Siemens 8825 Gigaset 2.4 GHz 2-Line Expandable Cordless Speakerphone with Answering System

This is a great multi-line, multi-handset, cordless phone system. It's a big improvement over the previous generation from Siemens (the Gigaset 2420), and it's far better than the Panasonic system that I bought (the KX-TG4000B).

Gigaset 8825 features that I love:
1. HANDSETS -- The handsets are "dense" - just heavy enough to feel solid and high quality - much better than the old, light, "plastic", cheap ones from the Gigaset 2420 system. The handset speakerphone is a feature I didn't think I would want or need, but it works great. The ability to give each handset your own "name" (like kitchen, or family room, or upstairs bathroom) makes the intercom capability much more useful than trying to remember where handset #3 is!!!
2. BASE STATION -- The speakerphone works fine - almost as good as a Polycom speakerphone. The "MUTE" function on the base station works great - I just wish that the handsets had a mute! The base station has attractive clear backlit buttons for some...Read more

After spending quite a bit of time reading product reviews, and looking at a number of cordless phones in person, I finally settled on this Siemens 8825 set.

I must say that I'm quite impressed overall with this phone and its performance! As others have said, it is literally PACKED with features, from callerID, voice announcement, multiple voicemailboxes, call directories that can be sent between base and hand units, intercom, speakerphone in base and handset(!) and many many others.

You can register up to 8 handsets with a single 2-line base unit. Each handset may be registered with 2 different base units as well. It is important to note that the handsets use standard NiMH rechargeable AA batteries. This makes them very easy and economical to replace in the long-run.

The sound quality is oustanding - from base and handset phones. It is at least as good as my old trusty Panasonic "Sound Charger" which set the standard for good quality analog cordless phones. In 3 weeks of use,...Read more

I bought this phone to replace a few different cordless handsets, a seperate digital answering machine and a speaker phone in my home/home office. I am talking about the 8825 (as I can't believe that some other reviewers are.) Overall, this is a great system with a few caveats. Many people have complained about things like the inability to turn off ringers or answer certain lines from the handsets. This is almost exclusively due to the extremely poor documentation. If you are not "gadget inclined" DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE. It has many drill down menus which are poorly explained in the manual. You can only really understand them by doing some trial and error. As far as the quality goes, I have been quite impressed. The speakerphone has great sound BUT is not a full duplex as advertised. When you start speaking the other side cuts out. I live in an apartment building in NYC and have an 802.11b wireless set up. I doubt a more cordless phone hostile environment exists. That said, I have not...Read more