Sharp R959SLMA 40 litre 900 watt Digital Combination Microwave Oven with Quartz Grill, Silver

Bought this product in a frenzied hurry purely on the strength of the reviews here - due to my panasonic one rather nicely packing in by blowing half the house fuses only weeks after the 1yr guarantee expired AND only one week before Christmas! As this was the third panasonic in just under 4 years to pack in just out of guarantee we were determined to change manufacturer. So back to Sharp - the manufacturer of the first microwave we ever owned many many years ago and oh boy have we struck gold.

This is a large combi microwave which just oozes quality and is a dream to use. The wattage of our panasonic was 1000 and although the specification for this one is 900 this actually cooks a lot quicker and the only reason I can come up with is the 'jet' function. We ordered on Thursday afternoon at approximately 4pm on free supersaver delivery (although I think this was automatically upgraded) because of Christmas, and it arrived the day after at approximately 2pm - astounding service from Amazon/Courier.

I used it every day up to and including Christmas Day when it coped admirably by cooking our full Christmas dinner including a 13.5kg turkey. The main oven was only on to keep things warm. Although most of the functions it does I already used in my previous machine a couple of things I have never had before which I think are excellent 1) the two metal racks that are exactly the same as those from a normal oven so you can use the jet convection element just like a normal oven and fit loads into the large 40L capacity over two levels. I tried it with bread rolls, biscuits and yorkshire puds and the results were excellent. 2) the ceramic turntable - I was very dubious about keeping this clean because it's white, but a couple of weeks down the road and having been used at least once a day (sometimes three) there isn't a mark on it. One other thing worth mentioning is that you can pre-programme up to three different cooking combinations ie full micro 20mins followed by combi micro/convection 25mins followed by grill/micro 55mins etc. You can use this feature with any combination of cooking/time.

I am extremely happy with this purchase and I can honestly say that I think without a doubt this could easily replace my normal cooker oven. Finally a big thanks to all who took time out to give concise reviews of the machine.

When it came time to replace our old electric oven we decided to downsize being just just two of us and bought a Panasonic combination microwave which was a big mistake, terrible grill, uneven cooking and the suggested cooking times were nowhere near correct. It eventually caught fire and filled the kitchen with noxious fumes! Next was one of those small halogen ovens, mistake number two! Finally, after much debate, decided to trust the Which? best buy and went for the Sharp combi. It is everything the Panasonic isn't, excellent grill, even cooking, easy to use, just follow the recipes as the recommended times are spot on, easy to clean (the white ceramic turntable doesn't stain, unlike the Panasonic) in fact it's a joy to use, all pro's, no cons, would give it 10 stars!

I bought my new Sharp Combination Microwave to replace one I had had for about ten years and which had been great apart from the LCD display which had failed. The cooker still worked but couldn't be used for combi cooking as you could not see what you had keyed in. Anyway, I love my new one and here's a tip, you can turn off the LCD display and use the "energy save mode" where the display only comes on when you want to use it instead of displaying the time constantly. I am hoping will make it last longer. My favourite thing about my new one is the grill which is much superior to the old one. Also, it has slide-in shelves as well as turntable ones, which makes it even more versatile. If you get one of these wonderful machines, you must try the auto-cook roast chicken - just enter the weight and set it going - takes about 45 minutes for a medium sized chicken - and it comes out all golden, juicy and perfect - even the cheapie ones. All in all, an excellent product and highly recommended. Be aware, though, that it is quite a large piece of equipment and is very heavy.