Dacor's PMOR3021 costs more than similarly featured microwave ovens for just one good reason. It can be paired with a remote blower (model ILB8) that vents up to 600 CFM (cubic feet per minute) of air, making it the over-the-range microwave oven of choice for use over high-output, profession-style gas ranges and cooktops.

Adding this blower to your purchase will add about $335 to the overall cost of your microwave, putting the grand total into the over $1000 category. We find this to be a very costly combination and for this reason only suggest this option if your installation requires it. Plenty of other microwave ovens offered at this price or even lower have features equivalent to this model.

The features of this model, other than the ventilation option, are common to better quality microwaves. They include a sensor, 1200 watts of cooking power, a spacious 2.1-cubic-foot interior capacity and cooktop lighting. The built-in recipe feature and the keep warm function are somewhat less common and in our opinion, of minimal importance. More useful is the set of interactive cooking tips. Following these tips will help you get the best performance possible out of this oven.

Available in stainless steel, black or white, the PMOR3121 complements the full line of Dacor appliances and is most often used in combination with them. Like most over-the-range products, this model has electronic digital controls, a child lock and a 300 CFM fan, when installed without the remote blower. When it comes to cooking performance, this model is typical of microwave ovens priced in the over $500 range.

We would definitely consider Dacor's PMOR3121 if our cooktop or range required 600 CFM of ventilation. For standard output gas ranges and electric cooking surfaces, we would be inclined to look to other options that could save us a considerable amount of money.


Pros: Our model of choice for use over high-output cooktops and ranges, accepts remote blower
Cons: Expensive when compared to models with similar features

Warranty
1 year