We have a drawer MW, and we love it! The control panel is angled so that it's easily seen from above, and it takes very little bending to put something in or out of it, because the drawer comes out to you. A regular MW would need stooping and bending to put things in and out. It's also really nice to be able to stir things from above without removing the dish from the MW. Here's a link to when we installed ours.

Hello Jam5 I am probably the person Jeri referred to regarding the warranty being approved by GE for placing the Advantium under counter. I had already purchased the oven and had ordered my cabs when I found out this could be an issue. I immediately called GE and the rep said "no problem" for undercounter installation. It will not void your warranty. I have, in fact, used the warranty to have the interior light replaced. The fact that the oven has to be removed from the cabinet to replace the light is an engineering defect, I think, but after seeing it done, I could do it myself if I had to and I am old! I continue to like this appliance very much and, as I am sure I have said many times, for the two of us, it is all we use for convection cooking, microwave and warming. It is the perfect "second oven" in my opinion.

We rebuilt our existing pantry to include a space for our microwave. It's just a shallow closet (about 18-inches deep), not walk-in. We pulled out the old pantry and drywall above to create a space that went nearly to the 9-foot ceiling. We replaced the original door (a standard 36-inch-wide, 7-foot-tall door) with three sets of double doors. Below the second set of doors -- just slightly lower than counter height -- we have an open shelf: that's where the micrrowave is. It's a bit out of the main traffic path of the kitchen but only a few steps away from the main activity zones. We debated putting the MW behind some kind of doors (either swing up or down) but decided we use it often enough -- probably 3-4 times a day, mostly for reheating -- that having to open doors each time would be irritating. So far I'm loving not having the MW on the counter (where it was before). And access and usability have not been a problem.

The testing thing makes the most sense. I used to be involved in patient-based clinical research and the parameters of study were sometimes quite narrow, to limit the number of variables. Then, when the new drug application was filed with the FDA and the "labeled use" was determined, the indications of the drug could be interpreted rather narrowly. Using the drug or device outside these parameters often made sense, but it could not be promoted for such. Its probably a similar thing...it was tested on a standard height kitchen counter so it is "labeled for use" at standard kitchen counter height, when in reality, its use at other heights is not contraindicated. I recently saw a kitchen where the OTR microwave was 60" off the floor. I think it is much more dangerous to be removing a steaming dish at eye level than below waist level, but it was mounted OTR as tested, so it was not in violation. I have also seen them on top of refrigerators: again, removing something from over the head or while standing on a stool is more dangerous,,,but it is above the 3' height--so its in an okay spot according to the specs. But not in practice.