Cordless Phone Selection

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Cordless Phone Selection

linw

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#109427 19-Sep-2012 14:36

Wow, it's frustrating trying to select a new cordless phone. The last Uniden Elite 9035 + 1 was not a good choice and plenty of bad reviews suggest I am not alone so I am trying to get a new one that is known to be good.

And that is where the problem lies. For any given phone you can see very good and very bad reviews. How can some say the sound quality is very good and others say it is terrible? Is the QC so bad that it is just a crap shoot? That is hard to believe when we are talking about very large companies like Uniden and Panasonic. So what else can cause such wide differences of opinion?

Paid $10 to Consumer to see their cordless phone test results but was very disappointed. The 'tests' and list of specs, are trivial and a BIG waste of time. Consumer is not what it used to be. Don't bother wasting time and money.

Now I have found a fairly new model (Panasonic KX-TG6722) available with my Fly Buys which fits my requirements but I can only find one or two reviews. Another pig in a poke!!

Hope it works OK on my Genius modem.

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#688230 19-Sep-2012 15:27

most phones from Panasonic are probably OK.

I've never had a good experience with Uniden.

sbiddle

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#688235 19-Sep-2012 15:34

The only DECT phones I'd personally recommend are Siemens Gigaset. That's not to say there aren't others that are good, but they make fantastic handsets that just work, and work exceptionally well.

linw

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#688266 19-Sep-2012 16:04

A UK top 10 phone list had Gigaset phones 1-3. Trouble with Gigaset, though, is finding suppliers in NZ. And maybe the price!

I'll keep looking.

Thanks.

Ragnor

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#688274 19-Sep-2012 16:12

linw: Trouble with Gigaset, though, is finding suppliers in NZ. And maybe the price

Nicegear seem to have them
http://nicegear.co.nz/cordless/

linw

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#688281 19-Sep-2012 16:23

Yea, but they all seem to be IP/Voip phones.

I think we have to accept that Siemens is not trying to compete with the 'consumer' range in NZ.

Thanks.

sbiddle

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#688323 19-Sep-2012 17:10

Atlas Gentech distribute the Gigaset phones over here and have a lot listed on their website. No idea who actually retails them as the ones I've used have all come from them.

ajobbins

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#688344 19-Sep-2012 17:48

sbiddle: The only DECT phones I'd personally recommend are Siemens Gigaset. That's not to say there aren't others that are good, but they make fantastic handsets that just work, and work exceptionally well.

I can't wait to replace my Gigaset. Worst cordless phone i've ever used.

Call quality and what not is good - but the UI on the phone, and via the web interface for config is terrible.

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sbiddle

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#688361 19-Sep-2012 18:12

ajobbins:
sbiddle: The only DECT phones I'd personally recommend are Siemens Gigaset. That's not to say there aren't others that are good, but they make fantastic handsets that just work, and work exceptionally well.

I can't wait to replace my Gigaset. Worst cordless phone i've ever used.

Call quality and what not is good - but the UI on the phone, and via the web interface for config is terrible.

Well there is no web interface to worry about on an analogue phone!

nickb800

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#688365 19-Sep-2012 18:24

My 2c:
Have had a rubbish experience with two Unidens different uniden models, and been happy with three panasonic models.

So I would definitely recommend the panasonic, even the basic ones (they often go for ~$20 at harvey norman/norman ross) if you dont need the extra features.

MurrayM

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#688374 19-Sep-2012 18:59

I can echo other posters by saying that I've never had a good experience with Uniden but I've always liked the various Panasonic phones I've owned. And if you get a dud remember that you can always have it replaced under the CGA.

JimmyH

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#688377 19-Sep-2012 19:15

Panasonics are good. I had one for years and it performed so well that when I updated it it I went for the brand again. The Uniden I had prior to that was rubbish. Purchased pannys for two relatives as birthday presents, they're both happy as well.

Thoughts:
- As well as cordless, keep at least one wired phone somewhere. Useful in power outages etc. I lost power to the house and had to call the power company (it was a network fault) - couldn't have called without a corded phone, or burning up heaps of cellphone minutes on hold otherwise. Cheap wired phones are less than $20 new.
- Get a handset with a headset adapter. A cheap headset means that you can have long conversations while wandering around the house, with both hands free.

MurrayM

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#688378 19-Sep-2012 19:18

JimmyH: - As well as cordless, keep at least one wired phone somewhere. Useful in power outages etc. I lost power to the house and had to call the power company (it was a network fault) - couldn't have called without a corded phone, or burning up heaps of cellphone minutes on hold otherwise. Cheap wired phones are less than $20 new.

+1 for this idea.

linw

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#688396 19-Sep-2012 19:52

Thanks, guys, looks like I will be picking the TG6722 up tomorrow.

Re the power loss situation, I have always had an old phone handy so that was not an issue. The aforementioned 6722 can be used with no mains power. You place the handset in the base and the base is powered by the handset! Simple but clever.

BUT, I am now on UFB so I need a UPS for the modem and ONT.

Had to laugh. ajobbins sort of reinforced the point about varying opinions I made in the first post:)

Cheers and thanks, all. The little poll on Uniden v Panasonic was re-inforcing.

Will give feedback on the new phones shortly.

ajobbins

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#688401 19-Sep-2012 20:05

Only problem with Panasonic phones: The most horrible, shrill ringtones. On par with old Motorola mobiles

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MurrayM

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#688408 19-Sep-2012 20:09

ajobbins: Only problem with Panasonic phones: The most horrible, shrill ringtones. On par with old Motorola mobiles

I found my Panasonic had lots of different polyphonic ringtones to choose from and it even lets me record my own tones for different people and uses caller ID to decide which to play.

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