Russell Hobbs RHM3002 30L Digital Combination Microwave with Grill & Convection, 900W - Stainless Steel

I have owned 4 different makes of combination Microwaves and used many more often costing far more than this one. To be honest, this is the best one of all of them and is so easy to use. It is a 900 watt microwave with a great grill and fan oven that you would find hard to better and at half of then price of many of them. If you’re stuck for room in a small kitchen then this will be the perfect solution for you. Thoroughly recommended.

This is a true convection / grill / microwave which makes it larger than some other models, especially the extra 10 cm or so at the back (but much smaller overall than our old one) but it has a 30L capacity which is again large by comparison with many. Our last microwave / combination oven lasted over 20 years and we wanted a true oven replacement, not one that uses the grill element for `convection' cooking. Positives: True convection / grill / microwave and combination oven, very fast convection preheat, large capacity, easy to use. Negatives: Short mains lead, lightweight grill rack, finish will show fingermarks. UPDATE: Jan 2016. After over a year of almost daily use, still working perfectly. In microwave mode, the interior of this oven does get much more condensation than our old one but that's easy enough to wipe out (as the instructions recommend). The quite heavy glass turntable is 31.5 cm or 12.5" diameter and almost fills the square compartment. The turntable always turns, even in convection mode so you can't use large, square metal tins that overhang the turntable even for pure convection or grill cooking. The grill rack felt lightweight compared with our old oven's rack but we've still got that rack so will probably use it! So far we've found it to be very efficient in all three cooking modes and for combination cooking using microwave + convection. I think the controls are easy to use, two or three button presses and a couple of turns of the control knob are all it takes to choose a mode, set temperature / time and start. The display is clearly lit and easy to read with main display numbers in green, temperature scale etc. in red. There are about 10 built-in programmes for meat, vegetables, pasta etc. but we haven't tried those yet. The `defrost' programme is very simple to use; just dial in the weight of the food to defrost and it does the rest. The instruction manual is clear and in print large enough to read easily. For microwave mode you can simply press the `quick start' button once to start a minute of full power microwave cooking, so 3 presses equals 3 minutes at full power; very useful. The full setting options let you choose power from 100% (900W) down to 10% in 10% steps and time from 5 seconds to 95 minutes. Convection cooking (not using the grill element) allows temperatures from 240°C down to 100° in 20° steps, then 80° and 50°. Pre-heat is very fast, from cold to 220°C took 5 minutes. The fan plus turntable noise is quite audible but not what I'd call loud. Combination cooking lets you choose from four varied microwave + convection modes and alternates the power between microwave and convection cooking at short intervals. Microwave + grill combination cooking works similarly, with two combination options or you can use the grill on its own. One possible drawback is that the mains lead is as short as on many modern appliances, not much longer than the casing is wide, so you need to position the oven relatively near a mains socket. The brushed stainless steel finish looks very good but there will be fingermarks! Overall, this oven so far is a very good replacement for our old faithful combination oven.

This is a nice, big, solid microwave, which is exactly what I wanted. It is heavy, so think before you lift it. Was a bit of a battle to extract from the packaging - there aren't any easy parts to grab hold of to pull it free of the box. Given that the box is very solid cardboard, I didn't fancy messing about with knives to split it open - that and the possibility of damaging it. It's all packed very well, so there isn't a high risk of damage in transit. If you've had a microwave before, the parts are obvious. I didn't like the instruction booklet. Russell Hobbs have got themselves so focussed on health and safety that they are likely to frighten the life out of you before you even think about using the machine. The wording could use some adjustment without losing the essential safety message. Eventually, you get the the actual instructions for use. Because I've only received it today, I've only used it once, and for straightforward microwaving. It's a bit more procedure-heavy than my old microwave, but mostly this is because you can choose the wattage that you cook at. I couldn't do that on the old one. I cooked at full power, but didn't find any improvement on the time taken by my old 800w machine, although this one is supposed to be 1000w. The door catch is a bit fierce - I preferred the old one which was firm but not hard. I love that the interior of this one is stainless steel. I got entirely fed up with the painted ones. Every one that I've had have never actually stopped working, but have become unsafe because the interior surface perished. The plug and lead are lovely solid material and feel heavy in your hand - not like the usual fairly thin things that you have on electrical appliances. This microwave even sounds 'solid' when it is working. Much more the business than the smaller ones. Not nearly as much condensation as I've found with other models - I'm guessing the venting must be much more efficient. Thus, I didn't have the usual puddle of water in the bottom after cooking some potatoes. Very happy about that. I'm not certain if I'll even use the conventional cooking mode. I certainly am not keen to use the grill, as the booklet stressed heavily about the need for cleanliness and the danger of voiding the warranty by not keeping it spotless. I have to say that it would be near impossible to ensure there would be no residue left in the grill mechanism. Thus, I can't really see why on earth they bother including the facility in the machine. Therefore, I have, in the main, resisted the 5 stars and only given it 4 because of the aforementioned disadvantages. But I do like the machine very much.

Well made, highly versatile, easy to clean, not too large. Thoroughly reliable.

When our identical microwave (which we must have had 10 years or more) gave up, I looked at various replacement options but finally bought the same again. It's easy to use, decent capacity and power and the option to use as an oven or grill has been really helpful when we have needed more oven space at Christmas etc. It's hard to get excited about a microwave but this is a very decent purchase

Purchased this as a replacement, it is almost identical to the one it replaced. It is a little noisy but not overly so, some time on start up there is this thungggg sound, it's a little disconcerting first time, it is not a fault and it is only for a second . Heats food just fine and for the price and mine was warehouse deal, good value. However the original packing it came in was absolutely atrocious, battered and should been dispatched that way, I mean really bad, poorly, poorly packaged and was truly amazed to find no damage to the oven, can't say the same for me. While lifting the box the bottom opened, having resolved this the box handle pulled apart and I tore my finger nail off, not happy. Mentioned this to Amazon customer service, their response was to offer me 1 months extended prime membership, which was politely declined. Further review, 21/4/2018 One year on, I thought I would add to my original review after receiving further questions. This MW has only been used for MW meals or reheating, ( no grilling ), and it does this well. The grill and turntable operate together but only with the door closed the same for the defrost function; open the MW door and these functions stop and the internal light will remain on until door is closed and MW restarted. This model MW oven has one gapping design flaw, I will write more of this presently. It is large both outside and in and powerful, some of the reasons why I purchased it but it is heavy but it is well built. User controls were easy enough to get use to. The internal light is dreadful, this is not the fault of Russell Hobs but European regs' which decree lamps used must be no more then 15w instead of 25w as was the case not so long ago. In a smaller MW oven 15w might be adequate but with this model and others of a similar size it is a little like trying to light a cave with a tiny torch, it isn't going to happen, so illumination of food is poor but I've got use to it but this MW oven could do with an extra lamp,15w is not nearly enough, not for a MW of this size. Turntable is nice and large so able to take a large plate or large/deep casserole dish. More of this design flaw,vapour/steam extraction is very poor, almost non-existent. Steam vapour pools and you get a murky puddle at the bottom of the MW--most annoying, if like me users don't wipe the inside down after every use. There is a vent at the back but that is more to dissipate heat. I have had several large MW ovens, I have never had one which pools around the base of the turntable like this model or one that had no vents in the casing, makes for nice clean lines but that’s it. It is not a huge issue, I just have to mop up a little more, but not a pleasant sight sometimes when you open the door and there is this pooling after use. There is an upside to this lack of venting, it being nearly all stainless steel inside and out cleaning is a doodle, cup/bowl of water, heat it up, the MW cleans very easy although like any MW fitted with a grill element you have to get your cloth around this. For a cheap, large, stainless steel MW oven, accept for the door which is mostly silver plastic surround, it does its job very well. I MW meals that's all but for the pooling and the damn light or lack of it, it would be just great but overall I've got use to its quirks, does me fine. Under a EU directive, Microwaves sold in the UK, the oven lamp must be 15watts, this is not enough for a large capacity Microwave and I wish they would allow 20-25 watts as in times past. As mentioned the oven does what it does, yet to use the grill and being stainless steel inside should be easy to clean. A good value purchase.

I bought this oven to use as a second oven and it is perfect for that use. I only use the fan oven feature and occasionally the grill. The oven is easy to clean and smart looking as well as really easy to use. The additional wire rack and baking tray are also very useful. The wire rack is especially useful for things like pizzas. I would recommend using the wire rack for all cooking in this oven (other than using the microwave) as it allows the heat to get under the food. When food is only put on the glass plate, it often takes a lot longer to cook because no heat is coming under to cook the middle of the food quickly. I would also recommend not cooking at the fan oven temperature that food packets recommend - almost always (when cooking things such as frozen food) we use the oven at the normal oven temperature given rather than the fan oven temperature, otherwise food takes way wayyyy too long and is never crispy/properly cooked.

This microwave oven is excellent, really good! I love the look, the functionality, the size, the quality, even the feel. It's good - really good. However... please be aware that finger marks are very apparent after EVERY use. It looks uber-nice when clean, but you might need to get your tea towel out to return it to its former glory after each use. Slightly bigger issue... the feet are plastic and not rubber or silicone. Even when flat against a wall, pressing the door open button was enough to have the oven skating around the worktop. This is unforgivable. Russel Hobbs should expect that this unit may be used on a smooth surface, and it needs to not move around. It is easily resolved at manufacture (but sadly has not been), but can be resolved after purchase with self-adhesive rubber pads for under £3. Great product, but needs looking after to keep its beauty and 4 better feet. Hope this helps.