In a world of smart appliances that connect to Wi-Fi and practically do your taxes, there’s a quiet rebellion brewing in our kitchens. It’s a desire for simplicity, for tools that do their job exceptionally well without a steep learning curve. I remember the frustration of helping my parents with their new “state-of-the-art” microwave; it had more buttons than a pilot’s cockpit and required a manual the size of a novel to simply reheat a cup of tea. This quest for straightforward, reliable performance is what leads many of us, myself included, to seek out a compact solo microwave. We need an appliance that can handle the daily essentials—reheating leftovers, defrosting a chicken breast for dinner, or making a quick bowl of porridge—without demanding a degree in engineering. The challenge is finding a model that blends modern efficiency with user-friendly design, all while fitting neatly on a crowded countertop. It’s this exact challenge that the HADEN 20L Digital Microwave Oven aims to solve.
- Stainless Steel Exterior Microwave Oven: This 800W microwave combines sleek design with functionality, ensuring quick and even cooking.
- Digital Convenience: Effortlessly control your cooking with the digital interface of this microwave oven, featuring a design for easy access and simpler cleaning.
What to Consider Before Buying a Solo Microwave
A solo microwave is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for rapid, convenient food preparation. It’s the heart of quick meals and the saviour of forgotten-to-defrost dinners. Unlike combination models with grills and convection ovens, the solo microwave focuses on one thing: using microwaves to heat food efficiently. This specialization is its greatest strength, offering uncluttered controls and reliable performance for the most common kitchen tasks. The main benefits are speed, ease of use, and a smaller footprint, making it an indispensable appliance for busy individuals and compact living spaces.
The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing the daily puzzle of preparing food quickly and without fuss. This includes students in dorms, professionals in small city apartments, couples, or elderly individuals who value simplicity and safety over complex features. It’s the perfect secondary microwave for a large family or the primary workhorse for a smaller household. However, it might not be suitable for those who love to bake, roast, or grill using a single appliance. Aspiring home chefs or large families who rely on an oven for most of their cooking would be better served by a larger combination microwave or a traditional oven.
Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:
- Dimensions & Space: The first rule of new appliances is “measure twice, buy once.” The HADEN 20L Digital Microwave Oven measures 45.2 cm in width, making it a compact choice. Before you buy, ensure you have adequate countertop space not just for the unit itself, but also for proper ventilation—typically a few inches of clearance on the top, back, and sides—to prevent overheating and ensure longevity.
- Capacity/Performance: Capacity, measured in litres, determines how much you can fit inside. A 20-litre capacity, like this Haden model’s, is generally sufficient for standard dinner plates (its turntable is 24.5 cm), large mugs, and moderately sized casserole dishes. Wattage dictates cooking speed; at 800W, this microwave sits at a sweet spot, offering faster cooking than lower-wattage models without the higher energy consumption of 1000W+ units.
- Materials & Durability: The exterior is often stainless steel for a modern look, but the interior material is arguably more important. True stainless steel interiors are prized for their durability, resistance to odours, and ease of cleaning. In contrast, painted or coated enamel interiors, while common and effective, can be prone to scratching, staining, or even chipping over time with heavy use and abrasive cleaning. This is a critical point of consideration for the HADEN 20L Digital Microwave Oven.
- Ease of Use & Maintenance: A microwave should reduce your workload, not add to it. Look for intuitive controls—like the jog dial and simple buttons on this model—a clear digital display, and helpful pre-set programs. For maintenance, a smooth interior cavity and a removable glass turntable are essential for easy cleaning, ensuring your appliance remains hygienic and functional for years to come.
Getting the right microwave can make a huge difference in your daily routine, especially for those who value simplicity and reliability.
While the HADEN 20L Digital Microwave Oven is an excellent choice for many, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:
Our Complete Guide to the Best Easy-to-Use Solo Microwaves for Seniors and Simple Kitchens
- MIRRORED FINISH - The Russell Hobbs RHM2076B features a sleek black body and contemporary mirror door finish
- Ceramic Enamel Interior - It's exceptionally smooth antibacterial surface makes it easy to clean. It is also highly rust and scratch resistant so it won't discolour over time.
- COMPACT EVERYDAY COOKING: A practical 20L capacity with a 24.5cm glass turntable fits standard dinner plates and bowls, delivering reliable, even heating for quick meals, snacks and reheats in busy...
First Impressions: Sleek, Simple, and Ready to Work
Unboxing the HADEN 20L Digital Microwave Oven revealed a compact and surprisingly stylish appliance. The brushed stainless steel exterior gives it a premium look that belies its affordable price point, allowing it to blend seamlessly into a modern kitchen without dominating the space. It feels solid and well-constructed, weighing a reassuring 10.5 kilograms. Setup was instantaneous: place the roller ring and the 24.5cm glass turntable inside, plug it in, and it’s ready to go. The digital display lit up with a clear, crisp clock, and the control panel, featuring a prominent jog dial and a clean layout of buttons, felt immediately intuitive. There were no complex menus to navigate or confusing symbols to decipher. It was clear from the first five minutes that Haden prioritized a straightforward user experience, a design choice we greatly appreciate. When you see the simple and elegant design, you understand it’s built for purpose, not for show.
What We Like
- Powerful 800W performance ensures quick and even heating for a compact unit.
- Intuitive digital interface with a jog dial makes setting precise times effortless.
- Compact footprint is ideal for smaller kitchens, dorms, or office break rooms.
- Features a Child Safety Lock, providing essential peace of mind for families.
Drawbacks
- The interior is painted grey, not stainless steel as some descriptions suggest, a major discrepancy.
- The 20L capacity may be restrictive for larger families or those using oversized cookware.
A Deep Dive into the HADEN 20L Digital Microwave Oven’s Performance
An appliance can look great on the counter, but its true value is revealed in daily use. We put the HADEN 20L Digital Microwave Oven through a comprehensive series of tests, from the mundane task of reheating coffee to the more demanding challenge of defrosting a block of frozen mince. Our goal was to understand not just what it *can* do, but how well it does it, and who it’s truly built for. Over several weeks, it became a fixture in our test kitchen, and we developed a clear picture of its strengths and its one significant weakness.
Daily Cooking & Reheating Performance
The core function of any microwave is heating, and the 800 watts of power in this Haden model are more than up to the task. We were consistently impressed with its speed and evenness. A large mug of water reached a rolling boil in just under two minutes, and a plate of leftover lasagne was heated through to the centre in three minutes without leaving cold spots or turning the edges into rubber. This reliable performance is largely thanks to the combination of adequate power and the rotating 24.5cm turntable, which ensures food is exposed evenly to the microwaves. The five distinct power levels provide excellent control for more delicate jobs. We used a lower setting (around 40%) to soften butter for baking without melting it into a puddle, and a medium setting to gently reheat a slice of quiche. The full 800W power is perfect for high-liquid content foods like soups and sauces. We found the internal 20-litre capacity to be perfectly adequate for single users or couples. It comfortably fits a standard 10-inch dinner plate and most microwave-safe containers, making it a highly practical choice for everyday meals. The efficient power level options truly enhance its cooking versatility.
User Interface & Pre-Set Simplicity
Where the HADEN 20L Digital Microwave Oven truly shines is its user interface. The combination of a simple jog dial for time and weight selection and clearly labelled buttons for functions like Power, Defrost, and Start/Stop is a masterclass in user-friendly design. There’s no need to repeatedly press a “+30 Sec” button; a quick spin of the dial allows you to set the exact time you need, from a few seconds to several minutes, with precision. This tactile control feels responsive and far more intuitive than multi-press button systems. The eight auto-cooking programs are genuinely useful shortcuts. We tested the “Popcorn” setting, and it produced a perfectly popped bag with very few un-popped kernels. The “Potato” setting cooked a medium-sized baking potato evenly in about six minutes. While advanced cooks may prefer manual settings, these pre-sets are fantastic for quick, consistent results without the guesswork. The digital display is bright and easy to read, and the overall operation is quiet. The thoughtful inclusion of a Child Safety Lock, easily activated by holding a button, is a crucial feature that offers invaluable peace of mind in a household with curious toddlers.
Build Quality & A Critical Note on Materials
The external build quality feels robust. The stainless steel finish resists fingerprints reasonably well and gives the unit a premium feel. The door opens and closes with a solid, satisfying click, and the unit remains stable on the countertop during operation. However, this brings us to the most significant issue we encountered, one that was also highlighted in user feedback. The product is described as having a “durable, easy-clean stainless steel interior.” Based on our direct examination, this is unequivocally false. When we opened the door, we did not find the gleaming, metallic surface of stainless steel. Instead, the interior is a matte grey, coated or painted surface, likely enamel paint over steel. This is a critical distinction. While coated interiors are common in budget-friendly microwaves and are perfectly functional for cleaning, they do not offer the same long-term durability, scratch resistance, and odour resistance as true stainless steel. For a consumer who specifically spends hours researching and selecting a product based on the promise of an all-stainless-steel construction, this discrepancy is a major let-down and feels like a bait-and-switch. We must highlight this as a serious flaw in the product’s marketing, not its function. The microwave works well, but it is not what it claims to be in this crucial aspect. For buyers who prioritize a genuine stainless steel interior, this detail is a deal-breaker and worth noting before purchase.
What Other Users Are Saying
Our findings are strongly echoed in the experiences of other customers. The sentiment is generally split along one key issue: the interior material. One user expressed their frustration perfectly, stating, “Very disappointed and annoyed. I spent hours researching… for a microwave with stainless steel interior… when I opened the M/W I found the interior is painted grey.” This directly confirms our own assessment and highlights a significant gap between the product description and the actual product. This feedback is essential for any potential buyer who, like that user, is specifically looking for an all-steel appliance. On the other hand, many users who were not focused on that specific material have been very pleased. Another piece of feedback simply notes, “Delivered on time and good value for money.” This reflects the experience of a user whose priority was a functional, affordable, and straightforward microwave. For them, the HADEN 20L Digital Microwave Oven delivered exactly what was needed, making it a successful purchase.
How Does the HADEN 20L Digital Microwave Oven Compare to the Alternatives?
No product exists in a vacuum. To give you the clearest picture, we’ve compared the HADEN 20L Digital Microwave Oven to three popular alternatives in the solo microwave category, each offering a unique set of features for different types of users.
1. Russell Hobbs RHEM2301B 23L Digital Microwave
- The easiest and most instinctive microwave with 4 simple buttons that allow you to Microwave, Defrost, Start and Stop/Cancel.
- No complicated auto cook menus or power levels.
The most striking difference with the Russell Hobbs RHEM2301B is its flatbed design. By eliminating the turntable, it offers more usable interior space within its slightly larger 23L capacity, making it easier to fit in large or awkwardly shaped dishes like rectangular casseroles. Cleaning is also significantly simpler without having to remove and wash a glass plate. If your primary frustration with microwaves is the limitation of a turntable and the hassle of cleaning it, the Russell Hobbs is a compelling alternative. It trades the Haden’s jog dial for a button-based interface but offers a modern, space-efficient solution for those who need more flexibility.
2. Samsung MS23K3513AK 23L Solo Microwave Black
- Ceramic Enamel Interior - It's exceptionally smooth antibacterial surface makes it easy to clean. It is also highly rust and scratch resistant so it won't discolour over time.
- Eco mode - reduce the use of your standby power with eco mode to help save money on your energy bills.
Samsung brings its brand reputation and focus on material quality to the table with the MS23K3513AK. While it also has a 23L capacity, its standout feature is the ceramic enamel interior. This material is exceptionally durable, highly scratch-resistant, and incredibly easy to clean—a significant upgrade from the Haden’s painted interior. It also includes features like a deodorization setting to keep the interior fresh. For buyers who were disappointed by the Haden’s interior and are willing to invest a little more for a premium, long-lasting build and trusted brand name, the Samsung is arguably the superior choice.
3. Nostalgia Retro 800W Microwave Oven
- 800 watts cooking power: At 25L, this microwave provides the cooking power needed to quickly cook and reheat foods
- Convenient cooking controls: 12 pre programmed cooking settings, delay timer and express cooking provide options for the optimal heating of popular foods like popcorn, pizza, potatoes, veggies and...
The Nostalgia microwave is all about making a statement. It competes directly with the Haden on power (800W) but targets a user who prioritizes aesthetics. Its charming retro design, available in colours like red, is a decorative piece as much as a functional appliance. It boasts a larger 25.4L capacity and more pre-programmed settings (12), offering a bit more versatility. If your kitchen has a specific vintage or retro theme, and you want an appliance that complements your decor without compromising on modern functionality, the Nostalgia Retro Microwave is an unbeatable alternative. It’s for the buyer who wants performance with personality.
Our Final Verdict: Is the HADEN 20L Digital Microwave Oven Right for You?
After extensive testing, our verdict on the HADEN 20L Digital Microwave Oven is positive, but it comes with a significant caveat. As a compact, 800W solo microwave, it performs its primary duties exceptionally well. It heats food quickly and evenly, the digital jog-dial control is a joy to use, and its compact, stylish design makes it a perfect fit for smaller kitchens. For students, singles, couples, or anyone seeking a simple, no-fuss appliance for daily reheating and defrosting, this microwave offers fantastic value for its price.
However, the misleading product description regarding its “stainless steel interior” is a serious issue that cannot be overlooked. The interior is painted grey, not steel. If you are specifically seeking the durability and longevity of a true stainless steel interior, this is not the microwave for you. But if that specific material is not a deal-breaker, and your priority is performance, ease of use, and a compact design, then the Haden represents an excellent bargain. It’s a reliable workhorse that gets the job done without any unnecessary complications. If you’re ready for a simple and effective kitchen solution, you can check the latest price and availability for the HADEN 20L Digital Microwave Oven online.
Last update on 2025-11-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API