Customer Reviews

Panasonic KX-TG5673B 5.8 GHz FHSS GigaRange Digital Cordless Telephone with Three Handsets

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was having trouble with my old Panasonic 2.4 GHz interfering with my WiFi, so I needed to upgrade to something using 5.8 GHz. Past experience has shown me that there is a big difference between the phone brands not just in clarity, range, etc. but in phone shape and comfort against the ear as well. I purchased from Costco three different multiple-phone 5.8 GHz sets to try-out: The Panasonic KX-TG5673 (3 phones and most expensive), Uniden TRU 8885-3HS (3 phones, mid-priced) and the VTech mi6896 (4 phones and the cheapest of the bunch).

What I found right away from reading other Amazon reviews and the fine print is that the V-tech uses both 5.8 & 2.4 GHz, so even though I liked the shape and feel of the phones, and the price for four handsets, due to my WiFi interference restrictions, that phone was out of the competition.

I liked the look, feel and buttons on the Uniden best, and it seemed to deliver the clearest sound. However, this handset comes with an integrated antenna, and whenever I put my hand around the top of the phone (as its a small handset, its very difficult not to), or rested the phone between my ear and shoulder, the reception became spotty. Even in unobstructed use, the reception was sometimes poor in the room of my house furthest from the base. As much as I liked this phone and its included decent-quality headset, it was out of the competition due to the reception issues.

The Panasonic phone, although, as one other reviewer noted, is somewhat ugly with the "Voice Enhancer" graphics, performs adequately. The max. volume seem a little low, and the voice tone a little soft, and the buttons not as easy to use with my big hands, but it has an external antenna and I have had no instances of spotty reception. The "Slow-Talk" and "3-color indicator" features seems somewhat gimmicky and I haven't had a need to try them yet. The set did not come with belt-clips for the handsets or a headset accessory, which is disappointing to me. The voice recorder on the answering machine seems a bit tinny as compared to the Uniden, but again, adequate.

Since upgrading to the 5.8 GHz, I haven't had any more dropped calls. My previous Panasonic phones have held-up well despite lots of abuse.

Pros: These phones have excellent reception and all the features listed worked as promised. Installation was a snap. The talking caller ID is in a woman's voice that is loud and clear.

Cons: The talking caller ID only functions after the first two rings, and unfortunately this means you'll probably have to get up and start moving towards the phone before you hear who is calling because waiting until after 2 rings makes for a pretty decent chance of missing the call altogether. Thus, unless the phone is very close to you, the talking caller ID feature is not as useful as it may seem. Further, the handset has 3 lines of text, yet when reviewing a missed call they only show the name of the caller and the number interchangeably - NOT simultaneously. This is the information I want to see the most so it's annoying to have to wait to see the phone number associated with the name. This isn't the case when the phone is actually ringing, then you CAN see both the name and number simultaneously.

I've used Uniden phones recently that had an orange backlight (which was easier to read) and better displayed the caller information. Although they lacked the cool appeal of talking caller ID - I think they are a slightly better value overall. Bottom line: these phones are very functional, but they don't deliver very well on the extras which you'd expect from a set at this price ($170 as of this review).

This is a very nice phone, much better than the other cordless phones I've owned. The call log and redial capability, as well as size, flashing light antenna, and ringer capabilities is very helpful. Easy to use, and feature filled.

Regarding Caller ID only showing after 2 rings, it's a limitation of caller ID, not the phone. Caller ID information doesn't get transmitted until after the 1st ring, so no phone will show caller ID info until it rings at least once.

Sound quality is very good, and I haven't run out of battery so far. The base is somewhat smaller than what I expected from the pictures. The handsets are well designed; on my previous phone it happened that the "mute" function became engaged when I kept the phone between my head and my shoulders - this did not happen with these so far. Speakerphone on the base is a nice feature and makes the phone usable even during power outages. Answering machine works well. Easy to copy phonebook entries between phones.

Bought this phone because my old AT&T cordless bit the dust. Everything about this phone is much better than most phones I've checked out. The only draw back is you cannot adjust the volume of the incoming call. I sometimes have a hard time hearing the person on the other end of the line. Other than that the phone performs just as I thought it would.

I have used the phone system for about three weeks. I am very pleased with the quality of the phones. The audio quality is excellent, even when using two or three phone in a conference mode. The audio level and quality is unchanged for both the caller as well as the user. The digital recorder is great. It is easy to use and the the voice is clear. I highly recommend the phone system.

Pros:

Good solid phone, handsets have decent heft. Sound quality is good.

The "announced" caller ID takes a bit to get used to but is pretty handy once you do.

The menu navigation is pretty easy to understand.

Doesn't seem to interfere with my wireless network at all.

A few complaints but none are killers:

1. The LCD screen on the phone is too dim and the backlight doesn't stay on long enough.
2. When scrolling through the recent call list, the phone numbers are not displayed. The caller ID info is displayed but often it's just generic info and the phone number would really help. Hitting SELECT displays the number but that doesn't help when just searching the list.
3. My old 900 MHz had better range. I have no problems anywhere in the house and I can even go about 25 feet outside my house so the range isn't bad. Just that my old phone let my go a good 100 feet away from the house.

Great phone, very clear sound and good range, NiMH batteries that should last a good while, and an intuitive user interface, at least for someone who had an earlier panasonic phone. The voice caller ID is somewhat useful. Except for this feature, it would probably be better to buy the kx-tg5633, the version without the dial capability on the base.

It's a great phone. Still reading the instructions for it, but it's very user friendly and I LOVE the fact that it has a voice for the user ID. Once you get used to that, you can't own a phone that doesn't have it. With a loud family and a ton of junk calls (we have an at-home business) it's a great way to screen without having to look at the phone. Panasonics are very sturdy. The last one we had lasted for 7 years, with 2 kids throwing it and it's even gotten wet. It finally had it's last thow a month ago and kicked it.

For the most part a very good phone. The talking caller ID is handy, as is the speaker phone capability in each handset. However, if you plan to use it with a headset you won't be happy. The microphone volume is so weak that you can't be heard when using a headset. There's a headset jack in the handset, but for all practical purposes this phone is not useable with a headset.