Panasonic2-Line Cordless Phone System with 2 Handsets - Answering Machine, Link2Cell, 3-Way Conference, Call Block, Long Range DECT 6.0, Bluetooth - KX-TG9542B (Black)

I bought this In January, 2014 and just never set it up until last month. Sorry I waited so long. It is terrific!I bought this Panasonic to replace my office phone. I spend a lot of time on the phone, so I use a headset. The phone has a lot of features, but so far I've had no trouble getting use to the way it does things.The phone was easy to set-up and has a "Quick Guide" as well as a comprehensive manual with Operating Instructions. I find the phone's menus easy to follow (even without consulting the manual). I've had similar phones and do all my own computer tech work, so your mileage may vary.There are some features on the phone that absolutely will need the manual to use effectively, because you need to enter codes to access the features and the codes are in the manual. For the most part these are settings that once you set them up, you can forget them. Still, you'll probably want to keep the manual around so you can change the settings in future.There are two kinds of people -- those who won't read the manual and those who eat that stuff for lunch (you know who you are). If you fall in the latter group, like me, then you can download the manual and read it before you buy (I did) and store it on your computer for easy access later.I found the manual useful. One picky thing I noted when reading it -- the instructions have a heading -- like How to do (something) on the handset -- and then do not mention the word "handset" in the body of the instructions. I was confused a few times, because I thought I was reading instructions related to the base unit and then realized that the heading (on the prior page) referred to the handset (or vice versa). Since some of the keys on the base unit are different from the keys on the handset, this confused me until I realized my mistake. (My fault for reading the manual selectively and not cover-to-cover like a novel, but I do think the instructions would be more clear if the word "handset" or "base" were in the body of the instructions more often.) As I said, picky.The phone has a lot of neat features. For example, I have caller id and, after two rings, the phone announces the name of the caller, so I don't have to cross the room to read caller id! A feature I never knew I needed, but now that I have it, don't want to give it up.So far, I haven't used the "link-to-cell" feature, but I do charge my iPhone 5 from the side of this Panasonic phone and that's so convenient.The phone has two separate answering machines -- one for line 1 and another for line 2 -- and you can set-up different custom messages for each one. I use Verizon's voicemail and bought this phone so that I'd have my own answering machine in case Verizon's went down. (This has only happened once in nearly 20 years, but I don't want to miss any calls from my clients.) I haven't had the need to use the phone's answering machines, but I can say the custom greetings were easy to set-up.My conclusion: If you need a 2-line phone with good sound quality, a huge phonebook, and lots of features, consider this phone. Of all the programmable phones I've had, and I've had several over the years, I like this one the best. If you want a dead simple phone, then this may not be for you, but if you're willing to read a little, you'll be rewarded for your effort.

Works great! Yes we still have a landline! Having a small business we still need one!

Before replacing my old Panasonic 2-Line phone system I did a lot of research, and it came down to the Panny KX-TG9542B and the AT&T TL86103. They are both very similar, but I chose the Panasonic because of it's approx. 60 minute recording time (about 22 minutes for AT&T), and the Call Blocking feature (which AT&T does not offer). My two biggest concerns about the Panasonic was the lack of a "Hold" button on the handsets, and the "non-duplex" speaker phone on the base unit. Now that I've been using this phone system for a few weeks I want to share my experience.As for my concerns, it turns out that I can put a current call on Line 1 on "hold" when a second call is coming in on Line 2 by simply pressing the Line 2 button to answer the incoming call (the Line 1 call is automatically put on hold). Then when finished with the call on Line 2, I simply press the Line 1 button to continue with the original call. I did not think this would work this way, but so far it has. So the "no hold button" issue has not been a factor for me.Unfortunately, the "non-duplex" speakerphone on the base unit has presented the problems you would expect...people on the other end of a call telling me my voice is breaking up or they can't make out what I'm saying. The quick fix is obviously to pick up the handset and have a clear conversation. So for those who need a full-duplex speakerphone, this is not the phone for you. I can make it work if I'm patient and wait until the other person is completely finished speaking before I start to speak...not necessarily as easy as it sounds...but even a little simultaneous speaking or a decent amount of background office noise can render this speakerphone practically unusable.Other than this, the base unit and separate handsets have worked well. The choice of ringer sounds are pretty bad, but not so bad that we can't live with the ones we have chosen. The "Call Block" feature has been great. We get hit by so many telemarketers and robo-calls...whenever one of these calls comes in, we hang up, then bring up the number on the Caller ID, and save it to the "blocked number" list. When I'm in my office, and I see the base unit screen light up with the "Incoming Call" alert, it's a great feeling when the phone doesn't ring, and I see the "blocked call" message.Also, I have used the Bluetooth feature to link my cellphone to the Panasonic system, and it has worked well throughout my house, so when a call to my cellphone comes in, and my cellphone is in another room, I can answer the call on the closest Panasonic handset...no more scrambling to find the cellphone while it's ringing. The one area where the AT&T phone is better is that it allows you to have two cellphones in use with their phone system at the same time. In our case, it would be nice for my wife and I to be able to use both our cellphones through the Panasonic system at the same time. We have both our cellphones linked to the system, but Panasonic only allows you to use one cellphone through the system at a time. Since our cellphones are generally with us or close by, this has not been a major problem so far.One of the other convenient Bluetooth features is that we easily transferred the contact list phone numbers from both our cellphones to the Panasonic base unit, and now have access to all those numbers, now that they are in the phonebook of every handset.I must admit, I was looking forward to the "Talking Caller ID" feature, but we may decide to turn it off. It actually works as advertised, but the announcement starts around the second ring, and with the answering machine ready to grab incoming calls on the fourth ring, we are accustomed to picking up calls by the second or third ring. Also, the "speaking phone" is not very eloquent...mispronouncing names or simply announcing the phone number. So yes, the feature works, but we're not sold on it's functionality.Lastly, the answering machine feature has all the basics you would expect. I easily recorded personal outgoing messages for both phone lines (rather than using the available "stock" messages), set the number of rings before answering, and it has worked well.In conclusion, my pre-purchase researched showed me that there is no perfect phone system. For me, this Panasonic KXT-TG9542B was the best choice. The biggest issue is the poor speakerphone (which may very well be a "deal-breaker" for some folks), but I'll try to live with and work around it because I'm fairly sure there isn't any other 2-line cordless phone system out there (in this price range) that is any better overall.

We love this phone system. We’ve had it for years and it still works great! The cordless phones get dropped a lot around the shop, so we always buy the extended warranty on them for easy replacements when they stop working.