Panasonic Dect 6.0 4-Handset Cordless Phone with Answering Machine (KX-TG6434T)

Reviews of Panasonic Dect 6.0 4-Handset Cordless Phone with Answering Machine (KX-TG6434T)

1.) Call Blocking and more - great phone system.
Reviewed by: bob_spez Howell, NJ USA
Rating:
I have had this system for 2 days and I am so pleased with it.

I bought this system to block collection calls aimed at the
previous owner of our recycled verizon phone number. We have
been baraged with these collection calls with no way other than
changing our phone number to stop them. (I found out that the national
do not call registry doesn't apply to bill collectors!) My wife
didn't want to change our phone number due to the hassle of notifying
everyone and no assurance that the new phone number wouldn't also
have the same problem. I have been looking for a way to block
specific phone numbers on our land line verizon phone, and this
is the ONLY way I have found to do that.

This system allows entry of up to 30 phone numbers to block. The
numbers can be keyed in after entering a code on any of the
4 handsets. The number is then blocked on all the handsets and the
answering machine. Or if I get a call from a number I wish to block
I can navigate to the option to block that number with a few key
strokes. (Naturally you need to have caller id service on your phone
for this feature to recognize the incoming phone numer).

To test the call blocking I blocked my cell phone, and when I called
my main number. I got a single ring, a fast busy for a few seconds and
then a disconnect. On the Panasonic phone I just heard a single ring
and then blessed silence. A few times a day we hear the one ring and
know a call is being blocked. We no longer check the caller id list
to know who called and got blocked - it doesn't matter. No answering
the phone or removing crummy collection messages from the answering
machine. It works !!!

In addition to call blocking, other features I really like is the large print
bright black on white lcd display on the handsets, the ability to mute the ring
on selected handsets (like the one in the bedroom). The ability to mute
the ring on the answering machine (also in the bedroom). The ability to use
any of the 4 handsets to check messages, and to record the answering machine
greeting. The ability to answer a call on more than one handset at the same
time (no more hokey transfering of calls from one handset to another).

This system is heads and shoulders above our last system. The Panasonic
Dect 6 technology is a new generation of features. I know I sound like
a commercial, but I am that pleased. If you check my other reviews and you will
see I tell it like I see it, good or bad.

... added 8/17/09 ...

I forgot to mention another good feature, the answering machine turns off
if I pick up the phone while someone is rcording a message... no more trying
to get the answering machine turned off to avoid feedback, while trying to
take the call.

Regarding the text to speech feature which announces the caller's name
from their caller ID, we don't use it. It is primitive and difficult to
understand but if you needed it you could get used to the voice chip
translation of your caller's name. The reason I don't use it is because
I wanted less disturbance from calls and I found the mangled caller
ID announcement a bit jarring.

In regard to call blocking, it has drastically reduced the annoyance of
the harassing calls we were receiving. The blocked numbers have mostly
stopped calling, and when one company called with a different number,
it only took a few seconds to add that number to the blocked list.

2.) Solid, feature-rich cordless phone set
Reviewed by: Aragorn Minas Anor, GD
Rating:
This is our second DECT set and we've been encouraged to get it after a very positive experience with a multiple phone DECT set from another vendor. I've been using the Panasonic for a couple of weeks already. I hope that my experience may help others decide whether this is the set worth buying or they should be looking elsewhere.

So far, the phones operated as expected and they gave me no trouble. The set is expandable to 6 handsets per base (that would be the answering machine) but I had no need to purchase any extras. The answering machine we don't use because our pre-existing DECT set answering machine does everything very well so I won't have much to say about it.


THE BADS

I thought I'd start with the bad issues which are not too many so, if these are disqualifiers you may not want to read much farther.

- The speaker volume is low. This is true for both the phones and the answering machine/base. This probably has some advantages when it comes to battery life (see below) but anyone who must have a loud speaker should be warned that these phones' speakers are anything BUT loud.
- The ring volume is also low. Seriously, anyone who has a hearing problem should NOT buy this set. I do not mind the low ring volume because too loud rings bother me but I am listing this as a negative because some could mind.
- Talking caller ID we don't use it. It's spooky but, to each his/her own, some may appreciate this.
- The design and the colors could be improved - a matter of personal taste.



THE OUTSTANDING

- Call blocking is probably the best feature this phone comes with. I have a number of marketers who insisted on calling us several times per day - there's a loophole in the national 'do not call' prohibition that allows for company who've done business with you are are doing business with you to keep calling for a year or 2 after they had some 'relationship' with you and they are relentless. They also ring only 3 or 4 times and, if you don't answer they stop so they can bother you for free. The call blocking picks up the phone and then hangs up on them. This makes the phone company rich and gives us more peace of mind.
- Silent mode can be set on individual handsets. A light will flash when set to silent.
- Good range - the DECT specs claim 300 feet but, with the base in the basement I had to trouble with 150-200 ft.
- Long battery life. Possibly because of the low-volume, these phones seem to last forever on a charge. I can stay on conference calls, on speaker, for hours.
- Zero interference with my WiFi and Blackberry.



FEATURES

- Black on white display
- Backlit keypad
- Belt clip - my wife loves this more than I do because I tend to be at my desk when I talk on the phone
- Headset jacks on all handsets - another feature that my wife loves
- Speakerphone on all handsets
- Long battery life
- Talking 'low battery' alert
- Pick from a number of set ring tones
- Handset locator
- Talking Caller ID (not impressed)
- 50-number phonebook
- 50-number CallerID recall
- Set phone provider's voicemail number for quick access
- Mute/Hold/Flash (of course)
- Ring volume can be set to High/Mid/Low/Off (high may be too low for some)
- Alarm (talking)
- Silent mode
- Call blocking (see above)
- Intercom
- Conferencing (including between handsets)
- Easy to navigate, simple menus
- Shows date and time


I am overall VERY happy with these phones. The 'low volume' issue does not warrant taking off one star and the same can be said about the 'design' which is a matter of taste but how many of us spend much time staring at their handsets? I would recommend this set. I would not miss the opportunity if it was made available again as a 'deal of the day' or a 'lightning deal'.

___________________________________________

Just in case anyone cares to know what DECT is about.

DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) is a relatively new (2005) standard for cordless phones, initially developed in Europe.

Some of the advantages of DECT 6.0 include:

- easier to implement multiple handsets sharing one phone jack connection via one common base (have it on a 5.8 GHz set as well)
- easier to implement intercom features between individual handsets (have it on a 5.8 GHz set as well)
- extended range, up to 300 feet
- low power consumption and, therefore, extended battery life
- better performance in areas experiencing heavy radio traffic
- not affected by Wi-Fi or Bluetooh signals (neither are the 5.8 MHz)


3.) Nice Upgrade from former Panasonic Dect 6.0 set with a few exceptions
Reviewed by: javajunki
Rating:
This is a very nice set at an exceptional price. The four handset unit is only slightly more expensive compared to a three unit set...but whether you keep one in storage or use in the garage/elsewhere throuhout the house, the cost can't be beat.

I've owned the Panasoni Dect 6.0 3 unit set that was put out a few years ago and have been happy with it...durable, ergonomic and great sound quality. Recently one unit burned out and since spouse is visually impaired, really wanted to try out this set for the voice - caller ID feature.

This set is also very ergonomic, easy to handle. Buttons are distinctive and the audible caller ID is a great addition. I personally find the voice a bit on the mechanical side but it's a lot better than nothing. Spouse loves it and uses it constantly. I turn it off on my office phone so works well for both of us.

Although all of these Panasonic phones seem to work very well with minimal interference from a household filled with televisions, radio, appliances, computers and much more...this set seems more clear than the prior set.

One downside - the talk-time is less. The former set shows 17 hours whereas this is only about half that. On the other hand, this does live up to the full talk time whereas the former set did not.

Purchased an additional headset to use with belt-clip just as did with old set. These have excellent reception and routinely use both inside or outside when doing chores or other routine tasks. Both speech and hearing remains clear at any location in the yard, garage or house making them highly versatile for both a phone or when used for the intercome feature.

Haven't owned long enough to comment on durability but very pleased with upgraded features and expect the same suprior quality on carry-over features.

4.) Solid, feature-rich cordless phone set
Reviewed by: Aragorn Minas Anor, GD
Rating:
This is our second DECT set and we've been encouraged to get it after a very positive experience with a multiple phone DECT set from another vendor. I've been using the Panasonic for a couple of weeks already. I hope that my experience may help others decide whether this is the set worth buying or they should be looking elsewhere.

So far, the phones operated as expected and they gave me no trouble. The set is expandable to 6 handsets per base (that would be the answering machine) but I had no need to purchase any extras. The answering machine we don't use because our pre-existing DECT set answering machine does everything very well so I won't have much to say about it.


THE BADS

I thought I'd start with the bad issues which are not too many so, if these are disqualifiers you may not want to read much farther.

- The speaker volume is low. This is true for both the phones and the answering machine/base. This probably has some advantages when it comes to battery life (see below) but anyone who must have a loud speaker should be warned that these phones' speakers are anything BUT loud.
- The ring volume is also low. Seriously, anyone who has a hearing problem should NOT buy this set. I do not mind the low ring volume because too loud rings bother me but I am listing this as a negative because some could mind.
- Talking caller ID we don't use it. It's spooky but, to each his/her own, some may appreciate this.
- The design and the colors could be improved - a matter of personal taste.



THE OUTSTANDING

- Call blocking is probably the best feature this phone comes with. I have a number of marketers who insisted on calling us several times per day - there's a loophole in the national 'do not call' prohibition that allows for company who've done business with you are are doing business with you to keep calling for a year or 2 after they had some 'relationship' with you and they are relentless. They also ring only 3 or 4 times and, if you don't answer they stop so they can bother you for free. The call blocking picks up the phone and then hangs up on them. This makes the phone company rich and gives us more peace of mind.
- Silent mode can be set on individual handsets. A light will flash when set to silent.
- Good range - the DECT specs claim 300 feet but, with the base in the basement I had to trouble with 150-200 ft.
- Long battery life. Possibly because of the low-volume, these phones seem to last forever on a charge. I can stay on conference calls, on speaker, for hours.
- Zero interference with my WiFi and Blackberry.



FEATURES

- Black on white display
- Backlit keypad
- Belt clip - my wife loves this more than I do because I tend to be at my desk when I talk on the phone
- Headset jacks on all handsets - another feature that my wife loves
- Speakerphone on all handsets
- Long battery life
- Talking 'low battery' alert
- Pick from a number of set ring tones
- Handset locator
- Talking Caller ID (not impressed)
- 50-number phonebook
- 50-number CallerID recall
- Set phone provider's voicemail number for quick access
- Mute/Hold/Flash (of course)
- Ring volume can be set to High/Mid/Low/Off (high may be too low for some)
- Alarm (talking)
- Silent mode
- Call blocking (see above)
- Intercom
- Conferencing (including between handsets)
- Easy to navigate, simple menus
- Shows date and time


I am overall VERY happy with these phones. The 'low volume' issue does not warrant taking off one star and the same can be said about the 'design' which is a matter of taste but how many of us spend much time staring at their handsets? I would recommend this set. I would not miss the opportunity if it was made available again as a 'deal of the day' or a 'lightning deal'.

___________________________________________

Just in case anyone cares to know what DECT is about.

DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) is a relatively new (2005) standard for cordless phones, initially developed in Europe.

Some of the advantages of DECT 6.0 include:

- easier to implement multiple handsets sharing one phone jack connection via one common base (have it on a 5.8 GHz set as well)
- easier to implement intercom features between individual handsets (have it on a 5.8 GHz set as well)
- extended range, up to 300 feet
- low power consumption and, therefore, extended battery life
- better performance in areas experiencing heavy radio traffic
- not affected by Wi-Fi or Bluetooh signals (neither are the 5.8 MHz)

5.) Best phone system I've ever had!
Reviewed by: E. Parrish TN
Rating:
Man oh man this is a great system. I've been struggling with a Vtech I bought at Sams for several years. If I had known how much better this system is I would have bought it long ago. It uses rechargeable regular size batteries versus me having to go to some special battery store. I can block callers and they get a fast busy. I can push a button and return a call - sounds elementary but the "1" was never on the Vtech and I couldn't figure out how to change it so I never could return calls. Likely the Vtech was a pretty good phone but not user friendly for me. This system is very user friendly. My callers tell me the sound is very clear. It came with the answering system and 4 phones for a very reasonable price. You can't go wrong with this one in my opinion!

6.) Great Phones... Great Amazon Service
Reviewed by: Jill R
Rating:
I bought these phones to replace 2 older cordless phones of different brands and relied upon user reviews of the panasonics. After going to a big box store and getting them in my hand I settled on this model. Got them home, set them up and found it easy to do.. Had a problem though.. turns out when I went to use one of the handsets a few hours later... it doesn't work.. make that the earpiece didn't work. Handset display worked and the speakerphone worked but not the earpiece..

As I'd just come to like this set the thought of packing it all back up again (how do they get all of those pieces in the box lilke that??!)and then waiting weeks for the items to go back and forth ticked me off. However.. on the Amazon site I processed the return and they'll exchange them.. I filed this on a Thursday and they told they'd ship out the new ones and I had 30 days to get the defective set back to them... The next day.. the new ones arrived. Amazing service from Amazon!! yes they also issued me a credit for the cost of shipping back the defective ones!

As for the phones.. I'm happy to report they work great and I love them.. They didn't get 4 stars in all areas because the following is needed to make them "perfect": Can we please get an indicator on the base to tell us how many messages there are and if they are new or old??? Ringer volume... these have silent mode that allows to program what times of day you want them to ring or not. great... however, Can't I just turn off the volume... when I want to without "programming it". Well I can.. but please.. make it easier.. why are there 3 menu steps just to get to the ringer volume..

All in all a great value for a good system..

7.) Great Product, I love it!
Reviewed by: Elizabeth B. Smith
Rating:
Does everything I expected and more. I love Panasonic phones and this is no exception. I would heartily recommend this item to anyone seeking multiple phones that are easy to set up and easier to use. Good battery life, sound quality excellent. A real winner!!!

8.) Panasonic Proud
Reviewed by: Avid Amazon Shopper COLLEYVILLE, TX, US
Rating:
I am extremely pleased with this purchase and would highly recommend the Panasonic Dect 6.0 cordless phone set to anyone considering a wireless home system. The quality of every feature is exceptional. The sound quality over other wireless and wired phones I have owned, is superior. The system is easy to set up and is very stylish, fitting in without being overpowering in any room. The compact and easy-to-use answering machine is a real plus for tight spaces and for those in our family that are not fond of having to learn a lot of detailed features. The only downside (if you can call it that) is the programming of some features requires looking up a four digit number to access the feature through the base unit. A minor inconvenience given once you set it up, it does not require you to do this again unless you are wanting to change one of your default selections. You will be happy should you decide to purchase this phone system.

9.) Awesome deal!
Reviewed by: Jennifer Hudspeth
Rating:
I've been shopping around for the Panasonic handsets and this is the best deal I have found. My last panasonic worked great and this set seems to be working great!

10.) Panasonic Dect 6.0 phones
Reviewed by: David in Texas
Rating:
Very easy setup. Entering names/phones numbers on one handset immediately appear on the other three handsets. Very good sound quality.

11.) Great phones
Reviewed by: W. Fields GR, MI
Rating:
These are great phones. Panasonic is all I will buy when it comes to phones. These things are easy to use and have great sound volume. The distance on them is fantastic.

12.) Great phone
Reviewed by: J. Romano Atlanta, GA
Rating:
This phone has everything (more even) than much higher priced phones I looked at and the quality is great... typical Panasonic, I can't think of a single Panasonic product I have ever bought that disappointed me. Excellent phone, easy to set up, lots of features.... if I had to nitpick, I would say the menu buttons take some getting used to. Highly recommend this one.

13.) multiple phones
Reviewed by: A. Jenkins
Rating:
Look good and work good. Even put one in my shop some 100 feet from the house and it works fine. Easy set up.

14.) Almost like a cell phone but with great sound quality
Reviewed by: Mom of 2 Florida
Rating:
The sound quality is excellent. It is convenient because the extra phones can be plugged in anywhere and don't require phone jacks. Also, it doesn't interfere with the baby monitor. Our 9-year-old loves it because we can program his friend's phone numbers into it. I like it because we can check messages from any phone. Lots of cool features!

15.) Excellent dect phone system
Reviewed by: Deepblue Virginia Beach
Rating:
Excellent quality and performance. My 76 year young girl friend loves the large display, the talking caller ID, and the speaker phone in each handset. It' a keeper!

16.) another great panasonic phone
Reviewed by: K. samons
Rating:
Our batteries died on our old panasonic 2.4Ghz phones so we upgraded to these. Very nice...panasonic makes a very good phone. My parents bought a vtech and the letters are already wearing off every button. We had our old panasonics for 7 years and they still looked brand new. I thought the talking caller ID would be annoying but it is actually very nice. love how this phone takes AAA batteries. Not a fan of the new base...when mounted on the wall it is hard to see if you have a message or not. But oh well...seems like most phone brands out there went with this new style. overall very happy with this purchase.

17.) great system
Reviewed by: J. Krupa warwick RI USA
Rating:
The phone system is excellent in every way. The voice announcing the caller ID is cool.

18.) A wonderful phone system for my home
Reviewed by: Alejandro Durruty Buenos Aires, Argentina
Rating:
After extensive research of all the similar products available, I finally decided to spend a few more dollars and go with the panasonic. I purchased through Amazon, and ask the items to be delivered to my hotel, while I was travelling. I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina, so once at home I was in the need to replace the supplied AC adaptors for others suitable for 220 V. Instead of buying an adaptor from 220 to 110, and then using the supplied adaptor, I simply bought 4 from 220AC to 6.5 CC 500 mA 50 hz as required. Certainly those new ones are not panasonic ones, but others made in a well reputed transformer specialist. This was the only inconvenient!
Installing the phones and putting them to work is very easy. You only need to wait 7 hours till they are 100% charged. Entering numbers in the agenda is straightforward and you simply do this in one phone, and all the others replicate. The screen incredible clear, with white background and dark grey fonts. Good, and cool!!!. Also, it is very easy to go through the different features scrolling up and down after pushing the Menu key. (On the other hand, if you want to reach any feature directly, you would need to dial a combination of 3 keys, and then you may need good memory to remember all combinations... but don't care, is really easy to use the menu!)
I have read that that some reviewers complained about the speakerphone volume. Unless you experience some type of trouble, I can say that in my opinion (with all respect to the others opinion) the volume is perfect. I use to work from home and very often participate in conference calls. I simply put the speakerphone on... the sound is crisp, very clear. The quality of the reception is also excellent, despite the fact that sometimes you may be far from the source. I live in a two floors house, and I can tell you that sometimes I find myself moving from one place to another with one of the phones in my pocket...no problem!. Both my wife and I also liked the appearence of the phones. Basically dark grey, black, almost white keyboard with printed black numbers / letters. Very easy to see with daylight, aside from the fact that they are iluminated from the back with a pale orange light. I believe the way the telephones look is an issue to take into consideration, if you consider that you have them placed at any place at home, and you may be seeing them all the time. It seemed to me (as per the web info) that some brands have colors as green, white, etc. and I was not sure to like those colorful combinations from some models. These, the panasonics, are beautiful, because they wear simple not contrasting color combinations!!
So, having used them for almost one month, I cannot say anything different than: THIS IS AN EXCELLENT PRODUCT, WORTH ITS VALUE!
Of course, it is still early to evaluate battery life, ...or phones life... but I promise to come back if something happens that can make me change this review!

19.) Panasonic Cordless Phones
Reviewed by: D. Sundermeyer
Rating:
The large letters on the backlit screen along with the lighted keypad is exceptionally nice. The speaker phone feature on each of the handsets was one of the main reasons for my purchase. All the handsets work very well!

20.) Best portable phone system.
Reviewed by: H. Hopper Tarpon Springs, FL
Rating:
I had previously had an earlier version of this phone system and it ran great for over five years. At that point, some of the handsets started dieing. This new set of phones has added all of the features that I wish the old set had. One really cool feature is that any changes you make to one phone get pushed to the other phones automatically. I also really like the ID announce feature. Battery life is terrific and the display and buttons are easily readable. I highly recommend these phones.

21.) Excellent phone set!
Reviewed by: M. R. Haugrud Rush City, MN USA
Rating:
This phone set is great. About the only knocks I have, which I consider minor, are that it only stores 50 numbers and the voice that announces the callers sounds a little hokey, but we kind of enjoy it.

22.) quality phone
Reviewed by: Louis B. Yerger
Rating:
I have had this set of phones for almost two months and so far they have met my expectations. I bought them because of the batteries on my previous phones needed replacement and did not want to pay the high replacement cost. I have not had them long enough to judge battery life. My concern was the sound volume since my wife and I are in the mid seventies and have slightly impaired hearing. We have had no problem with hearing on the phones. They have performed as adverstised.

23.) Great phone
Reviewed by: Jenny Appleton, WI
Rating:
We had to replace a panasonic phone that finally died (had it for approx 7 yrs.) and decided to try this one. It is great, we have had no problems. I love that this one came with a total of 4 phones our old one only had 2.

24.) Nice and easy
Reviewed by: S. Klug Chicago, IL
Rating:
My family really likes this unit.
Caller ID is good
Phone book is shared across all phones
Easy access to voice mail from all the phone

Overall a nice product, would definitely buy again

25.) Cordless phones
Reviewed by: Pol Valley Forge, PA USA
Rating:
I have only had these phones for about a month and so far they have lived up to my expectations. I left 1 unit off the charger and it worked for a week till it quit and that was the only the 2nd charge cycle.

26.) Great upgrade for home.
Reviewed by: networker NE lower Michigan
Rating:
We've been using this set of phones for a few days now, so far so good.
I really love the features this set has to offer.
I will update this review if needed.
(Sidenote): The price has dropped by $6.00 in a weeks time. Don't ya hate it when that happens?!?!

27.) Excellent phone
Reviewed by: Flagolfer Florida
Rating:
These portable phones are really easy to use. The sound is unusually good for those with hearing loss. The display on the phone is easy to read. The verbal caller ID is excellent for calls to your phonebook. Try to enter the ID with only one name.

28.) Solid phone with good features
Reviewed by: Macman Ohio
Rating:
We bought these to replace our 18+ year old Sony cordless phones with answering machine. That system was a real workhorse that finally was wearing out. With the buttons refusing to make contact anymore, we realized that it was time to purchase a replacement. Based on that experience Sony would have gotten our business without a second thought. They made a great phone. But Sony isn't in the cordless phone business anymore so we had to look elsewhere.

I had purchased a Vtech system for my mom a few years ago and it turned out to be a piece of junk. It wasn't but a couple of years before the buttons stopped working on it, and she doesn't even use it that much. We have a number of other Panasonic devices in our home and have had good luck with them, so after reading the reviews we decided on these.

The handsets weigh a third of the old Sonys, which I should have expected knowing how technology has changed in 18 years. Nonetheless, it was a pleasant surprise. No stub antenna sticking out either. And since we found that we never used the keypad built into the base on our old system, we ordered this version which only has the answering machine in the base. Couldn't believe how small it is. Another good choice.

Not sure why a few reviewers have thought that the volume on these is low. It seems very adequate unless you have hearing problems. My hearing isn't the best, but we have the volume set on medium and it's fine. So is the answering machine speaker phone, although we did turn it up as high as it will go.

The lettering on the display is large, and easy to read. Only two complaints: the backlight doesn't stay on long enough for my tastes. Pause in what you're doing for a few moments and you lose the backlight. And without the backlight you need a pretty good room light to see the display. Second, there are no dash separators when a phone number is displayed. When the digits all run together it's difficult to make sure you've got a number entered correctly.

The buttons have a very nice feel to them, firm yet cushioned. Haven't experienced any accidental double-presses, which I've seen on other phones. The backlight feature is nice.

The handsets came already registered to the base, so I didn't have to do that. A little thing, but a pleasant surprise. And I can't believe how much talk/standby time they have, using only two of the AAA rechargeables. No complaints there.

The DECT 1.9 GHz system doesn't interfere with my wireless home network like my old phones did. Yay! Another reason to like this system.

We really don't have any need for the talking caller ID feature, and synthesized voices that don't know how to pronounce names really irritate me, so that got turned off. But if you like the idea it's nice to know it's there to use.

The menu system for system settings is not very intuitive, and rather difficult to navigate without having the book handy to refer to. Findinig a particular item can be a challenge. But there's a nice chart in the book which gives you codes to enter to get directly to any menu item for change or adjustment. Once you've set the phones up you're not likely to be changing things very often, so that's good enough for me. Not a biggy.

The phone book is easy to use and program. Like others, I'm a little surprised that it only holds 50 entries. But the storage is seamless. Save a number and it automatically is saved in the base, with all handsets having access (but only one at a time). No separate saves and separate phone books like the old Sony. It's the way it should be.

If this system continues to perform as it has, Panasonic gets two thumbs up from me. I could nitpick all day, but there's nothing about this system that makes me regret the purchase. It's a solid system that sounds good and works smart. For less than $100 I don't know how you could go wrong.

29.) Great set of phones
Reviewed by: D. Hopper Bonaire, GA United States
Rating:
This is my second set of Panasonic talking caller ID phones and I have not been disappointed. I had an older two phone set that worked great but I needed an additional phone for my office. Because of the age of the old sets it was going to cost almost as much to buy an additional phone as I would pay for a brand new four set system. The new system has proven very satisfactory and now I have phones scattered all over the house. I just hope they will last as long as the old sets. The talking caller Id is always on and I love that I can know who is calling even before I look for the phone. It has certainly saved me many steps and unwanted calls. Features are easy to program and phone contains everything I want. Panasonic just makes good quality products.

30.) Very impressed with these phones
Reviewed by: momof2 Northfield, MN USA
Rating:
We have had these phones for about two weeks and couldn't be happier. After reading other reviews, I was worried about the sound quality, but can say that it is clear and loud enough. I don't have it set for the loudest setting and I can hear callers just fine.

The instruction booklet that comes with the phones is very easy to reference - and the phones are very easy to program and adjust settings.

We use the answering machine on the phones as we don't have a separate voice mail service and I love that you can listen to messages from any of the phones. When there is a new message, all phones display "New Message" and a little light flashes on top. A couple of clicks later, you can listen to it, then save it, or delete it.

I highly recommend this phone.



31.) easy to use right out of the box
Reviewed by: Paul Heck Athens, Alabama
Rating:
Trusted the general features, the selling price, and the Panasonic name initially, and we weren't disappointed. The phones are very easy to get up and running, the more advanced features (call blocking, setting up a phone book, etc.) are very intuitive, and the sound quality is fine. These phones do what we wanted and I give them a good recoomendation.

32.) Panasonic's phone is still the best.
Reviewed by: Y. Hsu Lombard, IL United States
Rating:
The first time I bought Panasonic cordless phone was about 10 years ago, during this 10 years I tried other brands of cordless phone and encounter many problems, some of them even started having problem after a month or two, but the first Panasonic one I bought still works.
So this time I decided to spend a little bit more money on this new set and I am very happy about the quality of it. I look forward to use another 10 years of this phone sets.

33.) Excelente
Reviewed by: Jose Antonio Tovar
Rating:
Excelente sistema. Largo alcance y duración de las baterías. Instalación muy fácil y la contestadora trabaja muy bien. Las bases se pueden colocar en la pared para que no ocupen espacio.

34.) good phone
Reviewed by: Buck from Minnesota
Rating:
good product. easy to use. minor complaint (common with competitors also): no indicator of how many messages in cue. Also when a message has been heard one time, there is no reminder that a message exists so my spouse never sees messages if I have accessed them first!

would likely buy again.

35.) Good overall multi-handset phone system
Reviewed by: crazyk
Rating:
I bought these phones to connect to my VOIP provider. I had a set of old Panasonic 2.4GHz phones that I had not used for several years. But I found that I could not use these since they interfered with my wireless network. These are good handsets overall, but I would like better sound quality from them.

Pros:
-Handsets are lightweight, yet still feel well built.
-No interference with 2.4GHz devices
-The screen is large and easy to read
-The Batteries seem to last a long time
-Each set uses two NiMH AAA batteries. The positive terminal on the included batteries has a longer post on the "+" end, so I do not know if standard NiMH AAA batteries will work or not.
-Some people have complained about the menu structure. But I do not find it is overly complicated. I actually find it rather intuitive!
-You can define a timeframe for each handset to not ring. For example, if you do not want the handset in the bedroom to ring past 11:00pm, you can set this.
-Each handset has an alarm function that can be set.
-The phonebook and incoming calls are stored in the base, so each handset has a access to them.
-The clock that is displayed on each handset is synced with the time given by the caller ID data.

Cons:
-Sound quality is not quite as good as a corded phone. (The audio codec that all DECT phones use is G.726.)
-The battery meter is rather inaccurate. (It will show 1 bar and it will be days before I need to recharge.)
-The base has no display, so if you have new messages, you don't know how many just by looking at it.
-If one handset is being used for a conversation, the other handsets cannot access the phonebook.
-Intercom cannot call the base.
-If there are missed calls, the handset display "missed call", but do not state how many calls were missed.
-If you try to charge the AAA batteries in an external battery charger and put them back in the handset, the handset will still issue a low battery warning.

This is a great phone system especially for those of us using VOIP with only phone jack near the cable modem!

36.) Pros outweigh the cons for me
Reviewed by: J. DeSilva Minnesota
Rating:
When I started shopping for a new phone system, I really didn't know how many features I actually cared about until I read some reviews. I realized that I do care about things like an intercom, headphone jack, central address book, wall mounts, etc. Here are my pros cons and other thoughts:

Pros:
Small Footprint
Good Range (got good reception 150' away in detached garage, basement, upstairs)
Headphone Jack
Intercom
Belt Clip
Display is big and easy to see
Sound quality is good
Feels solidly built - not flimsy
Uncluttered keypad
Call blocking works well
Phone can remember what area code you're in. This is handy because my old phone would try to dial all digits of caller ID when returning calls, which would give the "It is not necessary to dial a 1..." message. No more writing the number down in order to call local people back.
Central Phonebook (also many settings made at one handset instantly apply to all handsets).
Wall mountable (main unit and also the handset chargers)
All buttons are illuminated

Cons:
Intercom feature is a bit cumbersome - I miss my vtech dedicated button for this. With this set you have to go into the menu to get to the intercom, then specify which handset to call.
Unable to "name" the handsets - I have to remember that handset 2 is the kitchen, 4 is the garage, etc. My old Vtech system let you assign a name for each handset.
Volume (for both ringer and earpiece/speakerphone) seems just barely adequate. Highest setting seems more like medium on other brands.
Recessed buttons for menu navigation take a little getting used
Talking Caller ID - kind of creepy sounding - turned it off
No answering machine display on the base unit - I can live with this as you can see how many messages you have from the handsets.

Neutral:
Batteries are your garden variety rechargeable AAA size. While it is nice in case I need to replace them in the future, I could also see my kids looting the batteries from these phones for their MP3 players and such. Could become an issue.

Overall I think the pros make this phone system just what I was looking for and I can live with the few cons I found, so I'll be keeping this. It's a great system for the money.


37.) SF
Reviewed by: B. S. Ford Hill Country of Texas
Rating:
The phone is easy to set up and start using. Sound quality is good
and I've used it outside with no problem. The only complaint I have is
the message light is very small and you have to walk up to the phone to
see it. Also, it's yellow and not red, so it doesn't show up from
across the room well.

38.) Phones woek great
Reviewed by: D. Lindauer Clovis, CA, US
Rating:
I read several of the comments on these phones before I purchased them and was concerned about a couple of items that people had problems with. The first was the volume being too low. I have found the volume to be just fine. The second was the audible caller I.D.. I have found this to be annoying as it cannot speak the names correctly.
As far as the rest of the features, the pnone works great. I especially like that it saves the calls that were missed and you can see who called or you can delete all of them at once if it doesn't matter. I have owned several previous models of panasonic and feel that they have gotten better with the additional features over the years. My daughter saw that we had these new phones and liked them so well that she ordered a new set for her home as well.



39.) Did a huge search, first.
Reviewed by: Jane L. Illinois
Rating:
Had to replace our old Panasonic handsets, so I reviewed all of Amazon's Panasonic phone products and previews, searched big box stores and customer ratings, and Panasonic's site, since we were happy with the company. Amazon beat Panasonic's price by $30. Needed 4 handsets, so that helped eliminate some of the choices. Most reviews said the sound quality was poor and as far as listening to messages, everyone was right. It's barely audible unless you pick up the base and listen to it. But, the ring is plenty loud, and the speakers on the handsets (which are positioned on the back), are just a matter of getting used to. I pick up the handset, and hold the speaker to my ear as if i was making a call. I don't have great hearing and it's just fine. Easy set up, after a 7 hour battery charge. Much larger screen than old set, huge time and date and happy with the feature that robotically says the name of the caller after the first ring. Rather amusing mispronunciations but it does the job.

40.) Nice, but a little small
Reviewed by: MeeMaw Pennsylvania
Rating:
My son recommended these phones to us.

We like them overall, but I personally would prefer a phone that is a bit easier to hold on to - I seem to have trouble dropping the phones as there's not much grip-ability.

Also, I like a phone that I can cradle while I'm typing, but these phones are too small for that.

Lastly, I wish the answering machine would show you when you've still got un-erased messages. Sometimes my husband will come home first & see the light blinking & check the messages. Then when I get home I don't see the blinking light & if he doesn't tell me I had a message, I won't know unless I think to push the play button again.

41.) Almost Perfect!
Reviewed by: Snowbird
Rating:
Each handset has speaker phone, which was the most important feature I was looking for. The second most important feature to me is being able to access voice mail from each handset. The price is right which is always important! As other reviewers mentioned, the volume isn't quite high enough, which will be a problem for anyone with hearing loss. Though I haven't put the system to a big test, battery life seems more than adequate. Reception range from base unit is also more than adequate for our purposes. Admittedly, I haven't studied the instruction book, but so far the only message alert I've been able to see is a blinking light on the handsets with "new message" written in the little window. I hope to discover an audible beep I can turn on, but I'm away from the house with this phone system now, so I'll have to wait. I would buy this phone again.

42.) Panasonic
Reviewed by: S. Rich Humboldt IA USA
Rating:
No complaints so far. More time needed to evaluate it accurately. Especially on repair! The Panasonic I had before
that I replaced with this one had the window viewer go bad. When you have telemarketers learning how to skirt around the do not call list you need to have it in working order. The repair bill on the phone was $80.00 but you see I still purchased another Panasonic "because the price was right"! :) I could purchase 4 handsets with answering machine for the price of the repair of one handset. If this set goes bad I would switch to another brand.

43.) pretty good
Reviewed by: sunprism antioch, tn usa
Rating:
great product. works as advertised. speaker phone to soft. have to lay phone on back because it falls over.

44.) DECENT SYSTEM
Reviewed by: Richard A. Skraba
Rating:
THIS PHONE SYSTEM WORKS GREAT FOR AREAS WHERE THERE IS NO PHONE JACKS. IT IS A GOOD SYSTEM OTHER THAN THE VOLUME LEVELS ON THE PHONES AND ANSWER MACHINE ARE LOW, ESPECIALLY FOR ANYONE WHO IS HARD OF HEARING. THIS IS NOT A SYSTEM FOR THOSE WITH HEARING AIDES.

45.) not so great after a few months
Reviewed by: T. Brown Virginia
Rating:
I am happy with the technical performance of these phones but they leave something to be desired from an ergonomics standpoint. Specifically, after a few months of use the rubbery numeral buttons are already starting to cloud over which was one of the reasons I needed to upgrade my old 5.8 GHz phones. Also, the letters and words are already starting to flake off or disappear from the plastic chrome function buttons (TALK, OFF etc.). I have always been a fan of Panasonic but the Vtech DECT 6.0 phones (I also bought to use as my magic jack phone) appear to be a more durable product. The Vtech buttons are hard with the characters embedded under clear plastic.

46.) It's not as good as older Panasonic phones
Reviewed by: H. Heinrich
Rating:
This was a replacement for a 7 year old Panasonic phone. Sound quality doesn't come close to the old one. Materials are becoming cheaper every year. I do like the fact that these newer phones use the cheaper rechargeable batteries. I thought I'd get used to not knowing how many total messages I have on the answering machine (seems like none of the phones have this feature anymore) - it has been six weeks and I still miss that display.

47.) Refurb is good ... but ...
Reviewed by: noel49 Original, USA
Rating:
The refurbished units are perfectly new looking, but as others have said, Panasonic did not take the trouble to clear out messages. Harummmpphhh.

48.) phone
Reviewed by: A. Davis Stillwater, MN
Rating:
The features are great, but the sound quality is not as good as my old Toshiba phone.

49.) For a Panasonic..it isnot that great
Reviewed by: Mandar Mandar
Rating:
It is a good phone system but that is what you expect if you are buying Panasonic.
The big drawback I experienced was it can store only 50 phone numbers, that is toooooo less in this time and age.

50.) Dropped Calls
Reviewed by: Doc Robin Palo Alto CA
Rating:
This phone frequently drops calls, sometimes after a few seconds. On other blogs a number of reviewers complain of the same problem.

51.) Base Problems
Reviewed by: D. Brookins Atlanta, Ga.
Rating:
Purchased Panasonic 6.0 Model TG6434 last week and the system stopped working after several hours. Couldn't make outgoing calls ( Rcvd recording that number can not be completed as dialed). Called phone company and Panasonic to trouble shoot. Phone line okay and Panasonic suggested maybe a short in base unit. Returned unit to Amazon for replacement. Rvcd. second unit and it stopped working after two days..same problem. Again, no one could give us an answer to problem??? Plugged in old cordless Uniden system and it works just fine. Again, returning unit for full refund.

52.) don't buy
Reviewed by: farmboy USA
Rating:
Have had these phones for about a year and none of them will stay charged. Would not recommend buying.

53.) Poor quality, too complicated to use, sorry inst.booklet
Reviewed by: smart shopper 30144 Atlanta, GA
Rating:
I bought this set refurbished with 2 add'l handsets from another online retailer. The price was excellent. I wish the phone system was. To begin with, the inst. book gives instructions to register each handset thru a series of button pushing sequences. The problem is THE BUTTONS NAMED (in the instrucitons) DO NOT APPEAR ON THE HANDSET !!!! With my old Uniden set, all I had to do was put the handset in the base charging unit for 30 seconds and BOOM...The extension set was "registered" on the system. Not so with Panasonic. Also the intercolm feature is so complicated that family members do not want to even try to learn how to use it, IF I ever could even figure out how to register the 5 extension handsets. And do we really need an alarm feature that has the prerecorded message "time for dinner" or "time to pick the kids up from school"??? If my husband had not written sarcastic notes all over the inst. book highlighting the glaring instruction errors, this phone set would be returned. As it stands now, it will be donated to a local charity for a tax writeoff and I'm ordering a Uniden cordless phone set which is what I should have done in the first place ! Lesson learned: more features is not necessarily a good thing.

Features of Panasonic Dect 6.0 4-Handset Cordless Phone with Answering Machine (KX-TG6434T)

Panasonic KX-TG6434T Dect 6.0 Cordless Phone with Answering Machine

1.) Answering Machine;
2.) Talking Caller ID;
3.) Handset Speakerphone;
4.) Lighted Keypad;
5.) Comes with 4 Handset, expandable up to 6 Handsets;

Package Height x Length x Width: 9.1 in. x 9.1 in. x 7.1 in.
Package Weight: 3.6 lbs.

Accessories for Panasonic Dect 6.0 4-Handset Cordless Phone with Answering Machine (KX-TG6434T)