Sharp Looking Microwave BUT...

Our old microwave went to microwave heaven two months ago after shooting lightening out at us. After seven years of good service it was time for a change in our house. So off to Wal*Mart, Target, Sears and Sam's Club we traveled. Our eyes gleamed with all of the options open to us: Built in toaster, built in coffee maker, an oven that toasts and bakes, 1300 watts, hidden panels and so goes the list. In the end after our vacuum cleaner raised its voice that it too was too old, we went with the cheapest option. So the Sharp R-209HPK was our winner at $49.68 from Wal*Mart.

Visual Appeal
The black sleek design of the R-209HPK makes it look like the Sharpest microwave on the block. The door glass is shaped in an ecliptic sort of shape that gives the whole microwave a nice stylish look. Not like the plain old square of the old generation microwaves. The selection buttons are arranged in a nice easy to understand fashion. All the function buttons are the standards. The overall size is compact at 18 1/8"w X 10 7/8"h X 14 1/4"d.

Pre-Programmed Buttons
Popcorn, Minute Plus, Timer/Clock, Power Level, Stop/Clear, Start, Reheat, Cook, and Defrost. Under Reheat there are options for Casserole, Soup, Pizza, Beverage, Dinner Plate, and Fresh Muffin/Rolls. Under Cook there are options for Baked Potato, Fresh Vegetables, Frozen vegetables, Frozen Entree. Under Defrost there are the options for Ground Meat, Steaks/Chops, Boneless Poultry, Bone in Poultry.

Other Features
~~ 800 watts
~~ 0.8 cu.ft.
~~ The original Sharp Carousel Turntable.
~~ Dimensions: 18 1/8"w X 10 7/8"h X 14 1/4"d
~~ Auto Touch Guide in Spanish and English

Using the Sharp R-209HPK
It didn't take too long to figure out how to get cooking with this microwave. All of the buttons were easy to understand. The microwave ran smoothly, the turntable turned good, the light inside worked good but It sounded like a toy and was rather loud. We put the food in for 2 minutes and when it came out it was barely warm. The mechanism to open the door is a push button that feels like the button will break if you push too hard.

OVERALL
Visually I liked this microwave over all the others in all price ranges. The layout of the buttons is what set this microwave apart from the others in the line up. The ease of use was wonderful. But when this Microwave did what it was made for it was lacking in its abilities. The sound this microwave made when cooking made me wonder if we had accidentally bought the Easy Bake our daughter wants. Then trying the food that had been heated up was a true disappointment. It was barely warm. I will be returning this microwave to the store and continuing my search for a new microwave.

Note:The R-209HK and R-209HPK are the same for some reason on top of the box it had the extra P in the name. Everywhere else on the box and in the book it said R-209HK. I thought I should include it in case next month they have a R-209HSK.