Montgomery Ward MW8997BEC/ MW8997WEC 900 Watts Microwave Oven

Pros: Does what it is supposed to-makes big heat in a small space.
Cons: Cheap materials-number pad is stiff and falling apart. Inconvenient "convenience" buttons, odd smell.

General I bought this microwave for use in my dorm room. I have been using it 3-4 times a week for 1 1/2 years. From the outside, it doesn't appear to be shoddily made. The colors, other than the red stop button and the green go button are not garish or ...

Pros: black, clock, one touch cook, cheap
Cons: cheap, slow, junky, shoddy, unreliable

I got this thing about 14 months ago. The feature set of the thing is fine and I even liked the way it was easy to set time with one button. Unfortunately for me, the main reason to own a microwave is to heat things. This microwave was almost as ...

Pros: Even heating, good price, reasonable size.
Cons: Poorly made, unfortunate warranty terms, sticky buttons.

I received this microwave as a birthday present September '06. I believe my mom payed about $70.00 at Fred Meyer (a local chain) for it. It was a good microwave for the 7 months that it worked. Last week I was heating hot water in it when it just ...

Pros: The price. It was about $70.
Cons: It did not last very long.

We had this for about a year. It just would not turn on one day. The timer display indicated the time it had been turned on but neither the magnetron nor the fan would come on. We disconnected it and plugged it back in to see if there was a child safety lock that had been activated, but to no avail.

Pros: Powerful, roomy, inexpensive, good features
Cons: Short life

This microwave is nicely inexpensive, roomy, and powerful, but it won't last long. I had mine for only three years before the filament in the magnatron tube popped (like a light bulb) with a spectacular buzzing noise and the smell of vaporized metal. Prior to this one I had a low-end Kenmore microwave that lasted more than ten years before the magnatron reached the end of its normal life. I replaced this oven with a new Kenmore ($80 on sale). It's worth the little extra money.

Pros: small, easy to use, cheap
Cons: not any so far

When My husband then boyfriend moved in together neither on of us had a microwave. Since we were broke at the time we were looking for a good deal on a microwave. We did not need any bells of whistles just something that could pop popcorn and zap microwave pizza's. We came across this microwave on sale for $50. It was black and small but big enough for zapping what we had in mind. The features were limited but what it had for $50 was not too bad. I do find all of the smart buttons like popcorn for example timing is off. I do like the defrost features which to tend to work for me when I forget to take the hamburger out for dinner. It fits nicely on the counter top without taking up too much space. It is also easy to clean. I have owed this microwave for 3 years now and have had no problems. Now if the thing blows up tonight at dinner I am not going sweat it since it was only $50 and I now have more income to buy a better one :)

Pros: Works well when it's working
Cons: Very short lifespan

I purchased this microwave five months ago for about $50 and it just died. I am not impressed with the quality of Emerson products. Get a different microwave instead.