Sharp R-820JS 0.9-Cubic Foot Grill 2 Convection Microwave, Silver
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Our Price: $264.00 Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days Buy Used: from $210.00 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Sharp R-820JS 0.9-Cubic Foot Grill 2 Convection Microwave, Silver
Customer Review: Good as long as it lasted!
Summary: 2 Stars
This Sharp microwave/convection oven worked well as long as it lasted. After only 1 1/2 years of moderate use one day a burning smell developed. I completely cleaned the inside of the oven and metal plate to make sure there was no leftover/stuck on food that might have become burned. There was only a very small amount of residue from the cleaning so we really didn't think the smell was from burned food. We kept using it because the smell seemed to have dissipated but it reappeared again about a week later stronger than before. When I went to use it the second time after the smell reappeared, I pressed the start button, heard a click and that was it. It quit working completely. The touchpad and start buttons would not respond to touch at all. I unplugged it and waited a while before plugging it back in thinking it might have a reset function. This did nothing. It has since been replaced with a GE model that we've had about 2 1/2 months which is getting returned to a local store tomorrow! It still cooks but has developed an extremely loud drilling sound when in use! Quite annoying and we are pretty sure something further will go wrong with this one too.
We really did like the Sharp microwave/convection oven for the time we had it although I wished the 900 watt microwave would have been 1000 watts instead. We really liked our previous 1000 watt Sharp microwave we had for at least 10 years. Sharp has always been our appliance manfacturer of choice but we are hesitant to purchase another one now although they seem to still have the highest customer ratings. GE doesn't seem to be better that's for sure. Not sure what brand we'll choose next. I've been researching on Amazon today - it's the best when it comes to item reviews! What happened to the "Good Old Days" when an appliance lasted for many years? By the way, our Sharp R-820JS was not purchased through Amazon.com, it was purchased locally at a discount supercenter.
Customer Review: Nice looking, versatile, but has flaws
Summary: 3 Stars
Bought this in Feb 2006 after doing a lot of research. There was a deal going then and I got it for just 206. The unit is pretty compact and looks nice. I have a small kitchen so counter space is at a premium, and I like that the oven is versatile. For the convection part, I like the pizza settings and use them for just about everything. The drawback is that the oven is hot after using as a convection, so you can't just pop something in to nuke it like you can with separate appliances. The microwave works fine, but the popcorn setting is useless. Better to put 5-min on the timer and just stand there waiting to cut it off when popping slows down. The carousel has always worked perfectly, and was so pretty when new... but keep in mind that it will get dirty quickly and is hard to clean. Replacement parts are very pricey, so I've just lived with the ugly thing inside.
This week, there was a burning smell when heating up some leftover pizza using the convection. I thought there may be some food or something under the carousel, but that was not it. Later I started heating some water in a Pyrex measuring cup, and it arced inside! And there was a horrible strange burning smell, like a chemical or something, I aired out the room for fear of something being toxic! Of course I have unplugged it, and am now without a microwave. So why did I give it 3 stars? I liked the unit, it was easy to use, and we used it daily (many times every day!) both as a convection oven and a microwave for nearly 4 years. For a little over [...] bucks, this oven gave us a lot of use. I'd have liked it to go another few years without needing a replacement, and I am also concerned about the safety hazard as I have no idea what caused this problem. And, I have found other reviews which say this happened within a year! Which is why I am looking at other brands for my replacement.
Customer Review: Jack of all trades, master of yuck
Summary: 1 Stars
Bought this based on the good reviews and it is on its way back to Amazon now. I expected some reduction in quality based on its multifunctional use, but this applicance was practically useless for basic family cooking.
Convection: Used it twice and both times it took longer to preheat than my regular gas oven *and* it sounds like a jet engine is taxiing through the kitchen. The results were nothing special--rolls, although they were nicely browned, were like hockey pucks. The other half of the recipe came out fluffy and soft from my regular oven.
Microwave: Incredibly underpowered. A tablespoon of butter didn't melt in a full minute. Microwave popcorn didn't pop half the bag, and when I tried a second batch and left it in longer, the kernels scorched and smelled up the whole house and it still only popped about 3/4 of the bag.
Other weird things:
--This product is meant for countertop use, but the screen is completely unreadable for anyone over about 5' 2" when it is sitting on a standard-height kitchen counter. We found ourselves constantly "doing the limbo" to see what the instructions said or how much time was left.
--The turntable is *metal* and is difficult to keep clean, even without using the grill feature. Not to mention the fact that it freaked out my parents, who couldn't get over the idea of having a giant metal plate in a microwave.
--The unit is heavy and deep, which one would expect for a multifunction oven, but if the convection is useless, there's no point in taking up the extra space.
Not at all sure why people gave this oven such high marks. Anyone who had a $89 microwave in their first apartment should know this thing isn't worth the money. Blech!
Customer Review: NIce. Really nice.
Summary: 5 Stars
First let me say that I got a killer deal right here on Amazon. I paid $204 with shipping included. The unit arrived in tact although the box was a little beat up. So much so that I had to unpack it outside. Now onto the review. The unit is very heavy and well constructed. The majority of the weight comes from what appears to be a commercial grade convection motor. I lugged the unit inside and put it on a utility cart with the back facing a window. I unpacked the contents, which were securely stowed inside the unit. Contents included a porcelain coated turntable, rotary mechanism for the turntable and a circular raised rack for grilling. I plugged it in and it immediately displayed instructions on how to set the clock. That was cake so now it was time to cook something! Despite what others may say, you do have to read the manual to do just about anything (except setting the clock) because the unit uses special codes for different foods, i.e 1 for pork, 2 for chicken, 3 for humans and so on. The manual is relatively easy to follow and the unit also comes with a quick reference card so you don't have to whip out the manual everytime you want to cook something. So far, I have cooked a stuffed pork chop, cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies and a 10 inch frozen pizza. All came out near perfect to perfect. I would attribute this to the quality of the convection motor. I might even go as far as comparing the quality and effectiveness of this motor to that of a Hobart. If you're looking for a high quality and extrememly versatile convection/microwave/so much more, then you can stop looking. I would have paid a lot more if I knew it was going to be this good. Bon Appetit!Customer Review: i LOVE this product!!
Summary: 5 Stars
this is the best countertop item i own! it is a combo microwave/oven/grill, and is perfect for small meals, tho it can fit a large chicken in on the rack with no problem. no need to heat up the house with the big oven in the summer, and much less wasting of electricity (i have an electric stove and oven). it has great features that work well overall. the automatic settings for cooking have cooked everything to perfection, better than i can by doing it manually. i don't know how it does it!
the only time i have to override and go manual is for baked potatoes (which, to be honest, really are not perfect in a microwave, they always get a bit hard on the bottoms). i found a way around that tho; microwave for 3/4 of the time, then bake for the last bit. they come out like a full-on baked potato, but only take around 15 - 20 minutes.
i use the manual setting for the grill and convection oven a lot as well, for additional control over the cooking. but for someone who wants an all-purpose combo oven, i cannot praise this highly enough.
i have had mine for 5 years, and it is still cooking perfectly. i just passed it to my daughter, who is thrilled to have it! i am buying a new one this week! yay for me!
ps: to the reviewer who complained about the drippings from meat burning on the pan, all you have to do is add water to the bottom of the pan, and check halfway thru the cooking to see if more water is needed. when you get the amount right after experimenting, the water will have cooked off for the most part and just the meat juices will be left. you have o do that in any oven when cooking meat on a rack.