Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Several months ago I started looking for a counter-top microwave oven to replace one that had gone south. My requirements were simple ... or so I believed: - When placed against the back of my countertop, at least 8 inches of counter in front of the microwave's door should remain usable. - At least 4 inches of free space should be present between the top of the microwave and the bottom of my kitchen cabinets. - Between 800 and 1200 watts of power. These specs proved difficult to meet. The majority of the 'counter-top' ovens took up the entire depth of the counter-top. Such behemoths didn't lend themselves to use in my small kitchen. But there were some that I could try. My journey ... First, I purchased a Hamilton Beach microwave oven from Wal-Mart. While the oven was smaller than its predecessor, the size (12" x 21" x 16") was right. The power rating (1000 watt) was right. The problem was, it cooked slower than the 925 Watt predecessor ... and after the first week, it started tripping the circuit breaker. Thanks, Walmart, for the good return policy. Then I purchased a GE microwave oven (via drop-shipped-puchase) at Lowes. The power rating (700 watts) was lower than I'd hoped for, but I thought I could live with it. I couldn't. Everything took at least twice as long to heat in this oven as in its predecessor. Thanks, Lowes, for the good return policy. I believed that among all of the retail stores around my house, I could easily find a microwave oven to meet my needs. This turned out not to be the case. At all. I'd bookmarked this Sharp Carousel R-331ZS 1.1 Cubic Feet 1000-watt Countertop Microwave Oven while researching the previous purchases. A little uncomfortable with the perhaps having to pay for return shipping if the oven didn't meet the mark, I decided to purchase it. As the saying goes, 'the third time is a charm.' This oven is ideal for my purposes. It performs as good as its predecessor ... and does not have that extra half-turn of the turntable at the end of a timed-cook cycle that certain manufacturers install seemingly to ensure breakage in the future. (Like my predecessor oven) Setting the power-level is a bit clunky with this oven. One has to push the power-level button repeatedly to lower the power ... 10% per button press. But I've gotten used to it. (Setting timed-cooking also required some relearning on my part.) The only negative about this oven is the quality of the plastic shield for the door's glass on the interior of the oven. The plastic reacts to heated steam, such that where steam hits it (during cooking), the plastic distorts a little. Based on the other problems I encountered, this is a gnat of a problem however, and certainly not worth deducting a point. Bottom Line. If you want your counter-top to be completely covered by your microwave oven, you can buy a faster, cheaper, more feature-rich unit. If like me, you want your microwave oven to be an accessory on your counter-top, and not the center of attention, this is the oven for you! (Added a screenshot showing the oven's dimensions ... per a request.)