# Microwaves Advice, Please?

Category: Daily Living

## Post 1 by Harmony (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Tuesday, 27-Jan-2009 5:24:25

Hellow,
I'm thinking about getting a microwave in a few months time. Which do people think are better? The talking ones or the normal ones that you have to get a sighted person to mark up?
Any ideas?
Thank you,
Harmony.

## Post 2 by Albanac (I'm going for the prolific poster awards!) on Tuesday, 27-Jan-2009 5:44:39

I've always just used a conventional microwave. For ease of marking I like the more "manual" models I suppose you'd call them, with a dial for the temp and a dial for the time. The digital pressure pad types I've found to be a bit of a pain when the braille dymo comes off. With the dial sort all you need do is put some bumpons at the 5, 10 and 15 minute marks for the time, and on defrost, medium low, medium high and high. That's what I do, anyway.
hth,
Simon

## Post 3 by MDN1988 (the Zone BBS remains forever my home page) on Tuesday, 27-Jan-2009 6:23:21

Hi. Yes I also use a conventional microwave, but that is only because my apartment came with one, and it was digital, although the ones with knobs are easier. I had a sighted person to put rubber dots on the numbers, the start button, the cook button, and the stop button for me, because they don't seem to come off as easily as the Braille labeling does. I just feel the dots and press the ones I need, because the number pad is set up just like a phone, only you can't feel the buttons so you have to put something on there to feel them.

## Post 4 by bozmagic (The rottie's your best friend if you want him/her to be, lol.) on Tuesday, 27-Jan-2009 8:48:58

I use a Cobolt Systems Mark 2 talking microwave. They come all ready for you to use, straight out of the box basically, with an extremely detailed instruction manual in print and/or on cassette. Very simple to use, just 13 tactile membrane control buttons and the door just pulls open. The buttons are also different shapes, square, round or diamond-shaped depending on their individual functions but you very soon master the layout since there are so few buttons to familiarise yourself with. Starting from the top row, quite low down on the front pannel by the door, you have the Timer and Clock/mode buttons. The clock button is also a mode button to set the clock and speech volume. The Timer button works just like an oven timer when the microwave isn't running. That's to the left of the clock button. Below that you have your four cooking settings buttons as this microwave is also an oven. I'll let the instruction manual give you a lot more detailed explanation of those buttons should you go for this microwave. The 3 buttons below the cook buttons are the 10-minute, minute and second buttons. Now, the 10-minute button increases the cooking time in 10-minute blocks, mainly for when you're using the microwave as an oven. The button to the right of the 10-minute button does what you'd expect, sets the time for 1 minute increments. The seconds button to the right of the 1-minute button then, sets the time in 10-second blocks like the 10-minute button. All these buttons are used to set the clock and oven timer as well. Now for the last 3 buttons, the stop and cancel button, no explanation needed, the auto min button which as the name suggests, adds an extra minute to your cooking time or even the oven timer should you need that extra minute if something isn't quite ready when the orriginal cooking time is elapsed. Last but not least then is the start button. No explanations needed there, either. The auto min button also starts the microwave and it is also another way you could set the time if say, you were cooking a ready meal for 7 minutes or so, you'd just hit the auto min button 7 times and the microwave starts automatically at the first touch of the button.
I love my microwave, wouldn't swap it for anything else in the world now I have a talking one.
Jen.

## Post 5 by Click_Clash (No Average Angel) on Tuesday, 27-Jan-2009 10:52:11

Yeh, ya know, now that I think about it, it's a right pain in the arse when the dots start to gradually come off. So I think that when I'm in my own place, I'm gonna order a talking one and let that be the end of it.
Becky

## Post 6 by Daenerys Targaryen (Enjoying Life) on Tuesday, 27-Jan-2009 11:15:45

I like my talking microwave. Its very easy to use.

## Post 7 by shea (number one pulse checking chicky) on Tuesday, 27-Jan-2009 12:44:30

Some companies , when you get your microwave you can call them, and they will send you out a braille template that goes on the front of your pannel. we have it and it's awesome, and won't rub off. they do that for all appliances. i have a board about it somewhere. lol I personally don't like the dial ones.

## Post 8 by Harmony (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Tuesday, 27-Jan-2009 17:33:04

I don't know if they do braille templates for kitchen equipment here in England. I've heard that talking microwaves here in England can be quite expensive, but it saves getting a sighted person to come round.

## Post 9 by purple penguin (Don't you hate it when someone answers their own questions? I do.) on Tuesday, 27-Jan-2009 18:15:40

The microwave in my dorm has smooth buttons and it's textured where there arn't any. The numbers are small squares and they are programmed.

## Post 10 by Reyami (I've broken five thousand! any more awards going?) on Wednesday, 28-Jan-2009 2:15:33

Please tell me that not all talking microwaves say, "door opened" when you ... uh ... obviously, open the door. God, that gets annoying as hell ... If there are certain ones that don't do that, then I might consider getting a talking microwave when I'm out from under my parents' roof one day. If not, the braille overlays would work on a conventional microwave just as well.
Right now, since the rest of my family's sighted, my dad just helped me label the microwave's number pad, the start button, and the stop button with braille. easy enough.

## Post 11 by blindndangerous (the blind and dangerous one) on Wednesday, 28-Jan-2009 3:15:44

We have a digital one. My mom labeled it, and we aven't had any trouble with the labels coming off, or the braille getting crushed. My sighted friend got his mom a talking one as a joke for christmas, and I'd like to try it out if I ever go over his house.

## Post 12 by Shadow_Cat (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Wednesday, 28-Jan-2009 5:13:12

I've always used a conventional microwave. My current one has dials on it, but I've used the digital kind, and just made Braille markings for it. I've never had problems with them coming off. Maybe it depends on what you use to mark it. I have a reader who comes and helps me with mail, so when something needs to be marked, I've had her assist me with that, too.

## Post 13 by Polka dots and Moonbeams (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Thursday, 29-Jan-2009 19:25:34

Gall, I remember the first microwave I ever bought, the braille label came from the company. I thought that was so cool!
I saw a post on the blind bargans for a talking microwave for $59. It really says door open? Lol, in case you forget?

## Post 14 by bozmagic (The rottie's your best friend if you want him/her to be, lol.) on Friday, 30-Jan-2009 5:54:52

It certainly does say "door open" It says "door closed" as well lest you should forget.
Jen.

## Post 15 by Reyami (I've broken five thousand! any more awards going?) on Saturday, 31-Jan-2009 0:28:22

ridiculous. God, i hate that.

## Post 16 by Daenerys Targaryen (Enjoying Life) on Saturday, 31-Jan-2009 0:35:05

My talking microwave does not say door open or door closed.

## Post 17 by SunshineAndRain (I'm happily married, a mom of two and a fulltime college student.) on Saturday, 31-Jan-2009 15:44:34

I have a Hamilton Beach talking microwave and I like it. Not all the features talk, and that's a bit annoying, but I can cook with it without having to braille anything or use a dial microwave which I didn't care for either. The Hamilton Beach microwave doesn't say "door open" or "door closed." That makes us blind people look and feel like idiots! Do conventional microwaves display "door open" or "door closed?" I also saw another talking microwave on Blind Cool Tech, and it seemed to talk more than the Hamilton Beach one, but it's more expensive. Anyway, if you want a talking microwave, but don't want to spend the $400 for a fancy talking one like Cobolt, get a Hamilton Beach one from Walmart.com and have it shipped from site to store. Shipping is free that way, and if you have a Walmart near you, you can just go pick it up when it arrives.

## Post 18 by voiceofjoy (Veteran Zoner) on Sunday, 01-Feb-2009 6:43:56

well, i have a talking microwave at home, and a reg one at my parents. and what i cannot stand about my talign microwave, is that .. yes it says door is open, door is closed, and if you try to start it without closing the door, it says "door is not closed". why on earth ad an own message to that one, rather than saying "door is open" again?
a little off topic, but my parents and i visited a great cabin once with the microwave that was abit destroyed, it would stop when you closed the door, and start when you opened it . smart eh?
- voice of joy -

## Post 19 by SunshineAndRain (I'm happily married, a mom of two and a fulltime college student.) on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2009 21:41:44

Lol. Stupid microwaves. They think we're retarded. I hope you pushed the start button while the door was open just to see what it would say and not because you wanted to cook your food with the door open, or you forgot it was open even after it told you it was. I hope people don't actually just start cooking with the door open right after it says, "door open." Then that would really make us look like idiots. Watch if that's the case, they'll start manufacturing microwaves that ding-dong every second that the door's open just so you know it's still opened.

## Post 20 by Polka dots and Moonbeams (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Wednesday, 11-Feb-2009 12:51:25

Ya know the apartment we just moved from had a built-in microwave. It was the first microwave I didn't have to label. It was really textured. The numbers were smoothe with rough outlines, then things like start and power level were rough with smoothe outlines. That might sound confusing, but it wasn't once you felt it. Pretty cool!

## Post 21 by bozmagic (The rottie's your best friend if you want him/her to be, lol.) on Wednesday, 11-Feb-2009 18:15:10

Ah, now the other LG microwave my boyfriend put up on BlindCoolTech isn't available any more. It was the LG microwave wasn't it? They'd stopped makiing those by the time he recorded that podcast. As for starting the microwave with the door open, it doesn't do anything apart from say "incorrect key" should you press the start button when the door's open, on the Cobolt microwaves anyway.
Jen.

## Post 22 by The SHU interpreter (I just keep on posting!) on Saturday, 04-Apr-2009 19:57:25

i got the conventional microwave at my dorm, its pretty small.
mom laveled it by using pelets on the numbers and paper squares on the start button but these sre comming off gradually and they don't stic now as good so i am in trouble.

## Post 23 by jawsgirl87 (Account disabled) on Tuesday, 21-Apr-2009 17:09:49

Try ordering a talking microwave from Maxy Aids.

## Post 24 by Reyami (I've broken five thousand! any more awards going?) on Tuesday, 21-Apr-2009 20:48:32

Or, just use a Braille labeler, and make labels for the numbers, and the start and stop buttons on the microwave.