Sharp Carousel SMC1585BS Convection

Real-World Cooking Performance

The SMC1585BS is the only entry in this guide that genuinely behaves like a second oven. Home Depot reviewers repeatedly note the 1.5 cu ft cavity is 'very spacious and can truly be used as a second oven,' which is exactly the framing Sharp engineered the unit for. The 900W microwave is modest for a 1.5 cu ft cavity — Toshiba's EC042A5C-BS pushes 1000W in the same footprint — but the trade is more usable headroom for tall casseroles and roasts. Sharp's Auto Bake preset works in tiered passes: a short microwave burst to start, then convection-only at temperature for browning, which the unit calibrates per the entered weight.

The Auto Roast preset is the standout for chicken and pork loin work. Designer Appliances and Town Appliance both highlight that the 4-way convection system browns, bakes, broils, and crisps via a fan-forced element behind the cavity rear panel, and the 13-inch on/off Carousel can be disabled when using a metal baking pan that fills the floor. Convection-plus-microwave combo mode cooks a quartered chicken in roughly half the time of pure convection while still developing crisp skin.

Build Quality and Design

The 27.5-inch-wide, 21-inch-deep, 17.75-inch-tall chassis is substantial — this is not a unit you tuck into a microwave cubby designed for an over-the-range insert. Sharp ships matching 27-inch (RK94S27F) and 30-inch (RK94S30F) trim kits at roughly $200-280 that recess the unit into upper cabinetry with proper ducting, which is the dual-mount story that distinguishes the SMC1585BS from every other model in this guide. The Carousel ceramic turntable rides on a hardened ring rather than the plastic roller-and-pin pivots that fail on cheaper units after a couple years of heavy use.

The recurring design complaint across Home Depot, Best Buy, and Designer Appliances reviews is the door latch. The latch button requires firm pressure before the spring-loaded handle will release, and several owners describe needing to 'push the latch button and physically pull open the door.' This is consistent across units, not a defective sample, and it is a real ergonomic friction point a buyer should expect.

What Reviewers Loved

The most-cited praise is cavity size. A representative Home Depot review reads: 'most micro convection countertop models are very small inside, but this one is very spacious and can truly be used as a second oven.' Owners regularly bake cookies on the included Sharp-supplied rack, roast a whole 4-5 lb chicken on the turntable, and reheat full 9-by-13 casserole pans without rim-on-wall contact. The 14.1-inch turntable diameter is the largest in this guide.

Sharp's preset programming is the second most-cited strength. The Auto Bake, Auto Roast, and Auto Broil routines are tuned per food type and weight rather than offering generic timer profiles, which means a first-time convection user can hit the Auto Roast button, enter weight, and produce a reasonably browned chicken without consulting a table. The matching trim-kit option also draws praise from owners who started countertop and later moved the unit into cabinetry during a kitchen remodel without buying a new appliance.

Where It Falls Short

The door latch is the universal complaint. It is firmly sprung, requires a deliberate press of the release button, and some owners report the door 'shifted and binds on edges' after a few months of heavy use. The latch design also requires a two-hand grip on the handle when the cavity is hot — there is no grab-and-go release like the soft-close door on the Breville Combi Wave.

The 900W microwave power is modest for a 1.5 cu ft cavity. Reheating a standard bowl of soup takes noticeably longer than on the 1000W Toshiba EC042A5C-BS or the 1100W Toshiba EM131A5C, and owners cooking mostly leftovers may want a higher-wattage dedicated microwave instead. Sharp also offers no air-fry preset — the convection element handles browning but does not deliver the dedicated high-velocity airflow that the Breville and Panasonic air-fry modes use for fast crisping.

Who It's Best For

The SMC1585BS is the buy for households that bake regularly and want one appliance that doubles as a second oven. The 1.5 cu ft cavity is the only unit in this guide that comfortably accepts a 9-by-13 baking dish, and the convection-plus-microwave combo mode shortens roast times meaningfully. Renters planning a future built-in upgrade also benefit — the same unit moves into cabinetry with the matching trim kit without a new appliance purchase.

Skip it if your kitchen has under 22 inches of countertop depth or if you reheat more than you bake — the 900W microwave is the slowest in this guide on pure microwave tasks. Skip it also if dedicated air-fry mode is a must-have; the Panasonic NN-CD87KS and Breville BMO870 both ship the dedicated mode while the Sharp relies on convection alone for crisping.

How It Compares to Alternatives

Against the Panasonic NN-CD87KS, the Sharp offers 25% more cavity volume and the built-in trim-kit option, but it lacks the inverter microwave, the FlashXpress broiler, and the dedicated air-fry mode. Against the Toshiba EC042A5C-BS — same 1.5 cu ft cavity class — the Sharp adds the dedicated Auto Bake/Roast/Broil presets and the trim-kit installability the Toshiba cannot match, but it costs roughly $200 more and pushes 100W less microwave power. Against the Breville BMO870, the Sharp wins on cavity (1.5 vs 1.1 cu ft) but loses on premium build feel and on the air-fry mode.

Value at This Price

At $549-599 street (down from the $779.99 MSRP), the SMC1585BS is mid-pack pricing for a 1.5 cu ft convection microwave with verified built-in flexibility. Add the RK94S30F trim kit at roughly $230 and you have a fully integrated built-in oven for under $850 — substantially less than any dedicated built-in convection microwave from KitchenAid or Wolf, which start around $1,500 for comparable capacity. The one-year warranty is shorter than the Panasonic's three-year, which is the unit's biggest long-term coverage weakness.

Long-Term Durability

Sharp's Carousel platform has been in production since the 1980s and the SMC1585BS inherits the proven turntable hardware that gives the brand its reputation. The ceramic Carousel turntable rides on a hardened metal ring rather than the plastic guide rollers that fail on cheaper microwaves at the 3-5 year mark, and owners commonly report 7-10 year service from earlier Sharp Carousel units. Designer Appliances and Home Depot owner reviews after two model-years on market show fewer mechanical failures than the typical 1.5 cu ft convection microwave category average.

The recurring long-term complaint is the door latch — several owners report the door 'shifted and binds on edges' after a year or more of heavy use, which is consistent with the latch mechanism wearing. Sharp customer service handles this under warranty within the first year but charges parts and labor afterward. The convection element itself has been reliable in the review record, and the 4-way convection fan motor draws no significant failure reports across the 3-year owner base.

Bulb replacement for the cavity LED requires a service technician and is moderately expensive after warranty. The Sharp parts ecosystem is well-supported — turntables, door switches, and even the magnetron are stocked through authorized parts distributors at reasonable prices. Owners who follow the manufacturer's recommended cavity cleaning schedule (wipe down monthly, deep-clean quarterly with the steam-clean preset) report the longest service lives. For households that intend to install the unit into cabinetry with the trim kit, the built-in installation does not change the service interval but does make eventual replacement somewhat more involved.