If you've read the threads then you know that while I would have preferred a MW slightly above counter height, I was unable to do so for both functional and aesthetic reasons. So, I opted for a MW below counter height.

However, I did not want to have to bend over too low (or squat) to access the MW and its controls and then have to reach deep & somewhat blindly in and then pull out dishes to check/stir/remove, so I chose a Sharp MW drawer...which I learned about here, btw.

No, it's not my preferred height (which would be over a single wall oven or mounted under an upper cabinet on a shelf), but I have no regrets. It works great...the best I've ever had. Far better than the top-of-the-line Amana I had before and even better than my even older top-of-the-line Sharp that I loved. And yes, if/when it dies, I will replace it with another drawer. The controls are angled up...they're not perfect, but not bad either.
B/c it's a drawer, it's easy to open & check or stir things w/o taking them out
When removing from or putting an item in the drawer, it's easy and very visible
The drawer motion is soft-close, so there's only a little sloshing...certainly not enough to worry about unless you fill dishes to the top, which I don't recommend no matter what type you have b/c they could boil over
As to open/close speed...OK, it's not instantaneous, but it's not that long either, maybe an extra 2 or 3 seconds to open than pushing a button on a door to open...plus a gentle push closes it all the way for you...you don't have to wait for it to finish closing...just push & walk away, it will take care of itself.
And another plus with this type of closure...I don't need to put the dish down to close the MW drawer, I just give it a slight nudge w/my knee and walk away, it closes on its own & I don't have to return to close the door manually. (With a "regular" MW, you have to either use your shoulder to close the door w/hot food in your hands or put the dish down and then close it.)
Height...as you've discovered, the newer ones are taller than the older ones in the same footprint. However, I have an older one and so far I've only found one dish that didn't fit...and it only didn't fit when the lid was on, so now I just use wax paper instead of the lid.

BTW...Sharp makes most, if not all, the MW drawers out there...they're just changed a little cosmetically and re-badged, like Dacor (and the price raised as well!) Oh, and the 24" drawers are the same size, internally, as the 30"; the 30" just have more filler and are more expensive.

As to mounted on a shelf under an upper cabinet vs a MW drawer, I would think you'd lose less useful storage with the shelf than the drawer. With the MW drawer, you lose the top two drawers of a 24"W x 24"D 3-drawer drawer stack. The upper cabinets are only 24"W x 12"D. While you may lose one or two shelves in an upper cabinet, that upper cabinet storage is less usable both in function as well as volume of storage than the drawers. So, if it's just a matter of which one takes away the most storage, I think it's the MW drawer. If it will work functionally (i.e., location) and aesthetically, I would choose the shelf

we have 30" sharp and it doesn't hold a Starbuck's venti cup. not a deal killer for us even those that's the size coffee we get.

FYI we deliberately got the manual rather than automatic closing door on ours, based on advice from a couple people, because of worries that kids might pull open the drawer rather than hit the open button and maybe break it. I don't know if that would really happen, but I got the manual open anyway.

Overall I'm very glad we got the MW drawer.

Thanks for both of your opinions.

beuhl -- it's not just storage, but also asthetics -- not sure how a microwave would look on a shelf in my kitchen.

chicagoans -- interesting about the manual close. So with the automatic close, you can only open it by the button, not just starting to pull it open? If so, I might want the manual open, as well.

As I recall, the new drawers now open both ways, as do the older manual ones, btw. It's no longer an issue with how you open the drawer. I think the only ones that had that issue were the ones that only opened via a button.

Aesthetically, I agree Shelly_K, that's one of the reasons I didn't get the shelf either! Plus, my DH was intrigued by the "drawer" idea...

[With the older manual ones, there's an option you can set that allows you to open them with a button, well two buttons. The only problem is, every time the power goes out the option has to be reset...and we lose power for a couple of seconds every day or two! The time also has to be reset each time.]

Thanks, Beuhl. Good to know on the open/close thing.

I got one and I really love it. I agree that you cannot put tall things in it but 90% of what you put in the microwave will fit on a dinner plate or in a bowl. This fits just fine.

I have been really happy with the function (love the melt and soften functions too).

I am short and I think having the drawer open to be able to stir, check on your food is ideal for me. Also, you are not reaching up high to get hot food - which for short people like me, might result in me being burned.....

Mine is also at the end of my island (peninsula actually). I don't find it in the way when I use the space for prep.

Just my 2 cents but I wouldn't trade it for one on a shelf above counter height or an OTR..... And I wouldn't want to give up valuable counter space for a micro....

No regrets! We have been using ours for 2 months now and have been very happy with it. I have never had an issue where something didn't fit. I haven't even really thought twice about the microwave, which means it must be working well!

We love our Sharp MW Drawer. It is my DH's favorite appliance in the new kitchen (actually, he never uses the range or the DW, so the fridge and the MW are his favorites). So far, I love everything about it...placement, size, ease of use, the melt/soften features, functionality, etc.

My GC just mentioned this option today to me since I will be putting my microwave in the center island. It sounds like everyone is fairly happy with them?

Does anyone know if the large Pyrex dishes (2 quart size) fit in the drawers?

TIA

I would love to know if the microwave drawers are easy-to-clean. My appliance salesperson indicated that it was difficult/awkward to reach the top and back. Is that true?

I never cook anything without covering it with wax paper or something to avoid splatters.I wipe the interior regularly and so far, after almost a year, it has been easy to keep clean.

I had been thinking of getting one of the new larger Sharp Microwave drawers for my remodel, with the manual & auto close features, but then I finally noticed they do not have a turntable - which I would have thought meant stopping the microwave several times to turn the food manually.

None of you happy owners have mentioned that as a negative though! ?

Turntable: The drawer doesn't have one b/c it doesn't need one. It uses a different pattern/technology that eliminates the need to rotate a dish.

As to cleaning the ceiling of the drawer, if you are someone who doesn't cover food and who only wipes it down every couple of weeks...yes, you probably will have some difficulty cleaning it. But, if that's the case, then put a MW-safe dish with water in it and boil the water in the MW for a couple of minutes...stuck-on food will soften right up and it should now be easy to clean.

However, I always cover things so I rarely have anything to wipe off...except sometimes some crumbs on the bottom. I do check the ceiling periodically and usually it doesn't need it. When it does, I take a warm, wet (not damp) dishcloth and wipe it...it's pretty easy to know where you're wiping b/c the walls define the space. If something is left, I using the boiling water method and wipe again...everything cleans off then.

Thank you for the comments about cleaning--I never knew that about the boiling water. Helpful no matter what kind of MW you have!