Microwave Drawer...Any Regrets?

last year

So, I was able to obtain a Sharp Microwave Drawer from Lowes for 499! Brand new, never opened. It was a special order that was returned. Regular price was 1099. My original plan was a countertop micro with a trim kit. However, as I'm pricing that out I came across this great deal on the drawer and the pricing ends up comparable. It will fit a 24inch cabinet which also works better for my kitchen design. So why do I still have some doubts? Probably my concern over how long these last. I was always going to go with a standard countertop micro in a modified lower cabinet drawer base. My contractor convinced me to do a trim kit and show of the appliances. But the trim kits just seems like too much trim. Ugh, I really need to be more confident in my decision making or this kitchen will never get done! Does anyone regret doing a drawer? Or not doing one? TIA :-)

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Comments (14)

la_la Girl
last year
We’ve had a Sharp drawer since our 2010 reno - love how easy it is to use and that its tucked out of the way - would buy it again in a heartbeat
Jeanne Cardwell
last year
I love mine!
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Holger Bach
last year
People are really confident about the SHARP micro. RIght now they even have one drawer with convection oven
K R
last year
I loved mine! I got a regular wall microwave in my new house and I am already trying to figure out a way to add one to this house. It’s the best! (People complain that they’re too short, I happen to be short but my hubs is 6’5” and son is 6’2” and they never complained)
RTHawk
last year
I've had mine for more than 3 years and no regrets so far
lucky998877
last year
Love mine, would absolutely do again! So easy for kids to use also. Love not having to see it.
wdccruise
last year
CR tested the Sharp SMD3070ASY and its performance was mediocre. Note that if you bought the cheaper Sharp KB6524PSY, it does not have the flip-open control panel that other models do. The below-the-counter control panel is tilted upwards only slightly. Finally, check the installation tips; the oven extends 1-13/16" beyond the cabinet front.
Rhonda Schechter
last year
All drawer microwaves are identical because Sharp makes all of them.
PRO
JAN MOYER
last year
last modified: last year
Every client loves theirs.

I don't know HOW a "standard counter top micro in a low cabinet" could be convenient. All the doors are identical in opening direction, then the bend and peek? No.
wdccruise
last year
@JAN MOYER: "I don't know HOW a "standard counter top micro in a low cabinet" could be convenient."

I guess that's why they're "countertop".
bichonbabe
last year
Love mine !!!
Helen
last year
I love my microwave drawer. It's been installed for four years and I use it a lot and no problems.

Mine has the tilt out control panel so it is extremely easy to use.

I also don't understand how one could easily use a countertop microwave in a lower cabinet because one would have to squat to look at the controls and also to access the food.

My friend did put a regular microwave in a large cubby in her kitche but that was at a very convenient height and so it was done to eliminate clutter on her counter and her kitchen was large enough to have the space. And it has plenty of circulation as it is a large cubby - it has been almost 20 years since she did it and no issues with longevity of microwaves or damage to cabinets.

Microwave drawers are expensive which is their only drawback but for my kitchen configuration with relatively little spare counter space it was the only viable option.
PRO
Sabrina Alfin Interiors
last year
I put them in a lot of client projects and I've had zero complaints. P.S. Did you know that the only manufacturer who makes microwave drawers is Sharp? They private label/re-skin their product for all the big brands, e.g. Wolf, Thermador, etc. So, in my view, that's actually a great endorsement for the product. No one else seems to be able to make them better so they have Sharp do it for them.
wdccruise
last year
Nah, drawer microwaves are a niche product with a tiny market share. Outsourcing is a low-cost, low-risk way for brands to add these ovens to their product lineups. Sharp may also own patents. Fancy-pants brands can even sell these ovens at (often substantially) higher prices than Sharp ovens because their customers think the brand's ovens are superior, customers are price-insensitive, or they want ovens that resemble other appliances from the brand. It's just a marketing decision, not an inability to "make them better so they have Sharp do it for them."