Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have owned GE, Uniden, Panasonic, AT&T, Vtech and a number of other models from the outdated 49Mhz to the 5.8GHz range and now DECT 6.0. I had a set of Uniden TRU8860 5.8GHz which were some of the best I had owned, except they did have range drops and often failed around my Wi-Fi office technology. I thought the reviews on this Panasonic KX-TG9334T set was persuasive enough to give them a try. I concluded I have a newer Panasonic KY-FPG391 5.8GHz that has performed well and there would be little risk. However, after setup, I knew I had made a poor choice. If you have never owned recent Uniden technology, I suppose these Panasonics would be pie in the sky perfect as some of the other reviews on here indicate. However, for me as an aficionado of phone technology, I was left sorely frustrated. 1) The sound is at least half the quality compared to Uniden earpiece. I inserted my top-of-the-line Plantronic 2.5mm headset and was startled at the loss of decibels, as if a resistor had been installed. 2) The Caller ID feature is extremely slow. A call would come in and by the third ring, still nothing was displayed. The answering machine picks up on the 4th ring rendering this feature null and void. On the Uniden, the Caller ID was displayed first ring. 3) The CID in memory has a two line display. You see the listing name first, and then the phone number second... as you wait for it to show. Very poor design. On the Uniden, you see everything at once, no delays. 4) The CallerID announce is slurred and robotic, which equates to useless in my way of thinking. Some people like the audible announcement. This is the only feature that might be preferred over the Uniden. 5) The Panasonic only allows numerical displays for handset locations whereas one review said they had to tape on paper labels. The Uniden allowed for specific labels like "Bedroom" and "Office". I tell you, this does make a difference. When you page another handset, you don't have to try and recall the station number, but can scroll to the name entered on any handset. Panasonic falls short on this feature. 6) The Panasonic does not allow privacy calling. On the Uniden, you could press a key, and all the other handsets were denied conversation access. The Panasonic allows access from any handset without prejudice. I packed it back in the box after these observations and returned to Amazon. I proceeded to purchase the back-ordered Uniden 3080-3 DECT 6.0 which from what I read is an immense upgrade over the TRU8860 series. Few retailers can keep them in stock because there is such a high demand. Certainly a visual feast. I can't go wrong twice... I hope. It is my desire that this review will save other buyers from my erroneous presumptions. May 27th, 2008 update: Took delivery and setup the Uniden 3080-3 DECT 6.0 today. WOW is all I can say. Nothing on the market compares! Perfect in every way. Sleek design, features, graphics, and sound. Have vision problems? No issue with this phone, BIG easy to read display. Colorful wallpapers and fanciful tunes for rings. I do have a some loss of hearing, again no problem, these units have great volume in handset and especially through the 2.5mm headset out jack. The Panasonics had almost no volume at all with a headset. Take it from a phone perfectionist, carefully consider the Uniden 3080 and its immense offerings. Yes, they cost a bit more, but you will be very happy and your visitors will marvel at the mere ergonomic sight of them.