By: Matt | Last updated December 11, 2019 
Microwaves are indispensable kitchen appliances in many households and offices around the world. They are tailored for the modern man, allowing as to quickly heat up or prepare our food in a timely manner.
Microwaves are versatile and help you cook various recipes, from soups to frozen foods and desserts. Countertop microwaves are by far the most popular type, because they fit well in small kitchens, are user-friendly and affordable. While they are not necessarily used for cooking, they can be of great help when you are in a hurry and need to defrost something or heat up your meal.
Danby Designer Overview – How good is this microwave?
Danby Designer is an elegant countertop microwave manufactured by Danby Products, an appliance company based in Canada. Danby makes a wide range of appliances, from kitchen appliances such as microwaves and dishwashers, to washing machines, freezers, air purifiers, dehumidifiers and more. The company also has affiliates in the United States, Mexico and China.
Danby Designer is one of their best-selling countertop microwaves, because of its affordability, elegant design and simplicity.
The microwave is not very large in capacity: 0.7. cu. ft. which also means it’s relatively small and light. The Danby Designer is a great option for tight spaces, such as small kitchens, dorms or small offices. Its dimensions are: 17 5/16 x 14 x 10 1/8 inches (W X D X H). It weighs 26.46 lb.
Danby Designer has a simple but elegant look to it, with a stainless-steel finish, touch controls and a LED display. The microwave packs up to 700 watts of cooking power, which is not the most impressive wattage we’ve seen in a microwave.
How much does it cost?
You can purchase the Danby Designer for approximately $85. The microwave comes with an 18-month warranty on parts and labor.
What are the features of the Danby Designer?
The Danby Designer has a bright LED display which can act both as a timer or a clock.
You’ve got 6 presets for common microwave foods and they are accessible via one-touch control. The presets are: popcorn, potato, pizza, beverage, dinner plate, frozen vegetable. They are located below the LED display.
Below the food presets you’ve got the touch controls: weight defrost, time defrost, time cook, stop, start controls and so on. There are also 10 power levels to choose from.
The interface of the microwave is extremely simple, some might say even too minimalist. The Danby Designer doesn’t come with fancy features, it is indeed a basic appliance that lacks features such as a grill, the inverter technology and so on. It is a budget-friendly microwave designed for small places and it gets the job done.
Other countertop microwaves to consider:
Samsung MG14H3020CM
It is a premium, modern and feature-rich microwave with a grill function included, sound on and off feature, child lock and more. It has a power of 950W and 10 power levels, presets for auto reheat, auto defrost, grill, combi, soften/melt, kids meals, popcorn, pizza, potato, veggies, cook and snacks. You can get it for approximately $190.
Breville Quick Touch
It is a powerful microwave with a cooking power of 1,100 watts, a premium design and a lot of features. It has smart sensors that let you adjust the wattage and time while your food is in the microwave, a child lock button, auto-cook modes and more. The Breville Quick Touch is an expensive microwave and will cost you around $250.
GE JES1097SMSS
It is a very smart kitchen appliance with built-in WiFi, Amazon Alexa support and other smart features. It has a power of 900 watts, preset buttons for various foods, an express cook function, an ‘add 30 seconds’ button and more. The price of the GE microwave is $140.
