VTech2-Line Cordless Phone for Small Business or Home with Answering System and Mailbox on Each Line, Caller ID/Call Waiting, Intercom, Hearing Aid Compatible | DS6151 (Black/Silver)

I am running a business with 2 phone lines for many years now and phones have always been a problem for me. I found that all cordless phones degrade or stop working after a couple of years, so I went through several different brands and models which I can repport here for you. My comment on the VTech is the last paragraph.Starting 1999 I had a 2.4 GHz Siemes Gigaset and that was the best phone I had, it was stylish, very well organized and functioning. Unfortunately, wireless computer networking exploded shortly after and swamped this frequency band that no cordless phone at 2.4 GHz worked well any longer. Features included phone book copy amongst the different hand sets.I had two sets of different Panasonic 5.8 GHz phones, and all were really bad. Voice quality was horrible and something stopped working in a short time. One is tempted to buy Panasonic because they have the largest selection of models. But don't be fooled by that! I could not buy Siemens because they retracted from the 2-line analog phone market, they only offer VoIP stuff, but I am not ready for that yet.I had a Motorola 5.8 GHz for a couple of days and let me tell you, this was the worst phone I ever had, it was even much worse than all Panasonics. There would be not enough space on the Amazon server to write down all the details :-)Then I had a 5.8 GHz AT&T phone and I really liked voice quality and workmanship. But all hand sets had different numbers in their phone book because you cannot transfer the phone book between them; I just could not keep up with this. Also, the functionality was not very intuitive.Finally I got his VTech phone, and I must say that I am impressed. I wanted to have a DECT 6.0 phone because I believe this is the best frequency band for cordless phones. This phone looks great, has excellent voice quality, has an intuitive menu setup, and it has a very competative price. And what I like most which no other phone ever had: You program a number into your phone book and it is available instantaneouly in all hand sets. Only thing, they should have memory for more than 50 numbers. I have this phone and 4 hand sets since Dec 2009, and the only thing I hope is that it will be reliable. As soon as I have an issue I will update this review, so if you don't see an update, that is more points for this phone.

This is a GREAT 2-line phone. It just works, and works well.I wanted to like one of the Panasonic 2-line current models, but both had issues. One had a smaller number of extensions that could be used, the other didn't have a cordless phone at the base. The way extensions work on the Panasonic has some limitations as well, though both Panasonic models had battery backup.The V-Tech is lacking a few features (battery backup is the one I most wanted) but the phone system itself is phenomenal. Sound quality is EXCELLENT -- better than the Panasonic and better than my old V-Tech. The cost is far lower both for the base system and the extensions (extensions are a relative bargain for the V-Tech) and the system can accommodate 12 - TWELVE -- extensions, using as many as four at any one time. The answering machine is superb, though I use my phone provider's voicemail instead. Guess what? This even has a phone company voicemail detector and indicator!Buttons are responsive; the speakerphone is superb, and the controls are generally intuitive. Range is the best of any I have ever used.If you need a two-line phone and don't mind not having a battery backup, this IS the one to get. I recommend it highly.

I chose this phone because it was the cheapest 2-Line phone (at least pretty cheap and with the cheapest extra handsets). I wanted the two lines so that I could distinguish my calls (for work) from any calls to my wife. Thankfully it had the ability to chose different ringtones for each line (though I didn't like that you had to change them for each handset, but do like that you can change the volume for each line separately on each handset). Combined with the Obi202 the quality is much better than calling over the computer or phone apps (even with the quality issue(s) in the Cons section below).Below are some pros and cons. Most of the Cons are little things that could have been convenient, but I'm still overall satisfied with my purchase. Some of them also might be industry standard, but I haven't had a phone system in a long time to know what the standard is. I wouldn't pay double (at least) to get the next best 2-line phone system even if they got rid of all the cons (unless I was just itching to spend money).Pros:CheapDirectory (1) See notes below for numbered items.Distinct ringers / volume (2)Multiple Redials (3)Dial / Talk from BaseEasily enable or disable answering machine (per line - the "on/off' buttons by each line on the base)Cons:Either (minimal) static, or lower quality earpiece. (4)Cannot rename handsets (5)Handsets must be removed from charger to do anything (except for ring incoming calls).Ringtones on the base and the handset start at different times (I haven't paid attention between individual handsets)NOTES:1) All phones use the same stored directory, if you add it on one handset, it gets added on all other handsets and the base.2) Ringer / Volume options are changed separately on each phone for each line (or you can change both lines together if you want). I would have preferred to change the ringtone for each line once and it go to all phones, but others might like it how it is. I do like that I can turn Line 1's volume down (or mute it) on one phone, and Line 2's volume down on the other handset.3) Stores at least 20 distinct redial numbers. Prior numbers are accessed by using the up and down / scroll keys. Redial numbers exclude buttons pressed after the initial dial.Notes for Cons:(4) I'm getting either minimal static, or the earpiece speaker isn't the best quality. I haven't tried moving the base away from my refrigerator (which could be the cause if it's static). Note: The sound quality is still better than using VOIP on the computer or Android apps.5) Handset names are "HANDSET 1", "HANDSET 2" etc. I couldn't find a way to rename the constantly showing identifier. If anyone else has seen how to change that let me know.