We just installed a Thermador MCES in our island. For us it was the only place to put it, and I wanted a smaller micro/convection oven to go with my cavernous range oven. A few things to consider. In convection mode, the exterior (and I'm assuming you'll use a trim kit for addt'l ventilation), the exterior can get pretty hot if you are running it at 450. Probably not a wise idea if you have small children.If you do have children, and they are only using the microwave feature, having it closer to their size may be preferable to adult eye level, or counter-top applications. After years of eye level microwaves, it does take some getting used to for the "bend and nuke" usage. On the upside, having a smaller oven cavity is ideal for smaller items (I baked a couple of potatoes earlier in the week) and was glad I didn't need to fire up a 5.7 cu foot oven for the task.

If you check your Care and Use manual you will see that the warranty is for 1 year. I looked at the GE countertop convection microwaves manual online and here is what it says For The Period Of: One Year From the date of the original purchase"Any part of the microwave oven which fails due to a defect in materials or workmanship. During this limited one-year warranty, GE will also provide, free of charge, all labor and related service costs to replace the defective part." This is the exact quote as I copy and pasted from the manual to here. Call GE back and demand that they follow their warranty. You may even want to ask for compensation for your lost time.

I may be able to just keep my existing countertop microwave after all. I'm considering an Electrolux free standing induction range with 2 ovens and can use the smaller oven for most things I would put in a convection mw. The unfortunate compromise with this is that the second oven is so low that you have to almost crawl on the floor use it. If this really becomes a huge pain, I may still get a convection mw later. I'll see how it goes. The ovens should be reversed with the smaller oven on top since would be used more often and it would be ideal if the size difference between the two ovens were not quite that extreme. I will have to bake some smallish things in the large oven because the small oven is SO tiny and I will never use the full capacity of the large oven. The double oven layout in my KA gas range is perfect, but I want the easy cleaning of an induction range. The range top is used daily and the ovens only needed maybe twice a week at most for small items and maybe once a month for large items. The smaller oven on my KA is big enough for what I bake that I might really only need the larger oven to roast a turkey once a year. No one makes the ideal for me free standing induction range. The only way I could get everything I want would be with an induction cook top plus separate double ovens, but I don't have the money and kitchen space for that type of major remodel.

I just researched countertop convection microwaves. One consideration is the size of the round rotating tray, which limits the size of your baking dish and makes it difficult to use rectangular dishes. Another important issue is ventilation. These little appliances release a significant amount of heat, and each model has specific ventilation requirements depending on whether it's vented to the side(s) or rear. I would advise looking carefully at the specs of any model you're considering, especially if you're planning on recessing this in a wall cavity. I was impressed with the GE and Panasonics that I looked at and which get good reviews, but I ultimately ended up buying a Cuisinart because of the ventilation issue. Besides its MW functions, I've used it for mostly for appetizers and fish. It works well but does takes a long time to preheat and releases a lot of heat into the kitchen. I can't see this as being beneficial in keeping a kitchen cool during the summer. I looked at medium-size models and they were all $500 or less.