Sharp R-305KS

This is a great buy for its' price. What sold me on this Sharp originally was a review from another buyer. It noted that the interior cooking space is large enough for a dinner plate. This is true, and… there's still a little space to spare. The cooking options are well engineered and cooking is easy. There are many quick-cooking, re-heating, thawing etc. options pre-programmed so using it is easy. I wanted something that wasn't as big as some of the standard sized ovens because of limited kitchen counter space. Judging from the dimensions in the initial ad, this oven looked like it would fit well where I wanted to put it. It's a convenient size and fits well in several places. The clock on the front is well placed and easily readable from anywhere in the room. The stainless outer framework looks nice and is easily cleaned. The door is noisier than I would have thought but this was noted in the review that I read pre-purchase. This doesn't bother me at all. The interior compartment is well lit and ventilated. I bought this oven replacing another Sharp that I'd had since about 1992 that was still working well, although causing electrical interference with audio equipment in an adjacent apartment. This machine does not. I've never had a bad experience with Sharp brand appliances and was brand specific when shopping for this replacement oven. Power output is sufficient. I haven't used this oven for cooking raw materials but its many options for doing this are documented in the instruction materials and easily understood. I think this is a great product.

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While I can't vouch for the microwave breaking down as other 1-star reviews report, I can confidently say this is perhaps the worst purchase I've ever made. Originally attracted to the Sharp R-305KS for… it's "Best Reviewed" mid-sized microwave oven from a popular and objective online review service (no, not CR), I sadly ignored the growing number of 1-star ratings and bit the bullet. What's the most important "feature" of a microwave oven? Well, now I know that it's "heating evenness," something I've always taken for granted with microwaves until owning the Sharp R-305KS. Nearly every time this microwave is used to reheat leftovers, my wife or I (or both) are faced with returning to the microwave to re-reheat our meal because of cold spots in the food. This was never a concern with our old 1000-watt microwave. I could mention other cons (buttons wearing, popcorn setting burns popcorn, hard to keep clean), but not heating food evenly is enough to justify the 1-star rating. Perhaps I got a lemon? Maybe, but at this point 25% of reviewers have given it one star. Not good.

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