Buy Panasonic Cordless Phone

Review by D. Mcdermott:

This new 2009 model of Panasonic’s cordless DECT telephones lives up to its advertising. Sound very clear, battery life is long (my actual 1st day experience was 3-5 hr talking with 10+ in standby), and range is longer than my previous Motorola 5 GHZ model (good enough for a 2 story house plus a basement). The model includes cordless handsets, answering machine, and caller ID, as well as voice prompts of incoming caller ID calls. As a plus, the handsets use AAA Ni-MH batteries so easily purchased when they need replacing. My old Motorola used the typical specialized phone Ni-Cd batteries (with that funny connector), that lasted less than a year and a high cost to replace.

Highly recommend this model. The KX-TG 643x and 644x series are all the same except for the number of handsets that come in the package and whether the base station has its own dial capability. This model allows a max of 6 handsets (the 6445 cmes with 5 handsets-so you can purchase one more if needed KX-TGA 641T).

The caller ID list and address book is centralized, so updating updates the file on the base set. My old Motorola had an address book in each handset plus a shared in the base unit. The voice mail box default announcement is a man’s voice-would prefer a woman’s voice, but you can also record your own announcement

Lastly, the handsets are small(6inch by 1.5 in wide). Not a problem for me but might surprise others. Panasonic sells many DECT 6.0 cordless phones, so do your search carefully. I bought this model because the 64xx model series is new in 2009, plus it has a base station that you can also dial from giving you a 7th telephone set if needed.

Review by Bill:

After a number of years, it was time to upgrade our phone system. I’ve always had Uniden’s, but couldn’t find a decent style phone in that brand, so selected the Panasonic. Seems like phones are like cars.. They have to change the design every year.

Pro’s:

a. The phone has a great feel in the hand. Small, light, nice rubberized backlit buttons. (I hate the plastic buttons of some phones)

b. Sound quality is great. (I’ve not had any issues.)

c. Decent range. Live on a 1/3 acre and had reception in my entire property plus most of my immediate neighbors.

d. Price is not bad. Phone +5 handsets for 9 at Fry’s. (but add on’s are WAY too expensive)

e. Bright and big LED Screen (LOVE this.. My eyes are getting old, not my brain )

f. Talking Caller ID. (don’t have to run to the phone to see who is calling)

g. Integrated VoiceMail indicator so you can see if you’ve got messages. (Nice!!!, I can get rid of that cheap flashing red light thingy that doesn’t work very well.)

Con’s.

a. WHY do they all have to have/be answering machines??? It’s such a waste with VoiceMail!! It would be great to have a choice between a phone with an answering machine, or one without.

b. You can’t name your phones. This was really shocking to me. With the Uniden, we named all the phones.. Office, Kitchen, Master BR, etc. With the TG6445 all you get is 1,2,3,4,5… So when you want to page or conference you have to stop and think.. Now which phone is in the Master BR??? (Again, REALLY stupid)

c. Wall Mount is terrible!!!! Why can’t you have a flush wall mount versus a horizontal one?? It sticks out WAY too far.. So I’ve stuck mine to the wall with double sided table and I rotate one of my satellites for charging the base unit..

d. The selection of ring tone’s is REALLY weak.. only 8, and only 1 or 2 are worth while..

e. Reception meter is pretty worthless. I walked 1 full block and was impressed by the full strength on the meter. Until I turned it on and got extremely poor reception.

f. Phone needs a built in battery in-case the power goes out.. All your phones immediately become useless including the base unit. My new Comcast phone service has a built in battery, so I won’t lose phone service, but I’ll lose the phone. (so we have to have a non powered backup phone just in case). It would be a great feature for Panasonic to add. The base unit can’t draw that much power, so the battery could be small enough not to make it overly bulky.

All in all, not a bad phone, it’s the other features or lack of features that are disappointing.

Review by S. Rys:

I have gone through more than 15 types of cordless phones in the last several years. Some of them very good, but not perfect, others fairly awful. When I was doing my research this time for a new phone, I came across DECT 6.0 technology. It claims no interference with WiFi networks, greater range, clear transmission and extended battery life. Bottom line, it’s pretty much true.

I’ve used this phone for a week and it is crystal clear, no interference with my WiFi network, no “hiccups” with a call, like static or audible digital artifacts. My 5.8 Ghz phone would let me talk with a range of maybe 100 feet outside of my house with the front door closed. This telephone lets me go to the end of my driveway, across the cul de sac, and into my neighbor’s driveway without sound degradation. I’d guess that I’m getting about 3x the distance of my 5.8 Ghz phone in a real world situation.

The great thing about this phone is that the battery life is awesome. The phone claims up to 17 hours of talk time and several days of standby. I make a lot of conference calls from my home, and I’m on the phone about 6 hours per day. I’d have to switch cordless phones during the day with ANY 5.8Ghz phone, as they’d last anywhere from 3 to 5 hours. I’ve made 2 days of calls, for a total of 11 hours, and the battery indicator still shows a full charge, without being placed back into the charger. I’m going to keep it out of the charger in standby and talk until the battery runs down, to accurately gauge the battery life, but it would appear that the 17 hours of talk time is a realistic estimate. By the way, the phone uses traditional AAA rechargeable batteries (x2), for each handset. My 5.8 Ghz phone used 3, and had a max talk time of about 5 hours.

The keys on this phone are bigger than other phones, another plus in my book. I’d always misdial a number with smaller buttons. I have yet to misdial with these keys. They’re the perfect size.

I don’t use the answering machine, as I have telephone company voicemail. The only downside to this phone is that the message waiting indicator for telephone voicemail, doesn’t work. I’ve set it to “on”, on every phone, and my 5.8Ghz phone will flash the voicemail alert, but these handsets aren’t flashing. I’ve had this problem with other phones, especially VTech, so I’m thinking that most phones work, there must be something about the connection into my house that doesn’t get the call message alert to the phone. I have DSL and filters in the house. Maybe this is the cause?

Anyway, overall, this is a really good set of phones, they work great, have great sound, and the battery life is stellar. I’m really happy with this purchase. You should probably consider DECT 6.0 going forward. It’s MUCH better than 5.8Ghz technology, in my opinion.

UPDATE:

As an update to my review, the phone is now in it’s 16th hour of talk time, with 5 days of standby (no charging) and it’s still working on the last bar of the battery indicator. I’d say that the 17 hours of talk time is a conservative number. As stated previously, the battery life is the best that I’ve ever experienced with a cordless phone. Actually, incredible by today’s standards.

Review by Super Mum:

I have had this exact phone system for 6 months and loved it so much during the first month I had it I convinced a friend to buy it too. However, I am now leaving a “long-term” review which I appreciate more than those who review products they have had for only days… (although it is nice to see immediate reactions when products first come out)

First with the negatives:

– Both myself, and the friend who I talked into buying the phone are both getting the same error and it is increasingly becoming worse. After dialing a number and hitting either the “talk” or “speaker phone” button a “Busy” is often displayed on the screen and the phone refuses to dial. This went from happening once or twice a week to everyday.

- Since day one there has been a bit of a hollow tinny noise on both of our phones but the clarity and lack of “fuzz” was fantastic so I was willing to overlook this.

- Certain display functions come and go. Luckily none of them are important… yet. For example, the lines that make up the outline of the battery on the display of the phone come and go as they please. This has happened to the [] that surrounds the number of the phone.

- Not enough room for contacts. I am not a phonebook person and love to store tons of numbers on the phone. Not enough for me but your needs may be different.

- I know this is nitpicky and no stars were lost for this but I miss the alarm “snooze button” feature on my last phone so that the phone by my bed was my alarm clock as well. Made the bedside table less cluttered. No snooze button here.

Positives:

- That is one loud or quiet ringer depending on the setting… wonderful!

- The speaker phone function is the best I have had on a phone thus far.

- The charge lasts forever. For once a company is not exaggerating their claim about how long the batteries last.. in fact I think they last longer than Panasonic claims. A downside to this, I no longer put the phones on the charger at night (or during the day) and can never seem to find them. (Again, no stars lost for my laziness).

- The range on this phone is fabulous. My last phone worked at the neighbors house with much “fuzz.” I can go over to my neighbors and it works in every room of their house with no interference or noise.

- This phone does not freak out when I use my microwave. Most phones I have used do. Yeahhhhhh!!!!

- Although I don’t use it (because it is creepy)I like the call screening function on the phone. I live in a small house and hearing my friends and family leave messages from three phones in surround sound is too much. If I was in a two story home I would be obsessed with this. Also could be great for when you are in the shower to hear the message being left. If it is the cable company finally calling you back after weeks of phone tag it would be worth jumping out and grabbing it.

All-in-all I have been extremely pleased with the phone and, until the recent errors, would have given the phone four stars because of the battery life, speakerphone quality, and range. These frequent errors (and the fact that someone I know is having this problem too) knocks off a star as a warning to others out there that a non-isolated problem does exist on this fairly fabulous phone.

Review by J. Steichmann:

When I bought this set, it replaced a clunky Motorola cordless 2.4 GHz set that too often got interference or fade out. I liked the look, feel, and sound clarity of this set.

But my wife started complaining of strange dropped calls. She would be in the middle of the call, and if she tried to put the caller on the speaker phone option, or if she got another call and wanted to “flash” the call, the phone would stop transmitting. The info-screen says “phone not registered to base.” Pick up one of the extensions and there’s your caller, blithely talking away–nothing has happened on their end.

I ignored her complaints–it never happened to me. Then I saw it happen to her and it started happening to me, too.

With three phones and only two of us in the house, you wouldn’t think it would be hard to “register” the phones to their locations. So I did it, and took the step of putting a nail-polished 1, 2, and 3 on phones & bases.

Nice try, but no cigar. The drops still happen. And recently, talking to a friend in Chicago, the phone sounded dead on my side. I was about to hang up when my friend came back on the line. He said, “sorry, I just got these new Panasonic 6.0 phones and I keep getting a “phone not registered to base” error that acts like it drops the call.

Yeah, I know.

Oh, they have a ton of great features, especially that you can program the extensions not to ring at night, and the call clarity is excellent. But when they make the phones too much smarter than the users, they’ve lost me.

I’m headed to the store (or through Amazon) to pick out some new cordless phones. And no, they won’t be Panasonic.

Review by Robo21:

Let me start my review with the “bad.” After 7 months of use the only (very minor) complaint I have is that occasionally the talking caller ID will “speak” unintelligible names. This is a very minor problem and is easily fixable. If that party with the unpronounceable caller ID name calls on a regular basis and you want to change the way the phone announces the call, simply store that number with any name you desire. The phone will then announce the stored name with that incoming number. Simply replace the names that are problematic to simpler, easier to pronounce names in the memory of the phone.

This can be a lot of fun too! For example, a friend of mine who happens to be prone to auto accidents and breaking things has the last name “Ashby.” I saved his number on the Panasonic 6433 with the nickname “Smashby” now whenever he calls I hear “Call from Smashby!” I get to chuckle whenever he calls.

Panasonic hit a home run with this phone, great range, excellent feature set, great sound quality and problem free after 7 months. This system offers superb sound quality on both normal and speakerphone calls, excellent features, durability/reliability (see below), great range and light weight (in a pinch I can pop the phone into my shirt pocket or clip to my belt) so I highly recommend this phone. For much of my life I was in the telecom/interconnect business so I’ve had the opportunity to try all major brands of cordless phones and have been a fan of Panasonic telephone products since 1977. They seem to be industry leaders in quality and innovation. They did however hit a foul ball with the (KX-TG9333T) model however. That system was prone to dropped calls and other issues.

My wife has “butterfingers” and frequently drops all sorts of things, especially our cordless phones. To achieve domestic tranquility we agreed that she would be assigned a specific handset to limit her possible impact damage to only one handset. Her handset (#3) has been dropped numerous times on hard floors including concrete. So far, no problems. This is what I would call torture testing the phone. It passes with flying colors.

To conclude, I highly recommend this system.

Note: I actually received the 6433 system as a replacement for the KX-TG9333T which was riddled with problems which were apparently unfixable by Panasonic. I had sent the 9333 back to Panasonic twice for exchange but each replacement 9333 had the same problem. They finally sent me this system, the KX-TG6433M as a replacement. The 6433 has no such problems and works exactly as advertised.

Review by D. MCGUE:

This is without question, the best land line phone I have ever seen! Please look at my other reviews, you will see that I am NOT a paid reviewer to write what the manufacturer wants.

This phone does EVERYTHING! Sound is crystal clear. Both handsets and base unit have lit displays. Both have selectable ringer tones and volume. Each has independent “phone books” which can be copied from the base unit to the handsets or vice versa. Both the base unit and handsets have speaker phones. The phone books are super easy to program.

The answering system with date/day/time works terrifically! You can select pre-recorded message or make your own. The answering system capacity is 18 minutes or 64 messages. You can select between 2 and 7 rings before the answering system engages.

I like that the base unit works during power outages.

I especially like the five “speed dial” buttons to phone frequent friends or family with just one button. Great!

Call blocking works well.

Cordless handsets have great range and use rechargeable AAA batteries (included). The handset cradle recharges the batteries.

It has a “handset locator”.

It supports English and Espahol. Instruction manual is well written and easy to use.

It even has an “alarm clock” feature.

I have not found a better land line phone! Strongly recommend!

Review by tbyg:

I was torn whether to rate this 4 or 5 stars. For my simple needs, it’s definitely a 5, but it does have some quirks.

Good:

Great sound quality. Corded base for power outages. Speakerphone (which works great) on all components, both base and handsets. Access to answering system messages from all components. Functions as an intercom (and very well, too). 100-number phone book, which can be copied between units either in total or one entry at a time, and nine phone number groups that you can give custom names. Five-number quick dial buttons on base. Large, easy-to-use buttons. Uses rechargeable AA’s (I *think* – might have been AAA’s – standard batteries, anyway) instead of the expensive proprietary kind. Supports up to six handsets.

Not so good:

Some menus confusing. Direct-access to functions using “#” and a numeric code a joke, to me – I want to navigate to a function using an intuitive menu, not look up a code in the user manual. On base unit, LCD contrast is not high enough to read display without backlight (at least in the location we’ve got it). Does not have a memo function as our previous (but much lower quality) system did, so I’m in the market for a fridge magnet recorder thingie now – which is just fine by my husband, as he hated my leaving messages to myself on the answering machine….! ;-> ) Cannot copy phone number groups between units – if you use that function, you’d have to name the groups on each unit and put each phone number in a group individually.

The reason I gave it a “5″ nevertheless is that the “not so good” things I listed mean virtually nothing to me for my simple needs, especially when bounced against the “good” things, which *do* mean a lot to me. Your mileage may vary, which is why I tried to list everything I’ve noticed about the unit so far.

Review by stedi73:

I bought this phone for one reason and one reason only: call blocking. I was excited when I found Panasonic offered a phone with this feature as our previous Panasonic phone worked quite well (but no call blocking feature). This phone absolutely has call blocking. What Panasonic doesn’t tell you upfront is that the phone will ring once before being blocked. That significant detail is buried in the specifics of the manual. Not so bad you might think? Not so. The blocking feature sends a busy signal back to the automated dialing system. The automated dialing system doing the calling instantly thinks “Ah-hah, someone home”. It promptly schedules another call in 5 minutes. And so on every 5 minutes for about 40 minutes before finally giving up! I can’t believe Panasonic is unaware of this. And if, as my wife noted, the phone needs time to process the caller ID information, I’d far rather it blocked the first ring of every call vs. this.

Review by D. Melton:

We are very pleased with our DECT 6.0 Pansonic Phones. The range is great. It works well with the Pansonic headset. I LOVE being able to block calls that I do not want to receive. (You know the 1-800-000-000 numbers. That you know are going to be tele marketing.) I like that the phone can be an alarm clock. The storage for phone numbers is nice to have. I am sure that as I use this phone I will begin to use even more of its features. The instructions are great.

Review by dallas7:

This review covers the KX-TGA641 handset used by the KX-TG6431, KX-TG6432, KX-TG6433, KX-TG6434, KX-TG6441, KX-TG6442, KX-TG6443, KX-TG6444 and KX-TG6445 cordless phone sets. The KX-TG644x “keypad/speaker phone” base is not discussed here.

DECT Security Breach: as of this June 6, 2009 writing, it remains unclear how secure is the Panasonic KX-TG64xx series – specifically the KX-TGA641 handset. Poorly designed DECT hardware is at risk of being eavesdropped . An updated DECT standard uses CAT-iq which may enhance security. On May 8, I emailed Panasonic support asking if this product set is subject to the “DECT hack” discussed throughout Internet forums and if CAT-iq is implemented. On the 18th I sent another and this time I received a case number: 26512122. On June 1st I inquired as to when I might expect an answer. The silence is deafening. (June 9 UPDATE: this is their reply… “The KX-TG6433 is using Panasonic unique DECT protocol for the communication between the base unit and the handset. This unit has higher protection against eavesdropping than standard DECT even without CAT-iq protocol.”) And this is Panasonic’s “Security Code Statement” on the FCC Web site: “This cordless telephone system has more than 1,000 billion combinations that are provided by the following means: Provided with 128 bits for security codes. When shipped from the factory, the security code is decided by the manufacture. It is memorized in a memory IC. Base and Handset knows each other’s security code information.” The “DECT hack” requires a modified VOIP card and a laptop running Linux and in some cases the use of a back-end PBX server – most of which is beyond the means and reach of your usual wannabe snoop. I conclude this phone is quite secure enough for average personal and business use. Regardless of the make, model and technology of the cordless phone(s) you own, privacy critical conversations should be done on a hard wired set.

The Review: To begin, the manual is awful. Useful feature information is buried in verbose paragraphs instead of outlined bullet points. A highlighter pen is required! The most egregious instructions are for Programmable Settings which are done via either of two methods, the nice scrolling menus or “Direct Commands.” The latter is keyed in at the main menu as a pound followed by three digits, such as #302 to record a greeting. Quoting page 20: “Direct command is the main method used in these operating instructions.” So, twenty seven pages of instructions for direct commands and two pages for the menus. Now, where are the scrolling menus? On the handset. In your hand. All the time. From now on. Where is the manual with the three page chart of direct commands? Hmmmm. I cannot fathom this idiotic bass-ackwards scheme. On the bright side, once you’ve scrolled through the 35 or so menu screens enough times, you’ll be more than well versed in their usage. Note: the “Initial Settings” menu contains sub-menus for much more than settings that are, well, initial.

One of the big selling points for me is the use of regular old AAA NiMH batteries. My triple handset KX-TG6433 replaces three stand-alone sets that used different, proprietary and expensive battery “packs.” No more! However, one caveat… discussed further on.

The LCD screen is informative, big and bright with large, easy to read fonts. The keypad is quite nicely illuminated although lighting of the three soft keys is absent. You can choose any color back light for the screen as long as it’s blue.

The handset ear piece audio is crisp and clean, free of digital artifacts while listeners on the other end can hear me well. The speaker audio for the handsets and base is dinky but usable in a quiet environment. For extended hands-free conversations I use the KX-TCA60 headset. (Update: that broke after about a dozen uses. I now use a Plantronics.) This is also one of the few phones I’ve ever used that I can cram between my neck and ear without jamming any buttons.

The KX-TG64xx series is loaded with all the usual bells and whistles and lacks for nothing in my experience. Most everything I became used to in all the phones I’ve had over the ages is here, and then some, all fully integrated. (If I had to quibble, I would want a flashing LED on the base to indicate the presence of messages listened to but not deleted.) All the fancy schmancy services you pay extra for at the phone company are recognized and operate well. Answering System messages can be accessed and manipulated from any handset and from outside phones using a three digit remote access code. Most settings migrate across all handsets meaning that if you change/add/delete something on one, it’s done on all. Others, like rings tones and volume, affect only the individual ones. Now that I’m past the “return for exchange” period, I decided to buy a fourth handset.

Finally, this phone talks. My favorite is Talking Caller ID. When the phone rings, I don’t even have to raise my head from my recliner pillow to look at it. Now that’s living! On the down side, the KX-TGA641 handset strongly resembles my Logitech Harmony 550 universal remote. I often find myself shouting “Hello” into the remote. Or trying to change channels with the phone. When did life get sooooo complicated??

From the “Why on Earth did they do that?” department: the charger does not recognize fully charged batteries. When I first unboxed my KX-TG6433, I took the six 650 mAh AAA batteries and ran them through my MAHA C401FS charger. This would not only save time and effect a nice conditioned charge, but the MAHA diagnostics would warn of defects. Imagine my surprise when all three handsets alerted with a flashing battery icon and a “charge for 7 hours” message. With fully charged batteries! Similarly, if at some point you remove the batteries in a handset to read the label in there (serial number, FCC ID number, etc.) or for whatever reason, you are greeted by the same scenario. And even though fully charged, the batteries will be COOKED for several hours to the degree the handset becomes… too hot to hold! So, here’s a hot tip (heh heh) – don’t pre-charge the AAAs and don’t remove them unless they need to be replaced.

That and the manual aside, this is a good looking, feature rich, convenient and affordable cordless phone system. Now that I’m beyond the menu system learning curve, I’m expecting years of comfortable and easy use.

Review by Laura Clifton:

Our old phone system was giving up the ghost so I looked for a phone system that would get good reception throughout our house and not interfere with other wireless set ups. I have had no problems with the wireless internet and the phone system to date. I even get reception at the bottom of my 3 story house. I ordered the extra handset and now there is a better chance that you will find a reciever on the house level your on when the phone rings too. I can even walk anywhere on my 1/2 acre and get reception.