The Sharp SMC0710BB/BW was a bit unpredictable, but it was generally good during our tests. All of the microwaves we tested cooked foods successfully, this one just didn't cook quite as nicely every time as some of the others.
When we used the potato button the outcome was just ok. There was a hard section in the middle. You could always just add a bit of time afterward to finish softening, but there were microwaves that cooked the potato perfectly the first time using the potato button.
For a cooking consistency test we spread a layer of marshmallows over the tray and let them start to brown. This one had a unique cooking pattern that featured wide brown stripes. That pattern clearly worked because this microwave was one of the better ones for cooking the pizza rolls evenly. We only found a 3-degree difference between the rolls from side to side. That was actually the best performance on that test of all the microwaves.
We didn't have a great outcome with the popcorn. This one tied for the most unpopped kernels. There was lots of perfectly-prepared popcorn, too, but compared to the other microwaves it was not as strong at this task. For a microwave that is better at popping popcorn, check out the Panasonic NN-SD372SR.
The Sharp SMC0710BB/BW was pretty basic in terms of cooking options. There are six express modes that will start cooking with one button. There are also buttons for popcorn, potato, pizza, frozen vegetables and beverages.
This one stands out for warranty coverage. The five year coverage on the magnetron was one of the best we’ve seen. There were many microwaves that had one year, so it is nice to see that level of coverage. This is a reasonably-priced microwave too so it is especially nice to know the initial investment is low along with the ongoing costs.
The Sharp SMC0710BB/BW was good on most tests, but there were units that were more predictable in their outcomes. The potato and popcorn tests were not the best results we’d seen. This was the best on pizza rolls, cooking them evenly from edge to edge of the tray. The nice warranty and reasonably low price make this a pretty good deal, all things considered.