I've had my Bosch Benchmark Speed Micro Oven for several months now. I have no experience with any other high-end micro. The comments I am reading here are making me regret not shopping more - it seems other brands have a lot of preprogrammed receipes/settings my Bosch does not offer! So far I have used it to bake muffins, which were fine, but mostly have used it for straight microwave functions. It is not as user friendly as my old counter top $100 microwave! It does bake a mean pizza! Door handle was loose on installation. Had repairman out on warranty. He called Bosch who told him that one cannot just tighten a screw, but had to remove the door liner. The liner is not made to be removed without damage, so he had to order a new liner before he could remove the old one. This took 3 months. When it arrived he took off the old liner, tightened the handle, and then struggled to get the new one on. He took it home with him that evening to try some more! He finally got it together, but didn't like the fit and the handle was still loose! He called Bosch. They then informed him that they don't recommend taking the door apart, that he needed to order a new door! They could have mentioned that 3 months ago! I am now trying to build a fire under Bosch to get that door here ASAP! I have talked to them on the phone several times and have learned there are 10 doors coming to my repairman's parts warehouse this month, but they are not sure if mine is among them! The fact that there are 10 doors coming makes me wonder about the quality of Bosch microwaves!

We had a combo unit, and one did experience an early demise. We were a little annoyed with the extra expense of buying another combo unit however what we discovered is that would have been a deal compared to what actually happened. Nothing on the market at that time would fit the cabinet we had, so we needed to replace that tall cabinet. Matching existing cabinetry is difficult, and we were getting no help there. In the end, the dead appliance morphed into a complete kitchen remodel. This time, we're doing our ovens as separate units, and we're making sure that the oven stack is made with separate components, so that they could be unassembled and remade in another size. What we had before was one tall cabinet, floor to ceiling, that was impossible to alter without destroying it because of the way it was constructed.

Bosch are the worse appliances on the market today in my opinion. One year ago I bought all new bosch benchmark appliances for a new house. IN less than a year I have had 3 repair issues (1 on the speed oven and 2 on the wall oven). While under mfg warranrty Bosch tried to charge me for the repair saying "we have to pay someone to remove the oven from the wall for the repair". It's a freaking "WALL" oven, meaning it's designed to be installed in the WALL, meaning when it needs to be repaired (under mfg warranty) then it has to be removed form the wall, not at my expense. They said there's a disclaimer in the manual (which I received AFTER I bought it, it was in the box with the appliance when it was delivered). That is something that needs to be disclosed PRIOR to my purchase, not after. Imagine the money Bosch will make from repairing their own appliances while under warranty if they charge 200.00 each time, seeing they've repaired mine 3 times. This is lubricious not to mention illegal. I will never buy anything bosch ever again. I have owned just about every brand of appliances over the years in the many houses I've owned, and this was my first time buying bosch and the first time I've ever had these kinds of repair problems. The quality is badm, the service is even worse.

Hi we have the benchmark series speed oven, the side opening oven plus a full size breville toaster oven, all less than a year old. First off we are heavy microwave users so that is what the speed oven is used for mostly. It also does a great job at cooking frozen foods quickly. I will say it is a bit hard to clean and I cannot get all the grease marks off the sides like a normal microwave oven but I suspect that is normal. I have not called Bosch yet to inquire. I am still getting used to the pull down door as I am a bit klutzy (coffee has been spilled!). The side opener oven is a dream and cooks wonderfully. The reason I mention the Breville is that I have had convenience foods going for the kids in the Breville and the speed oven at the same for quick heating. All very handy. Good luck with decision, it took me a good 6 months to figure this out. But am now cooking up a storm!