Help me find a cordless phone

January 17, 2005 6:29 PM

Cordless phones My cordless phones have terrible battery life. Plus if I hold one against my shoulder w/my chin, I often accidentally hang up. Does anyone have a cordless phone they love?
Requirements: Caller ID, clear sound.
Nice to have: 2+ handsets, volume control on the handset.

I checked Amazon, of course, and their top reviewed items seem to have problems. (This one got several complaints about hearing your own voice in the earpiece while talking.)

posted by agropyron to technology (15 comments total)

Agropyron, this is a perennial problem for me, too. Sorry for complicating your question, but I'm in need of a couple other options: built-in answering machine and speaker phone. Suggestions?
posted by tidecat at 6:43 PM on January 17, 2005

The one I posted from Amazon has speakerphones in each handset, as well as in the base, which struck me as a very cool feature. Too bad about the apparent problems with that model...
posted by agropyron at 6:56 PM on January 17, 2005

Just now unpacked & set up a Uniden I bought from overstock.com.

Have not used it more than 1 day yet, so I am not sure it is a LOVE item, but it seems to do what you are looking for.

The hangup button is small, nestled under the talk button.

It's an improvement over my last cheap cordless phone unit, anyway. Also it looks like they have units higher-rated than what I picked up.
posted by omnidrew at 7:38 PM on January 17, 2005

I have this 2.4GHz cordless from GE that meets all of your criteria save the two-handset one. Frankly, I'm shocked at how low the Amazon ratings are; I've had the phone for three years and have only recently noticed a diminished battery life. No static or disconnections or broken keypad to speak of.

Who knows, perhaps I got lucky with an early batch. Caveat phonez0r.
posted by Danelope at 7:42 PM on January 17, 2005

I don't have any specific recommendations, but if you use a wireless network, don't get a 2.4GHz phone -- they interfere with each other. Also, some of the 5.8GHz phones are 2.4GHz in one direction, again, causing disruption of your wireless.
900MHz phones are much cheaper and have longer range.
Also, I think it's better to buy a phone with a removable battery. The batteries eventually die and replacing them occasionally has made my phone last a long time.
posted by j at 8:02 PM on January 17, 2005

Cordless phones usually use nickel cadmium batteries, which remember recharge levels over time. If you recharge it regularly without a full discharge--say, after a day or two when the battery meter is at the halfway point--the battery will begin to think that the halfway-empty level is when it's out of juice. To ensure long battery life on a phone, discharge the battery fully (or as far as you can reasonably go) between charges.

That said, most cordless phones on the market have short talk time, so don't expect all that much.
posted by werty at 8:05 PM on January 17, 2005

these uniden bits have been great. oh actually that's the same thing agropyron mentioned.

the only thing better I have, is a toshiba 2.4ghz dss phone, the base of which charges an extra battery (included, even!) -- but it's long discontinued. the other nice thing is that the handset is full-size unlike the unidens.
posted by dorian at 8:16 PM on January 17, 2005

also, I've not had echo problems with the uniden, and they do make a couple different with/without answering machine versions of the same general model.

another cool feature is that you can use the handsets as walkie-talkies. um, not that we do that alot. but it's fun.
posted by dorian at 8:18 PM on January 17, 2005

We've had Panasonic TG2344B's for about a month. They are 2.4 GHz, with two phones, handset speakerphone and headphone jack, caller ID, digital answering system, and also the walkie-talkies as well. $99.99 at Best Buy. We don't spend a lot of time on the phone, though, so I can't speak to battery life. Best part? A little red light at the tip of the antenna flashes when the phone is ringing...neat-o.
posted by MrZero at 9:01 PM on January 17, 2005

This weekend I picked up a Uniden 5.8GHz dual handset phone. So far it seems a distinct improvement over the 2.4 GHz cordless I'd been using, and not just for the obvious (that's twice as many hertz!) reason -- I figured, since I use WiFi, it couldn't hurt to get onto a different spectrum. I live alone but the dual handset means I never have to run out of battery. And to extend what dorian said, mine is so similar to the version with an answering machine that I'm suspicious the features are in there, but just not marked up on the keypad. Anyway, it seems like a good phone so far.
posted by coelecanth at 9:49 PM on January 17, 2005

coelecanth and other Uniden users: can you tell me if these phones use a DC adaptor (power brick) and if by any change the adaptor goes to 240V? is the power connection between DC adaptor and phone set standard-looking or proprietary? I'd like to get this phone and import it to Europe on my next US trip, but voltage is a concern (the 5.8GHz frequency is open in the EU as well).
posted by costas at 3:14 AM on January 18, 2005

I'll answer my own Q just in case anyone else cares: the manual of the 8866 on Uniden's site pictures the AC/DC adaptor: it's 120V only but the plug looks pretty standard (9V/500mA). So may worth a try...
posted by costas at 5:37 AM on January 18, 2005

I've heard good things about Uniden, but they're priced just out of my range. I just picked up a Motorola 5.4Ghz phone and it's great. Amazon has knocked the price down to $75.
posted by mkultra at 11:26 AM on January 18, 2005

We selected the multi-handset Panasonic base station KX-TG2740) which includes all the features you're looking for plus others mentioned by Tidecat. Battery life is better on some handsets than others; battery is replaceable. We have 2.4 GHz model but the same is now available in 5.8. Range is incredible. Weve had no interference problem with our wireless network but I do know that problems can occur.

BUT. The model I really love (which is also salty as hell) is a B&O model purchased in Paris some years back. One hell of a lot better looking than any other multi-handset system, one advantage over the Panasonic is being able to name the handsets ("Bedroom" instead of a default "1, 2, etc." I named ours Jupiter a the base with Io as the satellite). The address books sync automatically. Battery life is excellent. I am not certain about caller ID nor a speaker phone on the base station. I think the newer model has a pseudo caller-ID where a display shows the name of the person calling if it is in your handset -- this without a caller ID subscription -- how that works I do not know. (It's a feature in a different B&O phone I've used in France which I think has been added to the mulit-handset model.)
posted by Dick Paris at 1:34 PM on January 18, 2005

just keep in mind that (assuming equal power usage between units, ceteris paribus etc.) 5.8ghz phones will have less range and not penetrate walls/etc. as well as 2.4.

but the frequency you choose also really depends on interference -- e,g, if you have a microwave (interference with 2.4), and/or you have wireless lan (and if the lan is 2.4 or 5.8)

in any case digital spread spectrum is one feature I prefer to have.
posted by dorian at 1:57 PM on January 18, 2005