Negative buzz? Not on THIS phone! VTech 9151
Written: Dec 24 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good quality, three message mailboxes
Cons: "power" and "off" buttons can be inadvertantly pressed during calls, initial startup problems
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| driver4t5's Full Review: Vtech VT 9111 900 MHz - Cordless Phone |
As much negative buzz as I've heard concerning VTech, I have yet to experience any for myself. I have used a VT9000 and a VT02-9151 model phone and have had positive results with both. This review concerns itself with the latter model - the VT02-9151.
VTech has become highly popular as they bring stylish, colorful products to the front for a very affordable price. The VT02-9151 can be had for just under $50 at stores like Best Buy. This greatly underscores Sony products with the same level of features. While I love Sony's commercial-grade products, I don't like their consumer-level electronics, which I believe to be second-tier with a top-shelf price.
The picture in the 9111 section is an Epinions error as it's actually a 9151, as the pictured item has buttons for the answering machine boxes while the 9111 has NO answering provision.
The VTxx nomenclature describes the color where xx = color number. The one I'm reviewing is purple, which is 02 on the VTech scale. Other colors are available. The 91XX line uses similar handset and base architecture. The differences within this line is feature availability. More charge, of course, for more toys. For comparison, the 9111 runs roughly half the price of the 9151.
For less than half a hundred, the 9151 model comes with many features such as:
* Full Cordless Operation
* Integrated Digital, 3-mailbox answering machine
* 30 Channel Operation
* Speed Dialing (10-number maximum)
* 2.5mm Headset compatability
* Programmable ringer options
* Redundant Battery Charging System
* Adjustable volume control
* Pager, for those inevitable moments the phone gets buried
For calling, the sound quality is good. I'm still so old-school that I expect the mouthpiece to be directly under my mouth while the earpiece is resting on my ear. The 9151 handset is a bit short for this, nevertheless I have no problems hearing the other party nor they me. Other than that minor quibble, the handset is to my liking in that it fits my hand well and it's very light.
I mentioned the pager feature earlier. This is highly useful as I seem to spend 2/3 of my life just looking for misplaced stuff. Unlike most paging which beeps only once and makes it a game of "warmer/colder", the 9151 will not stop beeping until the phone is found and the beeping turned off.
The three answering machine mailboxes are highly useful, especially for large families. When so programmed, the calling party will receive a menu listing options for the appropriate mailbox. Programming is easy. This makes an ideal situation for those wishing to separate business calls from pleasure calls, as well as directing call traffic from loved ones, friends, mistresses, process servers, probation officers, etc.
One particularly annoying negative is the location of the "off" button. It's on the upper right corner and I have inadvertantly pressed it on my face on more than one occasion with disastrous results. Vtech needs to relocate this as it's a problem with the 90xx series as well as the 91xx. I hold the phone with my left hand; correspondingly, right-handed users might find themselves bumping into the "power" button with a similar result. Different facial shapes may not have this problem.
I have heard negative comments about the range so I tested this. The base is located roughly central with respect to the yard. I roamed the entire house and parts of the yard during conversation and noticed no discernible static, breakup, or other kind of loss. This is more than I could say for my old Sony. The maximum distance I travelled was about 60 feet. I didn't do a full range test as I'm only concerned with actual usage distances.
One problem occurred during start-up. The phone appeared to fully charge, but pressing the "power" button yielded only clicking with no connection. VTech technical support was contacted and they were very friendly and diligent. The problem was traced to synchronization. Unplugging the power and replugging it remedied the situation. The speed in which they diagnosed this made me believe that this is not an uncommon occurance (hence a bug that needs fixing).
The VTech 9151 is a worthy phone and gives great value for the dollar. I give it a good recommendation though I'd suggest the buyer handle the demo model first to ensure that the "power" and "off" buttons don't conflict with the contours of the face.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
driver4t5
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 - Top 500 |
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Member: Jon Harney
Location: Lake Mary, FL
Reviews written: 147
Trusted by: 223 members
About Me:
2000 - 2001 Epinions Fixture...Now living off of my Eroyalties Millions
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