Back on August 19th .. AUGUST-freaking-19TH, 2004! I reported the death of  our Whirlpool freaking $400 microwave.  It committed suicide by immolation you'll remember.   Anyway, I called the Whirlpool Authorized repair guy, ABC APPLIANCE, and for a $65 deposit they took it back to the shop after the repair guy, who after two visits, could not fix it.  The problem was that the Magnetron tube (Mag Tube 8184652)  caught fire.  When ABC ordered a new one (which part was still under warranty thank god because it costs $176.33) Whirlpool's Safety Dept. replied HALT!  It is too dangerous to replace this tube.  We will replace the unit.  Five days ago, after 5 months of dicking around with Whirlpool, they pretty much said, we'll give you a 35% buying incentive discount on a replacement Whirlpool Microwave,  take-it-or-GFY! .  Right! After I already said [Product Review] what a piece of crap it was?

Anyway,  Mother Superior is by this time most annoyed at the gaping hole where the microwave ought to be (I kind of liked the handy storage it offered for my chips, hot dog buns and old newspapers)  Monday we went to Lowes and bought a SHARP R-520J for $109!  And guess what?  It's way better than that $400 deal, especially since we did not use the convection oven feature once,  for real.  .  Why is it better? Well, it's bigger inside (2 CU.FT v 1.5), more powerful (1200 Watts v 1000) and all the magic buttons work.  Press popcorn and the popcorn cooks just right, not like the Whirlpool which never did.  So here's my advice to Whirlpool microwave owners, load it with a bunch steel wool and light bulbs, crank it on high and enjoy the light show until it explodes.  Then go buy a Sharp.