We take an in-depth look at five family size Sharp carousel microwave ovens in the 1.4 cu ft countertop series.

They're popular because they hit that magic mid-range sweet spot!

They're larger than the 0.8 cu ft compacts and the 1.0 cu ft small microwaves.

But they're smaller than the real 2.0 cu ft monsters.

We'll show you their good points and their bad points. And then we'll tell you which one is The Best Of The Bunch and why!

1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave oven series - what models do we cover on this page? and why?

The models we cover on this page are

• the Sharp R-405KS - a stainless steel model

• the Sharp R-410 series - which consists of the black R-410LK and the white R-410LW

• the Sharp R-420LW - a white model

• the Sharp R-426LS - a stainless steel model, that is possibly one of the classiest looking models ever!

Sharp do have more models available in this 1.4 cu ft countertop category.

These include the R-403, the R-408LS, and the R-423 series.

However, these are nothing like as widely available.

For example, as of today, (31 October 2011), Kmart say they stock the R-423, but actually sell the R-405KS on the R-423 page. Buy.com sell the R-423 but as a refurbished item only.

So the models we concentrate on here are generally the most widely available microwaves that are the most popular with buyers.

You can see all the current models by going to the Sharp USA website microwaves' page.

Show the Product Filter, select "Countertop" under "Configuration", and look for the 1.4 cu ft section.

1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave oven series - how to quickly explain the differences between all these models?

Although our list has 5 different microwaves in it, they really fall into two distinct groups.

• Those that are fitted with Steam Sensors,

• and those that are not.

Steam Sensors were one of the biggest advances in microwave cooking in recent years. These devices are triggered by the steam given off from hot food, and are used to signal when your food is cooked through.

And they have proved remarkably accurate in doing so.

The family tree connecting all these microwaves looks like this.

• Without Steam Sensors

  These are

  • the R-405KS stainless steel model,

  • and the R-410 black and white models.

  These are programmed with basic automatic cooking sequences using preset times and power levels for various food types and situations, but do not use Sensors.

• With Steam Sensors

  These are

  • the R-420LW white model,

  • and the R-426LS stainless steel model.

  Rather than using fixed time or power levels, these models use the automatic steam Sensors to decide when cooking is finished.

1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave oven series - what do they look like?

All of these microwaves were released within roughly a 18 month period around 2006 to 2007. So, it is interesting to see how the designs have stood up to the test of time.

To make it easy to compare one model with another, below, we've collected together some of the images for each of these models.

---

---

• First, the R-405KS.

  From our perspective in October 2011, this now looks quite dated. The front is stainless steel with a plastic inset viewing window. However, this has a thick black surround running around it. The overall effect is reminiscent of an early 1950's style TV, from a pre-internet era.

  The sides are a metallic grey and the interior is a white painted enamel finish. With all of these microwaves, the stainless steel finish is limited to the front surface.

• The R-410 and R-420 models.

  These 2 models are closely related. Both have a shallow curve that runs across the front face, just below the viewing window. This curve enables the designers to give a low key two tone appearance to the microwaves. Above this curve, the predominant color is gray, and with white only used below the curve.

  Unfortunately, the Sharp publicity photo for the R-410LW is different in style and lighting to all the other microwaves. This does not make it easy to see the clear relationships between them.

  This gray background is also used as the predominant color on the control panel backgrounds. We discuss this further in our section about control panels, further down the page.

  The general look of these models is pretty standard. It can be seen in many microwaves from many manufacturers. The best that can be said about it is that it is inoffensive in appearance.

• The R-426LS.

  It is hard to believe that this microwave is made by the same manufacturer as the others. There are 2 stainless steel bands that run across the front face of the microwave, rather like the design of its smaller brother the compact Sharp R-216LS.

  But unlike the compact, the front door of the R-426LS sweeps across the whole front of the microwave, unbroken from the left edge right across to the right edge.

  The stainless steel runs in two bands across the microwave.

  • The upper band of stainless steel , above the black viewing window, is just an unbroken run of stainless steel.

  • The lower band, below the viewing window, is similar but has

    • 2 buttons set just above the door open mechanism

    • And a small cutaway to allow the door button to be pushed.

  The control panel itself is hidden inside the door, and is only accessible by opening the door. The display unit housing the clock and timer is hidden just above the control panel. When the microwave is running, the clock is visible through a clever see through aperture in the door surface.

  This is a very clean and futuristic look, which could not be more of a contrast to the dowdy R-405KS.

  Luckily, Rebekah from Texas liked hers so much that she recorded a small video to proudly show it to the World. In it, you can clearly see how the door completely hides the control panel when closed.

1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave series - how do these microwaves compare with each other?

Below, we've put together a table that compares every significant measurement for each of these microwaves.

Usually, we like to include another external manufacturer for comparison, but, right now, there isn't enough room in the table.

There are 3 things that leap off the page at us.

• The depth is about the only measurement that ever varies. And even that alters by only ¹⁄₈". They are all 17 ¹⁄₂" deep plus or minus that ¹⁄₈".

  For all practical purposes these microwaves have the same external footprint, the same size microwave magnetron, the same turntable, the same internal capacity and so on.

• As we remarked earlier, the R-405 and R-410 models do not have Sensors. The R-420 and R-426 models do have Sensors.

• The "look and feel" is almost the only area in which Sharp have made any differences amongst these microwaves.

So essentially, this confirms that these microwaves all form one big family. And that under the hood, they are pretty much all the same, apart from the Sensors.

---

• Sharp R-405KS - the stainless steel version

• Sharp R-410LK - the black model without Sensor Cooking

• Sharp R-410LW - the white version without Sensor Cooking

• Sharp R-420LW - the white version with Sensor Cooking

• Sharp R-426LS - the stainless steel version with Sensor Cooking

1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave oven series - what is the power available?

The power specifications, for both input power and output power, are exactly the same for each microwave in this series.

• The input power required to run each microwave is the same. In order to function correctly, they need 1600 watts of power, which is provided by a current of 13.5 amps at the standard line voltage of 120V.

  You'll notice that this does not give much overhead leeway in a domestic 15 amp circuit. Theoretically, there is only about 1.5 amps before the 15 amp limit is reached. A more robust dedicated 20 amp kitchen circuit is recommended.

• The microwave magnetron outputs 1100 watts in each case. This is towards the upper end of the range of power available in a broad cross section of today's microwaves.

• From a user's point of view, this power is split into 10 standard levels plus OFF. Power level 10 corresponds to 100% power at High, power level 3 corresponds to 30% power used for defrosting and so on.

1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave oven series - trim kits

Sharp did manufacture a built in trim kit to go with each of these ovens.

The specification direct from Sharp is as follows.

• Sharp Built-in Kit RK-40W24 - for white models

• Sharp Built-in Kit RK-40K24 - for black models

• Sharp Built-in Kit RK-40S24 - for stainless steel models

However, these are not in great demand.

Partly,

• this is because the price almost approaches that of the microwave itself,

• partly because Sharp no longer sell these model numbers from their web site,

• and partly because availability in the general market place from other vendors is poor.

You will find another trim kit, the RK44K24 advertised as being suitable for both the 1.4 cu ft and 1.6 cu ft Sharp models. This is available on Amazon, but is also sold by Nextag, Buy.com and other retailers.

1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave oven series - the turntables

Each of these models uses the same 14 ¹⁄₈" glass turntable.

If you have broken yours, you can get a replacement here .

1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave oven series - what are the displays like?

On all these models, the display is formed out of green LED's on a black background. They do not rely on the surrounding room being well lit, and so stay visible at night.

The microwaves without Sensor Cooking (R-405KS and R-410 series) are only fitted with a 5 digit display unit.

The higher specification machines with Sensor Cooking (the R-420LW and the R-426LS) are fitted with 7 digit display units.

Will you notice any difference between these two types? Most of the time, no, we don't think so... It's nice to have seven, but it's not a big thing really.

As with most microwave displays, you need to view the clock from within a defined visual "cone". Moving outside this zone does lead to drop off occurring, where the numbers become progressively harder to read. However, this is no worse than with other microwaves.

1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave oven series - the control panels

Most of the time, when you actually come to use a microwave, the majority of your attention goes to the control panel.

So, how easy it is to read, and how easy the keypads are to press, is a big deal!

Below we have laid out an image gallery of the control panels of all the microwaves.

---

R-405KS stainless steel	R-410 black or white	R-420LW white
R-426LS stainless steel	R-426LS front view with the door closed	R-426LS front view with the door open
1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave oven control panels

The first row of images are for the R-405 KS stainless steel, the R-410 black and white models, and the R-420LW white Sensor Cook model.

The second row of images are all for the R-426LS, the good looking stainless steel model. As the door completely covers the control panel area, this microwave gets a row of 3 images to itself.

• The first image shows the control panel proper,

• the second image shows what the control panel area looks like with the door closed,

• and the last image shows the control panel area as it is with the door open.

---

In general terms, what can we say about these control panels?

• First, they are not easy to read.

  The stainless steel models have white or bronze colored text on a black background. In the case of the good looking R-426LS, it is quite difficult to separate out the various areas that control each function.

  Studies show time and time again, that the easiest color combination to read is white text on a black background. It is no coincidence newspapers and magazines have been printed like that for centuries.

  In general, the white models suffer from this problem the least. However, even here, customers have commented on the difficulty of reading the control panels in dim lighting conditions.

• Second, the more complex the microwave gets, the more the control panel fills up with information. And the more information there is, the smaller the text tends to become.

• Third, there are far more keypads available to press on the higher specification models, (the R-420LW and R-426LS) than on the lower specification models (the R-405KS and R-410 series).

  This is because the lower specification models only have a list of food types printed onto the panel to aid your memory for cooking, defrosting or reheating. The higher specification models have converted this list into keypads that you can actually press for each of the food types.

  The lower specification keypad looks like this...

  

  1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave series
  

  R-410LW control panel

  
  You can only press "Cook", "Defrost", or "Reheat". The list of food types is just printed onto the control panel.

  The higher specification control panel looks like this...

  

  1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave series

  R-420LW control panel

  
  We have drawn purple boxes onto the image to show you that each group of words is a keypad you can press to select your food type.

Of all these microwaves, it's the R-405KS, the clunky looking stainless steel model, that has a control panel that is easiest to read.

1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave oven series - how do you use them?

In this section, we generally like to look at what you need to do with the keypad to carry out the common everyday microwave tasks.

The first thing to realize is that the split between with Sensors and without Sensors is also mirrored in how the keypad controls everyday tasks.

Roughly speaking, even though the control panels look quite different, the way you do something on the R-405KS stainless steel model, is pretty much how you do it on the R-410 black and white models.

And that how you do something on the R-420LW (the white model with Sensors) is pretty much how you do it on the R-426LS (the stainless steel model with Sensors).

• Setting the time

  In common with most other Sharp microwaves, you set the time by first pressing Timer/Clock. Then enter the time on the numerical keypad, and then press Timer/Clock to fix the time.

• Using the timer

  This is done by entering the time you want to countdown on the numerical keypad. Then press Timer/Clock and the microwave will countdown the time, beeping when it has finished.

• Manual cooking

  First enter the cooking time on the numerical keypad. Then press the Power Level button until you arrive at your chosen power level. Then press Start.

  If you just want to cook at High, then press the numerical keypad to set the cooking time, and press Start straight away.

• Defrosting

  The lower specification R-405KS and R-410 series defrost slightly differently to the R-420LW and R-426LS.

  Very simply, the higher specification machines have a dedicated keypad to press for food types. Whereas the lower specification machines require you to look up the food type in the manual or the printed list on the control panel, and then use the numerical keypad to choose the food type.

  However, given that you still need to enter the weight of the food you are defrosting, and that you will need to refer to the Defrost chart in the manual to find out how to do this, it is debatable whether one method is superior to another.

• Cooking raw fresh foods using automatic programming.

  • The R-405 and R-410 series use a preprogrammed series of cooking times and power levels to cook raw foods. This process is called Auto Cook.

    To use Auto Cook, press the Cook button once. Then press the correct key on the numerical keypad that corresponds to the food type on the list in the manual. This is not an intuitive process and to get the best out of the oven, you will need to read the manual.

    The food types covered are

    • Baked Potatoes
    • Fresh Vegetables
    • Frozen Vegetables
    • Frozen Entrees
    • Ground Meat
    • Rice

    To make this easier to understand, we have included a small section of the manual with the Auto Cook instructions. Click on the image below to enlarge.

    

    1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave series

    R-410LW

    Auto cook instructions - click on the image to enlarge

  • The R-420LW and R-426LS use Sensors to cook raw fresh foods.

    The sensors gauge the amount of steam released from the food, and from this compute the total cooking time. It is much easier to use than Auto Cook, although you will still need to refer to the manual at first.

    In general, you place your food in the microwave, and press the corresponding food type on the keypad. You then press Start.

    If you have placed a double serving in the oven, it will take longer to generate sufficient steam to trigger the Sensors, and the cooking time will be lengthened accordingly.

    Here is a drawing of the Sensor Cook section of the R-420LW with an arrow pointing at the "Chicken Breasts" keypad. You can see that this method of cooking is far superior to using Auto Cook on the lower specification machines.

    

    1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave series

    R-420LW control panel section

    Chicken breast keypad in the Sensor Cooking section

• Reheating food that has already been cooked using automatic programming.

  Again, this common task is done in 2 different ways, depending on whether your oven has Sensors or not.

  • The R-405KS and the R-410 series do not have Sensors. They use a preprogrammed sequence of times and power levels to reheat food.

    The manual contains a Reheat chart, which gives a list of food types with their corresponding number. A short form of this list is also printed on the control panel itself.

    To reheat food, place your food in the oven, and press the Reheat keypad, followed by the correct number on the keypad for your food type.

    To give you an idea of how this works, we have included a small section of the relevant page from the manual.

    Click on the image below, and an expanded version will open, in which you can follow the instructions necessary to reheat a dinner plate, or some cups of beverage.

    

    1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave series

    R-410LW

    Reheat instructions - click the image to enlarge

  • The R-420LW and R-426LS both use Sensor Reheat to warm up already cooked foods. As with Sensor Cook, this is a far simpler procedure than on the non-Sensor microwaves.

    However, here is where the designers made things slightly less than clear. There are 2 areas on the control panel that deal with Reheating food.

    1. This is a large button above the Sensor Cook area, labeled Sensor Reheat. This is the button you use when you want to reheat yesterday's leftovers. It is completely automatic.

    2. This is a section that sits under the Sensor Cook area, and is labeled Reheat. It does not use Sensors, and is not automatic. However, it is not for use with your leftovers, but reheats beverages, and fresh or frozen rolls and muffins.

    

    1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave series

    R-420LW

    reheat options

• Melt, Warm and Soften

  These options were included in the non-Sensor microwaves, the R-405KS and the R-410 series. They are not available on the higher specification Sensor Cooking machines, the R-420LW and the R-426LS.

• Popcorn.

  Both types of machines have a specific popcorn button.

  • In the non-Sensor machines, (the R-405 and 410 series) one press of the button will cook a Regular 3.5 oz bag, two pushes will cook a Light Regular 2.85 oz bag, and 3 pushes will cook a Mini 1.5 oz bag.

  • In the Sensor machines, the R-420LW and R-426LS, the popcorn button is part of the Sensor Cook area. Place any size bag in the oven, and press the Popcorn button. The oven will sense the steam given off during cooking, and will automatically stop when the kernels are done.

• Additional features

  There are a number of additional features that are also common across much of the Sharp microwave range. These cover

  • the ability to set the oven to run in demo mode only,

  • a More or Less button,

    This enables you to shorten or lengthen the time on the automatic programmed sequences if they are not quite right for you.

  • a countdown timer,

  • the ability to daisy chain up to 3 multiple cooking sequences together ( 4 on the Sensor models),

  • a Child Lock that disables the keypads,

  • the ability to turn the microwave beeps on or off,

  • a Minute Plus button.

    One push gives you 1 minute at High. Each further press of the button adds 1 more minute at High.

  In addition, the higher specification Sensor Cook machines have

  • a Keep Warm button,

  • a Hot Water button,

    One press of the button for each cup of water you place in the machine.

  • language and weight selection,

  • and interactive help comments that scroll across the display

1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave oven series - the sticky label problem!

The most common user comment about Sharp microwaves is not to do with how it works, or how long they last, but........

Oftentimes, new microwaves arrive with a large promotional label stuck on the front of the door. When this is removed, there is frequently a residue left on the new, shiny surface.

Many, many people have damaged their brand new purchase by trying to get this off. In their frustration, they eventually turn to all kinds of specialist cleaners. Many end up eventually scratching the surface of the door.

This is such an issue that it is one of the FAQ on the Sharp web site.

Unfortunately, the last thing you are going to do when your brand new oven has been delivered is to go away and read the FAQ on the Sharp web site.

Even if you know where it is, it still takes 5 minutes to find it!

No, you are going to try and fix the problem yourself, straight away.

Well, the answer is not to use any fancy products, but simply to use a light cooking oil. The residue quickly dissolves away, and then soft soapy water will remove the cooking oil.

1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave oven series - customer feedback numbers

These microwaves have been on the market for a number of years.

In that time, their owners have sent a good number of Customer Reviews in to Amazon, and we take a closer look at them all below. The snapshots that we show you on this page were taken on the 31st of October 2011. However, they do not automatically update.

First, we looked at the models that are sold without Sensor Cooking.

R-405KS the stainless steel model without Sensors

R-410LK the black model without Sensors

R-410LW the white model without Sensors

And then we looked at those that are sold with Sensor Cooking.

R-420LW the white model with Sensors

R-426LS the stainless steel model with Sensors

It's real easy for your eyes to glaze over when looking at too many numbers. So, we've distilled these down to a simpler set.

Our thoughts went like this:

If you like an oven, you might give it 4 stars or 5 stars depending on how you feel.

Similarly, if you don't like an oven, you might give it 1 star, or maybe 2 stars if you're feeling in a good mood.

So, we put together a table that shows what percentage of people give it 4 or 5 stars, thinking that these are people who like the oven. And then compared this with the percentage of people that give it 1 or 2 stars, thinking that these are people who dislike the oven.

We also added all the R-410 black numbers to the R-410 white, so we get a number for the R-410 series itself.

This table is what those numbers look like.

Once you do this, what immediately leaps off the page at you, is that the stainless steel models have a much higher proportion of owners who are not happy with their ovens.

Of course, this maybe because the stainless steel owners have higher standards than black and white owners, but it is a striking difference nevertheless.

1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave oven series - so what do customers like and dislike about these microwaves?

We're going to quickly put down a sample of some of the comments that owners have made on Amazon about these microwaves.

1.4 cu ft Sharp carousel microwave oven series - the summary

A comment that you frequently see in Customer Reviews of any sort, is the phrase "This is a great microwave for the price!"

We all know that "Price matters!"

A microwave that is a fantastic buy at $20, is a so-so buy at $120, and is definitely not a great buy at $220. These are only made up numbers, but they illustrate an important point.

And that point is that in order to choose a Recommended Best Buy, we need to take into account the price that a microwave is selling at.

So, this article was written right at the end of October, on 31st October 2011. On that date the prices quoted on Amazon were as follows:

3 out of our 5 microwaves are unavailable, either because they have sold out or are no longer held in stock. Because of this, we do not feel we can make a Recommended Best Buy.

Given this limitation, however, we can still summarize what we think about this group of microwaves.

• First, we will cross the R-405KS off our list. Although the control panel perhaps the clearest out of all this group, the design now looks too outdated for us to consider.

• Next, we will also cross the R-410 series off the list. This is because we feel that the addition of Sensors over the last few years is a game changer. Making a microwave much easier to use far outweighs the increase in price for the addition of a Sensor.

  So, our choice of the Best of the Bunch microwave in this series narrows down to a choice between the R-420LW (the white model) and the R-426LS (the stainless steel model).

• There is no doubt that the best looking microwave of the group overall is the R-426LS. With its unbroken sweep of stainless steel across the front of the microwave, it looks as good as specialist microwaves twice its price.

  However, the Customer Review figures put a doubt in our minds. One person in 3 has responded with either 1 or 2 stars, and we feel this number is too big. In addition, today's price (31st Octber 2011) of $185 is quite expensive.

  Especially, when we hear that this has been selling for around the $160 mark during the past year.

• 

  R-420LW
  white
  with
  Sensors
  

  

  The Best Of The Bunch!

  Overall, we think the R-420LW is the better choice, and deserves the Award as "The Best Of The Bunch".

  
  
  
  
  
  

  Amazon Customer Reviews show high approval ratings for this machine. We know that legibility is an issue with the control panel, but provided it is installed in a well lit area, you should have no problems.

  And, as a white model, it will not carry the same price premium that stainless steel models always attract!

  We would expect the price to be in the $120-$140 range.

At some point, these microwaves will become available again. When that happens, we will update the recommendations on this page.

---