RCarte2000's Full Review: Vtech t2121 900 MHz 1-Line Cordless Phone
I LOVE MY VTECH
When I was a teenager, you couldn't get me off of the phone. As an adult, I hate being on the phone unless I have to. Somehow, I seem to always have a phone in my hand nonetheless. Thank heavens it's a lightweight one!
When my last cordless phone died on me (after 4 years of use and being thrown in the toilet three times by my terrible four year old), I knew I wanted to replace it with another VTech. I'm impressed by the quality of their phones. I've always enjoyed the features, weight, clarity, and security that VTech offers.
I went to Walmart and found this 2121 on the shelf and was surprised to see that it was less than half of what I paid for a similar model 4 years prior. I checked out the display model, handled it for comfort and weight check, looked over the buttons, and then grabbed the box to read the features.
Within a matter of minutes, my mind was made up and I had the 2121 in my shopping cart, ready to purchase and take home for immediate use. Of course, as with all cordless phones, a lengthy charge time was required before first use. In the case of this phone, it was 8-12 hours.
LOVE AT FIRST USE?
Oh yes, I fell in love... with a phone... again. From the first time I picked it up and dialed I was thrilled with it. The phone was easy to use. The buttons are soft to the touch and not forceful to press. They are labeled clearly and there is no confusion as to which button does what.
There are several ringing options as well. There are two levels of ringing (loudness) and three different ring tone types. I get tired of the same ring all of the time in a home phone. If I could have a polyphonic home phone like a cell phone, I'd be a happy camper.
The caller ID display shows both name and number. The display is sort of small, but it's clear and easy to use. There are separate caller ID functions on the key pad as well.
The sound from the ear piece is clear. I have no problem hearing from this phone at all. I get no feedback and I have never had to switch the channel due to interference. This is a problem I've had with other cordless phones in the past.
I like it that the phone is black. I often grab the phone while cooking and have all sorts of things on my hands that could possibly stain a white phone. I have a white cordless phone as well, but I use it as a secondary for many reasons, one being that it's white. My estranged husband is a mechanic and giving him the phone with grease covered hands wouldn't work out if this phone were any color but black.
The charging base is not large and bulky like some units. I like the compact design and ease of hook up of this charging base. There is no mystery as to what cord goes where or how to run it accordingly. It's elementary, my dear Watson!
The power supply is not a huge brick. It is a small little box to plug into an electrical outlet, which saves room for other electronics to be plugged in as well. I enjoy this space saving feature.
IS THERE ANYTHING BAD ABOUT THIS UNIT?
I could go on and on about the wonderful features of the phone but to be realistic I also need to tell you of the few flaws I've noticed. After all, nothing is as perfect as it may seem in our lovely world. One of the most annoying things I notice about a phone is the difficulty of turning a ringer on and off. Another phone of mine has a little switch on the handset that says "Ringer ON-OFF." If this were the case with all cordless phones, there would never be an issue. VTech did not find the need for this. In order to turn the ringer on or off, you must scroll through the ring tones and volumes until you come to the ringer on-off option. I find this to be a bad feature of the phone for the reason that I often turn off my ringer when my child is napping. If I have to scroll through ring tones and volumes that are going to make a ton of noise, what is the purpose in turning off a ringer to begin with? I don't particularly appreciate that part of the 2121.
The phone is indeed lightweight and I love that, but often times when it is places into the cradle to recharge, it is so light that it isn't placed all of the way on the contacts and it sits there to run down even more rather than to recharge. That can be a hindrance when you are using what is expected to be a fully charged phone, only to find it dying on you in the middle of an important call.
Perhaps the most serious complaint with the phone is the way it is turned on and off. Turning on is no problem. There's a large circular button in the upper middle of the phone that says TALK. Simple enough, right? So, you press it to make a call. Many phones will have you press that same button to end the call. This phone does not. There is a small button to the right of that circular one that ends the call. I can't tell you how many times I have hit the TALK button to end the call instead of the proper button only to hear the buzzing of an off the hook phone a few minutes later because I did not hang it up. This is a real embarrassment if you attempt to hang up with someone who irritates you and you make a comment about them once you think you've hung up the phone, only to find the phone line is still open and they've just heard your remarks! Yes, I have done it! It was horrible!
My last complaint is with the battery. It stays charged for a long time, so that isn't my beef with it. The problem is that the actual battery doesn't last in the phone too long. With my other cordless phone, I've replaced the battery twice in 4 years. With the 2121, I've replaced it already and I've owned it 3 months. I am hoping it was a defective battery and not a bad phone overall.
A FINAL OVERVIEW
I am pleased with the 2121 overall. The features are marvelous and the price is minimal. The battery is cheap if it does need replaced. The sound is clear; the ringer is loud and has variety. It has a nice weight and appearance. Ease of use is amazing. Even a person who has never used a cordless phone (and there truly are some out there) could use this phone.
I would recommend it to anyone for personal use. It's simple enough that even my four year old can use it. Callers have stated that they can even hear the fine details in the background of our calls. It's a fine phone, at a fine price, and readily available where most phones are sold!
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