RCA RMW733 Review
Pros: Small form factor, fairly inexpensive
Cons: Low power, didn’t heat very evenly in our tests
Manufacturer: RCA
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
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RCA RMW733 | |||||
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Awards | ![]() | ![]() | |||
Price | $75 List $71.00 at Amazon | $112 List | $170 List $116.24 at Amazon | $100 List | $100 List $99.95 at Amazon |
Overall Score ![]() |
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Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Small form factor, fairly inexpensive | Excellent with packaged frozen foods, compact, very easy to use | Excellent at defrosting, convenient | Good at reheating, does well with premade frozen foods | Good at defrosting meat |
Cons | Low power, didn’t heat very evenly in our tests | So-so with mixed leftovers | Large, expensive | Didn’t defrost frozen turkey well | Not the most convenient to use, heating performance could be better |
Bottom Line | In our minds, this product delivered a very mediocre set of results and we wouldn’t really recommend it | If you have a smaller kitchen and are looking for a top-tier appliance, then we think this is one of the best options out there | This appliance is a fantastic choice for anyone who want a larger model and predominantly is heating up frozen foods | While this appliance did alright in our rankings, we didn’t feel that it can quite match some of the better ones we have seen | While this appliance did deliver some great results in a few of our tests, it overall finished in the middle of the group |
Rating Categories | RCA RMW733 | Kenmore 70929 | Toshiba EM131A5C | BLACK+DECKER... | Panasonic NN-SB458S |
Heating (40%) | |||||
Frozen Foods (30%) | |||||
Defrosting (20%) | |||||
Ease Of Use (10%) | |||||
Specs | RCA RMW733 | Kenmore 70929 | Toshiba EM131A5C | BLACK+DECKER... | Panasonic NN-SB458S |
Watts | 700 | 900 | 1100 | 1000 | 900 |
Cubic Feet | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.9 |
Dimensions | 17.8" x 12.7" x 10.3" | 14.5" x 17.7" x 11" | 20.5" x 17.1" x 12.8" | 20.2" x 15.6" x 12.1" | 19.1" x 11.5" x 14.8" |
Turntable Diameter | 10" | 11.2" | 12.4" | 12.4" | 10.6" |
Internal Dimentions | 8.25" ×12.4" ×12.9" | 9.3" x 12.4" x 13.6" | 13.1" x 15" x 9.5" | 13.9" x 14.5" x 9.1" | 12.4"x 13.9" x 8.1" |
Warranty | N/A | 1 year limited | 1 year limited | 1 year limited | 1 year parts and labor 5 year magnetron |
Child lock | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The RCA RMW733 is 700 watt, 0.7 cubic foot appliance but just because it has a lower power output doesn't necessarily give it cause for its lower score. We've tested other similarly rated microwaves that delivered much more consistent results.
Performance Comparison
Likes
Our list of things we like for this microwave is on the smaller side, but we were impressed with how evenly this product heated up a Hot Pocket and a frozen burrito. The Hot Pocket only showed an average temperature difference of 2°F between the left, right, and center areas. There was a bit more of an average difference between the three measurement points with the frozen burrito, raising to 13°F.
This microwave also did a decent job, like many of the other products, at heating up the canned soup. The RCA RMW733 finished out its list of favorable performances with a slightly above average performance in our ground turkey defrosting test.
It defrosted a little less than 11 ounces of the one-pound block of ground turkey. However, the remaining 5 ounces were still quite frozen and hard to break up.
Dislikes
The RCA RMW733 delivered poor performances in most of the tests in our heating metric, heating slower and more unevenly than many of its competitors based on its performance in our heat map and speed tests. It also didn't do very well with the plate of leftovers and the pizza reheating test. The heat map with marshmallow fluff showed the middle ring getting much more cooked than the center ring.
For our speed test, we heated up a small beaker of water and measured the temperature increase. This microwave only managed to increase the temperature of the water by 66.4°F — much less than the 100+°F of the top models. The plate of sausage, green beans, and potatoes also didn't heat up very evenly using the reheat function. None of the three types of food were warm enough to eat without additional time in the microwave, though they wear all within 20°F of each other.
The two slices of pizza also weren't very consistently heated. One actually came out alright but the other had a giant cool spot in the middle. The RCA RMW733 continued its trend of lackluster results in our lasagna test, with the average temperature difference between regions being 17°F and the largest being 39°F.
Finally, we also were very disappointed that this microwave doesn't have a +30 seconds button and easily slides around on a counter with normal use.
Value
While the RCA RMW733 is a fairly inexpensive option, we think it's relatively low performance precludes it from being a great bargain option in our mind.
Conclusion
Overall, we think the RCA RMW733 delivered poor enough results that we struggled to recommend it and we would usually recommend other models for just about everyone.
— David Wise and Austin Palmer