It will probably be split 50/50 on this forum. Some people really love them.

Cons: I remember seeing lots of sparking/catching on fire issues in the past. They are usually 6x-12x the price as a normal microwave. Hard to clean due to being so low on the ground. Annoying to use because you have to wait for the door to open (first world problems). Most models don't have tilt-screens so hard to see buttons without squatting down. Must get it professionally installed so that's just one more thing to worry about. No turn-table either.

Pros: easy to eyeball items and give them a sir without removing from machine. Great space saver if you're short on counter space. Easy for kids to reach., Handicap people too. Cool appearance. Modern.

For me, if you have the space to set your microwave on a counter somewhere to the side, that's probably better. You could replace it 5 times over for the price of 1 drawer. If money is of no issue, I'd still go with a countertop model. I'd rather built a large walk-in pantry and stick it in there on the counter.

Whatever you do, don't put it over the range. Dangerous for lifting heavy and hot items out from above your head.

I have one. I got it because I will not have a microwave sitting on my counter, and because I was able to place it so it's almost invisible. No complaints, but if I had a large enough appliance garage to store a conventional microwave, then I'd do that instead because the cost of a drawer microwave and installation is not otherwise worth it to me. I don't consider a microwave cubby a great alternative because if it's below counter level, you'd be squatting down to get things out or check on items versus sliding out the drawer, and if it's above counter level, it's visually unappealing IMO.

I have done a MW drawer in 2 kitchens and would do it again. Just get the basic Sharp MW drawer with the tilting keypad. Sharp makes all of them , so no need to pay for a more expensive branded one. No issues with either unit I have owned.

Don't bother with the newer MW/convection drawer combo units, unless they are selling a 240V version.

Like Chispa, we have had it in 2 homes. I love it.

The OP's question depends so much on what is available space-wise in their kitchen for a microwave. When you say the MW drawer "was the recommendation", who recommended it, and what was their reasoning? That would be important to know.

For example, many people put their MW in a pantry if they have one; others have the space that @darbuka shows. If you have space like that, then I don't see the need to spend the quintuple cost for a drawer MW, or use up drawer space for it. Having said that, the drawer microwave is a great solution if the situation is that you do not have counter, shelf or pantry space.

I think @M's comment above sums up the pros and cons well. I would add the issue of replacement - not just the cost, but the aggravation and time needed. If you have a countertop MW on a shelf or in a pantry, and it breaks, you simply unplug it, buy a new one for $120 same day, and plug it in. If you have a drawer MW, and it breaks, it's a bigger undertaking to replace it. (I am also in the camp of being too impatient to wait for the soft open and soft close; I want to push the button, put my stuff in, and slam the door shut, what can I say?)

I agree with you. I kept telling the designers, can i just put one in the walk in panty? And they said it would be too inconvenient. I think I would prefer island drawer space over a microwave that annoys me bc it takes to long to open and close..

Before I remodeled my kitchen, I had my MW on a shelf in the pantry. It was fine. More than fine. if you could do that, it seems like a perfect solution for you. it would be helpful to have some landing space on the same shelf or nearby.

When I remodeled, I installed a speed oven undercounter because I wanted a third oven and didn’t mind the ergonomics.

If buying a drawer microwave oven, buy only a SHARP SMD2470ASY or SHARP SMD3070ASY. Sharp manufacturers all drawer microwave ovens and Sharp ovens are the only ones with the flip-down control panel. Note that the oven cavity for both models is the same. In CR's tests this oven performed only mediocre in "heating evenness", perhaps because there is no turntable.

For the same reasons that some people are drawn to drawer style microwaves as an option for convenience for those who may be short enough to take advantage, the opposite is true for many other folks, whether they are average height, or, as in my case, 6‘,5“ tall. Since I don’t have my eyes in my knees, even if there is a flip type screen on a drawer microwave, I still can’t read it and I prefer not to crawl on my hands and knees to use a microwave. Ergonomics affect a lot of the decisions we make in our kitchens, and this is just one of them whether you are tall, short, or “average” in height or arm reach. Given the average service life of most appliances today, to invest substantial capital to install something that is largely disposable compared to the appliances our parents and grandparents had, I find the use of a countertop microwave, one of the simplest to both install and replace. Of course, some folks may wish to have a 240 V convection, microwave, and/or speed oven, and in those cases, going with a built-in is often your only option. So think about how you personally use a microwave and if you use it, the way, many people do, (reheating, defrosting, popcorn, etc. ), you can get a countertop microwave for a lot less $$ and there are nicer versions of them that have fancier options than just your basic Walmart special. Panasonic is just one brand with a bewildering number of model choices and price points

The advantage of a drawer MW is that you do not have to "crawl on your hands & knees" to use it.

With the flip down control panel, you just look down and it's right there -- no bending down.

To use it:

1. Press a button and it opens.
2. Lower the food into the drawer (no bending over)
3. Press a button (or give it a gentle nudge) and it closes
4. Choose your settings & start
5. Need to stir? Open it, reach down to stir, close it -- no taking a hot dish out to stir/putting it back in or reaching inside a small alcove to try to stir.
6. When done, simply open, lift the dish up to the counter, close it.

Need to clean it? Boil water for a minute or so and then wipe it clean. If you don't cover your food when cooking, you will have a bigger mess, but that's true for all MWs. (I instituted a rule that anyone who did not cover their food had to clean the MW -- everyone covers food now and I rarely have to do more than wipe it down every couple of weeks with a damp cloth.)

My 6'5" DH and 6'7" DS have no problems using it. In fact, we're planning a new house (retirement home) right now and one of my DH's requests is that we get another MW drawer!

We have the 30" model b/c that's the space we had for it. However, it's no bigger than the 24" model, it just has more trim. the 24" is cheaper as well.

Regarding price...I've had two. The first one lasted over 11 years until I did something stupid. My current one has been in use for 5 years now. I never had a counter MW last longer than 3 years or so...if you figure I was buying a new counter MW every 3 or 4 years, the drawer was cheaper overall!

What would I never do? Put an oven or counter-style MW under the counter. Those will require a lot of bending over and reaching blindly into hot cavities. (Note that standard wall ovens are much closer to the floor than an oven in a range when mounted under the counter.)

My daughter has one and I love it. It is so much safer to remove hot food by lifting up than by removing hot food from over head. However, I did not have the drawer space in our kitchen so I found a Sharp over the counter MW. It mounts to the wall with a metal bracket, is at eye level, and frees up my limited counter space. My cabinetmaker installed a shorter cabinet above it. In a previous house, the MW was installed like Darbuka’s picture above. Unfortunately, when we needed a new one, we were limited by the size of that existing opening ( smaller than Darbuks’s). Again, if I had the drawer space, the drawer MW would be my hands down choice, for ease of use and safety.

I've never had any user issues with countertop microwaves or eye level microwaves. So the pros that people mention about drawer microwaves seem like a solution in need of a problem (but understand that everyone is different).

That said, I've had plenty of MWs die over the years. Not sure if there's enough history on drawer MWs to say if they have similar problems. I'd rather replace a $100 countertop unit through Amazon than have to have an appliance guy come out multiple times to replace a drawer unit for $2000. So i stick with countertop units.

"And they said it would be too inconvenient."

What do YOU say? I hardly ever use the thing, so it wouldn't bother me one bit to have it in a pantry or other area not in the kitchen proper, but DH uses it daily for quick heat-ups, he wouldn't. I have one in a cubby under the counter (like darbuka's, but below counter). It's perfect there -- out the way (meaning not taking up counter space) but meets his needs. So think about your usage patterns and base your decision toput in the pantry on that.

Sharp convection microwave drawers are horrible quality with poor customer service. We bought one fir our kitchen remodel and it was a huge mistake We are on our fourth unit in three years and need to replace again. Microwave is underpowered. It is a very expensive piece of junk

15 years and counting with a Sharp undercounter microwave drawer. When (if) it fails, I would get another one in a hearbeat.

Don’t count on it being the same quality as your 15 year old model.

Just be sure you have some landing space next to your microwave in the pantry.

Yes you will appreciate the island drawer space for storage!!!!

Many people are putting their microwave drawers right next to their sink, I've seen it a few times. I think that's a horrible spot. The sink should have access to dishwasher on one side and pull out trash on the other. And then the next step over should be for storing whatever it is you plan to cook/prepare at that particular location.

Microwave is like an oven. It can be many steps, just like your wall ovens, that you go to to simply put something in, step away for a bit, and then go back to take it out.

The microwave is not a high priority appliance to be sticking in your precious work zone, cleaning zone, or at most locations at the kitchen island

Buehl "I never had a counter MW last longer than 3 years or so...if you figure I was buying a new counter MW every 3 or 4 years, the drawer was cheaper overall!"

Whaaaat? You've never had a counter microwave last more than 3 years? For your entire life?

I think you deserve a prize for having the most horrible luck ever!

I've never met anybody go through microwaves every couple of years. Sure they break and espeically newer machines coming out. But overall microwaves can take a beating and TEND to be one of the longest lasting out there (unless you catch the thing on fire)

My parents microwave is about 25 years old. My best friend's in-laws have had the same microwave since the 80's and we tease them every time we visit. My microwave is a Toshiba that I got in 2011 after graduating college so it's about to have its 15 year birthday.

@M, as @jimgomez700 said above, you can't equate MWs that are "25 years old", or from "the 80s", or that you "got in 2011" to what is being made today. It would be out of touch to think that MWs - and most appliances today - are built the way they were as little as 10 years ago. You can't actually think that they are, since you are a regular on this forum, and have seen this issue mentioned time and time again. So your comment was just for dramatic effect, rather than depicting today's reality.

The model we bought on the suggestion of our kitchen designer wasn’t just a microwave drawer it was a Sharp top of the line convection microwave drawer at a cost of $2,000.00. To be on our fourth unit in about two years is a testament to the terrible quality. Not only are they unreliable but they are also underpowered. Yes, three of the units were replaced under warranty but we now have a unit that was in service less than two years and needs replacing at our expense. Since the cabinet was custom made for the Sharp unit we either have to buy a new Sharp or replace the custom cabinet. There is a reason the warranty is only one year.

Good point. And i'm so sorry to hear about your sharp drawer. But I also think it's the drawers that are having this poor track record, not regular, simple countertop miscrowaves; The more buttons and special tricks, the more opportunity for failure. In the case of a drawer, just OPENING the darn thing becomes a "trick" ... . and can break.

We just remodeled our kitchen and im happy with drawer microwave. If we had the space for a walknin pantry with its own countertop that would have been my first choice but there was no space for a walk in pantry. Ours is a Cafe and the controls are easy to see. we have people ranging in height from 4 feet to 6 feet at my house and it seems everyone can use the controls. It is definitely safer for kids and we previously had the shelf built in setup with a freestanding microwave and I didn’t like the look of it and prefer the more integrated drawer look.

I'm short and my husband is tall. We had a shelf built under one of the upper cabinets and stuck a freestanding micro into it. I actually had our cabinet maker + builder redesign those cabs so that the shelf would be lower -- they all are tall people and initially did not understand the plight of a 4'11" lady trying to reach up/in. :P All this was much cheaper than a drawer, and kept counterspace clear underneath it. Attaching a pic; it's super distorted -- this is a normal-width microwave, not a long skinny one! ha -- but it shows the layout. And in my experience, anyway, these freestanding micros live forever. At our 'regular' house, we have one we got in grad school, almost 30 years ago. It gets used multiple times/day, and it still works great.