Customer Reviews

Panasonic KX-TG5633B 5.8 GHz FHSS GigaRange Digital Cordless Answering System with Three Handsets

5 star:		(98)
4 star:		(48)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I have been using Panasonic's phones for about 15 years now. I have always thought they had good products that lasted a long time, and there were always great features such as the speakerphone in the handsets, fun ringtones, etc. But one thing that irked me to death was the caller-ID functionality. I live in an area where the area code is required to dial all calls. The old phones attached 1's to everything that came through on the caller ID and you had to go through a complicated "editing" process to be able to call back a number that was on your caller ID. FINALLY Panasonic has addressed this and WOW, it WORKS! You simply go to the number on the caller list and push talk and it dials. Hooray! Additionally, if you have entered a number in your phone directory, it will apply the name info you entered to the information coming through on the caller id. You can even set special ring-tones or a designated light color to flash on the antennae for certain callers. Unnecessary but a cool bonus to me!

Another feature that I like, with this being the first multi-handset phone I have purchased, is the ability to build a phone directory into one phone and send it to the other phones in the house remotely. Also, you only need to access one phone line with the main base unit. For the other two phones, you simply plug the base units into the electrical outlet for charging and POOF, you are hooked up!

These phones are sleek, light-weight, have great sound reception, AND we have tested the speaker function both up close and at a distance, even next to the fridge for interference, and the sound quality is impeccable.

This phone system is a great product and an excellent value for the price. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to go cordless all over their house with quality handset units. Panasonic has come a LONG way in the last 5 years with their phone products.

This is a great cordless phone, you would expect nothing less from Panasonic. The clarity is excellent, there is no static interference and the battery life is very good. The 3 handsets are great and of course only one needs a phone jack so you can put them anywhere in the house.

You can customize ring colors, ring tones, caller ID, all great features. You can import your phonebook and copy it to all handsets or just 1. You can listen to your messages from any handset as well as remotely.

My only beef is pretty minor. If you get a call, it says "missed call" on all the phones. Other phones I have had would clear this message on all phones after you viewed it. With this model, you have to clear each individual phone. It is only annoying probably because I am used to it the other way but I can live with it. Clearing the message is very easy.

I just purchased the four handset version of this system last week and I'm very pleased with it. All of the features are convenient and work well and the voice quality is very good. One feature I especially like is that it can store up to 50 names and phone numbers in each handset. And, once programmed in one handset, entries can easily be tranferred to other handsets if desired. Another convenient feature is that the system can be used as an intercom, with any handset calling any other handset. This is the most complete and most convenient phone system I've ever had and I like the quality and reliability of Panasonic products.

I had a Uniden for about two years and it was simply the most aggravating device that I could imagine a company selling under their own name. This Panasonic is really well executed. The best part for me is the speaker phone in the hand set. You can put it in your shirt pocket and carry on a very NATURAL conversation effortlessly. Who needs a head set. It is so much more well thought out then the Uniden too. What an aggravating thing that was.

I've had this phone for just a few days, but I've come to love it for its ease of use and the thoughtfulness that's gone into its design. It is compact, sports a short antenna, and has featurs like visual ring indicator (so you can turn off the audible ringer). Now onto the more interesting features ... With my previous phones, I always used to wonder why they didn't propagate stored phone numbers across the handsets. Secondly, I typically use a calling card to make long distance & international calls and that was a pain because once you dialled the calling card# and started the call, you couldn't dial the stored phone# that you wanted to reach. So need I say how delighted I was to find both these features implemented on this phone! You can choose to copy your phonebook entries across specific handsets or all of them. Secondly, the so-called "chain dial" feature allows you to dial out numbers while you're already into your call.

I bought this phone because it came with 3 handsets and to replace my old VTech. Overall, I like it. If I had to buy it again... I probably wouldn't only because you can't tell if you have a message unless you look at the phone or the answsering machine. My old phone had an auditable message alert. It would beep when there was a message. Very handy if you weren't by the phone. Although each handset shows when you have a message and you can access the message from the handset.

I don't like that if someone is calling and the answering machine picks up, it doesn't play your greeting so you can't tell if the caller hung up or is waiting to leave a message.

I do like that you can transfer the phonebook from one phone to another. However, you have to transfer it to each handset separately. I did figure out how to send the entire phonebook at once so I don't have to transfer each number separately, which was a real pain.

I like that you can edit the caller ID. Meaning if you have a wireless caller and the name doesn't show up, you can manually go in and add the name.

I also don't like that if you answer a call, it still shows up as a missed call on the other handsets. BAD Feature.

I also don't like that on a missed call the caller ID shows the date/time and then alternates between the name and number.

All in all, the phone works well. The feature are good, but need a little fine tuning!

Pros:
1. Good battery life
2. Handset speaker
3. Answering machine access from handset
4. Ability to page people within the house
5. No interference with wireless network (as opposed to 2.4 GHz phones). Actually, I did not have a problem with a 900 MHz phone, but those are out of fashion these days.

Cons:
1. The range is actually much worse than that of my old 900 MHz Sony
2. Phone book has nothing in common with those of the cell phones, which makes it a bit difficult to get used to navigation techniques
3. Paging always causes the destination handset to ring, even when its ringing is switched off
4. There is no power backup option for the base, so during the power outage you cannot receive the calls and you lose the time settings.

I have the previous model and purchased this one because I needed the extra handset it comes with. One thing that dissappointed me about this phone was the lack of a backlit keypad. Calls in the dark are very difficult without this feature that is common on most phones and previous versions by Panasonic. This phone has the same ring tones as the old model. It would have been nice if they added more ring tones since there are very few. The phone is smaller than the previous model but I think the size and buttons are ok since they are still large enough for most people. On the positive side, these phones are among the best on the market because they are very user friendly. I keep one on each floor of my house including the basement. Reception is always very good and the paging feature works perfectly. The new model comes with a few extra bells and whistles you don't need. Changing the color of the message indicator for example. Unfortunately marketing often gets in the way of good design and logic. The caller ID incorrectly shows some missed calls that are picked up on other handsets. This is not a huge problem but it takes a star away from my rating. Panasonic knows about this problem and keeps making newer versions of the phone with the same problem while marketing other useless new features. The lack of the backlit keypad takes away another star. If you don't make calls in the dark and don't care about the caller ID problem this is a 5 star product.

I spend a lot of time reading published reviews, as well as customer reviews before I make any "major" purchases. When both of our cordless Unidens died at the same time, I found myself in the market for a new cordless. I decided that buying cheaper was not the way to go again. I'm tired of disposable phones. My parents have a Panasonic that they have been using for about 12 years now, so it seemed like a good choice. That, and all the positive reviews. I was a little worried after reading the occasional review complaining that the other party couldn't hear unless you spoke very loud and as one reviewer put it, "kissing" the phone. Haven't had any such problem. I really like how the phone is set up more like a cell phone, and so far am very happy with the purchase. I'll get back to you in another 12 years.

We had been fighting with our answering machine and cordless phones
for some time.

We bought this system to replace both, which it has done very nicely.
The 5.8 gHz band provides better coverage than we had seen using
900 mHz. or 2.6 gHz phones.

The programmable ringers on the handsets are nice, if not soothing.
When there's a message on the answering machine, a small ring on the
antenna of each handset blinks. It's a convenient way of reminding
you to retrieve your messages.

Messages can be retrieved from any handset, and the speakerphones
in the handsets are loud and clear.

Battery life is good. We have calls with our boarding-schooled
daughter each week, and volume with two handsets on the call at
once is good.

Phonebook entries can be made on a single handset and transferred
to the others.

Remember not to keep all your eggs in this basket, though. Like
most cordless phones, it will not operate during a power failure,
even if the phone line still works. Panasonic does make a
battery-backed up supply for the base unit (KX-TCA200), but it's
easier to just make sure you always have one old-fashioned wired
phone that doesn't need AC power.

The manual is extensive, 62 pages, and can be a bit daunting. You
can start with the basics and refer to the more-advanced commands
and features as you need them.

On the whole, this is by far the most sophisticated and useful
combination of answering machine and cordless phones we've had.