I have one (the Pro because it doesn't have the black control panel). I haven't been happy with my speed ovening results so far (I don't work at it hard enough to really learn it, however--I've never cooked in a microwave, and speed cooked comes out too microwaved-seeming for my taste), but it's fine as a convection oven and is the best microwave I've ever used. It's easy to use as a microwave, but a bit weird. The biggest deal with any of this type is changing the glass tray for microwaving with the metal ones for speed or convection. If you're both mostly using it as a microwave (that is, your husband is microwaving daily and you're using it on convection as a second oven once a week or something), you can leave the glass tray in it, making it easier. A piece of advice I got here and heeded was to have a special drawer just for the Advantium trays and rack, right with the oven. That is, not combined with other trays, unless the Advantium bits get their own section, and not on the other side of the kitchen. That makes changing the trays no big deal. Otherwise, people tend just to use it as a microwave, which is a total waste. So, to microwave, put your item on the glass tray. Press "Express" and it starts microwaving right away, full power, 30 seconds on the timer. Once it's started you can turn the wheel to adjust the time to the second. Four seconds is kind of hard. That's probably easier to press Express then Stop after four seconds. For just about everything else turning the wheel is easy. If you want multiples of 30 seconds you can just press Express the right number of times (four and a half minutes equals nine taps of Express), or just turn the wheel. You can give it a good spin with the side of your hand and make a big change. The menu bits are more of a PITA. I've learned, for instance, that defrosting a frozen pretzel is a .3 lb of a bagel, which is easier than remembering how long to defrost a pretzel for. There are the "cook" settings which include "melt" and "soften", which work pretty well, and the "reheat" settings (which I don't use) which include common types like beverage and pizza, some of which use the sensor. With my new kitchen I have fewer microwaving needs. I remember once adjusting the power--perhaps from adapting one of the programmed settings, but I don't remember how I did that. I did adjust the power regularly on my 1990 Costco special, but with the Advantium I almost always use the Express. That's for melting cheese or reheating pasta more than anything else. Sometimes I melt for butter for baking. I have other, better, ways of doing a lot of tasks that people use a microwave for. The sensor works great on the things I've used it for, mostly popcorn and (bought that way) frozen peas. A warning you'll get is that microwaving reduces the longevity of the appliance, therefore a speed oven is an expensive way to go if you're mostly going to use it for a lot of microwaving. My need for the speed part decreased sharply with life changes that happened during my remodel, or I might have learned to love that part of the appliance as much as I had intended to. Even so, I'm very pleased with it. It does everything else I want it to, and does it well.

Doinitover - Thanks for the interesting write up. I got the Gaggenau combi steam too, and just love it. We use it nearly every day. I had a Gagg convection and pastry oven combo that I used for 20 years in our old house and had always loved the way the ovens cooked. I haven't been disappointed with the combi steam. Tonight I roasted a chicken breast (bone -in). The skin was crisp and the meat was very very moist. I baked pies at Thanksgiving and the crusts came out crisp and flaky. Often, if we want a fast meal, I steam some fish or shrimp with some veggies and it's done quickly and there's hardly any clean-up. The one thing that surprised me was how good it is for heating things up. And, it's amazing how it can resurrect a stale loaf of French bread. All in all, it's exceeded my expectations and I'm looking forward to trying other things I haven't had time to do yet. I had an older Miele - lower end version - and went with the Excella this time since I loved the cutlery tray so much. The Excella is very quiet. The trays are a little different which is taking some getting used to in terms of loading. But it cleans beautifully. Isn't it great having new appliances!

Read around, hardly anyone here recommends getting a package all from one brand. Each brand does at least one thing well (except Viking), but no one does everything well.

Lucky there was that option for you. I don't know if GE is keeping the light face too. I found out that there is a new product number for the dark one. I really wanted a black display, so I'm really happy about it. (: