Customer Reviews

Panasonic Dect 6.0 Titanium Black Cordless Phone (KX-TG6411T)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It's kinda hard to find a "simple" cordless phone these days -- either the manufacturers want to sell you 2, 3, or 4 at once, or they want to include a bunch of extra features (answering machines, multi-line capabilities, etc.) that you don't need.

The Panasonic here is different: It really is a "basic" phone, and the execution is superb. Voice quality is excellent, and while I might have done the user-interface slightly differently, it is at the level that anyone can pick up the phone and figure out how to, e.g., add or use address book memories without having to look at the instructions. (The full dot-matrix LCD -- in a pleasing blue on gray color -- helps here.)

Most of the time I use this while in front of a computer, so I use the (very inexpensive) Panasonic headset that Amazon sells (it's just a standard 2.5mm plug, so it'll work with most standard cell phones or cordless phones) to keep both hands free. Works great...

You can purchase additional "extension" units for this phone if you do want more than one, although in those cases it probably makes more sense (e.g., would save money) to buy one of the "multi-packs" initially.

Quick Take: If you want a modestly priced, reliable phone without an answering machine, this phone is a good choice. The second handset model Panasonic Dect 6.0 Dark Grey Cordless Phone (KX-TG6412M) is also nice for putting a phone where you don't have a jack. (KX-TG6411 is single handset version).

DETAILS:

I am a long time user, and fan, of Panasonic wireless telephone equipment. Until recently, I was using a higher end version of their DECT wireless phones. But I had one frustration - I was unable to fully disable the answering machine function on my higher end unit. If it got enough rings, it would turn itself on. This is the first truly bone-headed feature I have seen from Panasonic. But I digress.

In order to solve my need to NOT have an answering machine, I set out looking for a phone without that feature. To my surprise, an answering machine free phone is very difficult to find! Finally, I came upon this unit. Not only did it not have the feature I didn't want, it was a DECT technology phone (meaning it would get along well with other equipment in my home) and it was made by a brand I liked.

When I got the unit home, it just got better. I was able to register the units from my more expensive Panasonic system with the new base unit, and they worked just great.

Since there is so little difference in the typical price between the dual handset (KX-TG6412) and the single handset (KX-TG6411) why not spoil yourself? You know you've always wanted a phone next to your royal throne!

One final note. If you are tired of "scammer" phone calls - "auto warranties", "credit card rate reducers", fake "bill collectors", fake "irs agents", fake "charities", and all of the other low life tricksters, this phone is for you. Just add them to the phone's "call block list" and they will be filtered out (assuming you have caller id service). It works much better than that "fake call block" from the phone company that doesn't accept most of the numbers you want to block.

In many ways, this is a perfectly good phone. The display is easy to read. Sound quality is good. There aren't a lot of bells and whistles, but I wasn't looking for them.

My chief compliant is that the battery life is quite short. I bought this phone when I work from home for my job. I spend a lot of time on calls. It has a limit of about 90 minutes of steady use before it gets ready to stop working altogether. Even though I have a headset, when it's in its charger you can't use the phone. And it takes several hours (4 - 7) for it to get fully recharged. This just isn't good enough.

I wanted a simple cordless phone without an answering machine, without multiple handsets, without a built-in jacuzzi or bread machine or MP3 player, just a phone. This one has a nice compact design and pretty decent sound quality - although of course not as good as a corded phone. Along with many other Japanese consumer products however, especially those from Panasonic it seems, the menu system and owner's manual are so wacky that you could entertain guests at a party just by reading the instructions out loud. Example: This phone has Caller ID. Let's say I want to check who a missed call was from. So this is how you do it. Ready? Here we go:

Press Menu
Press #
Press 2
Press 1
Press 3
Press Down

There you are! Only SIX buttons to remember in order to look at your last missed call! And there are dozens of these three-number codes for different phone settings - but nowhere in the owner's manual is there a chart of all of them in one place. Panasonic tends to produce reliable hardware, but their manual-writing and user interfaces are really bad. Perhaps it's a disconnect between the culture of Japan and the US. Or perhaps they just don't get it. Three stars.

(I have rated this 4 stars because the dual handset version (5 stars) is a much better value, the unit itself is great.)

Quick Take: If you want a modestly priced, reliable phone without an answering machine, this phone is a good choice. The second handset model Panasonic Dect 6.0 Dark Grey Cordless Phone (KX-TG6412M) is also nice for putting a phone where you don't have a jack. (KX-TG6411 is the single handset version).

DETAILS:

I am a long time user, and fan, of Panasonic wireless telephone equipment. Until recently, I was using a higher end version of their DECT wireless phones. But I had one frustration - I was unable to fully disable the answering machine function on my higher end unit. If it got enough rings, it would turn itself on. This is the first truly bone-headed feature I have seen from Panasonic. But I digress.

In order to solve my need to NOT have an answering machine, I set out looking for a phone without that feature. To my surprise, an answering machine free phone is very difficult to find! Finally, I came upon this unit. Not only did it not have the feature I didn't want, it was a DECT technology phone (meaning it would get along well with other equipment in my home) and it was made by a brand I liked.

When I got the unit home, it just got better. I was able to register the units from my more expensive Panasonic system with the new base unit, and they worked just great.

Since there is so little difference in they typical price between the dual handset (KX-TG6412) and the single handset (KX-TG6411) why not spoil yourself? You know you've always wanted a phone next to your royal throne!

One final note. If you are tired of "scammer" phone calls - "auto warranties", "credit card rate reducers", fake "bill collectors", fake "irs agents", fake "charities", and all of the other low life tricksters, this phone is for you. Just add them to the phone's "call block list" and they will be filtered out (assuming you have caller id service). It works much better than that "fake call block" from the phone company that doesn't accept most of the numbers you want to block.

I have used many different brands of cordless phones over the years, and their reception or battery-life always failed, way too quickly. However, the Panasonics have stood the test of time. I still use my Panasonic KX-TG2622 2.4 GHz Digital Cordless Telephone with Dual Handsets on my ooma VoIP system second line, and I use this newer set on my ooma primary line. This model is an improvement on the other because it has a headset jack, updates all handsets simultaneously, and does not get as grungy-looking, but the older set has served us for 3 or 4 years with absolutely no problems.

Pros for the Panasonic DECT 6.0, both single and set (I recommend at least 3 handsets: Panasonic DECT 6.0 Expandable Cordless Telephone KX-TG6413T)

- great color, black or grey
- buttons labeled with good contrast for those with low-vision, and numbers on screen are very large
- lightweight
- lighted keypad
- headset jack
- ringer volume range
- great reception
- battery life
- expandable
- my callers don't even realize they're on speakerphone
- ability to intercom another handset if you have more than one on same line
- ability to put a call on hold, pick it up on another handset, and the first handset is disconnected automatically
- no interference with anything in my household, including my wireless network, even though the base is sitting right next to computer/modem/router/etc.
- program or edit a number in the memory of one handset, and it will update them all simultaneously

Cons (minor):

- Why does Panasonic not seem to understand that a simple ringer on/off button is so much better than surfing the menus?
- viewing missed calls could be made simpler, though it's not as many menu clicks as it is on my cell phone
- still has a limit on the phonebook of only 50 numbers
- ringer choices
- I tend to inadvertently hit the Talk and Off buttons which are right below the difficult-to-see softkeys when I want to use a softkey feature
- like my older Panasonic, the handsets do not seem to be designed for comfortable long-term use, though this one is more comfortable than the other.

This is a fantastic buy for the price. It is a full featured, expandable phone (up to six handsets I believe), and does not have an answerer (who doesn't have voicemail?). The sound quality is excellent - best I have experienced. The base is tiny and unobtrusive and the handset light. The batteries are NiMH AAA and included! No need to buy an expensive proprietary battery. NiMH batteries also don't have the memory effect that NiCD batteries do. I still recommend that you not charge up your phone every night (unless you talk A LOT!), but battery issues should not be a problem with this phone. And if it is, replacements are <$10 away. How cool??? It is well-priced here at Amazon. The display is the nicest I have seen on a Panasonic phone, and I have used several: the text is very readable, and quite larger than my previous Panny phones. This phone also includes the belt clip, which was not included in some previous phones. I like it!

Now the niggles that take it down from a 5 (likely a 4.5 really). Still a bear to enter stuff manually into the phone book. Pretty lame choices for ring tones. Most critically, I am not sure if it is my ear anatomy or not, but I tend to form a suction effect on the headset such that at times I am unable to hear, I move the phone, it pops off my ear and I can hear again. I just need to remember to keep it loosely near my ear, not "clamped on" tight...

I highly recommend this phone, very very impressed.

I bought one of these at Fry's last week. It seemed just about perfect for me -- slim, lightweight, has a HEADSET JACK (a requirement for me), and several nice features, including very large display characters, which is nice for my middle-aged eyes. Really, I LOVE that feature!

When I first opened the package and saw that the batteries consisted of two AAA rechargables, my heart sank, as I normally would expect a single, sturdier battery in a cordless phone, but I told myself that battery technology has come a long way and it might be okay, especially since it made the phone lighter. BZZZZZZZZZZZZT The battery life on this phone is ABYSMAL! After charging overnight the first time, I spoke for not quite 3 hours total whereupon the battery bars dwindled to only 1 bar, and it kept beeping at me and informing me that it needed to be charged for yet another 7 hours. I was hoping that was a first-day fluke that would be remedied by longer charging. Alas, two days later I spoke on it for less than ONE HOUR and the bars abruptly shifted from full to only 1 bar and it started beeping at me again. This is TOTALLY unacceptable!

I plan to reluctantly return it next week and start over in my search for a decent, reasonably priced phone with a headset jack. Sigh ...

If you rarely use it and only for a very short time at that, it's a good phone. If you need it to KEEP working after an hour or more, you should look for something else.

The phone is great, but during the initial charging period, the power adapter stopped charging the phone. Go figure.. May be a fluke.. Got replacement, and no problems yet.

When I finally arrived in the 21st century and installed a wireless router, I quickly learned I needed to upgrade my cordless phones to prevent interference. I have a home office that requires only a very basic phone, so I chose this Panasonic model, and I've been completely happy with it. I can't rate the battery life yet, as I've had it for only a few weeks, but I can say it can stay off the charger for several days and still work fine. I also often need to talk on it for several hours in a row for training sessions and, again, it lasts with no problem. Setting up and using the phone book is very straightforward and intuitive, and the display is clear and easy to read in varying light levels. I also like the titanium black color. I can't speak to the quality of manual, since I was able to set up and begin using the phone without looking at the documentation; the manual is still in the plastic sleeve it arrived in. If you need a single-line, single-handset phone with no answering machine, I highly recommend this one.