Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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76 of 81 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I had higher expectations, July 27, 2006
I am an industrial designer, so I look pretty closely at features and design. I bought a 5.8 GHz phone because one of the other users has a very minor hearing impairment, and I was told that a 5.8 GHz will deliver the "best sound". I wanted cordless because I didn't want to be tethered during long calls.
First, the handset volume, at max., is not very loud, even for me. It is clear, but the handset volume is the most disappointing feature of this phone.
Secondly, these days, one is frequently placed on hold after making a call. I'm used to placing the phone back in a cradle or in the base station when this happens and placing the call on Speakerphone, so that the handset can recharge while I'm waiting. Panasonic tells me there's no way to do that without disconnecting the call. It can be left on handset Speakerphone, but not returned to the cradle for re-charging without disconnecting the call.
Thirdly, I was surprised at how small the phone and handsets actually are. There's certainly less to cradle in one's shoulder.
Finally, the silver coating on the round button with the arrows pointing if 4 directions is already chipped on the edge. Doesn't portend well for how that coating will hold up.
This is far from being an excellent product! I am tempted to return it, but I don't see another 5.8 GHz product that has received wonderful reviews.
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32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Maybe Not Perfect -- But What Is?, May 30, 2008
Having just bought and installed the TG6700B after hours of research, I thought my preliminary take might be helpful to others.
Where I'm coming from: I've owned cordless phones almost as long as they've been around. I was looking to replace a VTech model, bought just a few months ago, that truly sucks.
My needs: are pretty basic. Two-line service plus an answering machine, two extensions. I don't use Caller ID, Conference Calling, Call Waiting or any of the dozens of other advanced features of modern telecommunications, and I'm too polite ever to put someone on hold to answer the other line!
In the past, I've always met my needs with a three-box solution: two separate cordless phone systems plus a dedicated A/M. The TG6700B is what you might call a 1 1/2-box solution: a main base unit and A/M in one under its own handset, plus an extension handset that relies on the same base unit. I had reservations about going with an expandable system: I was afraid the integral A/M would be second-rate compared to a dedicated machine, and I was worried that the extension handset, not having its own hardwired connection to the phone lines but relying on the radio signal from the main base quite a distance away, wouldn't work well.
I didn't even know there were expandable systems until I did this research. I learned that there isn't a huge choice, these days, in 2-line cordless phones -- less choice than ever, it seems to me -- and that there isn't any one system that users are wildly enthusiastic about. I also discovered that RCA has just launched the first 2-line DECT phone, but I didn't consider it for long -- I'm not convinced DECT is the answer to cordless prayers that it's hyped to be. I know that, in countries that have had DECT a while, health concerns are beginning to emerge regarding the technology; I also know that the sound quality, incoming and outgoing, of the DECT phone my mom has had for a year or so is horrible.
In the end I went for the TG6700B because it seemed, overall, to be earning better online user reviews than most other models. Also, I've owned Panasonics in the past and found them reliable.
The TG6700B has a sleek, compact design and a digital A/M with 60 minutes of recording time, which is pretty much state-of-the-art. The A/M does NOT have multiple mailboxes. A year ago, when I bought my last A/M, I would have considered that a big disadvantage -- I live in a 3-person household, and also work from home. But in fact we'd found that most callers didn't understand -- or were too lazy to use -- the discrete mailboxes we'd set up on our AT&T machine, and that it was no big deal for any of us either way.
What the TG6700B DOES have is a sound quality that is the best I've ever experienced, both on the A/M (incoming messages and the computer-voice instructions) and on the handsets -- even the extension handset, which is parked on a different floor and about 30 feet away from the main base, and is typically 40-45 feet away from the main base in use. Assuming that holds up, it makes the TG6700B a winner in my book.
Finally, a few words about the typical criticisms of the TG6700B you'll find on the web:
"You can't turn the handset volume up high enough": I've had no trouble hearing callers at the default volume (i.e. without turning it up at all). Maybe the critics have hearing difficulties.
"The construction is cheesy": It's true that the base and handsets are compact compared to earlier cordless phones -- that's the trend in consumer electronics. But they're not unattractive, and they don't seem to me to be particularly fragile or prone to breaking. I have no trouble working the buttons on the handset, and no one has ever accused me of having dainty fingers.
"Setup could be easier": Perhaps. I can't speak about setting up the bells-and-whistles features; as I've said, I don't use them. There are one or two ways basic setup could be more user-friendly, but in the end the difference is between spending 5 minutes and 10 minutes on a onetime activity.
"The user manual needs improving": True. I had a problem with one setup issue, and couldn't find the solution either in the manual or on Panasonic's website. Had to call tech support. But I got a toll-free agent quickly, and she solved the problem inside of a minute.
"The handset is too small to hold between shoulder and ear for hands-free use": Maybe so. As someone who has never been big on getting cricks in the neck, I prefer to hold my handsets in my hands. This one does fit comfortably in the hand.
All in all, I'm very happy so far. I'd be surprised if there was a better 2-line cordless on the market. And particularly if you need more than one extension...
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Save your Money, September 23, 2006
I am looking for a system to replace a Siemens 8825.
The 8825 has, in my opinion, the best set of functions of anything
currently available but I have some reliability issues with it. I first tried the Motorola 7081 and found that unsatisfactory.
My next attempt was the Panasonic KX-TG6700B. This phone has decent volume and clarity at the base. The handset has good clarity and range but the volume could use a little help. The base layout is ok but the way you turn on the answering machine at the base is silly. The handset feels light and chintzy. The clarity of the outgoing messages on the answering machine is poor. The base is ugly; what were they thinking?
Anyway, it ok, not wonderful. But since I couldn't get the answering machine to save messages on either line (it's defective) I sent it back. Back to the drawing board.
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