Customer Reviews

Sharp R-420LK Family-Size 1-2/5-Cubic-Foot Countertop Microwave Oven, Black

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is my 3rd Sharp Carousel microwave oven. The first one was a combination microwave/convection oven. After about 10 years, the knobs broke and I used that as an excuse to buy a replacement (the original still works). The replacement I bought next was a digital model in most respects similar to this one. Again, it lasted about 10 years before developing some rust spots along the chamber seams. Again, although it still works, I saw this as a potential fire hazard and replaced it with one as similar as I could. buy.

At 1.4 cu.ft., it's big enough for just about any use we (family of 6) have for it. With 1100 watts on tap, it cooks very quickly so I usually have to adjust cooking times down from what's recommended. No matter, though, Sharp's Sensor Reheat works extremely well on leftovers or just heating canned goods. It does all the usual things, like popping popcorn, effortlessly.

The only thing that's changed significantly since I bought my last one a decade ago is that the price has gone down! I really love this microwave and wouldn't consider buying anything other than a Sharp Carousel in the future.

My 15+ year old Samsung microwave finally died (to my wife's rejoicing...) and I had to find a new microwave to fit on the built-in microwave shelf of our kitchen. The R-420LK won the battle based on the dimensions available and the features (I wanted sensor cook and lots of power).

The first unit that I received from Amazon had some sort of super-adhesive on the ad glued to the front of the door. When I went to remove it, the glue smeared all of the shiny black door. Nooooooo! My wife was not happy, so I contacted Amazon and they agreed to replace the cosmetically blemished unit. I received the replacement (which had normal adhesive on the front ad) and configured the unit. (Great job by Amazon!)

Wow, does this thing cook! It has to be twice as fast as the older microwave that it replaced. I have to use about 2/3's the time listed on the packages for frozen food, or it will burn things. I'm still getting used to the cooking times, but am quite impressed with the performance.

We like that we can fit the 8x11 baking dish inside, and the fact that it makes perfect popcorn automagically. :)

All in all, I'm happy and hope that we get several years of life out of this thing, as that would be the only downfall that I could see.

Bought this as a replacement for our old Sharp Carousel. It's much like the old one with a few more features. I gave it only 4 stars for a couple of reasons, it wants to slide on the counter top when you open and close it (I put a piece of wood between it and the wall to fix) and, I think the control panel could be laid out better (why aren't the "Start" and "Stop" pads highlighted and seperated out from the others). Over all, this is a very nice microwave and I would make the same choice again.
P.S. My wife has no trouble with the control panel, so maybe it's me.

Some appliances, while highly touted in the ads, don't hold up well under day-to-day usage. Not so for this microwave; the Sharp R-420LK is a great performer! Sharp R-420LK Family Size Countertop Microwave Frankly, I'm not your average once-in-awhile user; I cook full meals in my microwave and put it to the test daily. It's quiet, efficient, thorough, and a great workhorse. My family of boys puts it through its paces almost effortlessly. The sensor feature allows for one-button defrosting, reheating, and cooking. Any of these functions can be done manually as well. And to date, it hasn't burned a single bag of popcorn. Matter of fact, it pops every kernel to perfection!

In addition, the Sharp R-420LK is roomy and attractive, easily matching my kitchen decor. While this model was rated highly by a leading consumer magazine, it was not carried by local retail stores (and I live in a major metropolitan area). So to Amazon I turned and they did not disappoint! Ordering was easy, the microwave arrived promptly and without a scratch, and set-up was a breeze.

So much for the high points. What about the low points? Very few, and easily adjusted for. Simply, the cooking sensor isn't perfect; with the first use it didn't cook a full pan of chicken parts thoroughly. So, I'll simply use the manual controls when I cook full casseroles and meats. However, the appliance does reheat and defrost meats, breads, and leftovers quite well via the sensor. Also, I would like to change the "Minute Plus" button to a "cook by 30 second increments" button as on our previous microwave. Then again, that was one of the few redeeming qualities of our previous microwave (GE), one that would burn popcorn easily, trip our home circuit breaker with power surges, and actually rusted out after a few years of use. I'll take the Sharp R-420LK anytime!

The 16 year old, second hand Sharp microwave gasped its last breath much to our dismay last weekend. Distraught with the idea of "real cooking" I immediately turned to the mircowave reviews on Amazon. Thanks to all who proceeded me in their reviews, you did not lead me astray. The mircowave arrived within 2 days with a hail of trumpets. As previously stated it has more bells and whistles(love the sensor cooking feature) than my old model, is large enough to cook for a family, has plenty of power to kick around, the turntable can handle anything and is working away in our kitchen (Thank the heavens!). I have no doubt is will be as reliable as its predecessor. The really great part of this is that I didn't even have to leave the house and could compare brands and models from actual users. People who review on Amazon all deserve a badge for helping other consumers choose wisely.

Thanks to all who review!

I purchased a Sharp because our previous model, R-3A85 manufactured in 1993, just died. Everyone that I talked to at retail stores had nothing bad to say about Sharp microwaves, however no one had them to sell. We purchased the black model from Amazon. In fact, Sears was the only retailer where it could be ordered. Time will tell whether the unit holds up. My comments are based on the old unit and the new.

Pros:
* If you hit the Sharp site, they have quite a selection of sizes, colors, and features.
* This model has the sensor cooking. Other reviews have good things to say about it.
* Our old model was about 0.8 - 0.9 cu ft, while the new one is rated at 1.4 cu ft. The new one does not take up much more space.

Cons:
* I tend to be of the mantra "if it isn't broken - don't fix it". The R-420LK is not as simple as the old unit. Note pictures of the keypad and front. The old unit had a very flat front with clean lines, whereas the new one has more indentations for catching food and dirt.
* I used the extra features very little. The minute plus, start, stop, power level, and numbers were 95% of the keys that I pressed. They were grouped together, whereas the new unit's keys are not as obvious where you actually place your finger.
* The numeric display does not seem as large. Needing glasses for reading, I was still able to read the time display across the room. The new unit has more narrow digits, which are more difficult to read at a distance.

In summation, I would rather have purchased another unit from 1993. I will just have to get accustomed to the touch/feel of this new unit.

The first Microwave I got was damaged in shipping. I called Sharp and they had someone come out and look at it. We were told to send it back and Amazon sent me another one right away. The service was excellent and I wouldn't hesitate to buy anything else from Amazon! The only thing I don't like is that it makes a loud noise when opening it and closing it, which makes my daschund bark every time. Otherwise, I love it and use it every day.

I bought this item to replace a similar model I bought ten years ago from Sharp. I was so happy with the old model and it still worked, so I gave it to my brother. I wanted to update my kitchen and could not find this model in stores so I went to the internet. The only complaint I have is that Sharps descriptions of the R-410LK and the R-420LK left me a little confused and I ordered the R-410LK by mistake and had to send it back. The R-210LK works by computing the time you need to cook something rather than by sensor, the R-420lk cooks by sensor. Those sensors make it so easy. Now that I had it over a month, I can tell you I love my new microwave as much as my old one.

Original review below. Please see update at the bottom. Went from 5 stars to 2.

We just had to replace a microwave oven that was only about a year old (Panasonic NN-T664SFX), and once I started reading the reviews on the latest microwaves available from Amazon I was starting to think that I'd never be able to make a decision. Everywhere I looked, the impression I got was that we are in a microwave oven throwout society and that a year was considered lucky.

This review isn't about my old Panasonic, but overall it wasn't a bad microwave. My only real complaint since day one was that the display was difficult to read unless you were at eye level in front of the microwave (a complaint that seems to still hold true today with many other models). None-the-less, the display problem was something I wanted to avoid in the next microwave, and obviously I also wanted something that would last longer than a year. [For anyone that wants to know: The coating started chipping off inside of the old Panasonic model which caused it to arc when running. No way was I keeping it around.]

Before our Panasonic, we had an older Sharp microwave that lasted for years. After having many doubts about another Panasonic (my experience and other reviews here), I finally decided to go with this Sharp model (R-420LK). As my review title suggests: So far, so good!


What I instantly like better about this microwave compared to my old Panasonic:

1) You can actually read the display from anywhere in the kitchen. What a concept!
2) The light comes on when you open the door. My Panasonic only lit up when it was running.

To be fair, we haven't gotten a whole lot of use out of this yet. We have used the Popcorn button quite a few times though. It seems to work pretty well, but does leave some unpopped kernels in the bag (could be the brand). Most importantly though, it does not burn the popcorn on its automatic setting.

We've also used it to reheat some meals as well as cook microwave meals. The sensor cooking seems to work pretty well. I think my old Panasonic may have had a *slight* edge over this model on sensor cooking, but it does work pretty well. The Panasonic also had more specific sensor presets (such as "frozen pocket sandwich"), but from reading the manual on this Sharp model, it sounds like it will cook just about anything using the sensor, so I will have to experiment a bit.

We haven't had any issues to speak of at all and we are pleased with every aspect of this microwave oven. While I agree with what someone else said about button placement being a bit awkward, it really doesn't bother me as this is something we will get used to pretty quickly. Certain things are subject to personal feelings (such as button placement and noise level while cooking), but again, we don't have any complaints at all.

Since my last microwave oven only lasted about a year I would have loved to write a review here on that model, but unfortunately Amazon doesn't carry it. However, so long as *this* review is still around, I will most definitely update it should my opinion change. A microwave oven should last longer than a year, and hopefully I have found one that will!


Purchased on 11/5/2010; original review written on 11/18/2010. Will update if necessary.

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UPDATE 1/28/2011

I honestly can't believe I am typing this, but this thing has started arcing. Funnily enough it doesn't happen every time we use it, but it happens often enough. There are burn marks on the right wall of the inside. One is on the "waveguide cover" and the other is just above it. Before editing this review I looked through some of the other ones again and noticed at least one other reviewer mentioning a problem in this area. I really can't believe that this thing didn't even last 3 months. It just so happens to be inside of an Amazon return window (extended for the Holidays, I think), but of course you need the original packaging, which of course I no longer have.

I'm just about speechless. I'm not sure what we're going to do at this point.... likely try having it replaced or repaired by Sharp. I am hoping this was a fluke. 3 months. Laughable!

For what it's worth, if this arcing problem hadn't come up we'd still be happy with this microwave. Was pretty decent up until recently.

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UPDATE 1/29/2011

Well, we called Sharp's support line and were given the name and address of an authorized service center about 40 minutes away. I tried calling around noon but got no answer. We checked their website and it said they were open until 4pm on Saturdays. I figured maybe they couldn't get to the phone so we decided to just bring "Ol' Sparky" into the service center. Then we saw a sign on their door proudly stating "New Hours!" They now close at noon on Saturdays. Will try again Monday.

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UPDATE 1/31/2011

Dropped off Ol' Sparky at the repair center. I asked if this was a common problem on these microwaves and he said "Oh yeah!" My original review was 5 stars, and I think it's safe to say that I am going to leave it at the current 2. I still agree with what I said in the original review but the issue with this "waveguard" thing is a serious flaw in my opinion. I asked the repair technician if that could really happen even from a small amount of splatter and he said it could. He even commented on how clean the microwave was overall, and we hadn't cleaned anything. It would seem that you have to worry about the tiniest amount of splatter on the waveguard or else run the risk of severe damage to the microwave. We'll have this repaired but if it happens again, it is going in the trash. My sincere apologies to the 4 people who found my original review helpful. If that led you to purchase this microwave, I hope you have better luck than I did, and mind the waveguard! It is the square "patch" on the right inside panel of the microwave.

After 12 years of hard use my last Sharp Microwave finally went belly up. I researched all microwaves and came back to my original thoughts....buy another Sharp!!!
Purchased the Sharp R-420LK Countertop Microwave through Amazon and it is amazing. Sleek and ergonomic with preset programs to do almost anything. Cooks flawlessly and looks great to boot. I highly recommend this excellent product to anyone looking for a countertop microwave.