feature buttons, a quick-cook express button, auto controls, and an easy-clean exterior. With little to complain about aside from the heavy weight associated with the larger capacity, we can easily recommend the Danby Nouveau Wave DMW11A4BDB as a great overall option.
Pros
- Large capacity
- Great features
- Sleek design
- Easy-to-read LED
- Auto functionality
Cons
- Can be bulky
- A little heavy
Shifting from the modern to the commercial for a moment, this Danby Designer DMW07A2SSDD microwave offers a smaller frame and lightweight design whilst still appearing right out of a commercial kitchen. This model proves that you don’t need to pay an arm and a leg for aesthetics, as it will fit in just fine against other stainless steel appliances in the home. We appreciate the focus on simple functionality with this microwave, which offers many settings specific to certain popular foods, like baked potatoes or pizzas.
The one-touch functionality also allows homeowners to cook food anywhere between 1-6 minutes with the push of a button. While this feature is popular in most higher-end microwaves, it’s always nice to see it on one as affordable as this. You may struggle to fit those larger dishes into your microwave, and you might find that the lower wattage means longer cooking times, but beyond these issues this Danby microwave may offer the best value on our list.
Pros
- Affordable
- Lightweight
- Commercial design
- Quick cook functionality
- Dedicated food buttons
Cons
- Low wattage
- Low capacity
- Can struggle on larger foods
Almost identical in name and design to the other Nouveau Wave on our list, this Danby Nouveau Wave DMW12A4BDB takes advantage of the increased space to add in a few other features. It offers the same easy-clean design as many other Danby products but also includes an interior that’s just as user-friendly. We appreciate the extra features and high wattage of this unit, which makes for a microwave that’s a breeze to use but far more powerful than it may seem.
At 1.2 cubic feet, this product is ready for just about any food you throw its way. The size increase is only marginal compared to other (and considerably cheaper) Nouveau Wave on this list. Homeowners will need to decide for themselves if the increased size is worth the cost. Still, we recommend the Danby Nouveau Wave DMW12A4BDB for anyone who needs power and size over all else.
Pros
- High capacity
- Great features
- Sleek design
- Easy-to-read LED
- Auto functionality
Cons
- Expensive
- Bulky
- Heavy
Moving back into the more affordable end of the Danby product line, this Danby DMW7700BLDB comes with a no-frills design but lots of smaller features that could be useful in your home. It won’t be winning any style awards anytime soon, but provided you do a lot of cooking at home, it may be a worthy assistant. We’re big fans of the defrost by weight functionality, which takes the guesswork out of meat defrosting and gives homeowners more time to focus on other components of their recipes.
You’ll also get many of the other quick-cook features that come with many Danby microwaves, such as express cook and dedicated functions for beverages and frozen veggies. While there’s little to speak of in terms of wattage and size, this microwave could be a game-changer for smaller homes, basements, dorms, and studio apartments.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Affordable
- Quick cook functionality
- Dedicated food buttons
Cons
- Low wattage
- Low capacity
- Lackluster design
The Danby Products DMW09A2BSSDB/99LD marries the affordability of the Danby Designer and Danby DMW7700BLDB units with the power of the Danby Nouveau options. This model may not have the easiest name to remember, but it certainly keeps things simple with 0.9 cu. ft of interior space and 900 watts of power. One of the bigger selling points of this particular model includes the speed defrost functionality, which remains unique to this Danby product. Quickly defrosting meat for an impromptu meal remains difficult, so having the dedicated option is always helpful to keep around.
Manual power adjustment is also unique to this product, which means that you can cook in 100-watt increments to best match whichever recipe you hope to make. While design and overall build quality seem to have taken a hit to keep costs down, we still feel confident recommending the Danby Products DMW09A2BSSDB/99LD as a mid-range option.
Pros
- Quick defrost
- Highly adjustable
- Quick cook functionality
- Auto functionality
Cons
- Lackluster design
- Can feel cheap
Danby Microwaves Buyer’s Guide
Danby microwaves are generally similar in their appearance, design, and price. Smaller features, however, can make or break one of these products for many homeowners.
Before committing to a specific Danby microwave, we recommend you consider the following:
Wattage
The most important metric to consider when it comes to purchasing a Danby microwave is the wattage. And while wattage should not be the only indicator of a microwave’s capability, it is certainly indicative of a microwave’s power. The higher the wattage of a microwave, the quickly the food inside will be cooked. To make it easier on the end user, Danby has generally aligned the internal capacity of a microwave with its wattage. For example, the Danby 0.7 cu. ft microwave uses 700 watts, while the Danby Nouveau Wave 1.2 cu. ft. uses 1200 watts.
While this makes it difficult for those who want high wattage and a low footprint, it makes it simple to quickly glance at a Danby product and understand how exactly it can perform. Likewise, it is important to note that higher wattage begets more options for better features and settings.
Settings, Timers & Power
Various power settings and other features are offered on each of our Danby picks. These usually adjust the amount of wattage used inside the microwave to simulate different eating levels. For instance, the defrost setting on a microwave is designed to run on a low wattage, which means that food can be slowly defrosted without being cooked. Other features are also available which merge a variable wattage with a simple audio sensor. For example, the popcorn setting on a microwave will listen to the sound of the popping and adjust the wattage accordingly. When the individual kernels begin popping below a certain interval, the microwave will automatically cut off.
Different Danby microwaves use different settings and likewise will offer different power settings and timers. Be on the lookout for your favorite features, along with others that could be useful in your home.
Weight, Size & Capacity
The issue of weight, size, and capacity is one that’s particularly difficult when it comes to purchasing a microwave. Of course, homeowners will be particularly interested in reducing the weight and size of their microwave. Doing so makes it easy to move the microwave as needed and thus maximize the amount of counter space available for other uses. These two aspects, however, come in direct conflict with capacity.
The more capacity offered by a microwave, the bigger, bulkier, and heavier it will be. Finding the balancing act of weight, size, and capacity is going to be important to ensure the optimal size is found. Some homeowners may prefer sacrificing space for size, while others may prefer the opposite. It’s also worth mentioning that wattage and power options often align with size, which can throw another wrench into an already-complex issue. We recommend measuring your counter space to ensure you have the room available for your new microwave, no matter how large it may be.
FAQ
How much wattage do I need for my Danby microwave?
Wattage varies on each of our Danby microwave picks. Generally speaking, you’ll want to ensure that any microwave you purchase can run at over 700 watts. Doing so will ensure that any food you place within the appliance is cooked quickly and safely.
Most modern TV dinners and frozen foods offer times designed for the most common microwave wattage: 1100 watts. You may need to adjust your cooking time either up or down by several seconds when comparing your microwave’s wattage to this standard.
Do I need to use a turntable with my Danby microwave?
Microwaves utilize waves that are released throughout the microwave in bands. So when using your Danby microwave, you may want to utilize a turntable with any solid foods.
The reasoning behind this is simple. While simple conduction can make it easier to pass heat throughout liquid foods, solid foods will be cooked unevenly without a turntable. This can be especially dangerous for raw meats that need to be properly cooked to prevent foodborne illness. With a Danby microwave, as well with all others, we strongly recommend utilizing a turntable at all times. Luckily, each of our five picks comes with a turntable built right into the unit.
Can I plug my Danby microwave into a standard outlet?
As with other microwaves, Danby microwaves utilize a standard plug and thus can be plugged into a standard outlet. While some homes may recommend you use an outlet on its own circuit to prevent overloading your home’s energy grid, you will most likely nor have issues running your microwave on just about any outlet.
We do highly recommend, though, that you avoid plugging your Danby microwave into a surge protector or other device that runs multiple products through the same outlet. Doing so may put you at risk of overloading the outlet and having to make a premature call to the electrician.
Final Thoughts
While many of these products are variations of the same line or offer similar features, there are smaller differences that may lead you to one Danby microwave over others.
For instance, we think that the Danby Nouveau Wave DMW11A4BDB manages to boast almost all of the features of the DMW12A4BDB at a fraction of the cost, which makes it our go-to pick for most homeowners and for best overall design and features. If you’re in the market for a Danby product at the lowest price possible, the Danby Designer microwave is able to offer lots of versatility while still keeping money in your pocket.
Either way, just about every Danby product manages to offer quite a bit when compared to other countertop microwaves. No matter which microwave you choose, be sure to consult our Buyer’s Guide before purchasing and play to your needs to make sure you’ve picked out the best product possible.
