Customer Reviews

Sharp R-1870 Over-the-Range 1.1-Cubic-Foot 850-Watt Microwave Oven, Black

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is our 3rd version of this same unit (1st one sold w. house...second burned out after 11 years of continuous use! This newest of this Sharp line is very good looking, beautiful Stainless throughout & larger (inside) then previous units...it has really simplified convection & mix cooking with help of it's internal computer. This is great for all of your cooking, especially cooking for 2, we never use the regular oven except for a large turkey (this unit will hold a 10# bird.) There was a problem with one of the large bolts that holds it on the back plate..did not line up correctly...that was a pain. Also shipping by UPS or FED EX ends up with a mutilated box & I'm sure damaged units (we lucked out no damage to unit- the unit is quite heavy 84# so I'm sure the carrier just "heaves" it - so if your box is badly damaged don't even open it - send it back for a new one) they should really be shipped using another source.

When we were remodeling our kitchen we decided to replace our Sharp countertop convection microwave with the over the range model. I really miss the old one. This new model seems to be a lot noisier than the old one. I went from 1.5 cubic feet down to 1.1 and it feels like I lost a lot more room than that. The hood light is VERY dim and the replacement bulbs (2) each cost at least $4 a piece if you can find them. Because we had to vent this into the kitchen we had to sent away to Sharp for a charcoal filter that cost $20 (filter plus shipping and handling.) We had planned to vent it to the outside but the vent didn't even come close to matching up the hole from our former range hood. The cooking turntable is white and very had to keep clean. It is only a month old and is very stained already.
I do like to have the cooking area at eye level.
I researched the price for comparable items on the web before buying and Amazon offered the best price as well as free shipping. I am very pleased with Amazon!

I purchased this item for two reasons, 1) because this is a Union Made microwave assembled in TN (the only American made microwave I've found) and 2) It has a convection oven that can double as a 2nd oven.

The styling on this unit is very nice, sleek and not overcomplicated, it enhances the look of my kitchen.

The microwave cooking is simple, with built in functions for thawing frozen items or popping popcorn, etc. You punch a button, it asks you how many steaks you are defrosting or how much popcorn you are popping and it does the rest.

Convection cooking is new to me, but the manual and recipe booklet that come with the unit have already produced salmon steaks with a white wine/basil sauce and cooked a pizza. I've found that in the heat of the summer I can use this oven vs. my gas oven and it cooks faster and doesn't heat up the house as much. There is also a function that combines microwave and convection cooking to get meals done even faster... there are so many things this machine does, I've yet to figure them all out.

A nice feature, you can turn the turntable on/off depending on whether you have a round or rectangular dish.

The unit runs on regular 110 voltage, so no complicated rewiring.

GE, Kenmore and Samsung all have similar units -all made in Korea, all for the same price or more. I chose this microwave because I was tired of complaining about outsourcing of American jobs and wanted to support a company like Sharp that is still making some of their units here in the USA.

We got this through Amazon and have been very pleased. I do recommend that you open the box and inspect immediately upon delivery, especially if it is during the holiday season when shippers use a lot of inexperienced people. Our first unit's box externally seemed fine but the interior packing was pulverized and the unit was obviously busted up. Amazon replaced it and our second unit is still running strong.

I love this - I could write a tome. The convection oven not only bakes and roasts, but setting at 100 degrees, I use it for raising bread, and 150 degrees, I'll bring a steak or roast up to room temp before searing and cooking. I think at 150 degrees it's faster and safer than having it sit on the kitchen counter as recommended in my cookbooks. I'm a better cook!

One warning about a dual-use appliance like this, which should be obvious: when you are using it for one thing it is not available for the other. I wouldn't want to be without this unit, but I also have another microwave and I feel I need both. I would say I use the two, in tandem, nearly every evening.

What Sharp Corporation designer ever thought of incorporating two screws, each about a foot long, to be inserted, blind, from front to back in order to pin this unit to the wall? Our installer finally had to give up on the use of these two impractical items.

Other design problems are:
1. The control panel is not backlit and so cannot be used easily in a dimly lit room.
2. The internal light does not adequately illuminate the food.

This Oven is GREAT. It'll cook anything and fast too. It's a little pricey but you get what you pay for most of the time. This time I did. Stick a hot dog, or some potaoes or bacon in there and push the right number and presto you have cooked food. We had baked chicken the other night and it was brown, done and tasty. I love the darn thing. I give it a high five.

I've selected this model, because it is the only convectional microwave oven that fits my kitchen. Other models require some extra space in front of the microwave on the left side, to be able to open the door. It is not a problem for most kitchens, but if you have a deep cabinet to the left of the microwave that extends in front of oven, Sharp seems like the only option. Sharp has put a smaller door that starts about an inch from the left side of the microwave, so it opens freely.

So far I was not disappointed. I'm mostly using the microwave mode, convectional mode. It cooks well, and the menu is rather intiutive - what else do you need? Auto reheat works well and produces consistently good results. I was not getting very good result with mixed mode (oven + microwave) though.

There are some faults in this model, that I think Sharp should've done better, so it only got 4 starts:
1) The menu system could be better. E.g. the Start button on most microwaves also serves as 'Add minute' or 'Add 30sec', but here it would not do anything - one has to use dedicated 'Add minute' button. I got used to it, but my guests can't easily find this button.
2) The fan is very very loud. It has two speeds, but even with reduced speed, it is very loud. It does not look extremely powerful either.
3) The range light is generated by two small incandescent bulbs. I would expect energy efficient fluorescent lamps or LEDs for this high-end oven. They could've perfectly fit a long tube there, but have instead put old unefficient incandescent bulbs.
4) The interior is stainless steeel, but it is not very smooth, so it takes some effort to clean the microwave.

We ordered the Sharp convection microwave on May 6th. We received a damaged article and we were told by the Company " Unbeatable Sale" that "Once it is on its way back we will resend another one". They did NOT. After the damaged one was received and inspected by them , they send another one.We received the second one on June 2nd.... almost a month after our 1st order.Dana Gilardi , the Customer Service Representative, sent e-mails to call them . We did , left messages with our phone # and the calls were never returned.
We are happy with the microwave but very dissappointed with the Company "Unbeatable Sale" .

You will be surprised at the amount and size of food this oven will accomodate. It cooks everything from meatloaf to pound cake evenly and locking in juices. I bought this because my other Sharp over the range microwave gave up after eleven years of constant use. I was used to the Sharp features which made it the logical choice. At the same time, I wanted to replace my conventional oven (also 11 yrs. old) because it never baked evenly. With the Sharp micro/convection combo, I no longer have to replace my conventional range oven - I'll use it for storage.

I was a bit put-off by other reviews critical of packaging, delivery, installation problems, and quality. In my case at least, Amazon and Sharp scored 100% in all categories. I do find that a small hydraulic jack helps immeasurably when single-handedly positioning the unit during installation. And the manual was misleading regarding exhaust fan orientation. It's often the case that manual updates lag product improvements.