Hi HTH. I have an LG 1.1 cu ft 1000 watt microwave. It has a recessed turntable, auto defrost, lots of settings & power adjustments. It is large enough for my typical 1-2 quart casserole dishes (have 3 kids and use the microwave continually every day). I have it set in a microwave cabinet but it has a small 'footprint' for such a nice-sized oven & it would not take up too much room on the counter. Got it for about 80 bucks at the home depot. Before this I had a huge GE profile OTC microwave that fit lasagna pans and small turkeys! I like this one just as much.

I recently did a big search for the same as I didn't want an over the range microwave and just went with a microwave cubby. If you're looking for a very small one (under a cubic foot) I couldn't find any really attractive stainless ones in that size. Instead there are some with just stainless trim which I ended up going for like the Sharp R216LS.

The bottom of my cabinets is 18 1/4" above counters, with the 1 1/2" light rail hanging down below that. Re the under cabinet lighting: yes, I wanted a uniform look, all controlled from the same switch. I chose the linear lighting, over fixtures, at least in part so I could do that. I think it has worked out well. (Its on in the picture.) The light in the bottom of the MW is still there and operational, but I doubt I will ever use it. Regarding mounting of this MW: The *door* is trimmed in stainless steel (if you get that model). But the rest of the cabinet is not. It is painted silver, and isn't especially attractive. If you look at the Sharp literature, in a standard install, 1+" of the cabinet extends beyond the adjacent cabinets. I don't think this would look very good. Having the *door* extend out would probably look fine, depending on your details. The edges of the door are tapered a bit, so that on the left and right the door is about 3/4" thick, while in the middle it is thicker. My cabinet doors are also 3/4" thick. So I have the MW *case* mounted flush with the cabinet boxes. Then the edges of the MW door are flush with the adjacent cabinet door. But in that installation you need a bit of a spacer to give clearance for the door to open. The online manuals are insufficient to get all the details of how to do such an installation. I would encourage buying the MW in advance so you can examine it in detail when making final design decisions. This MW does snap into a mounting plate attached to the wall. But it also must be screwed to a cabinet above. So you must have something above it to attach to. Also, the power cord emerges from the top of the cabinet.

It is easy to understand the OP view as I have just spent the past 10 days searching and researching for a good countertop microwave. Take into consideration that some of those showing 3 stars or better, may not meet certain criteria for the poster. In my case it was size....could not be more than appox. 20 in. Wide nor 16" deep. This eliminated a lot with decent ratings. I am replacing a 30 yr. old Sanyo that still works great but I am refreshing my kitchen and wanted new (but did not need new). CR also rated a Sanyo highly so my original thought was to get another. Wrong! They are discontinued because Panasonic bought Sanyo. Finally one hit my hot button....a Magic Chef 1.1 cu ft. with the correct dimensions and a door pull, which I preferred over a finicky push button. Price point was much lower than other retailers....$84 plus free shipping..I figured what did I have to lose. So I agree with the other posters when they say, consider them disposable and do not pay too much. I might add that the reviews on this model were excellent plus, when I offered my 30 yr. old working Sanyo on freecycle.com, two requests were from people who owned newer Panasonics which had died.