Small But Powerful: Who Says Size Matters?
Written: Jan 28 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Light, cheap, small, lots of features, clear voice quality
Cons: memory dial too complicated
The Bottom Line: This is the best low price 900mhz phone I have ever used. The quality of the product is unmatched.
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| kjell1979's Full Review: Uniden EXI 376 900 MHz 1-Line Cordless Phone |
What? Can You Speak Louder?
I was receiving complaints from my friends that they can't hear me when I talk to them on my VTech 900mhz phone. Later, my wife's voice sounded really weak when she called me at work on that same phone. Finally, I just couldn't take it anymore and I decided to break down and get a new phone. Preferably with caller ID built in.
I went to Walmart, seeing as it was late on a Saturday night and I didn't want to drive 30 minutes to the nearest Circuit City or Best Buy. The cheapest phone I saw there that fit my needs was a white Uniden 900mhz phone with Caller ID (model EXI376). It was selling for $25. SOLD! I didn't bother to look to see what was included with the phone; I just wanted the cheapest one I could find from a reputable brand.
Impressions
When I got home I saw that along with the normal pieces like the phone, the base, a phone cord and the power adapter; it came with a clip to hang on your belt, and a headphone jack. That's not too bad at all. I initially noticed that the phone was light and there were more buttons than I expected.
Setting up the phone was easy. It was easy to customize the settings that you want (ringer tone, volume, etc...). It was pretty easy to setup the memory dial numbers too, although I needed help from the manual to figure out how to do that. I also had to use the manual as a reference when entering in certain characters. Unlike other cordless phones I'm use to, there is a memory dial screen that's displayed on the caller ID window. Instead of the number displayed, the name of the location is displayed instead based on what you named it (work, doctor, Shaun, etc...). This is nice, though it could be too complicated for those not patient with directions or those who desire fancy features.
Other features include:
Rocket dial (a one button speed dial feature)
10 number speed dial storage
30 name storage for the caller ID
Volume control
Redial
Basic operation of the phone is pretty easy. The arrow buttons are clearly marked as well as the caller ID menu button (CID). I still haven't gotten used to the memory dial. I can never remember whether you have to have a dial tone before selecting your number or after. It's just a pet peeve of mine.
The voice quality is great. Though on my end, it's the same as my old VTech. However, other people have no problem hearing me now.
I have no problems with interference. However, I live in a borderline suburb/rural residence that wouldn't be subject to much interference at all. Since this is a 900mhz phone that uses an analog signal, I wouldn't recommend this if you live near power lines, in an apartment building, or in a city or urban area. If you do, you might want to at least bump up to a 900mhz digital phone if not 2.4 ghz phone instead.
A Good Reputation
When I worked at Staples, people used to come in and rave about Uniden. We didn't sell that brand at first, but after enough people came in and specifically asked for that brand, I think someone finally wised up and started stocking them. To me, these phones were a salesman's best friend. I recommended them, people bought them, and they rarely came back to return them (and harass me about it). I would say about 1/20th of all phone brands returned were Uniden. That's not too bad considering we only sold 5 or 6 different brands of phones there. I wasn't there long enough to see how current models stood the test of time. However, from what people were telling me, they had theirs for upwards of 5-6 years and it showed no signs of slowing.
Cordless phones have flaky reputations. In all models there are a certain percentage that just don't work and end up being lemons. However, considering the percentages of what I saw a few years ago, I think I'm safe with this one.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
kjell1979
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Location: Oxford, Mass
Reviews written: 276
Trusted by: 346 members
About Me:
Lots of reviews coming in October!
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