Siemens Gigaset 4200 2.4 GHz 1-Line Cordless Expansion Handset

Pros: Great sound quality; handset is easy to carry
Cons: Very odd menus; unresponsive keys; hit-or-miss message light; keys not backlit

I recently had a chance to test-drive the Siemens Gigaset 4210 model, but putting it through the paces unfortunately proved quite disappointing.

Pros
There are several things I do like about this phone.

Nice...

Pros: It has cell phone look, light weight, access to base system through handset.
Cons: Navigating through menus, no headset jack, and no lighted keys.

When I shopped for a cordless phone to replace my aging analog system, I looked at all the units that the leaders had out on the market, and wondered if we can make cell phones without antennas, then why is it we cannot do the same for cordless home ...

Pros: Good build quality, unmatched compliment of features and flexibility.
Cons: Bizarre quirks, non-user friendly programming.

THINGS I LIKE

The primary attraction to this phone system is its expandability. I have the 4215 base unit and two 4200 add-on phones. Many manufacturers make expandable phone systems, but this one had something else I wanted: You can...

Pros: Style, size, lack of antenna, handset speaker-phone
Cons: Battery drain, ring tones, menus, lack of headset jack, hard to use

My previous phone was a Panasonic Gigarange KX-TG2563S, a solid phone in its own right. That should give you an idea of where my expectations lay.

I was immediately drawn to this phone's styling, its small size, the lack of any antenna and the...

Pros: Excellent speakerphone. Solves problem of not having a phone jack.
Cons: Poorly designed interface.

Among the handset speakerphones available, this has the best sound quality and range I've come across. I get a loud clicking sound from my wifi system, but it doesn't seem to bother the person on the other end.

The 4200/4215 setup is very...

Pros: Speakerphone is clear. Small size.
Cons: No headphone jack. Flash button next to annoying. Batteries are terrible. Customer service dismal.

I am disappointed to say the least. The batteries on the phone do not seem to charge properly. I am used to a phone that allows it to be used for 1 complete day (about 14 hours) before having to return to the base. The unit is best used leaving it in the...

Pros: Sound quality, range, ringer tones, voice dialing, speaker phone, integrated answering machine
Cons: No lighted keypad

I've owned countless cordless phones(ask my wife). I'm kind of a picky person when it comes to cordless phones. I've owned everything from Bang & Olufsen, to Panasonic, to Sony, to some very expensive extreme range phones from europe. They all suck...

Pros: Like the features.
Cons: Base is defective!

I've bought two of these phones and the base is defective. Both times the base went dead and Siemens would not fix stating that it was and act of god(power fluctuations). The second time I purchased I owned the phone less than 60 days!

Siemens customer service Sucks!