Panasonic KX-TG2357B 2.4 GHz DSS Cordless Phone with Dual Handsets, Answering System, and Talking Caller ID (Black)

Manufacturer:	Panasonic
Our price:	$129.99

Panasonic KX-TG2357B 2.4 GHz DSS Cordless Phone with Dual Handsets, Answering System, and Talking Caller ID (Black)

Average rating: Stars

Poor range - had to return

I have a 900 MHz DSS Uniden EXI8965 cordless phone which I have had for a few years and have been *very* satisfied with it. It has excellent voice quality, good range, and great battery life and I hope to continue to use this phone for a long time in the future.

However, I have a den which does not have a phone jack and therefore I need a dual handset phone so I can have keep a handset in the den at all times. I have been searching for a dual handset cordless phone for some time with the following features:
(1). Fairly large and comfortable feeling handset. I guess I am old fashioned (and old) and like the larger handsets much better than the smaller ones.
(2). Good voice quality.
(3). Good range.
(4). The ability to use both handsets at the same time. Plus the ability when using one handset, to simply pick up the other handset and join in the conversation.
(5). Speaker in the handset.
(6). Caller ID/Call Waiting
(7). Chain dialing for long distance and calling card usage.
(8). At least 50 memory locations for storing caller ids.
(9). Five or more last number redials.
(10). Lighted keypad.
(11). Large display with date and time of call, caller name, and caller number on one screen.
(12). Selectable ring tones by caller. I now have BellSouth Complete Choice local service where you can have a distinctive ring for up to 10 different numbers. Using this feature, I can tell when my kids or grandkids are calling before I answer the phone. However, I can't tell which one is calling because there is only one distinctive ring. I was looking for something like the AT&T VIP ring feature.
(13). Misc other features like Intercom, handset paging, and fairly secure transmission. No answering machine capability.
(14). I didn't want to pay over about $100 for the phone set.

I found the Panasonic KX-TG2357B on sale at Staples ($20 rebate). It seemed to have gotten pretty good reviews on the Internet for the most part so I decided to go ahead and buy it. The phone had an answering system which I didn't need but the $20 rebate was enough to help convince me to buy it anyway. I came home and unpacked it and plugged it in for its 6 hour charge. I installed the base station at one end of the house and the extra handset at the other end of the house in my den. After charging, I began testing the phones out.

Pros: Nice set of features. Nice sizing of handsets for me. Attractive phone. I liked the handset speakerphone. Not a bad price.

Cons: There were two main problems:
(1). *Range*. My house is about 70' long. The base was at one end of the house and the second handset was in the den at the other end. There is a brick wall between the base and the second handset. When using the phone in the den, the reception was bad. The conversation kept breaking up to a moderate degree. If I moved on the other side of the brick wall, the reception seemed to be fine. I could have moved the base closer to the second handset but I needed the Intercom capability between both ends of the house and I would have lost this had I moved the base. I understand that wireless networks, microwaves, etc. can affect 2.4ghz phones. I don't have a wireless network, nor to my close neighbors plus the microwave wasn't running.
(2). Sound Quality. The sound quality on my end was pretty good if I wasn't too far from the base station. However, the sound quality for the person to whom I was talking was not good, according to the person who was helping me test out the phones. He said it sounded like I was calling from a not so good cell phone. I could call him on my Uniden and he said the sound quality from it was very good - just like a corded phone.

Other Comments:
(1). Talking Caller Id. I liked the idea of the talking caller id. However, for me, it did not prove to be that useful. The main reason is that the phone does not tell you who is calling until after it rings twice. Usually by that time, I have already picked the phone up and checked the caller id. I believe for me, a distinctive ring tone for certain callers would be more useful. However, for some people, I could see where the talking caller id would be useful. I understand that this is a limitation of the phone company, not Panasonic, as the caller id information is not transmitted until after the second ring. As other reviewers have noted, it does not always pronounce the names correctly and even provides some humor in the way it pronounces names at times.
(2). Caller ID display. It takes two screens to display all the caller id information when you receive a call. I believe the number of the caller is displayed on the second screen. The phone alternates back and forth between the first screen and the second screen of information. This is not critical but just an annoyance. My Uniden displays all the information on one screen which I like.
(3). You have to press one button to answer the phone and another to hang up. I prefer to press Talk to answer and to press Talk again to hang up. Not critical - just my personal preference.

Couple more comments:

Since I love my old Uniden cordless phone, I looked into getting a dual handset Uniden phone. However, it appears that you can only talk on one handset at a time. At least this is the case on the cheaper Uniden phones. If anyone knows differently or has found a dual handset phone that you are happy with which has the features I am interested in, please e-mail me.

I mentioned earlier that I bought the Panasonic phone from Staples. When I returned it they were very nice and helpful and I would recommend them. I am not associated with them in any manner whatsoever.

I am still searching for the perfect dual handset cordless phone!

Panasonic KX-TG2357B 2.4 GHz DSS Cordless Phone with Dual Handsets, Answering System, and Talking Caller ID (Black) - Panasonic

Great phone to work with VOIP.

I originally purchased this phone to use with VONAGE VOIP service. Then I realize you can actually rewire your home phone switch box to have all the phone jacks in your house to run off 1 single VOIP line. So that kinda destroyed the purpose for me to buy this phone buy still, I don't regret my decision on purchasing this phone. I must say I am a big Panasonic phone fan. After I purchased this phone, I realize now I have 4 Panasonic phones in my house (2 from this Dual handset, 1 older Panasonic 2.4Ghz cordless phone, and 1 fax machine). All-in-all great product with nice features. Surely this phone doesn't pronounce the name from Call ID that well, but I am usually able to hear who is calling me.

One drawback... Pain in the A$$ for trying to enter names into phone book. For example, when you want to type MONEY. Notice M, N, O are all on #6, you can't just wait 2 seconds and press the number again to have the cursor move to next block, you have to press "6" and "->" then "6" to have enter "MO".

Still a great phone after you entered the phonebook first.

Panasonic - Panasonic KX-TG2357B 2.4 GHz DSS Cordless Phone with Dual Handsets, Answering System, and Talking Caller ID (Black)

Excellent phone

Great phone system for the price. Happy with everything.
Only con is that the speaker phone on handsets do not go louder.
Still sound very good though.

Electronic Stores

Accessories

$10.44

Panasonic KX-TCA60 Headset

One-Year Replacement Plan for Electronics Products Priced Between $100.00 and $149.99

TeleZapper TZ 900