• Sharp SMD2470ASY - best owner reviews for the basics at $1300
• Sharp SMD2489ES - only if you want/need hands-free opening and wi-fi for +$200
• Sharp SMD2499FS (convection) - poor reviews from owners on HD and BB for +$900
• Wolf MD24TE/S - NO flip-down control panel and way overpriced for +$1000

I have the middle Sharp above (though no wifi and no hands-free opening but it does have hands-free closing - you use your hip ;-)) and so far, so good. Did not buy an extended warranty. I think longevity of machines, in part, depends on how many people use it, how often and how gentle or hard you are on the machine. In our case, it's just 2 of us (retirees) . But a large family with kids that like to play with the drawer b/c it's fun? Yeah, I can see how that could break down more quickly.

Here’s a vote for a microwave that is not in drawer format. Either make the right space for a regular microwave (what I would do) that costs $140, or get a speed oven like the Thermador below on mega sale ($1700). A microwave drawer just seems like a waste of money to me, although admittedly, I rarely use a microwave.

The Thermador MC30WS pictured above is a microwave/convection oven and requires a 240 volt, 4-wire circuit. The price shown surprisingly low (it's $2950 at ajmadison.com) but the accompanying text incorrectly states it's "stainless" (it's gray glass). The commenter didn't disclose the seller.

I, too, have the middle Sharp and zero complaints after 10+ years of daily use (coffee, steaming, popcorn) by two adults.

It’s a Thermador speed oven. Most speed ovens require 240V - I can’t think of one that doesn’t. They all combine convection and microwave technologies. It’s being sold at Walmart, which I find surprising. I didn’t know they sold built-in appliances.

I think you might have missed the point wdccruise. I’m not recommending anyone buy that oven, I’m saying I would buy a speed oven before I’d buy a microwave drawer.

Unless a mw drawer is the only option for your floorplan, I’d choose another option. We put ours on a shelf next to the fridge. Our contractor made a small modification to the space.

@eam44: "I didn’t know [Walmart] sold built-in appliances."

Walmart has a marketplace like Amazon so it sell some products itself and lists products from 3rd parties on its website. I checked its Thermador appliances; some were discontinued, some were just priced really well, all were sold by VIPOUTLET. There's a disclaimer: "Prices, terms, and availability may vary online, in stores, and in-app. Items ordered online may be available for pick up at store, shipping, or delivery."

I have the Wolf drawer microwave, but wish I had purchased Sharp because the controls on the Sharp are easier to see when the microwave is installed at counter height. I have to put on my reading glasses and bend down to see the controls on the Wolf microwave.

Edited to add that I purchased the Wolf drawer 9 years ago, and it is working just fine.

I installed the Wolf in my previous house and it was a pain to see the control panel without bending down.

In the new house I installed the Sharp with tilting control panel and the tilting panel makes a huge difference in ease of use.

Turned off the easy wave open, because it was being triggered by people walking by.

Don't bother with the MW drawer/convection/air-fryer model ... it sucks!

Your best bet........

"In the new house I installed the Sharp with tilting control panel and the tilting panel makes a huge difference in ease of use."

Every client I have with this? No complaints, easy peasy access. Great with young kids, or elderly and safe access.

I have had both the Sharp convection microwave and the Wolf speed oven. We had 5 Sharp convection microwave units over the course of 3 years. When the fifth unit stopped working (control panel - $1,500 repair) and our extended warranty was up, we finally threw in the towel and ditched Sharp for a Wolf speed oven. The cabinet was customized for the Sharp but our Wolf dealer was able to get a matching stainless filler piece custom made so the Wolf unit fits nicely. Yes, the control panel on the Wolf is harder to see but at least the Wolf unit works which is more than I can say for the five Sharp units we had. Sharp customer service was horrible. The few times we have needed service for our other Wolf/Subzero appliances, customer service was great.

There is a big difference between a Sharp MW Drawer and a Sharp MW/oven combo drawer. The MW/oven combo drawer is not worth the money, because it is just under-powered as an oven. Several threads on that topic if you search.

The standard Sharp MW drawer with tilting panel is a great product and we've had few complaints with those units here over the years.

Sharp customer service is the same between models. If you have an issue, customer service is abysmal. They do not stand behind their products.

The local large appliance store I bought all my appliances from for the new build (2021) also provides service for everything they sell (Wolf, SZ, Sharp, etc), so I will probably have no reason to call customer service for any of the appliance brands I bought. The store takes care of identifying any parts covered under warranty.

Where you buy things, is sometimes just as important as what you buy.

I would have liked a shelf spot for a regular micro in our new build but honestly it just got too difficult to plan out our kitchen and my hub and I were kind of over dealing with any extra hassles so we went with the micro drawer as designed in our original plan. We have a sharp( not sure which one ) and although a drawer seemed like it would be annoying the flip out panel makes all the difference imo ! Can't imagine it without that feature 🤔

If I might add to wdccruises’s point, when you purchase an item through resellers such as on the Walmart marketplace and with some Amazon sellers, I would tread very carefully. Many products, especially luxury brand appliances, have lots of rules about whether or not they will warrant a product, depending on if it was purchased through an “authorized seller“. It might appear to be a good deal, but it can also be a situation of “Pennywise pound foolish“.

I have one of these in both of my houses and would never buy again. Besides the fact that one has stopped working after only 7 yrs in a home we use less than half time, you need to crouch to read the display and it is very worn out so hard to read at any point. My family is mad that I bought it a second time.

HU-746162524: "you need to crouch to read the display"

That's why one should only buy the Sharp SMD2470ASY or SMD3070ASY which are the only drawer microwaves with the flip-down control panel more easily visible from above.