If it is a drawer-MW then yes.

I would think bending over twice every time you use the MW would get tiring very quickly.

We use ours to heat up frozen food pretty regularly with kids and I am so glad it is not on the counter or in the cabinetry.

Have had ours on a shelf undercounter. LOVE IT! Never going to on counter ones. Dislike the hanging type too.

Drawer rocks. 5 months now.. The kids explained all the buttons and i'm happy. Sensor Reheat is my new BFF.

I have an ordinary under counter microwave as it is so much cheaper than the drawer. I like the fact that it is under the counter but wish we had spent the extra money for a microwave drawer. Microwaves don't last very long so I figure I'll be getting the microwave drawer in a couple of years.

I love my microwave drawer!

I am planning to have the cabinet made with an opening large enough for a small drawer, but will likely not be able to purchase the drawer right away. We actually don't microwave that much, so its hard to want to make that part of our budget.

Thanks everyone!!

Marcydc, the sensor reheat will even heat a frozen dinner. I do one every few months for lunch when there are no leftovers and nothing I want to fix when everyone is at school or work. It's so nice to just pop it in (with slits in the top if called for) and not worry about setting the timer for this, turning, setting for that, checking and turning and setting again. I didn't know about that setting or the keep warm when we bought it -- we just got it because it fit, but it's been better than that.

We don't have a microwave drawer. We just have a cabinet for a microwave. The size of the opening was a bit odd since anything that would fit would have been too short, as far as "looks" go. We found this Kenmore microwave/pizza oven. We use the pizza oven as a toaster too since dd2 took my toaster oven to college this year.

Having it located here has not been a problem at all for us. Sorry this is the only photo I have of it, it is from the photo shoot day. I really do need to take some pictures of this kitchen!

Here's mine:

I regret putting our MW under the counter on a shelf in our island. We are all short (5'6" and under) with no physical limitations. We don't use the MW more than once or twice a day. Before making the decision to put it under the counter I set it on a table of this height for over two weeks. Not one of us thought the height was a problem. In a fully functioning kitchen it now seems like poor planning. It's not easy to admit even to myself but I am plotting and planning so I can move it. This is only my family's experience.

We've had a drawer MW for 2+ years. Yes, love it! We're tall - it's so nice to open the drawer and put in / remove items from above. No bending, and the counter above is nice and clear.

Beekeeperswife - what's the photoshoot for?

owls4me - where do you think you'd rather have yours?

Thanks everyone!

We had our mw on a low table (not as low as under counter would be) for 15 years and dh and I absolutely hated it. We started with it in our late 20's--not so much a problem. But over the years we started having a hard time seeing the buttons and stooping to reach for things. We had to stoop to put things in, take things out, get down to see the buttons AND worse of all, we had to get down low to see the roof to see if it needed cleaning.

We didn't use the mw a lot a first but over time I've come to depend on it more and more--especially when our kids' schedules got busier. And now, dh's diet is changing to a glucose-free one. We have more food items to juggle and being able to heat up left overs quickly, easily, and without a lot of energy usage has been helpful.

I strongly suggest putting a mw at a low height and using it for a while while. Maybe it won't give you a truly accurate experience (like owls4me) but it's better than not trying it. While using it, remember things may change with time--including eyesight, flexibility, and diets.

I love having our mw on a low upper shelf. We can easily read the smallest of buttons and sponging out splatter is quick and easy. No more surprises lurking on the roof. I didn't imagine beforehand what a difference in convenience the new position would be.

I really liked having the microwave under the counter until my son became a toddler, he has now microwaved my shoes, and broken the carousel dish. Ahhh little boys.

Mine is a countertop model sitting in a cubby under the counter in the island. Keeping it on the counter was not an option and I didn't want to give up space anywhere else in the kitchen. The drawer was just way too much $$. I had the same concerns as you about bending down to reach stuff in it, but in reality, it's easier than one mounted at over the range height.

lascatx, thanks! It didn't occur to me to do frozen dinners that way. I too keep a few TJ's frozen things for my work at home days when the leftovers weren't left over.

Maybe it's a feature on all modern ones? I do not know! My last one was bought in about 1995. The ones in my office don't seem to have this bottom, though.

For those of you who have a microwave drawer, how much of a pain is it to clean the inside "ceiling"? That is what is holding us back from getting one.

I didn't realize you could put a microwave under the counter or in a drawer - but it had crossed my mind. Would it be safe to set one in a standing cupboard on a shelf? doors of the cupboard would be closed only when the oven wasn't in use of course. This might solve a big problem for me if it's workable.

Mine is a small unit on a shelf just under the counter. I do not regret putting it there and it is the best location for it in my new kitchen. I'm not willing to spend the money for a drawer and don't need anything that big. No way did I want it at over range height - I could picture spilling hot liquid.

That said, it was more convenient in my old kitchen at counter height. I did try it at its current height and knew the trade-offs before deciding on the under counter location.

I think it would be more convenient at counter height also, not sure I would like bending down or reaching up for the reasons judeny mentioned - spilling stuff. My cupboard shelf would be nearly counter height.

joyjoyjoy, I'll move it across the main traffic aisle from the Utility/mud room to the rest of the house. I currently have a large antique buffet there that serves as my coffee and tea station. I may switch it out for a free standing storage hutch or build a pantry. Either way I'll plan for the MW to relocate there at counter height. In my renovation I moved the entire kitchen to create that traffic aisle and swore no appliance would find it's way to the other side of the aisle. That's how disappointed I am with it's present location.

Again, this is just our experience.

Ours is under counter and works perfectly for us. People use their microwaves differently...I notice a lot of people said, "I would not like it there" but none of them actually have it there.

There are two or three old threads about this and I have yet to hear of anyone who put it under counter and regretted it. But I don't think any of us are heavy-duty users--just the occasional re-heat and Lean Cuisine. (-8

Re: cleaning the "ceiling" of the drawer.

I think it's easier than cleaning the back wall of an OTR and I'm tall! That could be that I can just see the back wall of an OTR way better :)

After nuking a cup of hot water, I lean over and put my left elbow on the counter and wipe the ceiling with my right hand.

That awesome sensor reheat button keeps me from bubbling over messes though so its not often that I have to clean it.

I will admit to not sticking my head in there and checking how clean it really is!

My whole family loves our MW drawer! It didn't cost any more than a built-in one, but definitely more than a "countertop" model.

We're tall, so undercounter was not an option...we knew that going in. Our decision was vindicated by our "temporary kitchen" during the remodel. Our "old" MW was originally placed on a chair. Much, much too low! Then we tried it on the kitchen table (we had moved it into the FR) and it was still too low. So we "rescued" the old MW cart we had in our old kitchen and brought it into the FR and put the MW back in it for the duration of the remodel.

After that experience we were a little worried about the drawer b/c it was so low, but after using the drawer for well over 2 years, we realize that the drawer is the answer to the dilemma of no counterspace, no tall cabinet space, and no upper cabinet space for a MW. [Thank you Sharp!]

If we had a regular MW, I'd put it on a shelf under an upper cabinet, but since we had no good place for one, we went with the drawer.

[Based on our experience w/my sister's OTR MW, we knew that was not an option either...and last summer when we rented a place w/an OTR MW we were again vindicated in our choice...we hated it!]

Cleaning...

It's not that difficult to clean. Just boil some water for a couple of minutes and then wipe it down...easy! I do check the ceiling and so far the boiling water trick has worked. A quick lean and look is all it takes. I do have a rule though...everything is covered. If someone doesn't cover their food/dish and it splatters, that person cleans it up immediately! It only took a couple of times for my kids to learn the hard way!

For those of you w/a MW drawer and who use the "sensor" functions...you can "adjust" it to More or Less using the "Power Level" button.

Select the cooking function (e.g., "sensor reheat" or "sensor cook + option"), then press the "Power Level" button once for "more" and twice for "less". It cooks the food more or less than just using the sensor function. For example, I use "more" when reheating stews or soup and "less" when cooking frozen corn or reheating leftovers.

I loved my undercounter microwave, much more than I like the OTR one in our new house. Ours was raised up 2" on matching 2x4s so the air could flow better out the back vent, and it helped with height. Was it perfect under there? No... (OTR is far from perfect, either).... I had to bend down sometimes, but mostly, I knew where the buttons were, and there was a LOCK feature to keep toddlers out of it. No problems at all.

"I am planning to have the cabinet made with an opening large enough for a small drawer, but will likely not be able to purchase the drawer right away. We actually don't microwave that much, so its hard to want to make that part of our budget."

This was exactly my thinking, and we had an opening built to the specs of the Sharp MW drawer. I expected that, within a year or so, I would break down and order the drawer. Three years later, I'm still perfectly happy with our cheap little countertop model sitting under the counter. We probably use it once a day on average, and even though we're tall, the location has yet to bother us a bit. At this point, unless I find a super sale on the drawer, I will keep a regular MW under my counter.

If it helps...If I had to choose b/w an OTR MW and an undercounter regular MW...I would choose the undercounter regular. That choice is based on my experiences with both heights.

Remember you can change the counter height. My plan has a raised counter, maybe 8 inches over standard, with the dishwasher and built in microwave (miele speed oven, actually) undercounter, yet not so low. This counter is too high for much chopping or serious prep work, but for a dish drainboard, or fridge landing space, it shouldn't much matter. I'm thinking it will be a great place to cool baked goods.

Pay attention to which way the microwave door opens - mine opens from the top down, like a big oven door.
My mother has OTR, and I absolutely hate it. Work has undercounter, and it's much better for me, except that I mostly nuke a mug and it's not tippy. A full bowl of soup would be more awkward.

We really didn't have a choice as to where our microwave would go--no place for above cabinet without it looking weird and losing upper cab space, absolutely NO to it being on the counter, so that left under-counter in the island. I agonized over the drawer (cleaning the "ceiling") and thought briefly about one with a drop-down door (KA, I think?), but in the end I went with the Sharp Drawer. I LOVE it. I didn't expect to like it as much as I do, and I'm so glad it worked out. The one I have says it has lower sides than earlier designs, to make it easier to clean. Five months in the house and I haven't had a cleaning issue yet.

Thanks, Buehl for the instructions on how to better use the sensor reheat--I'll have to try it. I didn't like it the first time I used it, and so have gone back to my old ways of setting time for everything (except for bread reheat which thaws my slice perfectly every time).

Yep - still love our mw drawer.

I am posting these views because when I was shopping for my MW drawer I wanted to see what it looked like inside and never could find a view. So if anyone really wants to know what they look like inside here you go! I have also included pics of close up and distant views and the control panel. I LOVE my MW drawer. I changed my floor plans several times based on what I wanted to do with the MW. Deciding on the drawer solved all those problems, even though it cost more, it was worth it.

href="http://s985.photobucket.com/albums/ae337/PaulaBrady/?action=view&current=Kitchenremodel080-1.jpg"; target="_blank">

I clean the inside the same way -- heat water, then wipe down and it's no more difficult that the one we had mounted above the counter or the one before that on the counter.

we have one under the counter next to the stove and love it. I couldn't justify the price of the drawer AND the drawer was smaller than my present microwave. My microwave is probably 20 years old and still won't die. We have a 2nd smaller microwave on the counter in the sandwich area. Our family really needs 2 microwaves. Once the kids are out of the house I will go down to 1 microwave.

I clean the inside the same way -- heat water, then wipe down and it's no more difficult that the one we had mounted above the counter or the one before that on the counter.