Panasonic KX-TG8021

Why I bought this phone

When it comes to phones, probably like many people I need something that is reliable, easy to use and doesn't have so many features that I can't work out how to use it. I want the phone to look fairly stylish but I don't want to spend a fortune either, I bought this set as it seemed to fit my requirements.

This is a cordless phone and answer machine system, there are three handsets in this pack, but you can add further sets. It is a DECT phone, which, as far as my non too technical brain can tell, basically means that there is a base station and transfer between the different sets via a radio signal. The base station needs to be connected to a phone jack, but the other sets can be placed anywhere in the house near a power source that you like. Ideally the base station should not be near any other electrical equipment if possible, according to the manufacturer, but mine is near the TV and this does not seem to affect reception distance.

I had been looking for an answerphone and cordless phone system for a while to replace a rather erratic and basic binatone system. Having researched what is available I was torn between buying a Siemens and a Panasonic; when I looked at the Siemens Gigaset in John Lewis I didn't like the docking on the handset; when I saw this set on offer for £59.99 from Amazon a two horse race became a complete no-brainer, and the Panasonic won the day.

What you get in the box

As mentioned earlier there are three handsets in all, with a colour display. The handsets are not the smallest and lightest ever, they are somewhat larger than a mobile phone, but quite slim, by my measurements 4.5cm by 15cm and about 125g. The handsets and base unit are black, and the buttons are quite pleasingly well spaced and easy to use. The base unit has buttons to access the answer machine - but no LCD display to tell you how many messages there are at a glance - this information has to be accessed on the phone itself. The phone is fairly innocuous to look at and the 1.5" LCD display is large enough, I don't think the phone would win any design awards for appearance but pleasing enough, and the buttons are quite pleasant to use and don't feel cheap.

Setting up the phone

The set came with rechargeable batteries for the handsets and power cords for the other two bases. The phone had to be charged for 7 hours before use, all quite straight forward. There was a manual to explain everything which was quite thick - just as I was thinking this and my husband was happily reaching for said manual (he likes a good manual in a new gadget), I spotted that there was a summary sheet for basic functions - great idea if you are like me and just want to get using the phone straight away without worrying too much about functions that you may or may not use.

The phone in use

The phone is clear in use - there is a special button to press if you wish to enhance the line, and you can also change the volume on the handset. The buttons and menus are straightforward enough if not completetly intuitive, a little playing around I had worked out most of the things I needed to know. Some items on the menu are a little hard to find and require multiple button pressing, but overall not too arduous.

There isn't an old fashioned phone ring as a choice of tones, there is however a choice of 10 melodies, 5 of which are fairly simple ringing tones. The tone you want for each set has to be set individually. You can also choose to have a different ring for different people or sets of people ringing, which might be something that the more technical of you might expect in a DECT phone but was light years away from my old binatone.

The LCD screen can be set to be off in standby, which apparently cuts down on electricity consumption by 34% compared to the 2005 model if the manufacturer is to be believed, in any case it seems a good idea to me.
Setting the phone book up was, again, fairly easy, and the numbers can be transferrred between phones, but have to be entered manually to begin with (no bluetooth here), and the numbers can be assigned into groups such as "family" or "friends" or perhaps "don't answer!" (or is it just me who has that kind of person ring? On that note the night function is actually quite handy - you can choose to refuse calls apart from a select group, this strikes me as a good idea as I would want family to be able to call if necessary but can do without cold calling machines late at night.
You can store 200 names and numbers on the phone, which is plenty for me and I would imagine most people. You need to have a subscription to caller ID in order for the number of the person ringing to be displayed on the phone.

In use the address book is a little cumbersome to scroll through but all the features are easy enough to understand - you can see who has called and when and there is a call back feature.

I like the fact that you can alter the ringer volume on each phone and that the handsets are easily docked. The base unit can, in theory, be attached to the wall - I think it would look quite strange if you did so, however. The screw holes to do so are more of an afterthought than a design feature.

There is no belt hook on the phone, which is fine for my use, and overall the phone is quite comfortable to use. It can also be used as an intercom (unlikely I would use this feature in all honesty) and you can transfer calls to another set should you wish. I was pleased to discover that I can "lock" the phone so that calls can not be made eg by my children but the phone is still answerable.

It is of note to me that the phone will not work in a powercut (we have quite a few powercuts), but this may not be relevant to most consumers! I should probably also say that there is no SMS function - but then I tend to use my mobile for that, but this may be relevant to some people.

Answer machine

Again setting the message is straight forward, though there is a pre-recorded message you can use already on the machine. You can alter the amount of rings before the answer machine kicks in and the time your caller has for recording a message. The answering machine can be accessed remotely via a pin which you set, and you can record up to 20 mins of messages. It is fairly easy to erase messages and the clarity of recording is good.

Overall

Overall I am pleased with this phone set - at £59.99 I think it is an absolute bargain for all that you get. I haven't owned a Panasonic phone before but I am pleasantly impressed. I have given it 4 stars simply as some of the menus are a bit of a faff and also the phone does seems a little plasticky and I am not in love with its look - however at this price I am not complaining! This phone set seems to work well so far and I would recommend it. It may not have some of the features of more expensive phones, such as blue tooth or fancy screen savers, but I think that it has enough to make it a good bit of kit and certainly a great improvement on my previous phone!

(also in my name on dooyoo)