Panasonic KX-TG5110M 5.8 GHz DSS Expandable Cordless Phone with Answering System and Dual Handsets

I waited for this phone to come out for what seemed like forever. I was tempted by other 5.8 Ghz phones, but none of them really measured up. Some were not true 5.8 (2.4 one way and 5.8 the other), the others could not use both handsets at the same time or share a phonebook (*cough* Uniden *cough*). I must tell you, when I got this phone, it was worth the wait.
Pros:

The buttons are very responsive.
True 5.8Ghz phone
Excellent sound quality
Shared phonebook between base and other handsets (you can transfer each number individually)
Almost lifelike speakerphone quality (best that I've heard so far)
Redial of the last 5 made calls
3 mail boxes
Phone conference between handsets and/or base
Call transfer between handsets and/or base
Backlit display and buttons
Privacy button, so other handsets cannot join (if you wish)
Mute button (where have you been all my life, no more covering the mic with a hand)

Cons:

Huge handset...Read more

Take a close look at all of these reviews. Most of the old reviews are excellent and they gradually get worse as you get towards the newer reviews. This is a direct indication of this phone's reliability.

I've had the phone for about a year now. My first review was 5 stars. My current review is a GENEROUS 3 stars.

This phone is loaded with great features, the speakerphone is excellent, and the reception has been good in my 3 level house (it even works when I go to my mailbox which is over 30 feet away).

The main problem is the battery life. At about 10 months the battery life began deteriating rapidly and I had to replace both batteries. Very annoying.

I've also noticed some other reliability issues - like the ringer breaks up now when there's an incoming call. Also, the speaker phone doesn't seem to work as well as it used to. The speaker seems to break up a little.

If you don't mind changing the batteries every 8-12...Read more

I bought and tried three different 5.8GHZ phones available on the market... Uniden, VTech, and the Panasonic. The following is what I found:

Uniden
The Uniden looks good, but only performs decently. The handset is a bit big and clunky, and fairly heavy too. The worse feature of the phone is the ear piece. It sounds very tinny and not really that impressive for a phone of this quality and price. It's like talking to someone with a tin can up to your ear... all treble and no bass... doesn't sound natural. Probably the worse sounding ear piece I've ever heard on a phone.

VTech
First of all, it doesn't truly utilize 5.8GHZ technology... it's 2.4 one way and 5.8 the other... so this still can cause problems with outside interference and computer networks. The phone performs fairly well, but there was nothing that special about it's performance or features. A 2.4GHZ phone for more than $50 less would perform the same.

Panasonic
WOW! BY FAR THE BEST PHONE ON THE...Read more