Customer Reviews

Panasonic KX-TG9382T 2-Line Expandable Digital Cordless Phone with Answering System, Metallic Black, 2 Handsets

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I upgraded this phone system from an earlier Panasonic 2.4 Ghz multi-line, multi-handset phone. I was getting lots of static from my Wi-Fi setup and all I read said that DECT would fix that. I replaced my system with this one and sure enough, the reception problems were gone!

Of course, I then learned that many other functions that were in the old phone were now gone.

*Ability to have two lines to have two different ring lengths for each line (2 vs 4) - GONE (Now both lines have to have the same # of rings - we used to have one 2/4 Tollsaver and the other 8 rings)

*Ability for one-click access to address book? - GONE

*Ability for one-click access to caller ID list - GONE

*Ability to have a headset plugged in and switch back & forth to speakerphone- GONE

*Blinking text to show you have an unread message - GONE* (*It does say 'new message', but doesn't blink. Since it usually ends up saying 'missed call' unless you clear out the Caller ID every day, its hard to tell the difference between 'new message' and 'missed call' at a distance, unlike the blinking that it used to have)

What have we gained, besides the better reception?

*Bluetooth that only works with base, not any handsets, and must be re-paired every time you turn on the bluetooth headset - FAIL

*Call screening on all handsets - all handsets now use speakerphone when caller leaves a message. I do like this.

That's all I can think of. I'm not disappointed enough to send it back, but I wish they hadn't removed so many features and just upgraded the network band only.

I received the phone today so below are only my initial thoughts. I ordered the phone on Monday and received it Tuesday. Talk about fast shipping via Amazon directly (not a third party seller)!

Looks: The phone looks great. No antennas sticking out on the base nor phone. Very light-weight and the phone comes with a belt clip (one for each hand set) that is actually easy to attach.

Ringer: Personally I find the ringer options lacking. There is no standard phone ring. Yes, they're roughly 8 to choose from, but none are your "good old" standard sounding ringer.

Headphone Jack: There is a place so you can use a corded head phone. However, the plastic which covers the input is going to be a potential problem as it doesn't move completely out of the way unless you force it. You can also use BLUETOOTH! I have yet sync my bluetooth headset but hopefully it works great.

Caller ID: I'm not sure why they changed the set up from the other panasonic phones I've owned. You can not simply see the caller ID by pushing down on the directional arrow keypad. You now have to select menu then view caller ID. I HATE the way they changed this. It may only be a simple push of a button, but it is much more convenient to access your caller ID without having to press a menu button.
Voice mail: The phone advertises that you can check your "phone company" voice mail from the phone. Well yes you can, but you still have to dial your access number so I'm not sure how this is any different than any other phone. I was under the impression the phone would show how many voice mails you have and give you a way to access them easily. I think it simply shows you have voicemails messages. Yet, most phone companies alert you via a tone or 3 short dial tone sounds so not sure what the point is here. I initially thought I could simply press a button and access my voice mail and I could see how many messages I have. So far I don't think that is the case. That was actually something I was looking forward to.

Unless I'm missing something, then this feature shouldn't be mentioned because it isn't a feature! Someone correct me if I'm wrong :) T

Answering Machine: I have to test this out some more but the one message I did hear seemed a little low. I listened rather quickly and promptly deleted the message because I was in the middle of doing something else. Thus, I didn't get a good feel on how well the message played back.

Head Set Volume: So far it seems plenty loud. I've only had few conversations since the phone still needed to be charged.

Charging: Let the phone charge for 7 hours. This is the suggested time.

Night Feature: I love the fact you can program the phone so it doesn't ring at night. For instance, you can program it so at 10pm you don't hear the ringer and so at 6am it starts ringing again. The only downside is you can't set different times for different days of the week (i.e the work week you may want the ringer to not ring earlier in the night, opposed to the weekends when you may be up later. Same applies for the morning, you may wake up earlier during the week and later on the weekend). That really should have been an option.

I will post and or edit as I am able to use the phone more tomorrow!

I hope others chime in as well.

I am very pleased with this product. It was very easy to setup, in fact it only took about 30 minutes and that included transferring my cell phone book. The phone seems to work great with my bluetooth headset with minimal interference. I had a AT&T bluetooth phone prior and though my listeners could hear me, I had significant interference and static. This phone does not have bluetooth on the handset only with the base, a slight drawback but not enough to be disappointed. The menu setup was easy and not too complicated with too many options to manage. The manual is needed to clarify what each item does but in general, it was easy to read. I am using it as a 2 line phone in a home office and the speaker on the base is clear and easy to use. The handset speaker is not quite as strong as others I have used but that's not too big a deal since I mostly use the base for speakerphone. Plus, the bluetooth is the real benefit. I like that you can use your voicemail service or the base unit and it can be optional on either line.

For the past 8 years I have only bought Panasonic phones because the quality was so great. I bought this phone because it had the ability to handle 2 lines and it was a Panasonic. That being said I'm very disappointed in the KX-TG9381. The battery life is very short. The menu system is not easily navigated. The handset will just turn off for no apparent reason. Turn off might not be the best word, it's like the handset will randomly reboot. I have changed the batteries many times but this still continues to happen. One of the best features on Panasonic phones was the ability to quickly view the caller id log by pressing down on the center pad. That is no longer the case with this model. If most of my problems are due to a defective handset I would rate this with 3 stars.

I had been waiting for Panasonic to offer a 2-line DECT cordless phone and was looking forward to replacing my old 5.8GHz model (KX-TG6502). But this product is a big disappointment. The reception range, which I had expected to exceed that of the 5.8GHz model, was in fact decidedly worse. That by itself was a disqualifier. The default ring tones are hard to take, and the operating manual does not explain in understandable terms how to select a different tone. The shiny black surface is less attractive than the matte black surface of my old model. The handsets are harder to use because the buttons are smaller and more difficult to find in low light.

Overall, this product does not measure up to Panasonic's usual standard for cordless phones. I sent it back for a refund. If you decide to buy it, I recommend that you carefully preserve all the packing materials in case you have the same reaction that I did.

I bought this after extensive research online looking for a replacement for my great 10-year-old Sony 2-line phone that is not made anymore. This was the best unit I could find. It works okay, but really lacks some basic stuff. Here are some gripes:

Being a 2-line phone, I want the answer machine to keep track of messages for both lines separately. Like millions of others, I have a home office and want to keep my business messages separate from home calls. Instead, this phone lumps all your messages together and doesnt bother to tell you how many messages you have. DUMB! A message counter for each line could have been easily placed in the LCD so you can quickly tell how many messages on which line.

When the phone is idle, the screen displays "Missed call" constantly. You will always have a missed call at some point, but why on earth would I want this display on the base and each handset all the time. Perhaps that's the real name for this phone: the "Panasonic Missed Call."

The handset is fairly small and uses the same straight design that seems to be used by every manufacturer these days. Maybe they are all trying to make them look like cell phones. My old phone has a nice comfortable curved shape the really fit your ear nicely. this one is like putting a stick on your face. The buttons are not the best either -- tiny and poorly labeled. The "off" button and "line 2" are too close to each other.

You have to select either line 1 or line 2 before you can make a call. This is an exra step that should be uneccesary because you can set each handset to have a default line, so why should I still have to select the line again before placing a call.

The bluetooth feature was the only technological advance over my 10-year-old phone and was of no use to me. If anyone finds a better 2-line home office phone, please share it with us.

I have the panasonic installed and am using it. It works great, has a great distance, and is always clear. HOWEVER, it is terrible to do anything but talk on it. To look for caller-id takes at least 3 steps, it does not have a beep for phone messages, I still have not conferenced the two lines because it is not obvious (I have 30+ years of programming experience so I should be able to use it.) My wife was so unhappy with the phones that she had me reinstall the UNIDEN 2 line phone system along side the panasonic. I have entered numbers in the phone book at the base, however to get them to the handsets it appears you need to transfer each one individually. The human interface for this phone is completed unacceptable. I will not buy another panasonic device without extensive research, and then only if a comparable one is not available from another manufacturer.

I am shocked that a company like panasonic would release a product like this, it is terrible to use. mike s.

Well, I've only had this product about a week. This is my first impression. The phone is sleek, and well laid out. set-up is fairly simple. Call quality is clear, and Range is OUTSTANDING!! I have some acerage, and my shop is 400-500 ft from the house. I placed the base in my office on the second floor at the back of the house. I had clear reception IN THE SHOP!! way, way, way better than my 5.8 GHZ phones!!! Over-all good phone...if it works for you. The Bluetooth feature is cool, and works pretty well, but ONLY works from the base (only mentioned on the packaging, not on amazon's description) and is only good for about 30ft...Max. if you have a smaller area, or just want to use it in your office, it's fine. Would have been ultra-cool to have the bluetooth paired to handsets, so I could put the phone on my belt and work "hands-free" around the house, or shop. Wired headsets will work, but i'm always catching them on something, and other competitors have that feature also. One of the main reasons I chose this unit is because I needed a two-line cordless phone for a big house (6000FT), and it also claimed to be able to import up to 600 contacts from your cell phone via bluetooth. Well, I guess it will, but NOT FROM AN IPHONE...LIKELY THE MOST POPULAR PHONE ON THE PLANET!!! HELLOOO!! This was a HUGE oversight by Panasonic in my opinion, and hopefully they will upgrade this on future models. Also, there is a small LED on the top of each handset that lights up when the phone rings or when the battery is charging. My Uniden would cause the light to blink if I had messages waiting, cool feature. Not so on the Panasonic, now I have to pick up the handset and physically initiate (power-up) and check the LCD screen to see if I have any messages...too bad. Also, the some of the handset buttons don't light up, like the talk, end, flash and hold buttons (you have to feel your way to the buttons), kind-of important in the dark! If we could just get Steve Jobs to design a cool (afordable) home/business phone 2-4 line capable, with contact management from Outlook or some other computer-based program, that had good range, great call/voice quality, and would accept a bluetooth headset...it would likely be the most popular one available! Siemens makes a pretty cool phone that does most of these things, but the base unit is $195...and so are each of the additional handsets(well, $160), and I need 5 total (thats over $800!) Plus, I would like to have a keypad on the base and a corded handset in case of sudden power outages, or a dead handset battery. I'm going to return this phone and try the Uniden DECT4096. No bluetooth, but other cool features! I'll update this post later!!

I needed to replace my many years old Panasonic 2.4Ghz 2-line cordless set up because I needed extra handsets and they are no longer made.

It is truly sad to see that Panasonic has joined the legions of manufacturers who have downgraded their products.

The phone succeeds in its basic purpose as a phone: you can place and receive telephone calls with it. Range is adequate and voice quality is good.

Beyond that, Panasonic removed all the outstanding features its cordless 2-line phones were known for.

This is a two-line system that will handle a half-dozen handsets. You'd think that, as in the past, there would be the facility to set up separate voicemail boxes for a number of recipients (i.e., mom, dad, junior, sis and so on).

Nope. Not anymore. Major fail on this one.

Operational efficiency? Used to be. Not anymore. Now it's at least three button presses, some involving multiple keys to get anything done. Retrieving messages is a complex undertaking - and if you leave a message in your voicemail, the "Missed Call" warning on the LCD never goes away.

While audio quality is good, audio volume is awful. Any noise in the background and you're going to be constantly saying "What?" and "Sorry, I didn't understand that".

Dial pad key size seems somewhat reduced from earlier versions which may represent a problem for some.

Overall, having used this for two days, it simply doesn't measure up to the older Panasonic 2-line cordless systems and, after I return this one and restore the old Panasonic, I'll be looking for a replacement which more than likely won't be Panasonic. Hard to believe that Panasonic would put out a design monstrosity like this one. My faith is shaken.

8/31/10

Having used these phones for several days, I would, if I could, change my rating to 1-star 9and it looks like Amazon has changed things so I can.

Panasonic has ruined this product with its "improvements". Audio volume is simply insufficient. Every action requires too many keystrokes. The menu system can be described with a single word: stupid. The unfortunate thing is that the competitive units seem to be lacking as well. Frankly, this may be the straw that tilts me toward getting rid of my landlines and switching completely to cellular.

9/11/10

I returned it. The biggest problem is the lack of audio. First time I have ever returned a Panasonic product. I hope it is not a harbinger of the future.

Jerry

This phone works reasonably well but has two design flaws:

1. The buttons are shiny chrome and so the legends on them are completely illegible. You have to tilt the phone this way and that to catch the light just so in order to see which button is which.

2. The answering system does not tell you which line the call came in on. Regardless of the line it always announces the call as "Line 1 and Line 2".

Otherwise works pretty well.