OK, so we're back from the great microwave shopping extravaganza... with nothing...
due to the small size of our kitchen, the *depth* of the microwave is important, because it sits on some Metro shelving rather than on a counter. (shelves are 14" deep, so say a 17" deep overall nuker is about the absolute max) Of course we'd like to have the largest microwave we can fit, without having to reconfigure anything. But the only ones available at all the local big boxen that will fit nicely are little dorm room deals. (hey, come to think of it, I think that the one that just died was the one the girl's parents bought her for college. Yeah, we tend not to replace stuff until it is well and truly dead.) So we sat down with a pair of laptops for some hard core googling. Nothing like a nice romantic evening at home, eh?
So far I think we have two viable options - first, one of three Sharp models, and a Kitchenaid. The major differences between the two that I see are that the Sharps are stainless only on the door, while presumably the KA is all stainless. Also the Sharps are 1100W while the KA is
1200W. I don't know who makes KA microwaves...I'm guessing that the answer is "no," but is there a real compelling reason to spend 2x the price for a Kitchenaid?
The wrinkle in this is that obviously it's difficult to call around at
11 PM but it doesn't seem like anyone actually *sells* the particular Sharp models I'm interested in, and the highest-featured Sharp model that will fit in the space seems to be unobtanium. I'm certain I could walk into a nearby appliance store with the KA part number and if they didn't have it they'd be happy to order it for me, and it's also available (likely cheaper) from any number of online resellers.nate