Panasonic KX-TG2481B Phone: DEFINITELY Not Worth the Money!
Written: Aug 27 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: light, portable, discreet, combo phone
Cons: Expensive, signals get crossed, not worth it!!!
The Bottom Line: Not a good phone for someone who uses the phone constantly. Not worth the money.
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| Candice923's Full Review: Panasonic KX TG2481S 2.4 GHz 1-Line Cordless Phone |
I make my living working from home. I'm an independent contractor in many ways: writing, retail, I'm even a "telephone psychic" on Keen.com. (Go ahead and laugh. I'm laughing all the way to the bank.) I do the majority of my business on the telephone. So, it makes sense for me to have a reliable telephone.
Right now, the phone that I have is the Panasonic KX-TG2481B. It is a black, push-button phone that is 2.4 GHz. The handset weighs just 7.2oz. It is black and completely made out of plastic. Even the antenna, which is immobile, is made of plastic.
The base setting is also black and has a built-in, digital answering machine. You have the option of using a pre-recorded message or you can personalize the outgoing message with one of your own. The display screen blinks with the number of new messages you have. After you listen to them, the number of messages stays steady. It will alert you of new messages with a red blinking light, too.
The answering machine is very easy to use. There are three black buttons: Play/Pause, Fast Forward and Rewind. There is a gray button, which is the Of/On button. You have the option of 2 rings, 4 rings or "toll saver" (4 rings if you don't have any messages, 2 rings if you do). It's a compact machine that fits the handset with a little extra for the answering machine part. It can fit discreetly on any shelf or counter. You can also mount it on your wall, but it is difficult to keep the handset from falling off.
The handset has a clip attachment that comes with the phone. Once you clip it on, however, it won't come off. The clip is durable plastic that has a ridge so it stays attached to whatever you clip it to. I usually clip it on my pants pocket.
The handset also has a place where you can attach a headphone. This is where I found the most problems with the phone. You have to pull back the rubber piece that covers the plug, then plug in the headset that you are using. The rubber flips back up and often unplugs the headset from the phone. This results in a high-pitched beeping in the ear of the person that you're talking to. Short of ripping out the rubber part from the phone, there isn't much that you can do except hold the plug in while using the headset. (So much for "hands-free," which defeats the purpose of a headset altogether.)
The battery of the handset doesn't last very long at all. I have my phone off the hook for at least 5 hours at a time, and the battery just dies. You will hear three, rapid beeps when the battery is fading to warn you that your phone call is going to be cut off. There is also a battery bar in the handset display which shows you the amount of "juice" you have left.
Another complaint about this phone is that it picks up other radio signals and phone conversations. I can't tell you how many times I've been on the phone, then suddenly hear someone else's conversation. I don't understand why this happens, but it is very frustrating.
This signal from the Panasonic KX-TG2481B also interferes with my internet connection. I have a cable modem and a computer with a wireless connection. Once someone gets on the Panasonic KX-TG2481B, the internet connection is lost. This is very frustrating, especially for a person who does ALL of their business on the telephone and internet combined.
Fortunately, I didn't purchase this phone myself. Craig actually shelled out the full $99.95 plus tax for this horrid device. It's almost as bad as the Uniden EXI 376 900 MHZ, but there are other features. These other features include:
24 Channel Auto Channel Scanning
Lighted Handset Keypad
Backlit 3-Line LCD on Handset
50 Station Caller ID Memory and Dialer
Navigator Key
Low Battery Indicator
2-Way Paging/Automatic Intercom
Out of Range Indicator
Flash/Redial/Pause
Remote Channel Switching
NiCd Battery
Reversible Handset Charging
Voice Scramble
One-Touch Dialer
Handset Locator
Programmable Tone/Pulse
Handset Volume (Low/Med/High)
Ringer Control (Off/Low/High)
Unfortunately, none of the 24 channels give me a clear call. Not even in the middle of the night-- I still pick some other signals up. This just doesn't make me feel very secure.
For $99.95, you would think that the Panasonic KX-TG2481B cordless phone would be a lot better. Unfortunately, it's not. It's a good phone for a person who just needs a phone and digital answering machine without all the frills. However, for someone like me, I need my phone to be a bit better.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
Candice923
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Location: Brookhaven, NY
Reviews written: 707
Trusted by: 200 members
About Me:
Is it true? Do I have my own TV show??? Stay tuned!
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