Haier HCW225LAES Stainless 24 inch Single 2.0 Cu. Ft. Left-Swing True European Convection Oven

I purchased two of these ovens, one left hand and one right hand door, when it was made by Fagor. Haier has now purchased the brand.. But unfortunately for the aging population, Haier has decided to stop the manufacture of the side opening door model oven. I am wondering if it is the younger executives that we now see taking on these companies. The Baby Boomer population is huge and is now coming into an age where the side opening ovens are so popular because of reaching into an oven with a downward door and burn possibilities. I absolutely love my ovens not because of age, but because I use a wheelchair and these ovens are the best. Installed a slide-out cutting board under the two ovens, mounted side by side, and I couldn't ask for a better set up. Open the door, place the cooking vessel on the slide-out board to check or stir and place back in the oven. Perfect. But with the younger generation running the company, I am guessing it is very hard for them to picture someone of the older generation cooking/baking with the pull-down oven door and the difficulty they encounter. It is Haier's loss for sure. So sorry to see the side opening door oven not in manufacture any longer.

We love the way this oven cooks. Much better than our similarly-featured Ikea oven that went kaput after ten years. And we like the side-hinged door. It makes a lot of sense. The only reason I don't give it five stars: the control presentation. The controls are not back-lit, and the labelling is not as high-contrast as at might be. If it's nighttime, we often have to turn the overhead light on--something we rarely do--to make out the labelling so we can adjust the oven controls. There is a display above the controls that can be lit up. But actually, when that display is illuminated, it's even harder to make out the controls below. Not a big deal, really. After three weeks of using the oven, while it's still an annoyance, we're getting used to it. It just seems like an unforced error on the design side.